[kharms]

Alternatively, they are people that pay attention to their bodies and have intolerances that aren't strong enough to warrant a medical diagnosis but still make them feel shitty.

I'm also skeptical of the idea that they make it harder for people with "real" intolerances - in the gluten example, there's been an explosion of GF foods, products, and menu signage ever since "gluten intolerance" became a familiar phrase.

[majormajor]

> I'm also skeptical of the idea that they make it harder for people with "real" intolerances - in the gluten example, there's been an explosion of GF foods, products, and menu signage ever since "gluten intolerance" became a familiar phrase.

Per celiac relatives, the gluten free "fad" has helped in the creation and availability of a lot more prepackaged foods in stores, but hurt in that a lot of restaurants don't take it fully seriously and do things in ways that result in cross-contamination, so there's more crap to wade through to find the truly safe gluten-free places at which to eat out.

[drewzero1]

To me it seems like the main way they "make it harder" is that _other people_ like to talk about them a lot and might be inclined to take intolerances in general (including diagnosed ones) less seriously. Which I don't really understand -- it doesn't hurt me for someone else to avoid eating something, why should I fault them for that?