“I’m sure the vitamin D and calcium levels are related to less milk that may be consumed because people may be eating less cereal after starting a gluten-free diet. The other nutrients (iron, fiber, B vitamins) are from the grain products.”

Oh god, less cereal – Oh no, I’m so scared.

Seriously though, I don’t know what new gluten-avoiding people are eating now these days, but I’ve been avoiding BOTH gluten and even mostly cow’s milk for the majority of my life.
I guess the gluten-free products that people are trying so hard to replace their gluten-containing products with, isn’t that healthy though, and is really just a overpriced treat I don’t buy very often.

What I’ve been consuming… There’s so much more I can list that would take too many characters to type… Grinding quinoa at home using a blender is far cheaper than buying that boxed quinoa flour I’ve seen at Whole Foods that I’m never buying again. But then again, there’s such a thing as boiling quinoa – Much easier. I oftentimes mix it in with amaranth and millet. There’s plenty of foods that I can spot here that I can consume and have been consuming: http://www.livestrong.com/article/22253-foods-high-b-vitamins/ Even though the author didn’t even think of people with food allergies. If I don’t have a lot of time to cook stuff, I make a lot of food in advance and freeze the leftovers to prevent spoilage.

The hardest part, at least in my life thus far, of living with food allergies isn’t trying to find foods. At least I can spot labels that sometimes even my mom doesn’t spot. The hardest part is trying to EXPLAIN to people what I eat. I really don’t need muffins and scones in my life – Especially if they’re bleached. I want to throw up every single time my TV asks me, “Got milk?” No. Haven’t drank a glass in years.
I’ve even stopped consuming soy recently (even soy lecithin), despite the romance I created with soymilk for a long time, and I’ve felt even more alive.

So far I haven’t obtained beriberi.

Sorry.

You mention the study that I cited regarding nutrient shortages that have been linked to gluten-free diets. I’m sure the vitamin D and calcium levels are related to less milk that may be consumed because people may be eating less cereal after starting a gluten-free diet. The other nutrients (iron, fiber, B vitamins) are from the grain products. Currently, most gluten-free grain products are low in fiber and are not fortified with iron and B vitamins like wheat flour (but that’s beginning to change, thankfully). Several studies have looked at people following gluten-free diets, and these are consistently the nutrients “at risk” of being low.

And that’ s great that you had success losing weight on a gluten-free diet. Many people do when they find themselves cutting out sugary, starchy grains. If you start eating more foods that are naturally gluten free, like fruits, vegetables, beans, certain whole grains…then it might be easier to drop extra pounds. My only message was that a gluten-free diet should not be viewed as the latest fad diet…and you won’t automatically lose weight simply by cutting out gluten — and especially if you load up on these gluten-free packaged foods.

But in no way do I want to devalue the importance of a gluten-free diet for people with celiac or for people who have had success following it.

“Several studies have shown that people following a gluten-free diet, especially when relying on commercially prepared gluten-free foods, have diets low in iron, fiber, B vitamins, calcium and vitamin D.”
Really? Explain to me how avoiding wheat leads to a lack of vitamin D (a vitamin we get from sunshine or fortified milk). Could it be that people who follow gluten-free diets do so because they have long-term absorption problems to begin with?

Thirdaly, Celiac disease is not as rare as it was once thought. In Italy, the official number of Celiacs is 1 in 55. I hope that, as a dietitian, you will become more current with your information. Part of the reason Celiac disease used to be so “rare” was that doctors kept telling themselves it was “rare” and felt reluctant to diagnose. To this day, there are stories of people with Celiac disease who have to switch several doctors until they finally get diagnosed with the condition that has been there all along.

Have some patience with people who go gluten-free without a doctor’s recommendation. Celiac disease and gluten are getting linked to many auto-immune diseases: diabetes, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Many parents with autistic children get totally healed from avoiding gluten. If people have chronic pain problems and go off gluten, it’s totally harmless, and possibly life-saving, decision.