Gluten Gluttony

South Park's 'Gluten' episode was days ago, but I'm still chuckling. Those bad boys
really know how to make a topic outrageous. Neither of my readers watches South Park these days so I'll try to recap:

"The town of South Park disagreed about the merits of a gluten-free diet. To prove gluten was ok, an FDA guy ingested pure gluten and died on the spot, outrageously. Gluten was instantly banned everywhere. Mayhem ensued."

It sure took me back. In my employed days, 2 co-workers were Gluttites (not to be confused with Luddites). We traveled together frequently. Every meal included a sermon about the evils of gluten and the need for gluten-free options.

A trip to a restaurant always meant a lecture to the wait-staff. Right sentiment, wrong person. Never assume the waiter has influence, or even contact, with the person who decides what ingredients go into the food. (One of my 'college jobs' was as a waitress. The co-workers...? Nope. I tried to tell them...)

I was sympathetic, and on-board. Heck yes, if ingredients make some people sick, restaurants darn well ought to mention it. I was less sympathetic when I was called out as an infidel for having a bowl of oatmeal. It was delicious, and I needed the fiber more than I needed sanctimonious co-workers.

In South Park, a sensible conclusion was reached, the same one I reached after "Oatmeal-gate". We should turn the food pyramid upside down. Grains should not be the mainstay. Our diets are too carb-intensive. We need less of them, but not zero

I had strayed from the path, but this episode called me back. Not only should we be eating less grain, but we should be much pickier about its quality. This page from WebMD makes it clear.

South Park also supplied the missing puzzle pieces. My old co-workers were part of the 'all fat is bad for you' ilk. Since then we know that there are fats, and there are fats. It's the same with grains. Or is it the other way around?