So, Following on from Sunday’s airing of Dragons' Den what
did we all think about what Nick Jenkins had to say about substitute products
that are gluten free in relation to the Rule of Crumb pitch?
Do you agree that if you are Coeliac you should just eat
eggs and avocado for breakfast, or just avoid foods with gluten in them? Or would
you prefer to sometimes sink your teeth into a bacon gluten free sandwich? I
know which one I would prefer!
I am not saying that all substitute products are amazing; we
all know they aren't and sometimes contain more sugar and fat than those
products that are non-gluten free. What I am saying is that actually, sometimes
it’s nice to not feel different when everyone else around you is eating
something you can’t have.
I take the example from when I was at university. We would
go out all night on a Monday and then be hung over all day on the Tuesday;
everyone else would have the obligatory 2 for Tuesday’s hangover pizza. Me…I couldn't have it. I had to ensure that I had a frozen Dietary Specials pizza in
the freezer so I wasn't left out.
This is no sob story…I just got on with it
but what I took from what Nick Jenkins had to say was that actually those small
proportion of us that are Coeliac don’t matter (as he surmised we are less than
1% of the population). Actually Nick, diagnosis of Coeliac Disease has risen in
the last ten years nearly 10 fold because of raised awareness and better
testing facilities. I would love for you to have gone through what I went
through as a 16 year old girl and tell me that your comments on Sunday’s show didn't offend you.
I hate being different. I have hated being the ‘awkward one’
or the ‘different’ one since I was 16. It’s not my fault…I don’t mean to be
difficult. I try to eat as many products that are naturally gluten free as
possible, but as we all know that is hard as even the products you’d think don’t
have gluten in..do. When I was diagnosed I ate nothing but fish, meat, fruit
and vegetables. I cannot begin to tell you how ill I became and lost near a
quarter of my bodyweight.
I think the message that you sent out on Sunday night’s
programme is negative and you clearly have a warped perception of what Coeliac disease
is, just because you choose not to eat gluten.
Unfortunately Nick, some of us don’t have a choice in what
we eat.
