Today’s Dylan Dreyer defends new home video after getting negative comments: ‘Live a little!’

Dylan Dreyer is a doting mom to three young sons and for the past few years, she’s been using her platform to raise awareness of an important issue close to her heart – celiac disease. 

In 2023, the Today Show star’s oldest son Calvin, seven, was diagnosed with it, resulting in Dylan’s entire family to transform their diet. 

The star has been praised for sharing lots of gluten-free recipes on her social media channels, which see her regularly cook with Calvin at home. 

The segment – Cooking with Cal – also features on Today. Most recently, the doting mom shared footage of herself and Calvin making some gluten free pizzas in the kitchen, but ended up having to defend herself after getting some negative comments about the choice of ingredients. 

Some naysayers remarked that the star was choosing unhealthy butter, but she pointed out that the snack was a “fun football snack” and that people should “live a little!” 

She wrote: “I’ve gotten some comments saying the butter in this dish is unhealthy…guys, this is a fun football snack, it’s not a healthy recipe. Live a little and enjoy! The full recipe can be found by clicking the link in my bio! #cookingwithcal @todayshow @todayfood.” 

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The start of her message read: “It’s the season for football snacks and this is one of our go-to recipes! We use the focaccia recipe on the side of the bag of Caputo Fioreglut GF flour…half the recipe makes 2 jelly roll pans so the adults have the buffalo chicken version and the kids have just a plain pizza version. “Cal loves getting his hands into the dough and he can create his own focaccia exactly how he wants it.” 

The star also received an abundance of positive messages, with one writing: “This is great! Thank you for focusing on fun GF foods and for all that you do for the Celiac community,” while another wrote: “Love these cooking segments! Looks delicious!” A third added: “This is such a cute video!” 

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Dylan has been a huge advocate for celiac disease awareness, and often shares helpful tips about gluten-free products on social media. 

She recently went to the UK for work, while reporting on Royal Ascot earlier in the year, and spoke to HELLO! about her experience sourcing gluten-free products in popular supermarket, Waitrose, compared to in the USA. 

Discussing the vast difference in prices, she told HELLO!: “I just want to say kudos to Waitrose and, you know, really so many of the grocery stores in the UK, because I mean celiac disease here in the United States. I don’t know if it’s not taken as seriously or what, but it’s like more of a nuisance in the United States and you have to kind of find places where you can, maybe get some stuff and it’s okay. 

“And it’s getting better but to go into Waitrose and it’s just a basic gluten-free flour, it’s not made with anything, you know, expensive. The fact that I can order it on Amazon for $20, or I can buy it in Waitrose for £2, it was absolutely shocking. So all I did was fill up my suitcase with mostly flour but then like just the treats are different, you know, the biscuits and the cookies and just the bread, oh my gosh.” 

The star added: “I spent £40 and the flip side of that is to order that exact flower on Amazon, it’s $40 just for two packs. So, I mean such a difference and I wish it was easier here in the United States and it’s not, it’s very frustrating. 

“So, part of the reason I want to bring my family over to London and you know the UK is just It’s just easier, you know, it’s kind of a nuisance to have celiac disease and it wouldn’t be as much of a nuisance over there.”