Exactly. It's salt mixed with an aluminum-based anti-caking agent that's only recently been approved, in very small amounts, for human consumption. So it's not just salt. Get it?
Yeah, they're pretty awful. There's a reason why wheat is an almost universal food. If only manufacturers would stop tossing wheat flour into damn near everything just to stretch it and save a few bucks...
Yeah, I eat better than I used to even two years ago, but those without Celiac disease (and you will certainly know if you do) will do fine with the gluten. As others have mentioned, it's the over-processing that has seen to the rise in allergies and fucking with people.
^ I think one of the issues with Celiac is that people don't always become symptomatic until late teens/early twenties, and more women/girls are affected than men/boys. So - especially about a decade ago when anorexia was the big thing in the news every evening - lots of young, thin and undernourished women were being accused of having a fashion magazine obsession and were encouraged to eat more pasta and bread to put on weight, which of course only made things worse for them but in the minds of many healthcare workers the fact that their patients might refuse to eat the stuff that in actuality was making them so sick only justified their diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. So it didn't always use to be an easy diagnosis, and it's good that more people know about it and don't have to suffer. But it's still kind of silly to label whole foods like potatoes and strawberries as gluten-free. If it is found to be over-processing or pesticides or herbicides or something triggering problems, then maybe something like a 'Roundup-free' label would be better.
Well, you could say something like "Strawberries are a naturally gluten-free food." on your strawberries. But then how do you know your competitors don't turn out to be selling strawberry cake?
Unless you're a celiac, "gluten-free" is a complete bunch of bullshit and probably doing more harm to your health than good, given all the salt and sugars that are added to "gluten-free" products. It's estimated that less than 35,000 Canadians have celiac disease, yet more than 4-million people claim to be "gluten-free". http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/episodes/2014-2015/is-gluten-free-healthier-the-truth-behind-the-trend Also, this:
Interesting that this should come up now. In the last few months I've been having an extreme "full tummy" reaction to pasta and mashed taters. A dozen tortelini for dinner left me full, lethargic and moody for two full days. I couldn't even eat the next day. This has come on gradually over a year or two, but it's really ramped up the last couple of months. I got a blood test last week, still waiting for results.
Because it feeds ignorance. People with legitimate medical reasons to avoid gluten already know what gluten is and why it would never be found in tea. The label only belongs on gluten free versions of products that would ordinarily contain gluten.
Swedish Fish has a big "Fat Free!" stamp on the package. I had some yummy gluten-free soup and chili this weekend. With a whole mess of bread to make up for it.