Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
1-5-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 3:00 PM
Project Type
Poster
Description
Ten years ago, most people had never heard of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, but awareness of these conditions have recently exploded, resulting in a craze to purchase gluten-free food items. Walk down the isles of Whole Foods or any other grocery store today and you will see labels for gluten free everywhere. These products were originally designed for people who have been diagnosed with a gluten digestive disorder. However, the gluten-free diet has expanded beyond those diagnosed with gluten sensitivity because millions of people are claiming it makes them feel better or helps them lose weight. In this paper, I will analyze the pros and cons of a gluten-free diet and understand the reasoning behind the growing industry. How much of the industrys growth can be attributed to changes in cultural behaviors though celebrity support, food packaging, and community opinions? Using an explanatory research method, I will seek answers to these questions through historical, philosophical, and anthropological analysis. Examining event characteristics from 1970 to the present will allow me to outline developments of the gluten-free lifestyle. Also surveying and interviewing members of Colbys community will provide me with qualitative and quantitative data for a case study. Colby students, professors, doctors, dining hall staff, and librarians will each provide unique opinions about the rising gluten-free culture. This new subject is one with many unanswered questions and limited conclusive data, which is why further research is needed. Therefore, by examining the gluten-free discourse, I would like to publish my own analysis of the gluten-free diet through a cultural lens and add to discussion of the dietary fad.
Faculty Sponsor
Paul Josephson
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Science, Technology and Society Program
CLAS Field of Study
Interdisciplinary Studies
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
224
Included in
Watch What 'Whe-eat' - A Cultural Analysis of the Gluten-Free Diet
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Ten years ago, most people had never heard of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, but awareness of these conditions have recently exploded, resulting in a craze to purchase gluten-free food items. Walk down the isles of Whole Foods or any other grocery store today and you will see labels for gluten free everywhere. These products were originally designed for people who have been diagnosed with a gluten digestive disorder. However, the gluten-free diet has expanded beyond those diagnosed with gluten sensitivity because millions of people are claiming it makes them feel better or helps them lose weight. In this paper, I will analyze the pros and cons of a gluten-free diet and understand the reasoning behind the growing industry. How much of the industrys growth can be attributed to changes in cultural behaviors though celebrity support, food packaging, and community opinions? Using an explanatory research method, I will seek answers to these questions through historical, philosophical, and anthropological analysis. Examining event characteristics from 1970 to the present will allow me to outline developments of the gluten-free lifestyle. Also surveying and interviewing members of Colbys community will provide me with qualitative and quantitative data for a case study. Colby students, professors, doctors, dining hall staff, and librarians will each provide unique opinions about the rising gluten-free culture. This new subject is one with many unanswered questions and limited conclusive data, which is why further research is needed. Therefore, by examining the gluten-free discourse, I would like to publish my own analysis of the gluten-free diet through a cultural lens and add to discussion of the dietary fad.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/303