Welcome to the last day of the media monitoring! Tomorrow will be my final blog post but it will be mostly a reflection piece on what I have learned throughout this project.
The article featured from CBC is about a celiac food expo happening in Saskatchewan. It featured a few people who were at the expo who felt that they could not consume celiac, and how beneficial it is to have these types of events because they feature gluten-free foods that they may not be able to find on their own. Often, those who are gluten-free cannot find treats such as perogies or pastries, but these expos and fairs for celiac awareness and products are great for the gluten-free lifestyle. A comment on the story asked for one of these expos-type events to be held in Ottawa. This shows how popular the gluten-free trend has become, and how this type of events can bring a lot of guests to it. This has obvious health and diet benefits for the consumers, but there is also economic benefits for the cities and the companies that participate in these events and expos.
The article from the Guardian is a blog post from a student from the University of Bristol about how even university students on a budget can be vegan. She outlines how she makes a vegan diet work on a student meal plan, balancing eating in the cafeteria and making things in her room (such as vegan chilli). She states that both Instagram and the rise of food blogging has made more people interested in living a vegan lifestyle, and that this has helped make becoming and staying vegan easier for people. Many students whom are vegan that the author features in the article say that being in university is a great time to try veganism, as others are open to new ideas and new lifestyles. Everyone may have different reasons for being vegan, but the transition is not as hard as one may think and the author gives some helpful suggestions on how to be vegan as a student.
The Instagram post for today is a vegan pizza recipe, with a gluten-free crust as well. This combines both of the news articles for today. Suddenly within the last few years, it has become popular and trendy to be gluten-free. As a disclaimer, I mean no offence to those who are celiac, I am talking about those who choose to cut out gluten for “health reasons” such as losing weight. This gluten-free vegan pizza sums up the latest food crazes, with many people underestimating the more serious side of those who suffer from celiac disease (http://www.breezejmu.org/opinion/being-gluten-free-can-be-a-serious-disease-not-just/article_6c102eb8-54d9-11e5-a19e-a77c184fae57.html)
The top Tumblr post was a vegan soup recipe, connecting to the vegan theme presented in the Guardian article. This recipe that is posted looks delicious and also is fall-themed food, a trend that was previously mentioned in this blog. This picture and post really demonstrate the wide availability of vegan recipes and vegan awareness that is out there–it can only continue to grow.
Being vegan and/or gluten-free is great, but it is important to learn about the actual health benefits of both, instead of relying on social media to make your decisions. As our culture shows, we follow things that are popular, so social media users should take a call to have personal responsibility to be aware of the health behind what they are promoting and to always recommend users to make decisions with their doctor or health professional.
Works Cited
CBC News. “Celiac expo features food for people who can’t eat wheat,” CBC News, Nov 14, 2015. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/celiac-expo-features-food-for-people-who-can-t-eat-wheat-1.3319534
Thompson, Zoe. “Anyone can be vegan – even cash-strapped students,” BBC News, Nov 16, 2015.