What happens when you can no longer choose your own food?
In this season finale of Gluten Free Unwrapped, Jenny welcomes back disability rights attorney Mary Vargas to discuss one of the most overlooked topics in the celiac disease community: what rights do you have when someone else is responsible for feeding you safely?
Together, they explore legal protections for people with celiac disease and food allergies in prisons, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.
Mary shares insights from landmark cases involving incarcerated individuals denied medically necessary gluten-free meals and explains what the law does and does not protect when safe food is no longer fully within your control.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What rights incarcerated individuals have under the ADA and the Constitution
- How prisons handle medically necessary diets like gluten-free diets
- What protections apply in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities
- What to do if a facility says it cannot accommodate your dietary needs
- When poor care crosses the line into disability discrimination
This powerful conversation is ultimately about dignity, equal access, and understanding your rights when your health is in someone else’s hands. A must-listen episode for anyone with a food restriction.
Connect with Mary Vargas
- LinkedIn: @Mary Vargas
- Stein & Vargas LLP
Connect with Jenny Finke (host)
- Instagram (@goodforyouglutenfree)
- Subscribe to her weekly newsletter
- Instagram (@lovemeglutenfree) and Facebook (@lovemeglutenfreebox)
- Order a Love Me Gluten Free subscription box
Chapters
- 00:00 Understanding Rights for Celiac and Food Allergies
- 19:59 Food Access in Hospitals and Nursing Homes
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