Going gluten-free has become all the rage, so of course celebrities are getting in on the act, or more precisely, the diet.
From just wanting to lose weight and eat healthier like singers Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga, to being allergic to wheat, like New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former president Bill Clinton, to suffering from celiac disease like political commentator Keith Olbermann and actresses Zooey Deschanel and Emmy Rossum, the fit and the famous are trying out life without wheat, rye and barley, which all contain the protein gluten.
Even celebs without a sensitivity to gluten like Gwyneth Paltrow tout gluten-free living for its healthfulness. She promotes the diet and some gluten-free products on her popular website GOOP.
Some athletes like star tennis player Novak Djokavic credit the switch to gluten-free eating for helping him win more than 39 major matches. And Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, lifted the gluten-free diet into the limelight when she ordered a gluten-free cake for her wedding in 2010 so her dad could celebrate and have his cake, too.
For whatever the reason, celebrity recognition of the value of a gluten-free diet is a benefit to the rest of us. The more the medical world pays attention to its high-flying patients, the more attention it will pay to many of us, who truly struggle with the harmful effects of gluten day in and day out.
Pamela Hasterok
Sources: ABC News, glutenista.com