Ugh, now I'm all paranoid about gluten

thesevolatiletimes

Thanks for all the responses.

Maybe it didn't come across as much as I intended, but my post was mostly facetious. I have no intention of cutting out gluten.

Mostly, I was mocking how easy it is for someone like me--with (what I consider) a pretty rational and grounded attitude towards health--to go off the deep end after reading just one article! For years I have rolled my eyes at the "gluten is terrible!!1!!1!!" trend, so it is pretty funny that they finally "got to me."

And of course I realize that people do have serious allergies and intolerances to gluten. That's not what I'm referring to, obviously!

I just think its funny how much "information" there is, and how crazy it can make a person.

I agree completely! I feel like I'm always smashing my head into a wall, when I read the 'latest health trends'. -_-

I will never understand why people willingly go gluten-free though. I understand cutting out heavily processed foods (obviously including heavily processed grains), but if you don't have a disorders, why cut out all grains as a whole?! They're so nutritious and delicious!

catpea33

I agree completely! I feel like I'm always smashing my head into a wall, when I read the 'latest health trends'. -_-

I will never understand why people willingly go gluten-free though. I understand cutting out heavily processed foods (obviously including heavily processed grains), but if you don't have a disorders, why cut out all grains as a whole?! They're so nutritious and delicious!

This is part of the problem: you believe it's a health trend and people are effectively doing it for no good reason. How about some people aren't allergic to wheat, gluten or grains but experience benefits that make them believe in this lifestyle? If you haven't tried it yourself, maybe you just can't understand their position. For me personally, I've spent the last two years working out with HIIT and lifting heavy and eating clean and I lost no weight. I also had other issues, like severe brain fog, feeling fatigued, depression, etc. I stopped eating grains as a three-week trial and all those issues vanished within 3 days and I also lost 13lb in 9 weeks effortlessly; I'm still eating this way 4 months later. In fact, if I eat grains now, those symptoms come back and also I get a rash and an upset stomach within half an hour; I DON'T have celiac's disease.

Maybe some of the more judgemental people on this site can think, 'Hey, maybe there's something in this diet for these people. After all, why would they make their life more difficult for themselves (given wheat is in almost everything) needlessly if they're just jumping on the latest health fad?'

QUOTE:

Thanks for all the responses.

Maybe it didn't come across as much as I intended, but my post was mostly facetious. I have no intention of cutting out gluten.

Mostly, I was mocking how easy it is for someone like me--with (what I consider) a pretty rational and grounded attitude towards health--to go off the deep end after reading just one article! For years I have rolled my eyes at the "gluten is terrible!!1!!1!!" trend, so it is pretty funny that they finally "got to me."

And of course I realize that people do have serious allergies and intolerances to gluten. That's not what I'm referring to, obviously!

I just think its funny how much "information" there is, and how crazy it can make a person.

I'd also argue that not all these books are 'pseudoscience.' Grain Brain is still on my to-read list but I've read Wheat Belly and all the references are in the back. Dr Davis cited one article in which a hospital for schizophrenic patients found that removing grains from the patients' diets improved their schizophrenia noticeably, even effectively 'curing' some of them. Their issues returned when grains were re-introduced. I've read the original article. In fact, I've read perhaps 80% of the articles referenced in the Wheat Belly book, quite a few of them relating to neurology. There are plenty of articles on Google Scholar linking wheat and sugar intake to neurological disorders, like Alzheimers. So yes, some of these books may be 'popular' but that doesn't mean they're pseudoscience or that their value is diminished. After all, how many patients have you treated and seen improve as a result of nutritional changes?

tempehforever

Oh man, I did NOT mean to start anti-gluten debates.

*runs away*

alisonlynn1976

The gluten thing is just a current fad. There are people who can't have gluten for medical reasons for real, but that group of people is MUCH smaller than the group of people who have self-diagnosed that way. If you have any concerns, see a doctor, but you're probably fine.

zyxst

In for later

CorlissaEats

Would I magically stop having depression issues?

If gluten was indeed your problem, then YES you would magically stop having depression issues. I did. When I eat even a small trace now, about 2-3 days later I get severe anxiety, and if its alot then I can actually have a bout of depression. Doesn't stick around like it used to though. It took me about 2 months to notice that my depression was clearing up though, and 6 months for some other symptoms to go, so you have to stick with the diet if you try it.

But YES, our food can negatively affect us and not cause illness or allergic reactions. How do you think certain plants or compounds where chosen to be used in medicines? Everything we consume has an effect on our system in some way, shape or form. You know your own body better than anyone. Medical tests can help but they dont always tell the whole story. There is a certain element of gluten-free being a fad diet but there is also a growing recognition that it is a food that actually many people are allergic, intolerant, or sensitive to. We just didnt know the signs.

Edit:
PS Gluten can cause neurological issues, not just GI issues. Look up gluten ataxia. There are also links between diabetes and gluten intolerance. Gluten free is one of the most recommended treatments for auto-immune diseases and autism too. Do the research, gluten and its effects are finally starting to be studied...

psuLemon

Would I magically stop having depression issues?

It would be pretty awesome if depression issues could be treated with magic. If you do not have a medical reason to cut the gluten from your intake, there is no reason to do it. Stop. Put on your logical thinking cap.

this.

gluten is a PITA is drop. i'm allergic to wheat and HAVE to do it and it's a pain for me even though I directly and quickly have a reaction. i really dont understand why people willingly give it up for sh*ts and giggles, especially since it's in so much more things than you'd think

This!!! My wife has to be gluten free due to a medical intolerance and it sucks every time we go to parties (like a new years one) or out to dinner. Most of the time, we go to the same 5 or 6 restaurants that we know are very gluten friendly and eat before parties. Living gluten free is very difficult and non necessary. The issue with most studies, they try to link one thing to a disease rather than a holistic approach. More often than not, the people who have these diseases are causes by genetics or unhealthy lifestyles. It a lot of medicine, they are discovering genetics plays much bigger of a role.

tempehforever

In for later

Let me know how it goes. I think I created a monster. I'm going to hide now.

jonnythan

In

QuietBloom

My father is a diagnosed celiac - so he cannot have any gluten, not even trace amounts. Before he was diagnosed, he really struggled with anxiety/depression (also joint pain and eczema). He never had any of the digestive issues that most medical professionals associate with celiac disease.

He's been gluten free for years now and no longer has to take anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications.

There are many things that cause anxiety/depressions, and an intolerance to gluten is just one of many possible factors.

If you're curious about whether gluten might cause you problems, I'd suggest speaking to your doctor. There are blood tests and other tests they can run to see how your body reacts to gluten.

Going 100% gluten free is easier now than it used to be, but it's still a challenging way to live your life. Gluten hides in *everything*- sauces, salad dressings, thickeners, sweeteners, coloring. When you go out to eat, you have to trust kitchen/wait staff to take your disease seriously (they often don't and food is mishandled/cross contaminated). When you go to friends' houses to eat, you either have to bring your own food or make them submit to a full inquisition about ingredients and food preparation. And, yes... there are gluten free breads, pizza crusts, pastas, crackers , etc - they're OK - but never as good as the original. I wouldn't choose to quit gluten unless I really had to.

Your father has celiacs, not gluten intolerance. So it's not a good comparison. I don't know of any link between depression and gluten intolerance, except that one HAS to feel better mentally when they aren't sick all the time.

nomeejerome

A change in lifestyle (better nutrition and exercise) can improve symptoms of mild or situational depression. However, to make a blanket statement that the elimination of gluten was the only factor in symptom improvement is not correct. (if it is a true diagnosis) In addition, severe mental illness (such as schizophrenia) cannot be "cured" with a simple elimination of grains from his or her diet.

catpea33

I know you didn't TempehForever. Please don't feel like I'm picking on you because I'm really not! Some of the comments (like the one by AlisonLynn for example) make it clear that they think everyone following a gluten-free diet is just following a fad. It doesn't matter that I just described all the symptoms I've been relieved of, the fact I don't have Celiac's disease (from a blood test I had *after* going grain-free so it may be a false negative - I haven't actually had the bowel biopsy they use for diagnosis) apparently means I shouldn't be following this way of life. Some of the comments here imply that people like me, who have no formal medical confirmation of a problem with gluten, should have to tolerate the negative health effects, like diarrhoea, bloating, fatigue, falling asleep after meals, insomnia, etc just so that they avoid being accused of following a fad!

Non-Celiac's gluten intolerance is a medically recognised condition that involves the same antibodies as Celiac's disease (Dr Marsh's research and the work of others has found antibodies associated with Celiac's disease are present in the gut for up to 7 years before full-blown Celiac disease develops and that gluten intolerance sufferers are therefore more likely to go on to develop Celiac's disease). My goal was just to point out that not everyone following this is doing it as a fad, they're doing it because they've experienced real health benefits from removing grains from their diet. I'm sure we all know people in our lives who've cut things from their diet 'for no reason' and they make the rest of us look bad who do have a reason.

ndj1979

in...for the gluten paranoia...

ndj1979

I know you didn't TempehForever. Please don't feel like I'm picking on you because I'm really not! Some of the comments (like the one by AlisonLynn for example) make it clear that they think everyone following a gluten-free diet is just following a fad. It doesn't matter that I just described all the symptoms I've been relieved of, the fact I don't have Celiac's disease (from a blood test I had *after* going grain-free so it may be a false negative - I haven't actually had the bowel biopsy they use for diagnosis) apparently means I shouldn't be following this way of life. Some of the comments here imply that people like me, who have no formal medical confirmation of a problem with gluten, should have to tolerate the negative health effects, like diarrhoea, bloating, fatigue, falling asleep after meals, insomnia, etc just so that they avoid being accused of following a fad!

Non-Celiac's gluten intolerance is a medically recognised condition that involves the same antibodies as Celiac's disease (Dr Marsh's research and the work of others has found antibodies associated with Celiac's disease are present in the gut for up to 7 years before full-blown Celiac disease develops and that gluten intolerance sufferers are therefore more likely to go on to develop Celiac's disease). My goal was just to point out that not everyone following this is doing it as a fad, they're doing it because they've experienced real health benefits from removing grains from their diet. I'm sure we all know people in our lives who've cut things from their diet 'for no reason' and they make the rest of us look bad who do have a reason.

how do you know those side effects were not caused by something else? So gluten causes you to fall asleep AND have insomnia...?

husseycd

I cut gluten/grains just because I was hungry constantly and wanted to find a "diet" that might help. I did it on a whim and didn't think I'd gain anything from it.

Well, I don't know that I am incredibly sensitive to it, but since I cut it from my diet (95% of the time. I'm not anal about it), I've lost 10 lbs (only wanted to lose 5), am leaner than ever, don't get so many sugar cravings, or cravings in general, rarely have gas :blushing:, and generally feel more full and satisfied with my food. I loved my bread and pasta, so it was a little tough at first, but mostly because I was groggy for a few weeks.

So, while I don't buy into the gluten paranoia, I'm really glad I quit eating it. Occasionally I'll have pizza or something and then usually feel like sh$t afterward. Try it if you want. It can't hurt anything.

catpea33

A change in lifestyle (better nutrition and exercise) can improve symptoms of mild or situational depression. However, to make a blanket statement that the elimination of gluten was the only factor in symptom improvement is not correct. (if it is a true diagnosis) In addition, severe mental illness (such as schizophrenia) cannot be "cured" with a simple elimination of grains from his or her diet.

Well, for me the removal of gluten was the *only* thing that changed before and after. I put up with my symptoms for more than 6 months and they vanished within 3 days of eliminating gluten. If I eat gluten now, they come back. In fact, if I eat gluten now I get an upset stomach and a rash within half an hour. That's not a coincidence.

The research begs to differ. Some schizophrenic patients have improved upon grain or gluten elimination from the diet. Some of the studies report *zero* occurences of a schizophrenic attack over the trial period, which is effectively a cure, only for the patient to suffer from the problem again once grains are re-introduced. Here's just a few for you to read:
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=156964
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/191/4225/401.short
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/18/1/7.long

catpea33

how do you know those side effects were not caused by something else? So gluten causes you to fall asleep AND have insomnia...?

I've already been through this. Removing grains was the *only* thing I changed. If I eat anything with gluten in, e.g. wheat, rye, then the problems come back within half an hour. The gluten doesn't cause me to fall asleep - the ridiculously high GI index that grains have does. I used to struggle to stay awake after eating. And then once it was time for bed, my head would be buzzing, which is also a symptom of gluten intolerance.

And why are you even questioning me about this? I know my body significantly better than you do so if I say it's true, it is. And how does it even affect you???

nomeejerome

A change in lifestyle (better nutrition and exercise) can improve symptoms of mild or situational depression. However, to make a blanket statement that the elimination of gluten was the only factor in symptom improvement is not correct. (if it is a true diagnosis) In addition, severe mental illness (such as schizophrenia) cannot be "cured" with a simple elimination of grains from his or her diet.

Well, for me the removal of gluten was the *only* thing that changed before and after. I put up with my symptoms for more than 6 months and they vanished within 3 days of eliminating gluten. If I eat gluten now, they come back. In fact, if I eat gluten now I get an upset stomach and a rash within half an hour. That's not a coincidence.

The research begs to differ. Some schizophrenic patients have improved upon grain or gluten elimination from the diet. Some of the studies report *zero* occurences of a schizophrenic attack over the trial period, which is effectively a cure, only for the patient to suffer from the problem again once grains are re-introduced. Here's just a few for you to read:
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=156964
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/191/4225/401.short
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/18/1/7.long

The first article is from 1978.
The second article is from 1976.
The third article is from 1966.

If you are using the words "schizophrenic attack", you clearly have no knowledge of mental health or severe mental illness. I stand by my original statement.

catpea33

A change in lifestyle (better nutrition and exercise) can improve symptoms of mild or situational depression. However, to make a blanket statement that the elimination of gluten was the only factor in symptom improvement is not correct. (if it is a true diagnosis) In addition, severe mental illness (such as schizophrenia) cannot be "cured" with a simple elimination of grains from his or her diet.

Well, for me the removal of gluten was the *only* thing that changed before and after. I put up with my symptoms for more than 6 months and they vanished within 3 days of eliminating gluten. If I eat gluten now, they come back. In fact, if I eat gluten now I get an upset stomach and a rash within half an hour. That's not a coincidence.

The research begs to differ. Some schizophrenic patients have improved upon grain or gluten elimination from the diet. Some of the studies report *zero* occurences of a schizophrenic attack over the trial period, which is effectively a cure, only for the patient to suffer from the problem again once grains are re-introduced. Here's just a few for you to read:
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=156964
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/191/4225/401.short
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/18/1/7.long

The first article is from 1978.
The second article is from 1976.
The third article is from 1966.

If you are using the words "schizophrenic attack", you clearly have no knowledge of mental health or severe mental illness. I stand by my original statement.

I posted those because they're full links so you can read the entire article. There's plenty of newer ones but you have to pay to read them in their entirety. I bet you didn't even bother reading the ones I posted!

OMG I used the word 'attack.' A poor choice of my words doesn't diminish the research. That's like, 'Hey, you got your spelling and grammar wrong so you know nothing' sort of argument. So don't believe me, I'm not bothered. I'll stick to my lovely gluten-free diet!

zyxst

I know you didn't TempehForever. Please don't feel like I'm picking on you because I'm really not! Some of the comments (like the one by AlisonLynn for example) make it clear that they think everyone following a gluten-free diet is just following a fad. It doesn't matter that I just described all the symptoms I've been relieved of, the fact I don't have Celiac's disease (from a blood test I had *after* going grain-free so it may be a false negative - I haven't actually had the bowel biopsy they use for diagnosis) apparently means I shouldn't be following this way of life. Some of the comments here imply that people like me, who have no formal medical confirmation of a problem with gluten, should have to tolerate the negative health effects, like diarrhoea, bloating, fatigue, falling asleep after meals, insomnia, etc just so that they avoid being accused of following a fad!

Non-Celiac's gluten intolerance is a medically recognised condition that involves the same antibodies as Celiac's disease (Dr Marsh's research and the work of others has found antibodies associated with Celiac's disease are present in the gut for up to 7 years before full-blown Celiac disease develops and that gluten intolerance sufferers are therefore more likely to go on to develop Celiac's disease). My goal was just to point out that not everyone following this is doing it as a fad, they're doing it because they've experienced real health benefits from removing grains from their diet. I'm sure we all know people in our lives who've cut things from their diet 'for no reason' and they make the rest of us look bad who do have a reason.

If you have medical issues with gluten, then by all means stop eating it. You have that problem as do many others. If I decided to cut out gluten - I have no medical/physical problems and symptoms associated with Celiac's, gluten intolerance, etc., then me going gluten free is considered following a fad.

Before joining MFP, I heard of Celiac's/gluten on TLC as part of a OMG Super Rare Disease shows. After being on here, it's as though people who don't have it are the OMG Super Rare Disease folks.