Gluten free diet: The science (CBC Marketplace)

time to meet up with the winner of Canada's dumbest charge five Canadians took on big companies and five frustrating fees in a nationwide competition to find Canada's dumbest charge it went head to head for your vote you people are bandits now the results are in who did you pick what is Canada's dumbest charge you're about to find out but first up we're in a grocery store shopping for gluten-free goods - gluten or not - gluten that's our question trying to get at the truth behind the trend um excuse me should I buy gluten-free pasta or regular pasta Lewton free really I think it's better for you hmm let's see what another shopper thinks hey there excuse me um do you think I should buy regular pasta or the gluten-free you should probably try the gluten-free why I believe it's healthier yep once a specialty found in health food stores gluten-free products are now mainstream Betty Crocker what's cooking Betty they're everywhere pancake mix gluten-free thank you scratch every Sunday avoiding gluten is the food obsession - jour in fact one in five of us steer clear hmm gluten zero Tom one you read all these magazine articles or newspaper articles and say you know if you feel this way you know maybe try a gluten free product and then you won't feel you feel better you won't feel so bloated um maybe you lose some pounds you know so is that what all this is about a healthier diet I push on for answers these look good Lutie no excuse me should I buy these cookies well it depends are you celiac nope then move along mister this is my food actually we know who this guy is he's bc comedian darcy michael and the gluten-free trend has got him shaking his head why for darcy it's not a lifestyle choice it's a necessity people aren't treating it like the disease that it is they're treating it like atkins diet it's too trendy it's too trendy stop it you're ruining my life Dorsey's one of only about thirty-five thousand Canadians diagnosed with celiac disease gluten attacks him living with it what's it what's the physical effect you have it's a terrible like if I about the first year into being gluten-free I said to my husband I was like I'm gonna go and have a burger I want to go and get a fast-food burger I haven't had one in a year and the next morning it was like a dinosaur coming out of the bedroom I was like wow and my waist was eight inches bigger and as a gay man that is the worst punishment in the world you know you do not want to have an 8-inch belly or an eight well most gay men are like eight inches so fat but yeah but know it besides like just the pure bloating like you're just emotionally you're a wreck and physically you know like I can't eat for days afterwards how long ago symptoms laughs I call it being gluten if I get gluten I could be off work for two weeks from it just being sick so what is the truth should we all fear being gluten especially with all the caution wrapped around it caution that's got many of us tied in knots and it's no wonder check out all these headlines shrink your waistline with a decadent gluten-free ingredient when if Paltrow shares how going gluten-free changed her family's life and get this more than four million Canadians are going gluten-free Wow when it comes to the gluten-free trade companies go where the celebrities are yeah I don't discriminate when it comes to food so I like try everything I tried beauties today and I liked it check out this video brought to you by Judy's a huge North American brand trotting out a galaxy of stars going gaga over Odie's Boonton free products what I experienced is that it takes potentially even better but unless celebrities have celiac disease Darcy Michael says the stars should keep their mouths shut you make of the celebrities who are going gluten-free and saying it's changed their life oh yeah like Miley Cyrus says it's how she lost all the weight saying gluten is crap which is ironic cuz that's how I found out I was allergic to gluten so what is gluten a protein that gives bread its spring found in wheat barley and rye but do we actually know that Canadian movie star Seth Rogen and Jaber ashell Lampoon the anti-putin trend in their hit film this is the end you don't even know what gluten is Liv's not you have no idea what do you know what gluten is clues was a vague term it's it's like lets you to categorize things that are bad you know calories that's a gluten fat that's a gluten somebody just told you you probably shouldn't eat gluten you're like oh I guess if you're Nick Luton gluten me bad and I'm not eating it hmm buddy's better than the previous bunny bunny stuff compared to those guys our shopper is no more right time for Darcy and I to find out is the eye candy for interview I was well but I was he I can okay geez you know what's one of the items in meat products starch starch not quite tend to think sometimes maybe it's a new trend would it be like a Sturge a wheat Brook protein that's a game show seems to be a lot of guesswork when it comes to gluten Timothy Caulfield leads the health law Institute at the University of Alberta he studied the food industry's influence on consumers for years where is the marketing philosophy or strategy coming from history tells us that people are often looking for a simple answer they want a particular component right whether it's sugar whether it's fat whether it's salt something that's going to fix their health issues and I think marketers can play on that right they can play on it's almost like simplifying the story around nutrition to this component that going gluten-free that story seems to be working remember in Canada only about 35,000 people have been diagnosed with celiac disease yet millions of us are trying to avoid it to the tune of half a billion dollars in sales so how does that break down at the cash register welcome to this week's episode of the price is what let's meet our contestants Cassidy and Chris come on oh they're both shopping for meals but who will get the better deals she's gluten-free and he's fancy free let's get things started with Betty Crocker devil's food cake mix cost 249 how about Betty's gluten-free cake mix $6.99 almost three times the price next up noodling with spaghetti this brand costs 179 what does cassadee's gluten-free version check in at 299 over $1 more and you get way less we've got some Dempster's buns the gluten-free version costs almost 50% more looks like gluten-free is getting clobbered but there's still the bonus round how about some bread this whole wheat loaf costs $2.99 who is whole brain clocks in at 6:29 jeepers Cass gluten-free is still more expensive but for that it's got to be more nutritious or is it stay tuned later we reveal the winner of Canada's dumbest charge and our competition makes waves in Ottawa when will the government stop the nickel-and-diming of Canadians what's your gut reaction think gluten-free is better for you share your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter we're shopping for the truth behind the trend when it comes to gluten-free products Canadian comedian Darcy Michael has celiac disease which means he's got to be gluten free it's just a little thing typically we want what you can yes and he's not amused by the hype that leads to things like this seriously gluten free shampoo I mean the likelihood of anybody even with celiac needing something like this is next to none would you use this hmm nevermind Darcy does like the idea of more gluten-free options even though they can cost more cuz companies say they're complicated to make as for the rest of us what do we get out of it well white bread isn't seen as they healthiest of breads so we take a loaf of it and this whole-grain to test shoppers assumptions forget over your basic Wonder Bread and this is this is a gluten-free brand if you heard gluten-free is good you're going to buy this one I guess I would say maybe this one what mom so between these two I would likely choose that okay gluten-free stuff is generally more expensive so if it's more expensive it's gotta be better for you right better for you hmm welcome back to the prices blood we're looking at gluten-free but thinking it can be gluten pricey so how gluten healthy is it passing Chris take it away remember that Odie's whole-grain bread compare it to this white bread Branford Ram judy's has more calories more sodium way more fat double the sugar and less of the good stuff fiber next to this whole wheat version similar results and even less fiber so if you're going to go lutein free you might want to check the facts like this major fact cutting this stuff out means potentially losing lots of important nutrients from your diet yet new products hit the shelves everyday promoted by the industry as a way to better help professor Timothy Caulfield says it's really all about marketing just because it's gluten-free for sure does not mean that it's healthier so are you saying that our company is capitalizing on this murkiness to put products out there the truth is so so simple but the market doesn't want to be simple right they want the message to be to be complicated they want to sell these different kinds of whether it's a fitness routine some kind of magic diet or some kind of magic food product they want to be able to market those things they don't want the simple truth which is you know eat lots of fruits and vegetables get your exercise that's about it okay and you can't sell a lot of products with that message he's right what about people without celiac disease who say they're gluten intolerant there's no agreed upon diagnosis for that any of your friends say they're gluten intolerant yeah one of my closest friends Riva says she's gluten intolerant but from what I've seen that's only six days a week because she refuses to give up Friday night pizza but this is serious business to companies like Odie's last year the american food maker commissioned something called canadian attitudes towards gluten free study it concluded we feel healthier happier and more energetic reducing or cutting out gluten people who go gluten-free say they feel better they have more energy how do you explain that how do you counter that argument so yeah the placebo effect is is real and it's powerful you have to remember that right but I will say it's very very difficult to to make direct causal relationships between going gluten-free and feeling better and having more energy and there's no evidence to support that conclusion but that hasn't stopped duties from suggesting going gluten-free could give you more energy and that there's no downside to trying a gluten-free lifestyle I show Caulfield Odie's website there is a downside right because you're gonna be paying more right almost certainly and it is challenging to eat the nutritionally balanced diet that they're recommending right it becomes more difficult to do that but wait there's more foodies also suggests going gluten-free may improve symptoms of autism in children any clear science on that not yet it's really frustrating that you have this kind of portrayal given the state of the science that are they playing on parental concerns are they are they playing on you know almost parental guilt that they should be taking this kind of action to try to improve these conditions the parents may be willing to try anything we ask you tease for an interview many times they turn us down so we head to the nation's capitol where we hear Odie's has a booth at this Boonton free Expo this is cinnamon raisin freshly the place is filled with all sorts of gluten-free goodies but we've got an appetite for answers and make a beeline to the Odie's booth and a company rep we're doing a story on the gluten-free trend how people are going gluten-free a lot and we're just asking questions why people are going especially if they don't have celiac why would people go gluten-free they just feel better yeah people with ADHD they go gluten-free they find that their symptoms are a lot less really boy first autism now ADHD so when people come up and ask you about the products you tell them about the HD and things like that yeah yeah and you feel confident that's the case you know words why not try it we came looking for answers and leave with evidence that's once again anecdotal there is no evidence that core gluten free itself is beneficial right so yeah I mean there's there's a downside to it in an expense and inconvenience and trying to maintain that nutritious lifestyle as for our shoppers we're starting to see past the glamour of lutein free most people don't need a gluten-free diet I agree you believe that yeah will you keep buying gluten-free products eating kind of edge - away from it I was actually gonna look I make my own muffins and whatnot oh we can come over to your house you can make me some gluten-free muffin like no one's gonna get in play you'll have to bring the rest of you I got Google we're covered but we take it from Darcy unless you have a real health issue don't buy the gluten-free hype just remember the truth behind a trend coming up to the drum roll envelope please who's the winner of Canada's dumbest charged-up next fight back be a marketplace watchdog and help us snip out scams time to meet up with the winner of Canada's dumbest chart after combing the country for your nominations do you think I have Canada's Thomas charge we narrowed it down to the five top contenders in front of a live audience in Toronto five Canadians took the stage think I've got it in the back and duked it out to given to you to vote for their dump charge Canada's dumbest charges the fee that we pay for paper bills and bank statements Jason card had it with paying two bucks extra to get a paper bill and bank statement bail charges two dollars and 80 cents a month for touch-tones service selma shocker is calling out touch-tone feeds you people are bandits it's a money grab because in this day and age you have no choice but to use touch-tone service Lisa which believes banks are hammering us with ATM fees this is how I feel when I use another baek's ATM feel like I'm getting dings Mike Anderson says airline's charging to select your seat should take off when I see something that appears to be unfair I like to stand up and make it right and Lauren Cooper is singing the blues about Ticketmaster fees this big-time company who has very little to no competition whatsoever can gouge you after our five contenders made their case you voted in the tens of thousands vented to us on video discussion feed is it hummus Josh I went with Ticketmaster bells touched on fees need to go goodbye I vote for the ATM fees your dumb charges even trend on Twitter we counted up your votes five Canadians we're gonna get rid of this church five bees but only one can take the dubious title of and now the moment you've all been waiting for we've got a winner or should we say loser cue the drumroll envelope please uh-huh let's get moving okay I'm off to deliver the news to the winner Selma shock man you have this charm that's fabulous thank you I'm flattered I think that there are a lot of people out there who are are fed up with bail well thousands and thousands of Canadians voted and a lot of them were in your corner really Salma's inspiration her mom should be Austin she'd be very proud yeah because she taught me about being principled it's time to listen to your customers well there's no better way to give bill that message than in person we're headed there now do you want to come with us do i I wouldn't miss it for the world grab your coat come on buddy we're going on a trip we hit the road and show up at a nearby corporate office ready to call them as ready as I'll ever be they won't return our calls so we give it one more try leave Belle a message Canadians have voted and Canada's dumbest charge is Belle's touchtone fee really hoping that somebody could come out and speak with us let's see if they call us back okay great we wait but no word that's a little disappointing I would have hoped that they would've at least addressed this issue but we've got a little message for bail we leave them card all of Canada's dumbest charged bail touch-tone feed perfect gift for them bail won't come on camera but in a statement tells us the touch-tone fee isn't going away sooner or later is someone's going to listen to us we're hoping Ottawa license we asked the Minister of Industry to talk no luck but we catch the ear of the opposition consumer critic Thank You mr. speaker CBC marketplace has identified the dumbest charges that Canadian consumers pay ATM fees pay to pay fees airline fees touchstone fees when will the government stop the nickel and diming of Canadians mr. speaker Canadian consumers deserve access to credit on fair and transparent terms that's why nothing on touch-tone but new legislation could outlaw telecom paper bill fees meantime Selma's got a message for bail the word is out there that I have Canada's dumbest charge or rather that you have Canada's demouth charge so touch-tone is number one and by far it took 41 percent of the votes want to know how the other dumb charges ranked coming in at number two with 26% of the vote paper fees number 3 ATM fees flying in 4th airline seat selection and landing in fifth place Ticketmaster Canada don't give up fight for what is right take it from a winner and keep sending us those dumb charges next week on marketplace wants to play our game remedy or ripoff price itself is a republic we reveal how not to get fooled by a slick sales pitch we're both hungry and the tea is not holding up how big names I just told you it works for me and big marketing monthly basis every program is three hundred ninety four ninety nine get you to spend big bucks I was on infomercial five I buy

Channel: undefined

Views: 654,771

Rating: 4.4841704 out of 5

Keywords: Gluten Sensitivity (Disease Or Medical Condition), Gluten-free Diet (Diet), Gluten (Chemical Classification), Nutrition (Medical Specialty), Food Processing (Industry), Food (TV Genre), Diet (Industry), Nutrition Disorder (Disease Or Medical Condition), cbc marketplace, marketplace cbc, marketplace

Id: bM4qGNxQE68

Length: 22min 20sec (1340 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 12 2014

Reddit Comments

[u/mem_somerville]

That was very well done. I wish they had mocked the gluten-free shampoo more, and compared the gluten-free status of products that don't contain gluten naturally a bit more.

But that was a great part about the autism claims and trying to confront the company directly. But they are too Canadian and too nice--they just walked away.

[u/neogenic]

I'm allergic to wheat and have to use gluten free products since they are mostly also wheat free. The ammount of people who say "oh you're also not feeling well with gluten?" is rage inducing.

People use it as an excuse for every little ache they have.

For me this trend is absolutely great since the ammount of products I can eat rises steadily, although much slower than in the english speaking countries. (germany)

[u/gunch]

As a person with Celiac, I heartily endorse the woo these folks are pitching. The more gluten free options I get the better. (I'm a bit sick of the mark up however).

[u/majeric]

So true

[u/Random1DollarTip]

A $1 tip for you! /u/changetip