In a rally Tuesday, presidential candidate Ted Cruz spoke about his plans for strengthening the United States military. And a crucial factor may be eliminating gluten-free meals for soldiers who are gluten-free.

“That's why 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,” Cruz said at the rally. (MRE stands for "meal, ready to eat," a type of field ration used in the military).

Gluten-free diets are necessary for anyone with celiac disease, which Mayo Clinic defines as "an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye." They cite a study they conducted claiming that 1 in 141 people in the U.S. likely have celiac disease.

It's unclear whether Cruz knows this and just believes that accommodating people's diet restrictions are a sign of political pandering. Either way, it's apparently P.C. and needs to be stopped.

Nonprofit Beyond Celiac has already denounced his remarks, saying that "Senator Cruz would benefit greatly by learning to empathize with people who live with celiac disease and other misunderstood or marginalized diseases."

Among other positions on the military, Cruz called for increasing active duty forces and also said, “As the father of two daughters, I can tell you we are not going to draft American women into military combat.”

This is great news for women who are gluten-free.

[H/T: NY Daily News]