Why You Probably Don’t Need to Eat a Gluten Free Diet

Sactown900

Thank you for sharing this. I cut out all wheat and sugar on 1/1/13. Tons of energy, plus I no longer crave "more" (bread, crackers, pasta, etc) an hour after I ate a serving.

Paleo ROCKS.

WendyTerry420

I am gluten-free and have been for over two years. I have Crohn's disease and the past two years have been the only time since I have been diagnosed that I have been medication free and have had minimal symptoms of my disease. In fact, this year I finally did something I never thought I would be able to do...I ran my first marathon. And yes, I attribute this to my gluten-free diet. And while I understand that maybe I am not the typical target audience of this article, it still angers me that people feel the need to treat others condescendingly because of personal choices that they make that may be different than their own.

Do I think that everybody should be on a gluten free diet? Of course not. Do I fault anyone for trying it? Absolutely not. Here is the deal: This diet is a very difficult diet to follow. Bottom line is that you are only going to stick with it over the long haul if the payoff is noticeable.

It is possible that it has more to do with fiber than gluten. But either way, great job on becoming med-free! My husband has been off the prescription drugs for nearly a decade. He only uses cannabis to keep it in remission. Many of the Crohn's drugs are horrific!

This is true. Sometimes I think it may even be yeast and not gluten (based on experience). But I am done trying to fine tune it. I feel pretty good on my current diet. I know what I can eat and I stick with those things. Wheat is one of several things I avoid.

It could be. It's hard to say with Crohn's. While there are commonalities, there are different trigger foods for different people. Having lived with a Crohnnie for so long, I have an inkling of how rough it is to have a flare-up. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you continue to keep it in check. :flowerforyou:

Mokey41

Without proper testing no one knows if they have a gluten intolerance or not. My husband has always had digestive issues and was told without testing he was celiac. He's not good at following any kind of diet or restriction so he continued to eat whatever he wanted. About 10 years ago he was out combining wheat and had to unplug the header. I happened to come along with a coffee for him and found him barely able to breathe. After an ER visit and some testing we discovered he is actually allergic to wheat. Wheat, the grain, not the gluten. He increased his sensitivity by not staying away from it all those years to the point that even being near wheat will causes his skin to break out in blisters.

I use spelt flour now and actually add gluten to it to make it rise properly. Without a crisis he probably would have gone his whole life thinking he was celiac.

brower47

People who actually *are* gluten intolerant must love that it's such a BS fad right now because there has been such an increase in gluten free products. Of course, I'm sure people just think they're jumping on the special snowflake bandwagon with the rest of the d-bags, so that would kinda suck.

The problem with it becoming a fad (which it is not) is that it's not taken seriously. If it's seen as an allergy or an intolerance then restaurants, for example, go to greater lengths to make sure that whatever they are claiming is "gluten free" is actually gluten free. If it's seen as a fad, then there's no harm in cross contamination. But of course, the truth is, that there is harm.

It's a fad in the sense that many people are jumping on the bandwagon who do not have any medical reasons to not eat it. That does not mean that people who legitimately have issues with it are somehow shallow because of it. They are just caught up in the tide.

rowanwood

sunnyhlw77

Interesting article/posting. I don't go entirely gluten-free but I do restrict wheat and grains it in my diet. I've been tested and am NOT celiac, I do have an intolerance to the point that anything like pasta's, breads etc. turn essentially to glue in my intestines and does not move for upwards to a week to a week and a half and constipates me, but to the point that I end up puking. When I restrict it, I'm fine, so one piece of bread a day, not a whole sandwich, if I have a piece of bread then I can't have pasta, etc. I also have a yeast intolerance but only if I over consume.

SJVZEE

I don't know if it's gluten specifically or some other ingredient in items like bread, pasta, cakes etc. but when I eat them I get instant bloat-more than the "I just ate" look. Like, can't button my jeans bloat. So for me, it's best to just avoid these types of things as much as possible.

Fair play.

If you don't react well to a food stuff then it's probably best to minimise it or avoid it altogether depending on the severity of the reaction.

I think often however people end up doing so not because they actually have an adverse symptoms at all rather they have been lead to believe what they are eating should be avoided by everyone.

I've thought about getting allergy tested-wonder if it could possibly be a dairy allergy (which would be in pretty much all the items that have wheat/gluten)? But I eat a ridiculous amount of cheese, butter and yogurt with no bloating symptoms, so who knows lol. My family still eats wheat/gluten and it doesn't bother me-I don't crave items with it so it's not a big deal to have it in the house and not eat it

lactose intolerance can cause bloating after consuming certain kinds of dairy but not others. Cheese and butter are, as far as i know, low in lactose. I'm not sure if yoghurt is or not. But you could check to see what dairy products are high in lactose and which are not, and if this correlates with dairy products that you can tolerate well and those which cause bloating.

Thanks for the info-something I definitely need to look into more!

Flab2fitfi

[/quote]


"If you’ve been experiencing unexplained headaches, tiredness, weight gain, brain fog, joint pain, and digestive problems, it’s tempting to blame it on one cause, like gluten sensitivity. (The “one true cause” fallacy). It’s more likely that your problems are caused by a number of other issues that have nothing to do with gluten, like lack of sleep or exercise, stress, excess weight, etc. (The “confusing correlation with causation” fallacy). You know, the simple stuff that’s also really hard to make yourself do."
[/quote]

These are the symptoms that I had when I was re-diagnosed. Weight gain is now listed as a symptom by the coeliac society in the UK and more and more GP are aware that coeliac is hard to diagnosed due to the range of symptoms.

StheK

Thanks for this!

Healthy_4_Life2

Bump for later read!!

nfgchick79

To the person that said PCOS is now real, wow, maybe do some medical research. Spend some time on infertility message boards! I personally do not have PCOS but other fertility issues, so I know a lot of people who have it. It can cause women to never be able to have children (and a multitude of other health issues). It is VERY real and you are extremely ignorant.

NadineSabbagh

My sister has a genuine gluten intolerance. As I live with her, cooking was always a problem as I would want the 'normal' versions of everything, whereas she would need to have the gluten free options, so it always resulted in a lot of hassle in the kitchen!

I choose to eat a predominantly gluten free diet nowadays purely because I find it difficult to limit myself to moderate portions of glutenous food, not because I am under any illusions that I have a gluten intolerance or want to jump on a new fad diet. I used to practically eat half a loaf of bread over the course of the day quite easily without even noticing. And don't even get me started on my pasta portions! They probably could've fed a small country, with some to spare. Then there would be all the cakes and biscuits that I'd just subconsciously pick up and eat without a single thought. Obviously, all these horrendous habits were extremely detrimental to my weight.

Now that I'm actively cutting out gluten, I am able to better control the amount of food I eat. I no longer have my vices like bread and pasta, and I don't miss them at all. I occasionally incorporate gluten into my diet if I feel like I'm depriving myself, but my cravings for it have disappeared, which ultimately is greatly aiding my weight loss.

So I don't cut it out for any particular health reasons or because I heard it was 'bad' for you... I just do it because it gives me the results I want.

I certainly feel a lot less sluggish these days, because I am no longer eating trough-loads of pasta etc... but if I had been eating moderate amounts in the first place, I probably wouldn't have been feeling sluggish anyway. So cutting gluten out of my diet has worked for me in respect to the fact that I no longer over-eat it... but apart from that, there haven't been any significant health benefits for me.

Tesco triple chocolate gluten free cookies are to die for though. I'd choose them over a regular cookie ANY day!

The article is interesting, thanks for posting! It might make some people realise that they don't need to restrict themselves unnecessarily... but others will happily ignore it because it's not what they want to hear :P I say, let people eat whatever they choose to eat. If they want to jump on the gluten free band wagon, then why not? They might find it works for them for whatever reason, or they may find that they are depriving themselves and ultimately end up back to square one. There is so much conflicting information out there nowadays that people just need to try it out for themselves and make their mind up about what works for them. Regardless of what's 'right' or 'wrong' or 'true' or 'false', people have their own opinions and choose to believe what they want... so no amount of evidence to the contrary will sway them if they get an idea in their head! :P

SJVZEE

All of the new found poisons or diseases are made up by marketing firms to help Pharmaceutical companies sell you toxins! 100 years ago there was no such thing as Gluten ...... CARBS..............High protien low fat diets! I am a firm believer that you can eat whatever you like in moderation and maintain a healthy weight! All of the bogus PCOS and Fybromyalfia..........total body pain or total body aches is BOGUS! its all in your head used as an excuse to STAY fat, or stay lazy! either way its an excuse. IMHO.

Wrong-low carb diets have been around since the 1800s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-carbohydrate_diet
A great book to read about the history of dieting is Rethinking Thin, by Gina Kolata. She goes into a lot of depth about the history of the dieting industry. Atkins was part of a long line of low carb advocates-nothing new though.

Low fat diets have been popular since the 1960s, and since the 80s have been strongly pushed by our doctors and federal government. People have been gaining weight while following their doctors orders and the government's guidelines. So who's to blame for that one?

My aunt has fibromyalgia and has a very hard time doing basic functions and she suffers greatly from it. I hope that you never have to experience what she goes through.

shimmygirl411

Informative. Thanks, OP.

millerll

Barring the 10% of the population who actually have gluten issues, so many people say, "Well, everybody says gluten is bad for you, so it must be true, right?" Then they cut grains from their diet, and miraculously feel better.

Well, guess what happens when you eliminate a large food group like grains from your diet? You tend to replace them with more protein, fruit, and vegetables. In other words, you improve your diet. A lot of people go from eating a horrible diet to a healthy diet by default when they go gluten-free. It's not the lack of gluten that makes you feel better, it's the improvement in other parts of your diet.

Most people going gluten-free don't need to. It won't hurt them, but it's not necessary for good health.

Lupercalia

Uh, I'm one of those people living in the land of make believe with PCOS AND Gluten Intolerance....!

Anyway, I didn't find the article offensive in the slightest. I agree that it isn't necessary FOR MOST PEOPLE to remove gluten from their diets.

A number of the comments are indeed offensive. Lynn1982, you are definitely overreacting and taking this whole article in a really personal way. I understand where your frustration stems from, but I think your reaction here is totally inappropriate and over the top.

I read everything critically, and do not find the article to be having a go at anyone who removes gluten from their diet. The author is merely pointing out that it IS NOT NECESSARILY gluten that is at the root cause of whatever your symptoms are. It is more than likely something else, which I think is a fair statement, considering this article is directed at the general public who are trying to get healthier...not people who really do have some issue or another with gluten. That means this article is not meant for people who actually do have real issues with gluten, like me and you.

Pointing this out to the public doesn't diminish your own special gluten sensitivity or anything of that nature, Lynn1982.

ngyoung

As much as naysayers try to tell everyone that gluten is fine it doesn't ring true for how many that try going GF and notice a difference. I am not GF 100% of the time but when I happen to go a long time without eating it then have some bread I can tell. There is a larger percentage of people that actually get off of gluten for a while that get a noticeable difference despite what researchers believe are the real percentages. Maybe some of it is anecdotal but if someone feels better why try to knock them down?

The problem that is popping up that I see from the increased popularity of GF foods and is giving it such a bad rap is that processed GF foods are being marketed as a health food. They are doing the same thing to GF that they did with low-fat/no-fat products, making junk food and calling it healthy. Replacing some wheat based snack food with a rice flour or whatever doesn't make it any healthier. In some cases many GF foods have even more carbs and sugar.

LifeWithPie

Glad you're finished. You and the author of this article can go back to not believing people who have non-GI symptoms of gluten sensitivity. It is because of people like you that we are not believed and told it is all in our heads. You probably also tell people that they can "wish" their migraine away. Wouldn't it be nice if that were the case... Keep laughing about it.

I also cannot believe you are 49 years old and you used "LOL." That's ridiculous.

Wow, you sound like a real peach. And she was right, you ARE totally overreacting and being overly defensive on a ridiculous level. Love how you stooped to such juvenile levels at the end there. Priceless.

mrslynah

I'm not sure why the whole GF thing has become so controversial. If you don't think it applies to you, then eat it. Not needing a gluten free diet and not benefiting from it are two different things. Rather than going on a soapbox, I'm going to say that there are a LOT of conditions that are under-researched. And I have one of them. The treatments that are researched are the ones that will benefit pharmaceutical companies, not necessarily the people WITH the disease. So a lot of people are doing research on their own bodies, seeing how it feels or responds when they do or don't put something in it. Gluten free is a fad right now, as I'm sure low fat, low carb, high fiber, high protein, whole foods, and organic were at one time. That doesn't dismiss its merits. When someone experiments with their diet, they are taking CONTROL of their bodies, rather than letting big Pharma or government-subsidized GMO farmers and affiliated researchers decide for them. That is a good thing. That is people doing their homework. They should be applauded, not patronized.

mrslynah

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