What Gluten Free DOESN'T Mean

We went to a non-church potluck event recently, and I baked some cupcakes.

Lemon poppyseed with fresh raspberry frosting. Cupcakes so tasty my husband scarfed down two of them before I had time to slap his hand away.

"No, mister! These are for the potluck!"

Not knowing whether there'd be other gluten free diners among us, I labeled them with a simple Post-It. Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes, it said.

At the end of the potluck, most of the other dishes were nearly gone. The meatballs were eaten. The chips were scraping the bottom of the basket. The vanilla cake and the chocolate cookies were eaten.

But not the cupcakes.

In fact, not a single cupcake. The plate was as full as when I brought it.

It was as I picked them up to leave for home, not a bit sad, really (hey, more cupcakes for us!) that I began hearing a few comments from people.

"Oh, you made the healthy cupcakes?" asked one.

"Oh, those looked really good, but I wanted to indulge tonight," said another.

"Oh, I can eat gluten, so I didn't want to have those," said a third.

Sigh. Misconceptions persist about what gluten is and what it does and doesn't do. Since I've run into these comments more than once in the past month, I thought it was time to post about it. So, without further ado: What Gluten Free DOESN'T Mean


1. Gluten Free Does NOT = Healthy
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and some oats. Being gluten free does not mean a food is healthy. It's not fat free or sugar free or even necessarily free from preservatives. Gluten free foods can still be packed with calories, still be very unhealthy, and still be tasty.

My husband's German chocolate birthday cake from a couple of years ago. 100% gluten free, and SO not healthy!

2. Gluten Free Does NOT = Yucky
Just because a food is gluten free doesn't mean it will taste awful. If I hadn't labeled those cupcakes, they would have been eaten and no one would have been the wiser. Sometimes you can tell by the flavor or texture that something is gluten free, but just as often you can't (particularly when the baked good contains a strong flavor like chocolate, lemon, or banana).

3. Gluten Free Does NOT = Only for "Special" People
If you aren't gluten free by medical necessity or choice, you can still enjoy gluten free foods. In fact, you often do already! Have you ever eaten a vegetable? A piece of fruit? Some grilled chicken? Ice cream? Those are all gluten free. So don't assume that gluten free foods are only for the weird eaters out there.

Have you ever had fresh raspberries? Then you've eaten gluten free!

What would you add to the list?