Is gluten free worth it?

Jenlynphi

Has anyone ever tried a gluten free diet? I did it for a week and it was so hard because just about everything has gluten in it. :grumble: I don't think I did it long enough to see if I felt any different. :ohwell: I've noticed that a lot of athletes are now going gluten free. Just curious.

Jen

Becca_007

Has anyone ever tried a gluten free diet? I did it for a week and it was so hard because just about everything has gluten in it. :grumble: I don't think I did it long enough to see if I felt any different. :ohwell: I've noticed that a lot of athletes are now going gluten free. Just curious.

Jen

If it's in regards to your health (gluten intolerant) it's very much worth it!:flowerforyou:

I'm not sure I totally understand the gluten free bandwagon craze though, health related I understand and some are not completely intolerant but feel better when they cut it out. That I understand, the rest I wonder if some are using it more for a fad?

I'm NOT talking about persons with Gluten Intolerance but others who try it because "everyone else" is doing it.

::shrugs::

Goal_Seeker_1988

I feel better when I eat gluten free cookies I consider it a healthier treat!

EmilyQC

Has anyone ever tried a gluten free diet? I did it for a week and it was so hard because just about everything has gluten in it. :grumble: I don't think I did it long enough to see if I felt any different. :ohwell: I've noticed that a lot of athletes are now going gluten free. Just curious.

Jen

If it's in regards to your health (gluten intolerant) it's very much worth it!:flowerforyou:

I'm not sure I totally understand the gluten free bandwagon craze though, health related I understand and some are not completely intolerant but feel better when they cut it out. That I understand, the rest I wonder if some are using it more for a fad?

I'm NOT talking about persons with Gluten Intolerance but others who try it because "everyone else" is doing it.

::shrugs::

Goggled it : http://www.glutenfree-diet.org/benefits.htm

this site has pros and cons to a gluten free diet, really its just for people that have a gluten allergy, like the pervious person stated its more of a fad right now, and its semi dangerous, people don't realize that there bodies aren't getting the nutrients that it needs.

slieber

As someone who has celiac disease, it's a boon. You need to be on it for several weeks to feel the effects, though, if you have celiac disease or even a mild intolerance. If you don't, I'm not sure how long it'll take to feel any effects - if you feel any, that is.

For me, I have more energy, no heartburn!!, no muscle aches or any tummy troubles. I don't have a wheat allergy, either - just the intolerance.

I can tell almost immediately if something has a reasonable amount of gluten in it. Within a half-hour, I really hurt in the chest. Then I spend about a week feeling exhausted, depending on the amount I've ingested. But that's me. Others have other reactions, I'm sure.

blessedmomof8

~My mother is gluten and wheat free. When she has gluten/wheat she aches and feels tired. She think she has been gluten intolerant her whole life. She remember her knees aching alot when she was a young girl. She been alot healthier the last 5+ years. She lost some weight and found out that some things she couldn't eat before no longer bother her at all. It had all been gluten related.
~My son is gluten and wheat free also. It started about 2 years ago. He was getting migraine every day. We took him off gluten and his migraines went away.

jessradtke

Depends on why you're doing it. If you are gluten intolerant, it would probably be worth it. If you are doing it for some other reason, probably not worth it. I went gluten free several years ago to see if it helped a health problem. It didn't help. I found that using sprouted grain flours worked better than gluten free for me. My husband tried going gluten free this year because he has a reaction to wheat and wanted to see if it was due to gluten, but he found out he can't eat most gluten free foods. Many of them contain potato starch, which causes the same reaction that wheat flour does. And the amount of starches in them also sets off his irritable bowel syndrome. He dediced that just staying away from wheat and potatoes was better and easier than totally gluten free.

NotGoddess

If you need to be gluten-free because you have an intolerance or celiacs, then yes.
If you don't have a need for it and are just thinking you'll swap in gluten-free versions of your favorite foods you'd best step back and compare nutrition labels first. A lot of processed gluten-free food has more calories, fat, sugar than their normal versions.

Now if you mean to go gluten-free by eating more foods that are naturally gluten-free, feel free. You might feel better, but don't expect any magic weight-loss bullet.

Note- this is just my experience. I'm in the process of getting diagnosed and had been trying it out. I'm back on gluten-at least enough to ensure I don't bungle my bloodwork again

...all that being said, Betty Crocker's gluten-free brownies are fantastic. (Hey, if you are going to eat a brownie you might as well eat a good one

Jenlynphi

For me, I have more energy, no heartburn!!, no muscle aches or any tummy troubles. I don't have a wheat allergy, either - just the intolerance.

I was diagnosed with a mild case of Crohns last spring and I am trying to figure out what foods trigger my flare ups. I noticed a few weeks ago that I get bloated and exhausted after I have several foods that have wheat. Today I had bread and pasta. I feel like a balloon and haven't felt like doing anything. I may have to try it longer than a week. I'm a cupcake junkie and it's going to be so hard to give them up if I do have an intolerance.:brokenheart:

I have muscle aches all of the time. I just thought it came withthe Crohns. :ohwell:

AlsDonkBoxSquat

We have terrible allergies and intolerances in my house so it's totally worth it. It was difficult for a half a second, but dealing with the way gluten made me and my son feel was so much more difficult to deal with. I have no more tummy aches and no more bloating and my son no longer gets serious diaper rash (unless he steals food off of another child's plate). I make everything we ate before, I just make it from scratch. As far as cupcakes, you have 2 routes to go with that 1) gluten free flour or 2) flourless cupcakes (oh the sheer awesomeness is beyond words). Ancient harvest makes a great quinoa based pasta and udi's makes awesome bread products and gluteno makes really good cereal products and cookies. I make pancakes, waffles, and pizza crusts too. We don't limit our foods, we just have to be more thoughtful about it.

Jenlynphi

Thanks for all of the advice and info. A lot to think about!

hawaiiprinzezz

I have Celiac Disease so going gluten free was a must. And it was extremely hard in the beginning. I would leave the grocery store crying because gluten is in EVERYTHING and I didn't know what to eat.

Now a year later I have a grip on what I am doing and what I can have and what to stay away from. But I will tell you that if you do in fact need to go GF I have a great gluten free cupcake trick just using the Betty Crocker box mix. Make the mix the way you would on the box and add a box of Jello pudding. Any flavor that you want to add to your cupcake. I use vanilla if Im doing white cupcakes or chocolate if Im making chocolate. It takes away that grainy taste that you get with gluten free flour.

I would never give up my cupcakes. I have made them for friends and family and they are always shocked that they are gluten free.

Heatherbelle_87

For me, I have more energy, no heartburn!!, no muscle aches or any tummy troubles. I don't have a wheat allergy, either - just the intolerance.

I was diagnosed with a mild case of Crohns last spring and I am trying to figure out what foods trigger my flare ups. I noticed a few weeks ago that I get bloated and exhausted after I have several foods that have wheat. Today I had bread and pasta. I feel like a balloon and haven't felt like doing anything. I may have to try it longer than a week. I'm a cupcake junkie and it's going to be so hard to give them up if I do have an intolerance.:brokenheart:

I have muscle aches all of the time. I just thought it came withthe Crohns. :ohwell:

there are actually studies in process on Crohns beign related to gluten intolerances or true celiacs. As well as other food allergies and autoimmune diseases.

My parents went gluten free due to an auto immune disease my dad was diagnosed with. Its a hard adjustment but my mom's IBS went away quickly and when she does eat gluten... yeah ALL symptoms come back almost immediatly. I feel better when Im primarily gluten free.

Windi38

...all that being said, Betty Crocker's gluten-free brownies are fantastic. (Hey, if you are going to eat a brownie you might as well eat a good one

That is SO true! They are the.best.brownies.ever!!!

Windi38

My ex figured out he must be gluten intolerant about 2 years ago, and went gluten-free. He saw results within a month and has been GF since. Instead of just switching all his foods, he ate a lot more salads and fruit and meat, and lost 45 pounds in three months. He gained about 10 back as we started introducing breads and pastas back into the diet, but GF versions.

Myself and our two children were about 80% GF, but I honestly think the reason I felt better was because we ate a lot more fresh, raw fruits and veggies and cut out pretty much all processed foods from the diet.

We've been separated for a little while now, so the boys and I are not eating GF anymore, but I retained the habit of lots of raw fruits and veggies and not as much bread, pasta, or potato.. I'm not noticing a negative difference in eating regular pasta vs the GF version.


I think, in the end, just replacing all your pastas and breads with GF versions is only going to be beneficial to people who have an intolerance or an allergy to gluten (which ARE different, btw).

Where the benefits lay, I believe, is in cutting way back on our bread, pasta and potato intake as well as processed foods in general and replacing it with fresh fruits and veggies. That is where I think you would see a weight loss and would feel better over all.

Windi38

I have Celiac Disease so going gluten free was a must. And it was extremely hard in the beginning. I would leave the grocery store crying because gluten is in EVERYTHING and I didn't know what to eat.

it was really hard for my ex as well. But it's soo much easier to find GF alternatives now. The biggest issue is in processed foods and stuff you never, ever would think had gluten in it!! It's flipping amazing how much stuff has gluten added to it!

ninerbuff

Eh, it's like the craze for making everything "germ free" with all the 99.9% wipes and cleaners being promoted IMO. If you had a kid a kept everything germ free in your house, once that kid steps outside they would contract many viruses that they weren't exposed to due to no bacteria in the house.
Trying to eat gluten free (unless you're allergic to it) isn't worth it because then you may have to fore go certain minerals and nutrients that your body essentially may need to function properly. Then possibly not being exposed to it and being re introduced may cause your body to reject or fight back from some thing it's not used.

Heatherbelle_87

Eh, it's like the craze for making everything "germ free" with all the 99.9% wipes and cleaners being promoted IMO. If you had a kid a kept everything germ free in your house, once that kid steps outside they would contract many viruses that they weren't exposed to due to no bacteria in the house.
Trying to eat gluten free (unless you're allergic to it) isn't worth it because then you may have to fore go certain minerals and nutrients that your body essentially may need to function properly. Then possibly not being exposed to it and being re introduced may cause your body to reject or fight back from some thing it's not used.

What minerals and nutrients am I forgoing eating gluten free? please explain this one to me. Gluten is essentially a binder, its what makes bread fluffy, its what holds baked goods together. Yes low levels are naturally found in wheat products but EXTRA gluten is being added to products as a binder, not as a nutritional necessity. I am not missing any nutrients by not eating wheat. If anything I get higher levels of hard-to-get micro nutrients because I eat more natural, raw, unprocessed foods. I still get carbs in the forms of rice, potatoes, and gluten free pastas. Multi-seed crackers are higher in protein and natural "healthier" fats and oils then gluten containing crackers. I actually suffer from a nut allergy as well, which elliminates even more gluten-free alternatives from my diet because I cant use nut flours. Its actually very easy to cook your own lean proteins, eat salads with gluten free dressings (yep there is gluten ADDED to salad dressing to make it stick to lettuce) steam vegetables, and eat fruits. Wait! Isnt this what most people recommend when losing weight anyway?

You can look up the book Eating for autoimmune disorders (crohns, lupus, and MANY others). You dont cut gluten entirely from natural wheat products but you do eliminate products with unnecessarily added gluten and basically eliminate processed foods. Which should be done anyway in a healthy life style. This book also has recipes and teaches you about foods that naturally help eliminate toxins and free-radicals from your system, and how to cater your diet based off symptoms to help elleviate them.

**On a side note: I agree with you on the anti-bacterial craze that you need to build a natural immune system the old fashioned way, avoiding germs isnt a good idea. I also allowed my child to be exposed to certain foods before the "appropriate age to avoid allergies" because avoidance CAN lead to allergies. My Nut allergies didnt develop until I was 17 and its a slow progression, nut by nut, very depressing since I know what they taste like and love them. It was the same way for my mom.**

If you have personal experience to back this up, or scientific fact I will be more then happy to read it though

And I dont eat 100% gluten free. I eat 90% gluten free. And OP this may be something for you to try. Switching to more natural forms of items and greatly reducing processed foods. Now that there is more awareness on celiacs disease MANY gluten free products are being properly labeleed and advertised. My gummi vitamins are gluten free, the fruit snacks my son eats are gluten free (didnt even know that at first) CHEX cereals has 5 gluten free options. If youre trying to reduce or eliminate gluten, talking to people who already live that lifestyle can make it easier.

Jenlynphi

Thank you for all of the information and advice. I am going to try to go as gluten free as I can and see if that makes a difference. I'm not doing this for weight loss. I am actually 9 pounds away from my goal. I just want to eliminate gluten for a while to see if it is a trigger for my Crohns.