Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Record is Archived

    This article is now archived and is closed to further replies.

    Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Ted Cruz Declares War on Gluten-free Soldiers

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.
    Ted Cruz Declares War on Gluten-free Soldiers - Ted Cruz is against gluten-free meals for US troops. Photo: CC--Matt Johnson
    Caption: Ted Cruz is against gluten-free meals for US troops. Photo: CC--Matt Johnson

    Celiac.com 02/19/2016 - Did senator Ted Cruz just declare war on gluten-free soldiers? It kind of looks like that.

    Photo: CC--Matt JohnsonIn an attempt to show he can be tough on American servicemen and women with celiac disease, the Republican presidential hopeful declared that, in the event the American people find him serving as their president and commander-in-chief, there will be no gluten-free MREs for soldiers anywhere under his command.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    Campaigning in South Carolina, and courting pro-military voters, the Texas senator seemed to believe he was striking a blow against what he describes as a culture of "political correctness" in the Pentagon.

    Speaking in broad strokes, Cruz said that "…the last thing any commander should need to worry about is the grades he is getting from some plush-bottomed Pentagon bureaucrat for political correctness or social experiments -- or providing gluten-free MREs;" the shorthand term for Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

    According to Ted Cruz, it's a bad thing to be in favor of soldiers with celiac disease having a gluten-free meal when they're in the field—while they might be putting their lives on the line in service to our country.

    Should American servicemen and women with celiac disease or gluten intolerance have their medical treatment made into a political issue? Apparently Cruz thinks so.

    However, since celiac disease is a bona fide medical condition, and a gluten-free diet is the only currently recognized treatment, regardless of whether you are Democrat or Republican, Ted Cruz, or anyone else who aspires to be commander-in-chief of the armed forces, should simply not be treating them like second-class citizens.

    All soldiers with medical conditions deserve proper treatment, that includes service men and women with celiac disease and medical conditions that require treatment with a gluten-free diet.

    Let the senator from Texas know what you think: Ted Cruz on Twitter Open Original Shared Link

    Source:

    • Open Original Shared Link


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Guest linda

    This is complete and totally misleading and inaccurate.

    He did not say at all that no gluten free meals would be served and you know it. How shameful of you to publish this so blatantly false information.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Kristin Beal

    Posted

    As the wife of a Marine and Mom to a son with celiac disease, it does make sense to me. Although my son would make an incredible asset to our military, he should never see the likes of combat oversees or in a hostile environment. By signing up to be a soldier means that he could be stricken for days at a time in locations where his nutritional needs could not be met as opposed to someone who does not suffer from celiac disease. Further, if ever taken hostage his ability to maintain his health could be far more compromised than that of a soldier who could eat an unrestricted diet given by another. It's a lot to consider no doubt with varing views but ultimately I think we can still find ways for intelligent and willing Americans to serve our country without their intake limits hurting them or putting their fellow soldiers in comprised positions.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Jeff

    I don't really wish to impugn the motives for authoring this piece. However it is my understanding that the military service policy in this nation is that people with Celiac Sprue if identified as such prior to applying for military duty, can be rejected for same based on this condition. That is my understanding. Now in the real world, I am sure people get into the military who do have Celiac Sprue. The question is salient as to what to do then, plus a lot of other questions along with that. Let's look at history in this regard: A young man who obviously had Celiac, John F. Kennedy, got into the military. Now of course he had to pull strings because his official diagnosis was Addison's Disease, although that was bogus. But because he pulled strings, he got into the Navy and became a war hero in World War II. The rest is history as they say. So there are a bunch more issues here than meets the eye based on this article is my point.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Admin
    This is complete and totally misleading and inaccurate.

    He did not say at all that no gluten free meals would be served and you know it. How shameful of you to publish this so blatantly false information.

    Please tell us what part is inaccurate? Ted Cruz said MRE's, and that is what this article said...

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Donna
    Please tell us what part is inaccurate? Ted Cruz said MRE's, and that is what this article said...

    I think what you should be up in arms about is the fact that people, including in this case Ted Cruz, use the term gluten-free as shorthand for trendy, or pampered, or whatever disparaging remark they want to make. I sincerely doubt Cruz actually wants to deny soldiers medically necessary items if they are feasible to provide. Please keep the campaign snark off this page.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Admin
    I think what you should be up in arms about is the fact that people, including in this case Ted Cruz, use the term gluten-free as shorthand for trendy, or pampered, or whatever disparaging remark they want to make. I sincerely doubt Cruz actually wants to deny soldiers medically necessary items if they are feasible to provide. Please keep the campaign snark off this page.

    Donna, while we agree with your comment that Cruz's use of "gluten-free" was probably calculated and aimed at his base, once he made this comment it became a fair topic for this site to cover, as Celiac.com's aim is to cover all news and information related to celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet. Any time someone with Cruz's stature comes out with an anti-gluten-free position, Celiac.com will be here to shed light on it, and hopefully make them reconsider their position.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Mary

    What if Cruz said that when he is president you can't get any more tax deductions for gluten-free food, or that it would never be considered a disability? A person who is running for president and targeting people on a gluten free diet is definitely a topic for this site.

     

    It seems like the army needs to wake up to the fact that over 25% of Americans now say they are on a gluten free diet, and if they want to be able to recruit enough people they will need to offer gluten free meals.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest linda
    Please tell us what part is inaccurate? Ted Cruz said MRE's, and that is what this article said...

    DID HE WAGE WAR???? REALLY?

    This problem has been a long standing one with the military LONG before Ted Cruz. You are apparently ill informed.

    Clearly you just wanted to make your political statement and get people enraged. You did exactly as you intended.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest admin
    DID HE WAGE WAR???? REALLY?

    This problem has been a long standing one with the military LONG before Ted Cruz. You are apparently ill informed.

    Clearly you just wanted to make your political statement and get people enraged. You did exactly as you intended.

    Actually it is Cruz who is ill informed and made a political statement that was intended to get people enraged, we are just reporting it.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest janet anderson

    Posted

    Actually it is Cruz who is ill informed and made a political statement that was intended to get people enraged, we are just reporting it.

    I agree. It IS in celiac.com's purview to bring these topics up for all of us. Then, we all do what we want with the information.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Gail Rothenberger

    Posted

    Tell Ted Cruz and the Justice Department to stop speaking out of ignorance and read the medical evidence. While sending people into harms way, they can protect them by serving them food that won't kill them.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Jane

    Thank you for bringing up a topic that is totally relevant to your site. Cruz has definitely been quoted as you stated -- he did say what you claim, that cannot be denied. This is a microcosm of how he believes people who are "different" should be treated. Politics aside, does anyone want this mentality in the White House? He is not only ill-informed, but open to his own form of politically correct! It's time things like this were out in the open. I find it difficult to believe that any celiac or gluten-sensitive person can defend him on any level.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Guest
    This is now closed for further comments

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 08/29/2014 - Well, we haven’t had a good gluten-free celebrity dustup in a while, so I’m happy to report that the most recent shots have been fired by actor Charlize Theron, who called ‘b$#@@#$$’ on the non-celiac gluten-free diet fad in Hollywood.
    Talk show host Chelsea Handler asked Theron about her thoughts on the gluten-free cupcakes Handler sent her last Christmas.
    That prompt was enough for Theron to share her true feelings about both the cupcakes, and the whole (we assume she means ‘fad’) “gluten free” issue in general.
    “I just think that if you are gonna send a gift, let it be enjoyable. Why send me a very cupcake with no sugar in it? What’s the use? There’s no use. It tastes like cardboard! And this was the ultimate test,
    Not only did t...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 08/28/2015 - Perhaps unsurprisingly, a study of over 3,200 supermarket products finds gluten-free foods aren't a healthier choice than their non gluten-free counterparts.
    If you have celiac disease, or gluten sensitivity, gluten-free foods are necessary and beneficial, but the new study suggests that, nutritionally speaking, there's no evidence that they're any healthier than their gluten-containing counterparts.
    The research looked at 3,200 food products on Australian grocery shelves, and found little or no nutritional difference between regular foods and comparable gluten-free items. Now, that doesn't make gluten-free products unhealthy, just no better than their gluten-containing equivalents.
    But if you are not celiac or gluten-sensitive, then you're probably spending...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 10/07/2015 - The number of Americans who say they include gluten-free foods in their diet has hit a whopping 20%, while 17% say they avoid gluten-free foods altogether. However, nearly 60% of adults say they don't think about gluten-free foods either way.
    In the July, as part of its annual Consumption Habits poll, Gallup asked just over a thousand Americans about foods they include or avoid in their diet.
    The was the first year the poll included questions about "Gluten-free foods."
    Demographic differences in those who seek out gluten-free foods are fairly minor.
    One in three non-white Americans say they actively include gluten-free foods, compared with 17% of whites.
    Age seems to influence the purchase of gluten-free foods, with
    25% of adults under 50 buying...


    Jefferson Adams
    U.S Department of Justice Says Celiac Disease Not a Disability in All Cases
    Celiac.com 01/11/2016 - Is celiac disease a disability under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act? The Department of Justice says not necessarily.
    On the heels of a federal lawsuit that claiming that restaurants are violating federal disability laws by charging more for gluten-free food than for non-gluten-free counter parts, a Department of Justice spokesperson has stated that a 2012 civil rights settlement on behalf of Lesley University students with celiac disease does not make the condition a disability in all cases.
    DOJ public affairs specialist, Patrick Rodenbush, said settlement at Leslie University did not set a legal precedent, because the "…settlement enforces the rights of students whose food allergies were disabilities, [but] it doesn't necessarily make c...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - Scott Adams replied to Gluten is bad's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      3

      Gluten Free ADHD medications

    2. - trents replied to gemknorodo's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Help with blood test result

    3. - trents replied to gemknorodo's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Help with blood test result

    4. - StrongerThanCeliac posted a topic in Super Sensitive People
      0

      Waiting Too Long to Brush Teeth after Gluten

    5. - cristiana replied to Gluten is bad's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      3

      Gluten Free ADHD medications


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      125,876
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    YANKEE39
    Newest Member
    YANKEE39
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • gemknorodo
      5
    • Patrick-Tyler
      5
    • Pua
      9
    • GeordieGeezer
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...