Rogerian Argument on the Gluten-Free Epidemic

Recently, gluten has been viewed as a main source of weight gain; many people have switched to a gluten-free diet in order to attain optimal wellness. While many professionals may promote diets lacking gluten, The New York Time article, 'Is There a Downside to Going to Going Gluten-Free if You're Healthy?' does not. The idea is that if you do not have true celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, there is no reason to remove it from your diet. Foods that contain gluten provide various nutrients such as, whole grains and fiber which are both beneficial to health. Quite a large portion of the population believes that statement to be incorrect. There are plenty of claims that aim to persuade people into thinking all gluten is unhealthy for the human body.

According to this article, there are plenty of benefits from consuming gluten. In fact, the ingredients in many gluten free/gluten friendly foods that are commonly sold on local grocery store shelves contain artificial additives that are far worse for overall health. As well said by Dr. Katz, “Avoiding whole grains because you’ve heard gluten is bad is like avoiding whole fruits because you’ve heard fructose is bad, a diet without gluten is most often associated with the inclusion of ultra-processed, gluten-free junk foods and the exclusion of highly nutritious whole grains.' These nutritious whole grains have been linked to reduce risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. So why not eat them?

A gluten free diet does not provide any benefits that promote wellness. Even though this information is out there, 'as many as one in three Americans were trying to avoid gluten' according to a market research firm called the NPD Group.

This article used not only logos and ethos to appeal to their audience but also the Rogerian argument. In a Rogerian style argument authors understand multiple sides to an argument while giving a complete understanding of their own. For example the article states, 'Only about 1 percent of Americans have true celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disorder, and should follow a strict gluten-free diet. Another 6 percent or so have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, a milder condition tied to digestive problems and other symptoms...' then proceeds to address that gluten-free diets for those unable to digest gluten adequately in fact, is the best option. Throughout the article the author, Sophie Egan addressed the oppositions argument, found shared ideas between the two and was still able to get her point across to the audience.