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Gluten-Centric Culture — Chapters 1-3 Available To Read Now

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Gluten Centric Culture — The Commensality Conundrum

“Once diagnosed, your life will never be the same. I hope this work helps us to live more gracefully while navigating the gluten free diet.” – Dr. Duane


CENTENNIAL, Colo. (PRWEB)

Gluten-Centric Culture – Chapters 1-3 Available To Read Now

Imagine learning that nearly every food consumed for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks – foods once thought of as healthy – are deemed to be destructive to one’s overall health. Then imagine discovering this ingredient infiltrates many every-day foods. People diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance struggle to learn the aliases this substance goes by to sort out a diet that is safe. It’s hard. They constantly have to remind themselves they “can’t eat that” anymore… and there are a lot of “that’s” they can’t eat anymore. Some take a few risks, eating suspicious foods only to pay the price of physical and sometimes mental pain as it processes through the sensitive body. It’s a bite-by-bite struggle.

But that’s only the beginning of the problem. Following a gluten-free diet imposes social issues too because these foods are an integral component of society. Before being diagnosed, those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance likely never noticed how gluten-containing foods are central to western cultural practices because these are taken-for-granted foods everyone eats regularly. But after being diagnosed, it doesn’t seem possible to avoid it. Not only is gluten present in some form at every meal, it is also used for celebrations and sacraments. By not eating these foods, those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance are constantly explaining their new diet to others, experiencing subjugation from social occasions. Family members of those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance often don’t want anything to do with this extreme diet, and some may even doubt the need to follow it, not wanting to become “inadvertent celiacs.” This is what people describe life is like when following a gluten-free diet. It’s a daily dilemma.

Dr. Duane conducted a nation-wide study to understand the social aspects of food sensitivities and learned from hundreds of participants that cultural conundrums are imposed when on a restrictive diet. The study revealed that deep-seated beliefs about food cause strife with others when one decides not to eat the food. These “given truths” or ideologies come from many cultural influences such as religious beliefs, sacraments including the communion host, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food recommendations and traditional foods such as birthday cake and pizza for celebrations. This is a gluten-centric society. This makes it especially difficult to manage a gluten-free lifestyle and comply with social norms.

The book Gluten Centric Culture – The Commensality Conundrum summarizes Dr. Duane’s study with heart wrenching stories shared by study participants. The book takes the reader through the process of transformation, from experiencing the uncertainty of the first-diagnosed, to the self-assurance of those who command respect and cooperation. Some study participants completely altered their lifestyles to accommodate their dietary needs. Gluten-Centric Culture is being published one chapter a quarter in the Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. Chapter 1, Are You Kidding? Chapter 2, Ideologies in our Gluten-Centric Society, and Chapter 3, Where Ideologies Collide in Public Settings are available to read right now. Other chapters will appear in subsequent quarterly publications. Stay tuned!

Dr. Duane says, “Once diagnosed, your life will never be the same. I hope this work helps us to live more gracefully while navigating the gluten free diet.” For those who wish to dig deeper into the chapters and the lifestyle, Dr. Duane offers workshops on each chapter. Please sign up at alternativecook.com.

About the Author

Dr. Jean Duane is a social scientist and author of Gluten Centric Culture – The Commensality Conundrum, which summarizes a nation-wide study on understanding the social aspects of food/gluten sensitivities and celiac disease.­­­ Join Dr. Duane for workshops on the step-by-step transformation process of living gracefully with food allergies. Cookbooks include Bake Deliciously! Gluten and Dairy Free Cookbook and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gluten Free Cooking Cookbook. Dr. Duane produced several spots for Comcast’s Video on Demand, made television appearances on PBS and has been a featured speaker at two International Association for Culinary Professionals’ Conferences and at the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America’s International Conference. Dr. Jean Duane is a certified chef, has an MBA, and a PhD. A researcher, cooking instructor, speaker, and magazine writer, she won Kiplinger’s “Dream in You” contest in 2006. To sign up for workshops, discover nearly 50 FREE recipes, or to reach Dr. Duane, please visit alternativecook.com.

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