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“But we're not hypochondriacs”: The changing shape of gluten-free dieting and the contested illness experience

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  • Moore, Lauren Renée

Abstract

“Gluten free” exploded onto the American foodscape in recent years: as of January 2013, 30 percent of U.S. adults reported reducing or eliminating gluten in their diets. How do individuals participate in the expansion of gluten-free dieting, and what are the implications of that expansion? This article is based on 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted between May and October 2012 with gluten-free and -restricted persons. I identify three interrelated factors contributing to the expansion of gluten-free dieting among non-celiacs. Participants broaden the lay understanding of gluten-related disorders, undermine biomedical authority, and diagnose others. Such participant-driven change, termed self-ascriptive looping, is one factor in the diet's rapid popularization. I show how participants question the doctor–patient relationship and increase social contestability for other dieters. My findings challenge previous work on contested illness and suggest food intolerances may require a reconceptualization of contested illness experience.

Suggested Citation

  • Moore, Lauren Renée, 2014. "“But we're not hypochondriacs”: The changing shape of gluten-free dieting and the contested illness experience," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 76-83.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:105:y:2014:i:c:p:76-83
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.01.009
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dumit, Joseph, 2006. "Illnesses you have to fight to get: Facts as forces in uncertain, emergent illnesses," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 577-590, February.
    2. Nelson, Mia & Ogden, Jane, 2008. "An exploration of food intolerance in the primary care setting: The general practitioner's experience," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 1038-1045, September.
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