95% of Americans have Gluten Sensitivity & causes wt gain.

misskerouac

It's spam.

She's already made other topics about the "evil" gluten monster and how awesome Shakeology is.

thebaconbeast

Gluten sensitivity is grossly over exaggerated. Just like ADD and Autism

Nice the hate brigade is already out in Full flow.

ZeroWoIf

These discussions are getting extremely disturbing.

MaraDiaz

anything not "natural" is going to cause sensitivity to your body.

So why do people drink milk?

Because a certain percentage of the population (mostly in Europe but also some people in Africa) evolved into milk drinkers a few thousand years ago. It persists because it is, or at least was at one time, a good survival strategy. Doesn't get much more natural than that.

suziecue66

The Subject of this thread is a gross misrepresentation and reading the first post does sound like a "buy my book" post.

For many people who have a sensitivity or allergy to wheat, going gluten-free can relieve a number of symptoms (inflammation, maldigestion, etc). For celiacs it is a lifesaver (yes, the current stats are about 1 in 133 to 100 Americans are celiac, and yes, many are undiagnosed but that number is getting lower).

However, people cannot make blanket statements with unfounded statistics. We all know that so many books make so many promises. For some folks, giving up gluten has helped them avoid a lot of non-nutritional foods, moving more towards clean eating (less processed foods), and even moving towards a low carb approach (which creates other physiological changes such as decreased retained water when the muscles/liver are depleted of glycogen).

Personally, I have gone gluten-free this summer as part of a fitness challenge at my Crossfit gym. I think the only change I have noticed is less gas/farts. Never thought I had any sensitivity before, so I'm not surprised. I've lost 4 lbs in 3 weeks because I've been good about keeping track of my intake/output and making a concious effort to eat more fruits/vegetables.

Professionally, I am a registered dietitian who works primarily in pediatrics. I've been heavily involved in medical nutrition therapy for people with celiac and food allergies. Celiac can occur at any age (just need a genetic potential and then a trigger, it's an autoimmune disorder). Various signs & symptoms from diarrhea & weight loss to constipation & weight gain. Headaches, stomach aches, or nothing but a family history (or a first degree relative has recently been diagnosed so every one was screened and folks without symptoms were positive antibodies). Food sensitivies are more difficult to diagnose, but sometimes we say "give it a try" when a family wants to do an elimination diet. Then we monitor. And I'm there to help make sure they can still meet all the nutritional needs (the more food you eliminate, the more difficult that can be).

Over the years, one thing I've definitely learned, one diet does not fit all. Some times it takes multiple attempts to find what will work for the individual to maintain a healthy weight without feeling deprived.

kona
Registered Dietitian, Crossfit Masters

this may interest you:


http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=13214

Abstract: A novel hypothesis of obesity is suggested by consideration of diet-related inflammation and evolutionary medicine. The obese homeostatically guard their elevated weight. In rodent models of high-fat diet-induced obesity, leptin resistance is seen initially at vagal afferents, blunting the actions of satiety mediators, then centrally, with gastrointestinal bacterial-triggered SOCS3 signaling implicated. In humans, dietary fat and fructose elevate systemic lipopolysaccharide, while dietary glucose also strongly activates SOCS3 signaling. Crucially however, in humans, low-carbohydrate diets spontaneously decrease weight in a way that low-fat diets do not. Furthermore, nutrition transition patterns and the health of those still eating diverse ancestral diets with abundant food suggest that neither glycemic index, altered fat, nor carbohydrate intake can be intrinsic causes of obesity, and that human energy homeostasis functions well without Westernized foods containing flours, sugar, and refined fats. Due to being made up of cells, virtually all “ancestral foods” have markedly lower carbohydrate densities than flour- and sugar-containing foods, a property quite independent of glycemic index. Thus the “forgotten organ” of the gastrointestinal microbiota is a prime candidate to be influenced by evolutionarily unprecedented postprandial luminal carbohydrate concentrations. The present hypothesis suggests that in parallel with the bacterial effects of sugars on dental and periodontal health, acellular flours, sugars, and processed foods produce an inflammatory microbiota via the upper gastrointestinal tract, with fat able to effect a “double hit” by increasing systemic absorption of lipopolysaccharide. This model is consistent with a broad spectrum of reported dietary phenomena. A diet of grain-free whole foods with carbohydrate from cellular tubers, leaves, and fruits may produce a gastrointestinal microbiota consistent with our evolutionary condition, potentially explaining the exceptional macronutrient-independent metabolic health of non-Westernized populations, and the apparent efficacy of the modern “Paleolithic” diet on satiety and metabolism.

wackyfunster

A lot of sandwiches and pasta dishes, cereals. Pretty much every meal I was eating wheat. I first cut out HFCS and foods with preservatives because I was having so many digestive issues I was tested for Chrons and ulcerative colitis, my body basically cannot break down highly processed foods. I get terrible stomach cramps, like, knock you off your feet off the charts painful. I have a very sensitive stomach, sometimes even drinking water I will get stomach cramps, it's just something I've always dealt with. I also cut out enriched bleached flour, which helped, but I'm still having symptoms that are sometimes attributed to celiacs or gluten intolerance like migraines, cramps, digestive problems and the like. I'm still in the process of going gluten free though. I'm transitioning into it because it's so damn expensive and Im a broke *kitten* college student.

Got to an immunologist. Get an MRT done. Best thing you can possibly do for digestive issues. I spent a couple of years trying to figure out what was causing me grief (I am also extremely sensitive to a variety of chemicals/artificial colors/preservatives), and when I got my test results back, I found that 90% of "processed" foods had things that I had issues with (soy, whey, polysorbate, artificial colors), but in fact I have 0 issues with wheat and gluten (I am fine with corn as well, which I spent YEARS thinking I was allergic to because it is almost always found with chemicals/whey/soy). One of my coworkers went from constant brain fog, crippling abdominal pain, and terrible psoriasis to symptom free in like 2 months after cutting out everything the test indicated she was sensitive to from her diet.

Don't buy in to the gluten hype (I'm not saying that it's not possible that you have issues with gluten, just that it is statistically unlikely).

What's an MRT? Thanks for the info, though! I have been eating through process of elimination for years and it's sucks. I definitely don't have a problem with dairy, thank goodness!

Mediator release test. It's a blood test that tests for the release of mediators of inflammation in response to 150 of the most common foods and chemicals. I had never heard of it until I found a world class immunologist who specializes in food allergies (the test identifies both "sensitivities" and allergies). It has made a WORLD of difference in my quality of life, and even moreso for my coworker (she is like a whole different person now!)

I don't believe it will conclusively identify celiac, but I am pretty sure you need an endoscopy for that anyway.

MaraDiaz

The Subject of this thread is a gross misrepresentation and reading the first post does sound like a "buy my book" post.

For many people who have a sensitivity or allergy to wheat, going gluten-free can relieve a number of symptoms (inflammation, maldigestion, etc). For celiacs it is a lifesaver (yes, the current stats are about 1 in 133 to 100 Americans are celiac, and yes, many are undiagnosed but that number is getting lower).

However, people cannot make blanket statements with unfounded statistics. We all know that so many books make so many promises. For some folks, giving up gluten has helped them avoid a lot of non-nutritional foods, moving more towards clean eating (less processed foods), and even moving towards a low carb approach (which creates other physiological changes such as decreased retained water when the muscles/liver are depleted of glycogen).

Personally, I have gone gluten-free this summer as part of a fitness challenge at my Crossfit gym. I think the only change I have noticed is less gas/farts. Never thought I had any sensitivity before, so I'm not surprised. I've lost 4 lbs in 3 weeks because I've been good about keeping track of my intake/output and making a concious effort to eat more fruits/vegetables.

Professionally, I am a registered dietitian who works primarily in pediatrics. I've been heavily involved in medical nutrition therapy for people with celiac and food allergies. Celiac can occur at any age (just need a genetic potential and then a trigger, it's an autoimmune disorder). Various signs & symptoms from diarrhea & weight loss to constipation & weight gain. Headaches, stomach aches, or nothing but a family history (or a first degree relative has recently been diagnosed so every one was screened and folks without symptoms were positive antibodies). Food sensitivies are more difficult to diagnose, but sometimes we say "give it a try" when a family wants to do an elimination diet. Then we monitor. And I'm there to help make sure they can still meet all the nutritional needs (the more food you eliminate, the more difficult that can be).

Over the years, one thing I've definitely learned, one diet does not fit all. Some times it takes multiple attempts to find what will work for the individual to maintain a healthy weight without feeling deprived.

kona
Registered Dietitian, Crossfit Masters

this may interest you:


http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=13214

Abstract: A novel hypothesis of obesity is suggested by consideration of diet-related inflammation and evolutionary medicine. The obese homeostatically guard their elevated weight. In rodent models of high-fat diet-induced obesity, leptin resistance is seen initially at vagal afferents, blunting the actions of satiety mediators, then centrally, with gastrointestinal bacterial-triggered SOCS3 signaling implicated. In humans, dietary fat and fructose elevate systemic lipopolysaccharide, while dietary glucose also strongly activates SOCS3 signaling. Crucially however, in humans, low-carbohydrate diets spontaneously decrease weight in a way that low-fat diets do not. Furthermore, nutrition transition patterns and the health of those still eating diverse ancestral diets with abundant food suggest that neither glycemic index, altered fat, nor carbohydrate intake can be intrinsic causes of obesity, and that human energy homeostasis functions well without Westernized foods containing flours, sugar, and refined fats. Due to being made up of cells, virtually all “ancestral foods” have markedly lower carbohydrate densities than flour- and sugar-containing foods, a property quite independent of glycemic index. Thus the “forgotten organ” of the gastrointestinal microbiota is a prime candidate to be influenced by evolutionarily unprecedented postprandial luminal carbohydrate concentrations. The present hypothesis suggests that in parallel with the bacterial effects of sugars on dental and periodontal health, acellular flours, sugars, and processed foods produce an inflammatory microbiota via the upper gastrointestinal tract, with fat able to effect a “double hit” by increasing systemic absorption of lipopolysaccharide. This model is consistent with a broad spectrum of reported dietary phenomena. A diet of grain-free whole foods with carbohydrate from cellular tubers, leaves, and fruits may produce a gastrointestinal microbiota consistent with our evolutionary condition, potentially explaining the exceptional macronutrient-independent metabolic health of non-Westernized populations, and the apparent efficacy of the modern “Paleolithic” diet on satiety and metabolism.

I'm a little puzzled by this abstract. At first it seems to be saying that both fat and fructose blunt satiety (meaning makes you hungrier than you should be) and then it goes on to say that this is not the case when it comes to humans on low carb diets. But it claims carbs by themselves aren't the issue.

As an explanation for why, it presents something called 'acellular flours or sugars'. But I can't find anything credible on acellular foods at all. Typing in acellular flour or acellular sugar leads back to this article, typing in acellular by itself leads to articles on vaccines and a fungus.

Also, last I checked, 'dovepress' was not a peer reviewed medical or scientific journal. Can someone please post the original source of this 'abstract', if it does indeed exist? Something credible on acellular flour or sugar would also be nice. Edit: Okay, dovepress does claim to be a resource of peer reviewed articles. But what is this acellular flour bit?

suziecue66

The Subject of this thread is a gross misrepresentation and reading the first post does sound like a "buy my book" post.

For many people who have a sensitivity or allergy to wheat, going gluten-free can relieve a number of symptoms (inflammation, maldigestion, etc). For celiacs it is a lifesaver (yes, the current stats are about 1 in 133 to 100 Americans are celiac, and yes, many are undiagnosed but that number is getting lower).

However, people cannot make blanket statements with unfounded statistics. We all know that so many books make so many promises. For some folks, giving up gluten has helped them avoid a lot of non-nutritional foods, moving more towards clean eating (less processed foods), and even moving towards a low carb approach (which creates other physiological changes such as decreased retained water when the muscles/liver are depleted of glycogen).

Personally, I have gone gluten-free this summer as part of a fitness challenge at my Crossfit gym. I think the only change I have noticed is less gas/farts. Never thought I had any sensitivity before, so I'm not surprised. I've lost 4 lbs in 3 weeks because I've been good about keeping track of my intake/output and making a concious effort to eat more fruits/vegetables.

Professionally, I am a registered dietitian who works primarily in pediatrics. I've been heavily involved in medical nutrition therapy for people with celiac and food allergies. Celiac can occur at any age (just need a genetic potential and then a trigger, it's an autoimmune disorder). Various signs & symptoms from diarrhea & weight loss to constipation & weight gain. Headaches, stomach aches, or nothing but a family history (or a first degree relative has recently been diagnosed so every one was screened and folks without symptoms were positive antibodies). Food sensitivies are more difficult to diagnose, but sometimes we say "give it a try" when a family wants to do an elimination diet. Then we monitor. And I'm there to help make sure they can still meet all the nutritional needs (the more food you eliminate, the more difficult that can be).

Over the years, one thing I've definitely learned, one diet does not fit all. Some times it takes multiple attempts to find what will work for the individual to maintain a healthy weight without feeling deprived.

kona
Registered Dietitian, Crossfit Masters

this may interest you:


http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=13214

Abstract: A novel hypothesis of obesity is suggested by consideration of diet-related inflammation and evolutionary medicine. The obese homeostatically guard their elevated weight. In rodent models of high-fat diet-induced obesity, leptin resistance is seen initially at vagal afferents, blunting the actions of satiety mediators, then centrally, with gastrointestinal bacterial-triggered SOCS3 signaling implicated. In humans, dietary fat and fructose elevate systemic lipopolysaccharide, while dietary glucose also strongly activates SOCS3 signaling. Crucially however, in humans, low-carbohydrate diets spontaneously decrease weight in a way that low-fat diets do not. Furthermore, nutrition transition patterns and the health of those still eating diverse ancestral diets with abundant food suggest that neither glycemic index, altered fat, nor carbohydrate intake can be intrinsic causes of obesity, and that human energy homeostasis functions well without Westernized foods containing flours, sugar, and refined fats. Due to being made up of cells, virtually all “ancestral foods” have markedly lower carbohydrate densities than flour- and sugar-containing foods, a property quite independent of glycemic index. Thus the “forgotten organ” of the gastrointestinal microbiota is a prime candidate to be influenced by evolutionarily unprecedented postprandial luminal carbohydrate concentrations. The present hypothesis suggests that in parallel with the bacterial effects of sugars on dental and periodontal health, acellular flours, sugars, and processed foods produce an inflammatory microbiota via the upper gastrointestinal tract, with fat able to effect a “double hit” by increasing systemic absorption of lipopolysaccharide. This model is consistent with a broad spectrum of reported dietary phenomena. A diet of grain-free whole foods with carbohydrate from cellular tubers, leaves, and fruits may produce a gastrointestinal microbiota consistent with our evolutionary condition, potentially explaining the exceptional macronutrient-independent metabolic health of non-Westernized populations, and the apparent efficacy of the modern “Paleolithic” diet on satiety and metabolism.

I'm a little puzzled by this abstract. At first it seems to be saying that both fat and fructose blunt satiety (meaning makes you hungrier than you should be) and then it goes on to say that this is not the case when it comes to humans on low carb diets. But it claims carbs by themselves aren't the issue.

As an explanation for why, it presents something called 'acellular flours or sugars'. But I can't find anything credible on acellular foods at all. Typing in acellular flour or acellular sugar leads back to this article, typing in acellular by itself leads to articles on vaccines and a fungus.

Also, last I checked, 'dovepress' was not a peer reviewed medical or scientific journal. Can someone please post the original source of this 'abstract', if it does indeed exist? Something credible on acellular flour or sugar would also be nice. Edit: Okay, dovepress does claim to be a resource of peer reviewed articles. But what is this acellular flour bit?

read the whole lot - it will make sense

suziecue66

" The acellular carbohydrates of flour,94 sugar and pro- cessed plant-starch products are considerably more dense. Grains themselves are also highly dense, dry stores of starch designed for rapid macroscopic enzymic mobilization during germination.95 Whereas foods with living cells will have their low carbohydrate density “locked in” until their cell walls are breached by digestive processes, the chyme produced after consumption of acellular flour and sugar-based foods is thus suggested to have a higher carbohydrate concentration than almost anything the microbiota of the upper GI tract from mouth to small bowel would have encountered during our coevolution. This may stimulate differing bacterial species to prosper or be outcompeted, or increase some microbial metabolic pathways and waste products in preference to others. It is proposed that the effects of these enhanced car- bohydrate concentrations will include a more inflammatory GI microbiota, initially causing leptin resistance, hence the greatly elevated leptin levels seen in Western populations when compared to those eating a wholly cellular diet.7,12–15"

MaraDiaz

read the whole lot - it will make sense

I did read it. It's basically saying our body's gastrointestinal microbiota didn't evolve to handle processed foods. Not surprising.

I just stumbled over the term acellular sugars or flour, since I wasn't familiar with it and google turned up nothing useful. Seems it might be just another term for simple sugars or carbohydrates? Still not clear on it.

ShadowChaser16

More like McDonald's sensitivity

jenkidney

Gluten sensitivity is grossly over exaggerated. Just like ADD and Autism

What a delightful statement. I have ADD, which I have begged for 17 years now to get medicated for, but doctor's refuse because I've "coped for this long". I had to fight tooth and nail to get my son medication for his ADD because nothing else was working and his doctor was resistant to "just throwing medication at the problem". It has taken a year of trial and error, plus a combination of medication and behavior modification, to get him to a place where he can thrive and show the potential that we've all known he has.

Maybe parents over exaggerate their children's problems because they don't want to deal with the behavioral problems their children have. But for those of us living with children with ADD or Autism, it's not an over exaggeration how hard it can be. Think before you post such dismissive crap.

volume77

This is very interesting ! Thank you for this post,.,, I'm sry others are so quick to jump all over it!! I just added you!

michaelinnc84

For some reason it still surprises me at how hateful some people are. I don't know why, you would think I would be used to it by now. Food science is still a work in progress and with industry lobbies with a lot of money trying to push their products we have to try and separate truth from myth.

Here is how going gluten free has helped me. This might not work for everyone or your results might be different, just listen to your body and go with what works for you.

I can loose weight on a low calorie diet, I have done it before. My problem is it doesn't help me with my addiction with food, I stay hungry all the time, and I have IBS.

When I changed to my current eating habits, which is nothing processed, no wheat, and no sugar I started loosing weight again, my IBS cleared up, I feel more energetic, and I am not constantly hungry.

This is working great for me and the weight is coming off. You can listen to these people on this board argue up one side and down the other or you can just go ahead and try it yourself. If you are reaching your goals, you feel better, and your overall health improves than maybe this diet will work better for your body. If not you can always start counting calories or fat grams again.

Making sweeping claims about one diet or another never turns out good. There are people to argue strongly and science to back up both sides. Just do what works for you and the health of your body. I wish everyone the best and success.

RunningDirty

*Trying to ignore all the negative stuff and focus on the topic, despite the original post flub* :flowerforyou:

I've worked with numerous specialists in nutrition, autism spectrum disorders, behavioral health, and the list continues to grow as I try to gain a better understanding of how something as simple as a protein digested can impact my son's health. As a parent, when numerous specialists say: "Have you tried removing gluten from his diet?" You try it. You want to do everything you can for you child so you do it. Then you research it to death because you try to comprehend the "why" is this happening question.

For my son, after removing gluten from his diet when he was three his digestive issues completely disappeared. He was nursed for a year and I didn't introduce baby food until he was 6 months old. I couldn't comprehend how after doing everything "I was supposed to do" that he still had crazy tummy issues. I was all about organic/probiotics, whole wheat/whole grains when we did move to food. I was at the doctor's office all the time. He was vomiting every single night between 2 and 5 am. His MD said "it's 'likely' acid reflux." That didn't add up for me, but tried the script--didn't work. I tried eliminating dairy, soy, you name it, I tried it! It was incredibly frustrating (and expensive).

As my son started preschool the differences between he and his peers started to become visible. His behavior was consistent to a spectrum disorder: i.e., scripting (memorizing something and continuously repeating it over and over again), fleeting eyes, odd hand movements, terrible mood swings, withdrawing to his own little play world, odd interactions with people, inability to express pain when he felt it (ear infections), fine and gross motor delays. I can continue, but you get it. Despite that list, he memorized everything and was reading at three. I think I was tuning out everything and just focused on him being a great reader and ability to memorize everything. I'm an optimist! His preschool stepped in though and thought it best to have him tested. I agreed. There was too much happening that I didn't understand and knew it was best.

I never connected the dots between his diet issues and his behavior issues: who would?

We started screening, seeing specialists, began intervention, and then a panel of experts recommended that I remove the gluten from my son's diet. I tried it. Within two weeks it was like my son came out of this fog. Digestive issues? Gone. Above listed spectrum symptoms? Greatly improved over the first few months: I kept a log. One thing I learned: log everything!

I went gluten free with my son because he's my partner in crime and it's just easier for me to manage. I lost a few pounds, but as with many changes in diet your body adjusts so I gained the few pounds back once my body adapted to the change. I have no food allergies or sensitivities.

The companies on board with advertising gluten free products?! HOORAY!!! Hopefully that will help decrease the cost for those of us spending more than double of what it costs for typical, every day groceries: supply and demand. The demand is increasing (unfortunately because spectrum disorders are increasing), but the prices are still so high. The more companies on board the better for those of us with children who cannot properly digest gluten. My son can now have Rice Krispies Treats! Score!

The answer to "why" we're experiencing an increase in spectrum disorders, food allergies, and how food and environment impacts these fields is still developing and relatively new. I'm very much interested in it. It's frustrating when you're in it because of all the unknowns. Do know that it is not an easy process to obtain a spectrum disorder diagnosis. It took us--and I'm sure the majority of other parents--about a year as it should. Then you get a second opinion and a third if necessary. Most experts on spectrum disorders will advise you to try a gluten free, casein free diet. Casein is found in dairy.

So, although the original post was related to diet and gluten, hopefully this post sheds some light on how significant of an impact gluten CAN have on an individual outside of weight loss. I was hesitant on posting this because it was pretty personal, but if our experience can help even one parent going through the same then it was worth it.

Sidesteal

More like McDonald's sensitivity

I lold.

kalynn06

This topic interested me. It seems alarmist, but I was really curious about the data and reasoning. Unfortunately, I couldn't really get through the book excerpt because it screams for a good copy editor. "Pidgeon-holed" alone was enough to turn me off. There were also fragments and weird punctuation in the little bit that I read. I'm the first to admit that knowing science doesn't always come with perfect grammar, but it's hard to take someone seriously as a professional authority is something that should be fairly polished, like a book, is riddled with errors. My hope is that this is a first draft and not a representation of the actual book..

fteale

Now, I believe that those with gluten sensitivity actually have gluten allergies. It is just the first step toward the allergy. Further exposure will push the person toward an allergy, so let's call it what it really is - gluten allergy.

This is totally untrue. Allergy and intolerance are totally different reactions. They are different things.

bcattoes

There is a difference between Celiac's disease and gluten sensitivity/allergy. 95% of people don't have Celiac's disease but have some time of gluten sensitivity.

Source?

itsjustdawn

A lot of sandwiches and pasta dishes, cereals. Pretty much every meal I was eating wheat. I first cut out HFCS and foods with preservatives because I was having so many digestive issues I was tested for Chrons and ulcerative colitis, my body basically cannot break down highly processed foods. I get terrible stomach cramps, like, knock you off your feet off the charts painful. I have a very sensitive stomach, sometimes even drinking water I will get stomach cramps, it's just something I've always dealt with. I also cut out enriched bleached flour, which helped, but I'm still having symptoms that are sometimes attributed to celiacs or gluten intolerance like migraines, cramps, digestive problems and the like. I'm still in the process of going gluten free though. I'm transitioning into it because it's so damn expensive and Im a broke *kitten* college student.

I have opted to cut out gluten as well. I am not quite a broke *kitten* college student, but just some things to think about. You don't have to buy the gluten-free counterparts to bread and pasta. They do cost more and are higher in calories than the regular ones. Just cut out bread and pasta completely. There are Larabars and Luna bars that are gluten free. I keep a box around for the occasional snack. And for cereal, Chex has a good variety of GF flavors. I used to eat the Cinnamon ones out of the box lol. But it is possible to avoid buying tons of "special" products.

almostatgoalweight

The Gluten-Free Industry is a $6 billion dollar market and growing. Just something to think about.

If you're talking about the US, and suppose that there are 6 million people with Celiac disease,that works out at about $20 a week. That doesn't sound too far off what people might be eating (I'm not from the US so I don't know pricing...).

capnwo85

I weep for the future. I'm pretty sure all this gluten crap is BS. My grandparents survived concentration camps, WWII, and the Great Depression, all the while eating gluten. People just like blaming other things and people for their own problems they think they have. Suck it up, stop thinking about it and carry one. Thank you.

almostatgoalweight

I weep for the future. I'm pretty sure all this gluten crap is BS. My grandparents survived concentration camps, WWII, and the Great Depression, all the while eating gluten. People just like blaming other things and people for their own problems they think they have. Suck it up, stop thinking about it and carry one. Thank you.

So what was the life expectancy of someone who was born in say 1920 compared with someone born in 2012? Do you think that science has made improvements since then in people's health? (Unless you're trolling...).

Edit: just looked at your posting history - never mind.

Melanie_RS

Gluten sensitivity is grossly over exaggerated. Just like ADD and Autism

My son has ADHD, and is overall it is not exaggerated as you may think but I do see your point. Very smart child that easily gets bored, and that doesn't obey, doesn't listen to others, yells all crazy, and that does crazy things overall is one thing that my child is not because we take care of the behavior end as parents, however, when he was in school at first he would be very impulsive and we sought natural treatments and none worked. We chose to go the medication route 2 years ago and he has improved his behavior a lot in school, and his grades. However, he has lost a lot of weight as well. I taken him off the medication all summer long and he has been pretty good. In fact they lowered his dosages as well. With this in mind you have to think about parents who are not responsible like us. The ones who don't correct behaviors and go straight to the pill route. In that sense, ADD and ADHD is grossly exaggerated as a way to paralyze the children to make them machines.

I have a daughter with autism, who was diagnosed before autism was cool...and I'd pay any amount of money for it to be not true! I'd pay any amount of money if there was just a pill I could give her too. LOL Maybe I can see why some parents do skip right to the pill - for ADHD - if I had a kid bouncing off the walls, I'd be bonkers and march straight to the dr. (!!!) but I have YET to meet one parent that WANTS the diagnosis of autism for their kid...not ONE. reason being, there is no pill, no insurance coverage, no cure...just pure f'n hard work - in school, at home...ugh. trust me i know.

capnwo85

I weep for the future. I'm pretty sure all this gluten crap is BS. My grandparents survived concentration camps, WWII, and the Great Depression, all the while eating gluten. People just like blaming other things and people for their own problems they think they have. Suck it up, stop thinking about it and carry one. Thank you.

So what was the life expectancy of someone who was born in say 1920 compared with someone born in 2012? Do you think that science has made improvements since then in people's health? (Unless you're trolling...).

Not trolling and he lived to be 97. People still die young today. But being scared of every little thing isn't a good way to live. the more we fear things the weaker we become.

RobynMWilson

anything not "natural" is going to cause sensitivity to your body.

As for this article...if you read it and believe it 100%, I have some beachfront property for you

Hahaha! Or swampland in Florida lol

tayzhaboo757

How do you eat Gluten free? And for how long? After the weight loss begins and the liver heals, can you go back to gluten in the diet?

Melanie_RS

*Trying to ignore all the negative stuff and focus on the topic, despite the original post flub* :flowerforyou:

I've worked with numerous specialists in nutrition, autism spectrum disorders, behavioral health, and the list continues to grow as I try to gain a better understanding of how something as simple as a protein digested can impact my son's health. As a parent, when numerous specialists say: "Have you tried removing gluten from his diet?" You try it. You want to do everything you can for you child so you do it. Then you research it to death because you try to comprehend the "why" is this happening question.

For my son, after removing gluten from his diet when he was three his digestive issues completely disappeared. He was nursed for a year and I didn't introduce baby food until he was 6 months old. I couldn't comprehend how after doing everything "I was supposed to do" that he still had crazy tummy issues. I was all about organic/probiotics, whole wheat/whole grains when we did move to food. I was at the doctor's office all the time. He was vomiting every single night between 2 and 5 am. His MD said "it's 'likely' acid reflux." That didn't add up for me, but tried the script--didn't work. I tried eliminating dairy, soy, you name it, I tried it! It was incredibly frustrating (and expensive).

As my son started preschool the differences between he and his peers started to become visible. His behavior was consistent to a spectrum disorder: i.e., scripting (memorizing something and continuously repeating it over and over again), fleeting eyes, odd hand movements, terrible mood swings, withdrawing to his own little play world, odd interactions with people, inability to express pain when he felt it (ear infections), fine and gross motor delays. I can continue, but you get it. Despite that list, he memorized everything and was reading at three. I think I was tuning out everything and just focused on him being a great reader and ability to memorize everything. I'm an optimist! His preschool stepped in though and thought it best to have him tested. I agreed. There was too much happening that I didn't understand and knew it was best.

I never connected the dots between his diet issues and his behavior issues: who would?

We started screening, seeing specialists, began intervention, and then a panel of experts recommended that I remove the gluten from my son's diet. I tried it. Within two weeks it was like my son came out of this fog. Digestive issues? Gone. Above listed spectrum symptoms? Greatly improved over the first few months: I kept a log. One thing I learned: log everything!

I went gluten free with my son because he's my partner in crime and it's just easier for me to manage. I lost a few pounds, but as with many changes in diet your body adjusts so I gained the few pounds back once my body adapted to the change. I have no food allergies or sensitivities.

The companies on board with advertising gluten free products?! HOORAY!!! Hopefully that will help decrease the cost for those of us spending more than double of what it costs for typical, every day groceries: supply and demand. The demand is increasing (unfortunately because spectrum disorders are increasing), but the prices are still so high. The more companies on board the better for those of us with children who cannot properly digest gluten. My son can now have Rice Krispies Treats! Score!

The answer to "why" we're experiencing an increase in spectrum disorders, food allergies, and how food and environment impacts these fields is still developing and relatively new. I'm very much interested in it. It's frustrating when you're in it because of all the unknowns. Do know that it is not an easy process to obtain a spectrum disorder diagnosis. It took us--and I'm sure the majority of other parents--about a year as it should. Then you get a second opinion and a third if necessary. Most experts on spectrum disorders will advise you to try a gluten free, casein free diet. Casein is found in dairy.

So, although the original post was related to diet and gluten, hopefully this post sheds some light on how significant of an impact gluten CAN have on an individual outside of weight loss. I was hesitant on posting this because it was pretty personal, but if our experience can help even one parent going through the same then it was worth it.

there is no food allergy, insensitivity, vaccine, oxygen concentration or what have you that causes autism spectrum disorders. they are a social communication disorder spectrum - not a food, chemical issue - digestive issues are digestive issues, they don't cause you to inappropriately socially interact. Jenny McCarthy has done such a huge disservice. I get so irritated.

RobynMWilson

I have the symptoms of gluten intolerance and have cut a lot of processed food and gluten out of my diet...that being said...I don't know if I have celiac disease and will not explore that as I don't have medical insurance (that's another topic for another day lol) but I DO know that I've maintained my weight loss for a very long time, gluten intolerance or not!

The title is very misleading but lets blame something else on obesity. Nevermind that most obese folks are not working out like I do and eating cleaner like I do unless they're trying to do something about their weight. Their obesity would have nothing to do with the gross amounts of soda and booze they drink, processed foods and sedentary lifestyle, right? It's all Gluten's fault this week, it was Soda's fault last week and High Fructose Corn Syrup's fault the week before! I am genetically predisposed to obesity...if you saw my family and my brother and me as a kid you would know this. I have tricked my metabolism thru exercise and building muscle and eating several small meals throughout the day and I'm winning. Gluten or no gluten...I've done it!

In short, Stop the Madness. Get out and work out and stay away from processed foods when you go food shopping like I am today!

bcattoes

Some statistics I'd like to see are:

How many that have seen digestive improvements with cutting out gluten went from eating minimally processed whole grains with gluten to eating no gluten vs. how many went from eating overly processed grains to eating no gluten

How many who were eating overly processed gluten grains such as white bread and pasta tried switching to overly processed non-gluten products such as white rice bread or pasta and had good results.

It seems that on all the "grains are evil", "gluten is evil" or "carbs are evil" posts I've seen, people who gave them up were not eating whole grain before they did. That sounds more like "overly processed carbs are evil" to me.