Is being Gluten Free a Fad or .....?!?!?!?!
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What's so bad about organic foods or wanting to have beef that is slightly more humanely raised?
I do not understand your objection to these...0 -
No its not a fad. There are many people with celiac which means they cannot handle gluten, and if eaten can eventually lead to cancer.
I definitely have gluten intolerance, so I choose to not eat it 90% of the time. If I eat gluten one day out of the week, it's not going to be a problem, but if I keep eating it, I get incredibly painful gas, bloating and stomach issues. So it's better for me to stay away from it. But an occasionally product with gluten in it won't be bad. For celiacs. They cannot have it.
If you are choosing to go gluten free to "diet" well than that is a fad, plus a lot of gluten free foods are high in calories, so I don't know how anyone uses this as a diet, unless they are just doing low carb and calling it gluten free.0 -
I think it's kind of a fad. There are real celiacs out there, but *so* many people are complaining about gluten lately, I think it's become a form of hypochondria.0
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We have a large patient-case load with moderate to severe cases of gluten allergies. We also have a fairly good sized patient case load that are gluten sensitive (mild and in some cases moderate)...
There was a restaurant chef/owner out of...I want to say North Carolina who claimed to have a gluten-free baked goods, but he never did...
http://www.celiaccentral.org/celiac-disease-in-the-news/Celiac-in-the-News/161/vobid--2362/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Gluten-Free-News+(Gluten+Free+News+|+NFCA)
Also here: http://glutenfreeraleigh.blogspot.com/2010/02/nc-vs-great-specialty-products-update.html
Gluten issues are very real....
The sucky part about being diagnosed, I cant tell you the loopholes I have to jump through to get insurances to give a prior authorization for my GI doctors to perform diagnostic tests. The majority of the insurances REQUIRE the patient to have both a colonoscopy AND an Upper GI series done before they will consider a "Wireless Caps Endoscopy" - this involves swallowing a large pill camera so we can view the small intestine. Its so much easier to just have the patient swallow the pill cam, but NOPE, you have to put the patient through freaking hell by having an upper and lower scope FIRST... when its cheaper for the patient to just swallow the pill cam and get much better results, its more reliable and costs less than the Upper/Lower scoping combined!!!!
People who arent in this category of allergic or sensitive, there are GI physicians who will recommend eliminating things to see how the body responds after a period of time. Ive worked for some very prominent GI surgeons in my time and they will always tell a patient that doesnt fit the category "consider eliminating it for 6 months completely" and then come back in for your follow up with a diary of information/tracking to see how you feel.. they will then be asked to have gluten-type products to see how their body reacts. Often, the patient needs to seek medical care because after reintroducing the gluten-item after going 6 months without, the body will either react or full out reject...
Definitely food for thought on multiple levels0 -
I would never have gone GF if I didn't have to!
I break out in hives, itch like mad, get swollen terribly achy joints and amazingly horrible stomachaches from eating: wheat, buckwheat, rye, oats, gluten free oats (seriously pisses me off), and occasionally, I will react to corn. I can eat brown rice and white rice with no issues.
Once I was diagnosed, I started reading labels of absolutely EVERYTHING - and that horrifying experience has led me to go to buying organic, local veggies, grass fed beef, organic eggs, and local farm raised organic pork and chicken. Oh, and wild caught fish.
I also - during the 20 million blood tests - found that I'm insulin resistant, so I had to cut out sugar as well. (good times, that)
It's a personal choice to go this far, and it's also taken me a very long time to get here.
But damn, I miss pizza! And Taco Bell!
We're going through similar issues with one of our daughters. The list of foods that she's sensitive to is challenging at best, and soul crushing at worst. Luckily rice and potatoes are fine, but many other grains, and LOTS of fruits are out. We're trying to work back as many foods as we can, but usually when we re-introduce, she's sick again. Damn. She longs for pizza and tacos also. We gave in one day and went to a local taco joint. No tortillas of any sort, no cheese, and only limited salsa (she's sensitive to citrus). And she still hurt that night. Damn! We make nachos with lentil chips. Surprisingly, pretty darn good!
People can fad diet all they like. But there are large numbers of people who eat what they do because they have to. You'd be wise to understand this before posting a post which hints at intolerance or misunderstanding.0 -
For some, gluten free is a necessity due to a medical condition. For others, its just a fad. People have told me they lost a lot of weight going gluten free without the medical need to, but I've read people lose weight only because it can be pretty restricting.
People who go crazy over eating gluten free (without medical reasons) make me roll my eyes more than Dr. Oz does.
There IS truth to losing weight, since a lot of GF options low carb if a GF substitute is not available. Where grilled chicken and linguini might've been an option, if no GF pasta option is available, subbing steamed broccoli for the linguini makes it, essentially GF.
The other piece to this is that by going GF, you're cutting out a lot of easily accessible junk when GF alternatives aren't available. No office birthday cake. No cookies from the counter at the diner. No muffins or bagels when someone brings them into work. No licorice when someone offers you some. No cone for the ice cream. No pancakes, waffles, or toast for Sunday brunch. Since GF options are also often more expensive, there's justification not to buy them. GF sugar wafers start at $4 a box for half of what a "normal" pack costs...0 -
For some people it's a fad, for others it's survival.
Celiac disease is where gluten causes a reaction in the stomach where the stomach lining becomes scared. When scar tissue builds up, nutrients can't be absorbed and a person can become malnourished. People with celiac disease can not eat any gluten.
People who are gluten sensitive (this includes me) have the same reaction but it is less severe. We need to avoid gluten but can eat small amount occasionally without any noticeable reaction. For instance, I started eating oats more often because I took bad advice that oats were gluten-free. After about 6 weeks my stomach was bloated, food sat like a lump in my stomach, and there was this odd feeling of being full & hungry at the same time... also bowel movements didn't look right. My doctor said to stop the oats.
The good news is that celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can be managed very easily with a gluten free diet. For people who do have a problem with gluten, if we eat gluten free for a period of time, the stomach lining will generate healthy tissue and nutrient absorption will return to normal.
If you do not have a gluten problem, then there is no reason to eat gluten-free.0 -
GLUTEN? I EFING LOVE GLUTEN NOM NOM NOMZ0
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For some it's a fad but there appears to be a trend in food allergies and other medical issues related to a high gluten content diet. Gluten food allergies and Celiac's Disease are very real and require the person to simply avoid gluten. Most people I have come across with Celiac's also have to avoid dairy. My 62 yr old mom was diagnosed with Celiac's last December so I've had to do some research into it. And I need to get tested for it since Celiac's can be passed genetically.0
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For some people it's a fad, for others it's survival.
Celiac disease is where gluten causes a reaction in the stomach where the stomach lining becomes scared. When scar tissue builds up, nutrients can't be absorbed and a person can become malnourished. People with celiac disease can not eat any gluten.
People who are gluten sensitive (this includes me) have the same reaction but it is less severe. We need to avoid gluten but can eat small amount occasionally without any noticeable reaction. For instance, I started eating oats more often because I took bad advice that oats were gluten-free. After about 6 weeks my stomach was bloated, food sat like a lump in my stomach, and there was this odd feeling of being full & hungry at the same time... also bowel movements didn't look right. My doctor said to stop the oats.
The good news is that celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can be managed very easily with a gluten free diet. For people who do have a problem with gluten, if we eat gluten free for a period of time, the stomach lining will generate healthy tissue and nutrient absorption will return to normal.
If you do not have a gluten problem, then there is no reason to eat gluten-free.
Look for gluten free oats (Bob's Red Mill brand or similar). A lot of oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat products and there can be significant contamination. Oats by themselves technically are gluten free. However I would not want to cross your doctor's advice of simple avoidance if it is working for you.0 -
Those with celiac disease and are gluten intolerant have valid reasoning for eliminating gluten.
I think the slew of celebrities coming out with the disease has a lot to do with the increase in people going gluten free as well.
Initially weight loss will occur b/c you're cutting out alot of foods from your diet, but as with any diet, you realize that they make comparable products for everything.....0 -
My grandmother has had to be gluten free since the early eighties. She so trendy.
On the other hand, I think eating only grass fed beef is a good choice, if I ate animals, I'd want to know what they had been eating.0 -
I dunno about the people that go gluten free without a medical reason- but I bet all the coeliacs appreciate them- they've caused the market for GF foods to explode, making it much easier for coeliacs to shop at a regular grocery store!0
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I dont know if I am gluten sensitive or not but for other reasons, I recently eliminated grains from my diet. I believe grains are the primary source of gluten.
I feel much better and seem to have more energy, etc.
Is it a fad? I dont know and dont care because I am liking the way I feel not eating grains0 -
What's so bad about organic foods or wanting to have beef that is slightly more humanely raised?
I do not understand your objection to these...
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It is and it isn't lol. I have a sensitivity (not horrible) and I still eat it but I've cut waaaaay back. Most people who say that they stopped being bloated when they removed wheat from their diet probably have an undiagnosed sensitivity. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity do run in my family so I have other family members who have gone gf. I tried to go completely GF for a while and it was hard to stick to and kind of expensive (since I like bread and GF bread isn't cheap).
On the other hand I am a virtual assistant and one of my clients is a celebrity nutrition/fitness expert who swears up and down that just about everything is bad for you, including gluten. A lot of her claims are quickly followed up with a promotion of some of her products. Unless you have a sensitivity (which everyone does NOT), then there's no reason to go GF.0 -
I dunno about the people that go gluten free without a medical reason- but I bet all the coeliacs appreciate them- they've caused the market for GF foods to explode, making it much easier for coeliacs to shop at a regular grocery store!
Seriously!! For as annoying as I find Elizabeth Hasselbeck , I do owe her a world of thanks for making GF trendy to the point where GF foods actually taste good.
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I dunno about the people that go gluten free without a medical reason- but I bet all the coeliacs appreciate them- they've caused the market for GF foods to explode, making it much easier for coeliacs to shop at a regular grocery store!
Seriously!! For as annoying as I find Elizabeth Hasselbeck , I do owe her a world of thanks for making GF trendy to the point where GF foods actually taste good.
Same thing happened with vegetarian food...when I first became a vegetarian the old-fashioned grain type Gardenburger was the only choice available, but since it became hip a couple years ago there's a million more choices!
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It is a fad for the people who don't have any clue what it's about or why some people HAVE to eat gluten-free.
My husband was so sick we thought he was dying. His body's immune system began attacking the actual lining of his digestive tract in it's fight to get rid of the gluten he was ingesting. He lost so much weight he looked skeletal. He was too weak to walk up one flight of stairs, had constant diarrhea, problems with depression and memory loss, and we were terrified he was dying. His body was starving itself to death.
So it is VERY real for people with celiac disease. Since cutting out gluten, he has gained back all the weight he lost, plus a little bit, and he is probably healthier than he has ever been in his life.
Some people are eating gluten-free because it is trendy, but some are doing it to save their lives. I would just ask you not to lump the two into one category.0 -
Hey gaiz I think we've covered the fact that some people have a gluten intolerance. Skip it.0
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People with Celiac disease should not eat gluten. Besides the side effects that gluten causes, continuous consumption of gluten foods damages the digestive system for these individuals. However, if you don't have celiac disease you can still eat healthy and lose weight eating foods with gluten.0
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There is a disease that many people have in which they get sick if they eat gluten. They are intolerant of it and therefore must meet special dietary restrictions, hence the labels for gluten free foods and recent popularization.
Yes, but it is a VERY small portion of the population. For people who have Celiac or are actually sensitive to gluten, it's necessary. For the vast majority of people, it isn't. But it has become the in thing to do.0 -
I avoid it as far as possible, as I have noticed that as I get older, I get terribly bloated, gassy and feel very uncomfortable if I eat wheat and many grains, actually, oats affecting me the worst. I would not do it if I had a choice, as I used to love my sandwiches and having eggs on toast and such things, and I love oats and oat bars, but I was getting such bad stomach pains from the latter, I just had to give it up as best I could.0
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Wheat is the most genetically modified plant on the planet today. Nothing in it is good for you in it's current state unfortunately. It is modified to yield more, be resistant to insects and fungus, make a whiter pastier flour, there are more I don't remember them all right now.
Would you have a dog that was genetically modified not to bark, shed or poop on your lawn and destroy it? The only drawback is he would smell bad all the time and had 3 heads and no tail to wag?
It's the same thing with wheat, it's so genetically modified that it really isn't wheat anymore.0 -
For some people it's a fad, for others it's survival.
Celiac disease is where gluten causes a reaction in the stomach where the stomach lining becomes scared. When scar tissue builds up, nutrients can't be absorbed and a person can become malnourished. People with celiac disease can not eat any gluten.
People who are gluten sensitive (this includes me) have the same reaction but it is less severe. We need to avoid gluten but can eat small amount occasionally without any noticeable reaction. For instance, I started eating oats more often because I took bad advice that oats were gluten-free. After about 6 weeks my stomach was bloated, food sat like a lump in my stomach, and there was this odd feeling of being full & hungry at the same time... also bowel movements didn't look right. My doctor said to stop the oats.
The good news is that celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can be managed very easily with a gluten free diet. For people who do have a problem with gluten, if we eat gluten free for a period of time, the stomach lining will generate healthy tissue and nutrient absorption will return to normal.
If you do not have a gluten problem, then there is no reason to eat gluten-free.
Look for gluten free oats (Bob's Red Mill brand or similar). A lot of oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat products and there can be significant contamination. Oats by themselves technically are gluten free. However I would not want to cross your doctor's advice of simple avoidance if it is working for you.
Bobs Red Mill (at least here in Canada) is not guarenteed to be gluten free. Though they are grown in seperate fields to avoid any issues, they do at some point come into close contant with each other. Red Bob Mills puts "Gluten Free" on all their products that are 100% gluten free, with no chance of cross contamination. I only know this because my mom called to ask lol.
And as to the OP, I think its both. There is definalty people who have celiac and cannot have gluten. My mom cannot have even a trace of it or she will be sick. Then there are people who do not have celiac but who do have an intolerance.
Then there are the people who decide "if I give up bread, I'll lose weight". I don't know if all those people really go 100% gluten free, because it is in everything. Its not just a matter of giving up bread/muffins/donuts/cookies/cakes (which by the way is probably a big part of why people lose weight. All the good stuff has gluten) For those people, I think its totally a fad.0 -
Wheat is the most genetically modified plant on the planet today. Nothing in it is good for you in it's current state unfortunately.
Doesn't wheat contain B vitamins and various minerals?0 -
Wheat is the most genetically modified plant on the planet today. Nothing in it is good for you in it's current state unfortunately.
Doesn't wheat contain B vitamins and various minerals?
it sure does. but they are all available elsewhere, as I am sure you know. When I decided to cut grains for awhile, I was concerned I might miss out on some nutrient....(there are those who say we actually NEED grains in our diet, )
grains do have nutrients but no unique nutrients.0 -
Okay, someone tell me what is the big deal with being glueten free, as if everything organic isn't enough. Is it a fad or are there really benefits to being gluten free?
Now alot of my friends are gluten free, and most of them will only eat beef that has been grass fed only (really), I'm just saying....Love you guys/gals.
Some info would be greatly appreciated. I want to see if it is benfecial for me to hop on that bandwagon myself....well not really.
~Chika
Yes I jumped on the gluten free fad after tiring of the pooping through the eye of a needle and chronic fatique fad got old..what can I say Im a hipster. 0 -
Unless you need to go gluten free, you don't need to go gluten free.
Apparently lots of people had this problem, but nobody really knew what it was until they discovered the culprit was gluten. Now, lots of people are finding out gluten is the cause and its why so many people are gluten free.
Of course, there are those who just feel like jumping on the band wagon!
My homeopathic chiropractor had so many clients who had problems with gluten, and his wife needed to be gluten free too, so he and his daughter also eat that way. This way he won't have to worry about it
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While there are people who need to be gluten free...I have friends who went gluten free because they THOUGHT it would help with weight loss. All it is doing is making them have to travel 50-100 miles to find stores that sell gluten free foods ( corn pastas, gluten free bread, ect)0
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