I am going Gluten Free, any comments suggestions

jllove871

Been thinking about doing it, this article helped me decide to just do it!

http://www.healyourlife.com/author-dr-dena-mendes/2011/08/lifeshelp/get-healthy/why-be-gluten-free

4 Facts to Get Gluten-Free:

1. You need a certain amount of carbohydrates for brain development. These can be attained by eating greens and high quality animal protein/fat. You could live the rest of your life and never eat another packaged carbohydrate containing wheat and gluten. You wouldn’t miss it and you’d be a lot healthier.
2. Carbohydrates are more addicting than cocaine or heroine. The rush you get from a sticky, gooey cinnamon bun can create such a high, you might do whatever it takes to get another one in a few hours. The sad part is that you’ll never be satiated by this empty relationship. Carbs can have such catastrophic side effects including permanently slowing your metabolism, numbing your senses and preventing healthy brain development.
3. Every popular diet today is all about eliminating killer carbs and adding the fat back. You need good quality fats such as avocados and olive oil for your body and brain to work most efficiently. You will never need pasta or cereal (packaged carbohydrates).
4. Until the government began making recommendations for your daily diet requirements by telling you that your diet should be made up of 45-65% carbs, your ancestors lived healthy, happy lives as hunters and gatherers who ate meat, fish, veggies, and fruit

melsinct

Honestly, unless you have a gluten intolerance or suffer from Celiacs, going gluten free really won't do much for you. On the other hand, some people are carb sensitive and reducing carbs helps them lose weight or keep their weight in check. That is different than going gluten free. By confusing the two, I feel it diminishes the support people with actual gluten intolerance/Celiacs receive, as in the most extreme cases, even a speck of gluten can make them ill. That is different than you wanting to cut carbs to lose weight.

FeebRyan

I went gluten free last Monday.

I have no indigestion

I have 200x more energy

I do not miss it one bar

I had a headache for 2 days after quitting, i felt weird for about 4 days

I could NOT go back to gluten now, cutting it out has changed my life

If you want to do it, do it, but dont do it because you want to lose weight, do it because you want to make a positive and beneficial change to your lifestyle for the rest of your life.

I cannot eat birthday cakes or have the odd snack, i cannot eat pastrys or go to a friends house for dinner, i have to take a packed lunch everywhere. I cannot eat toast or have the odd bacon sarnie. going gluten free has not been easy at all, i have had to forfeit an awful lot of stuff... but it has changed my life for the better It was entirely worth it!

JanLeb

Are you going gluten free because you think you may have an intolerance or just that you feel it is something you want to try?

I am gluten intolerant and had no choice but to cut it out. Some days it can be very hard, especially when getting together with friends for dinner that do not need to follow the same 'diet'. I will say since going GF I feel much better, no bloating, less headaches, intestinal issues have eased etc etc.

I wish you luck with whatever choices you make, but remember this needs to be a lifestyle not a diet to help with weight loss.

Cindym82

Unless you have a medical condition to keep you from having gluten I wouldn't suggest it. I have a wheat and gluten sensitivity and i still don't cut it out completely. Also before doing something like this i'd suggest talking to your doc, there can be side effects

mearlie

I do NOT have celiacs but I AM gluten intolerant.

I do not eat gluten, dairy (cow milk), soy, or legumes. I do not eat those things because they make my stomach hurt and/or cause extreme, uncomfortable and yes, smelly gas.

I do eat healthier now because of my dietary restrictions however it is very easy to eat crap on this diet. Potato chips are gluten, dairy, and soy free, for instance. You STILL have to make the right choices.

BUT, IF you are truly gluten intolerant, you will know for sure about a week or less IF YOU STOP EATING ALL GLUTEN. It is very hard to stop eating all gluten because it's probably in your favorite teryaki sauce, seasoning blends, and pre-packaged meals. It is what makes bread rise, it's in pies and cakes and most thickeners like gravy mixes and even boullion. It's not easy and if you don't do it hard core in the beginning you will say "oh it's not working for me so I must not be gluten intolerant".

If you think you might be gluten intolerant, the best way to find out is to stop eating gluten. No matter what your doctor tells you, there's no fool proof testing to be done. Just stop eating it and see how you feel.

Good luck!

mearlie

Are you going gluten free because you think you may have an intolerance or just that you feel it is something you want to try?

I am gluten intolerant and had no choice but to cut it out. Some days it can be very hard, especially when getting together with friends for dinner that do not need to follow the same 'diet'. I will say since going GF I feel much better, no bloating, less headaches, intestinal issues have eased etc etc.

I wish you luck with whatever choices you make, but remember this needs to be a lifestyle not a diet to help with weight loss.

Totally agree. And respectfully disagree with the OP who posted that it can cause problems. Going gluten free will not hurt you in any way unless you start making poor choices about the other foods you eat.

I was having a lot of gut pain that radiated into my back and down my leg sometimes. I also get kind of numb in fingers and toes when I ingest too much gluten. I feel a lot better.

If you don't feel better after a few weeks, make SURE that you aren't accidentally ingesting gluten before you stop doing it. Chances are it's hiding somewhere in something that you least expect.

HMD7703

The tricky part is cutting ALL Gluten out. I mean, to go completely Gluten-Free, you have to read every label. Some foods are processed in factories that are not dedicated Gluten-Free and can carry Gluten by proxy.

FeebRyan

I have to add, its really easy to eat crap whilst not eating gluten.

There are a plethora of gluten free breads and cakes that are WORSE from you than your average bread/cakes because they make up the lack of gluten with salt and sugar!

For example, last week i had a gluten free brownie and it was nearly 600 calories! You could probably find a low-calorie alternative to a brownie if it had gluten in it, but a low cal + gluten free brownie is not so easy!

for me, the only thing keeping me going is how utterly fabulous i feel since cutting it out, if it weren't for that, i would definitely have reverted, weightloss or no.

I think i feel so good now, because i am actually gluten intollerant and therefore cutting it out has made me feel awesome

zela

I went gluten free last Monday.

I have no indigestion

I have 200x more energy

I do not miss it one bar

I had a headache for 2 days after quitting, i felt weird for about 4 days

I could NOT go back to gluten now, cutting it out has changed my life

If you want to do it, do it, but dont do it because you want to lose weight, do it because you want to make a positive and beneficial change to your lifestyle for the rest of your life.

I cannot eat birthday cakes or have the odd snack, i cannot eat pastrys or go to a friends house for dinner, i have to take a packed lunch everywhere. I cannot eat toast or have the odd bacon sarnie. going gluten free has not been easy at all, i have had to forfeit an awful lot of stuff... but it has changed my life for the better It was entirely worth it!

You went gluten free for ONE week and it has changed your TWENTY EIGHT years off existence. My best guess is you've never been committed to anything for more than a week before or somebody has you sold. From my experience I go on certain diet and training philosophies for months and even if I see changes still do not feel qualified to give other people advice.

To the original poster, I recommend that you do more research than reading one article on a subject before diving into it. Especially take second thought when getting advice from somebody that has been on it for a week and might decide its a bad idea by next Monday. Even if you do get advice from somebody that has been on something for months, keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for you.

Thats my piece of advice from months and months of work and research, so gather what you know and take the plunge. Most times a mistake is necessary to learn.

Cindym82

Totally agree. And respectfully disagree with the OP who posted that it can cause problems. Going gluten free will not hurt you in any way unless you start making poor choices about the other foods you eat.

I work in healthcare, and alllllll the doctors I work with DO NOT advise going gluten free completely if you do not have a gluten intolerance or illness which you should not have gluten

little_miss_panda

OK. I'm coeliac, and I don't get in any way offended by people who are not coeliac going GF, nor do I feel that it diminishes the seriousness of coeliac disease as an illness.

However, I would recommend that before you self-diagnose or cut out gluten, you get the coeliac blood test done before you cut it out. If you think you have a problem with gluten, it's worth checking if it's coeliac or not. And it's much harder to diagnose once you go gluten free. I went through doing elimination diets for my Crohns disease and found such a huge improvement off gluten that my GP decided I should have a coeliac test. I had to go back on to gluten for a biopsy, and boy, was I sick as a dog. I wish they'd thought to test me sooner, before I had to go through that shizz.

If you're not coeliac, but feel better off gluten, or even just grains in general, all power to you. Do what makes you well and happy. I'm definitely in the "you don't need grains in your diet if you don't want to eat them" camp. I am grain free now, I don't do legumes either, because my digestive system can't handle them. I'm probably quite close to Paleo/Primal, although I do have the occasional chocolate indulgence, if I'm feeling that way out, and I do eat some dairy (plain yoghurt, butter and some cheeses)

But yeah....gluten free is not healthy by default, a lot of gluten free products are basically full of crap, so if you're going to eat grains (and there's no reason why you shouldn't, in moderation, unless your system can't handle them) then go for things like brown rice, quinoa, as unprocessed as possible, and check for possible gluten contamination - some grains carry a warning that they have been processed in an environment that handles wheat products. My advice would be to avoid the gluten free substitutes, because they are nutritionally inferior, and full of additives, preservatives, salt and sugar and cheap omega 6 fats.

If you choose to go Primal/Paleo, it's gluten free by default, because there are no grains at all in it - from your original post, I think maybe that's more what you're wanting to do than just go gluten free? If that's the case, I think it's a perfectly healthy diet, we don't NEED wheat, gluten or in fact any other grain to be healthy, just as if you didn't want to eat meat or animal products you could also be healthy as well as a veggie or vegan.

If more people are gluten free, it actually HELPS us coeliacs, because there is a better market for gluten free foods, more provision for gluten free diets in restaurants and cafes, it means that you can have more of a normal life if you can't eat gluten for a medical reason. I don't know to be frank why the medical profession thinks wheat and gluten are so great, I told them even if I didn't come back positive for coeliac I was going gluten free anyway because I felt better like that, and they couldn't fathom it, and gave me the whole spiel of how gluten free diets are bad (no they're not, unless you rely on crappy substitute products, which ARE rubbish) and if you aren't coeliac you should be eating it, it's part of a healthy diet blah blah. It CAN be part of a healthy diet, but it doesn't HAVE to be - it's not like if you decided to eliminate water, you would die if you did that, but wheat? It's not necessary, if you don't want to eat it!

mearlie

Totally agree. And respectfully disagree with the OP who posted that it can cause problems. Going gluten free will not hurt you in any way unless you start making poor choices about the other foods you eat.

I work in healthcare, and alllllll the doctors I work with DO NOT advise going gluten free completely if you do not have a gluten intolerance or illness which you should not have gluten

There's NO WAY to know for CERTAIN you are gluten intolerant UNLESS you go gluten free. Some people CAN tell after a week or two that they are starting to feel better. It probably took 7-10 days for me to feel better.

Food intolerances are NOT considered much by mainstream doctors but many people have gluten intolerance and don't know it.

mearlie

I agree with little miss with all but one point - there's no reason that a person with mild symptoms needs a formal diagnosis.

I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and the only thing they found was a little bitty ulcer that could NOT be the cause of the severe abdominal pain, cramping and other symptoms I was having.

The doctors did the blood tests and found nothing. So, I took the advice of two friends (one believes she has celiacs but is not diagnosed bc the docs wouldn't do it, the other is diagnosed) who said "just do it and see how you feel" and they were right, I feel much better.

MadCheernGurl09

Mearlie: what are some of the symptoms you had. I have been undergoing multiple different symptoms that have to do with digestion. I already have acid reflex and the symptoms are not the same. I looked up my symptoms on webmd and one of the possibilities was gluten intolerance, I'm planning on calling a doctor today

FeebRyan

I went gluten free last Monday.

I have no indigestion

I have 200x more energy

I do not miss it one bar

I had a headache for 2 days after quitting, i felt weird for about 4 days

I could NOT go back to gluten now, cutting it out has changed my life

If you want to do it, do it, but dont do it because you want to lose weight, do it because you want to make a positive and beneficial change to your lifestyle for the rest of your life.

I cannot eat birthday cakes or have the odd snack, i cannot eat pastrys or go to a friends house for dinner, i have to take a packed lunch everywhere. I cannot eat toast or have the odd bacon sarnie. going gluten free has not been easy at all, i have had to forfeit an awful lot of stuff... but it has changed my life for the better It was entirely worth it!

You went gluten free for ONE week and it has changed your TWENTY EIGHT years off existence. My best guess is you've never been committed to anything for more than a week before or somebody has you sold. From my experience I go on certain diet and training philosophies for months and even if I see changes still do not feel qualified to give other people advice.

To the original poster, I recommend that you do more research than reading one article on a subject before diving into it. Especially take second thought when getting advice from somebody that has been on it for a week and might decide its a bad idea by next Monday. Even if you do get advice from somebody that has been on something for months, keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for you.

Thats my piece of advice from months and months of work and research, so gather what you know and take the plunge. Most times a mistake is necessary to learn.

Nobody here is 'qualified' to give advice because we are not dietians.

I was providing information based upon my experience which i was honest and clear about.

Yes i gave up gluten a week ago and i have had more fun and pleasure making and eating food since then than i ever did before

Its been a really lovely experience for me.

I know gluten reacts badly with me because of how i feel right now, i dont honestly give a monkey's whether YOU 'approve' or 'believe' me or not, i did not stop eating gluten because of a 'faddy diet' i did it because of my health.

You have absolutely NO business being so rude, judgemental or negative.

MoMakeup

i have celiac, and i wouldn't suggest going completely gluten free. You can make a choice of going for rice pasta instead of regular pasta or for Gf bread to regular bread...but other than that i wouldn't suggest it. Studies have shown people who want to go gluten free tend to eat all the gluten free snacks- when they are just as unhealthy for you...plus It's incredibly hard, as well as EXPENSIVE!

mearlie

Mearlie: what are some of the symptoms you had. I have been undergoing multiple different symptoms that have to do with digestion. I already have acid reflex and the symptoms are not the same. I looked up my symptoms on webmd and one of the possibilities was gluten intolerance, I'm planning on calling a doctor today

Hmm. Let's see...

The symptoms that led me to seeking a formal diagnosis for possible celiacs was the sharp pains in my gut/back that stopped me dead in my tracks.

However, I also have hypothyroidism due to hashimotos, which is an autoimmune disease. Any autoimmune disease should be a red flag to give gluten free a try. For me, there's a reason my body was attacking itself.

Also, I had brain fog often, was diagnosed adhd, I have headaches/migraines (that I still struggle with but I have learned not to drink red wine which is helping tremendously), constipation, infertility (took meds to get pregnant the first time), PCOS, dairy and soy intolerance, very weird skin sores that would not heal, hypoglycemia, I was a gestational diabetic and insulin dependent with both pregnancies. Heck there's probably more but I'll stop there.

Celiacs and gluten intolerance CAN be hereditary and it is grossly UNDER diagnosed. Many doctors won't even consider gluten as a problem unless the patient is severely underweight and malnourished but it's just OLD science. They'll catch up eventually.

Oh and I should add, I was dairy free for probably 10 years before I went gluten free.

zela

I went gluten free last Monday.

I have no indigestion

I have 200x more energy

I do not miss it one bar

I had a headache for 2 days after quitting, i felt weird for about 4 days

I could NOT go back to gluten now, cutting it out has changed my life

If you want to do it, do it, but dont do it because you want to lose weight, do it because you want to make a positive and beneficial change to your lifestyle for the rest of your life.

I cannot eat birthday cakes or have the odd snack, i cannot eat pastrys or go to a friends house for dinner, i have to take a packed lunch everywhere. I cannot eat toast or have the odd bacon sarnie. going gluten free has not been easy at all, i have had to forfeit an awful lot of stuff... but it has changed my life for the better It was entirely worth it!

You went gluten free for ONE week and it has changed your TWENTY EIGHT years off existence. My best guess is you've never been committed to anything for more than a week before or somebody has you sold. From my experience I go on certain diet and training philosophies for months and even if I see changes still do not feel qualified to give other people advice.

To the original poster, I recommend that you do more research than reading one article on a subject before diving into it. Especially take second thought when getting advice from somebody that has been on it for a week and might decide its a bad idea by next Monday. Even if you do get advice from somebody that has been on something for months, keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for you.

Thats my piece of advice from months and months of work and research, so gather what you know and take the plunge. Most times a mistake is necessary to learn.

Nobody here is 'qualified' to give advice because we are not dietians.

I was providing information based upon my experience which i was honest and clear about.

Yes i gave up gluten a week ago and i have had more fun and pleasure making and eating food since then than i ever did before

Its been a really lovely experience for me.

I know gluten reacts badly with me because of how i feel right now, i dont honestly give a monkey's whether YOU 'approve' or 'believe' me or not, i did not stop eating gluten because of a 'faddy diet' i did it because of my health.

You have absolutely NO business being so rude, judgemental or negative.

And you know this for certain that its not a case of the weather changing in the last week, or things falling into place at work, or your relationship with your significant other taking a spark. or your bodily hormones in a swing from regularities outside of food, etc... Come back to me in 6 months and tell me that your life has been changed and that you haven't had a gluten free pizza once and I might consider the possibility that your life change a result of your diet.

mearlie

i have celiac, and i wouldn't suggest going completely gluten free. You can make a choice of going for rice pasta instead of regular pasta or for Gf bread to regular bread...but other than that i wouldn't suggest it. Studies have shown people who want to go gluten free tend to eat all the gluten free snacks- when they are just as unhealthy for you...plus It's incredibly hard, as well as EXPENSIVE!

Once I got the hang of it, eating GF is not really that much more expensive. BUT I have changed the things I eat. I do keep GF bread (expensivvvveeee!) inn the freezer for the nights that my family really really wants a hamburger BUT we just don't eat sandwiches as often as we used to. Now I use potatoes and rice for most meals. I still let the family eat texas toast, I just leave it off my plate. And I don't really enjoy the GF snack stuff much anyway and would much rather have a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts. The GF snacks taste pretty funky to me - and they are generally way too sweet.

Also, GF products are pricey BUT making your own sauces, spice blends, and starting from scratch is generally cheaper and healthier than pre-packaged stuff. So I think the cost factor almost evens out.

caribougal

I love little_miss_p's response. Right on!

I am gluten-free by choice. I did not think I had any gluten sensitivity before I cut out all grains. I have since learned that when I do eat gluten, I spend a LOT of time in the bathroom for the next two days. I never had such a reaction to gluten before that I recognized, but I think I was always suffering from a low level of gluten-related inflammation in my gut. Since letting my gut heal, now I react more severely when I do eat gluten. Which is more motivating to stay gluten-free. And I'm less likely to "cheat" with things like pizza or cookies, which helps to maintain my weight loss as well.

I avoid packaged gluten-free products like the plague. I've heard they taste terrible, they're expensive, and highly processed. Since I've also eliminated all processed foods, they're not an option for me. I'm sure there will be a GF baked good in my future at some point, but it's certainly not part of my diet now.

I eliminated grains (and by default, gluten) in order to eat a more healthy diet, and yes... lose weight. I think the weight loss is less about eliminating gluten and more eating my carbs from fruits and veggies, not grains or added sugars.

I love eating this way. I'm eating delicious whole foods, full of flavor (hooray for full FAT!), and losing weight at an appropriate pace. I'm so glad I don't suffer from Celiac, and if I get unintentionally "glutened", I will be unhappy but not severely ill. If I do purchase something packaged, I look at the label really closely. If there's any sugar, soy, or flour of any kind in it, I don't buy it. That's just about everything, so I don't buy much that's packaged. I stick to the perimeter of the super market and avoid the inner aisles, except to buy some frozen veggies. You also have to be really careful about the meats you purchase, because many are injected with solutions that contain gluten. It's so annoying. Ask the butcher, or better yet, purchase meats through a local farmer.

Eating at restaurants is the trickiest part, and a very serious challenge for those with Celiac. The consequences are not so extreme for me, but I still try my best to avoid gluten. I never tell them I'm gluten-free, but I do ask a lot of questions and ask for substitutions. I try to avoid anything with a creamy sauce, since they often add flour or corn starch. Anything soy-based is out. I tend to stick with basic protein/veg dishes, hold the sauce, and just ask them to replace the rice/pasta/tortilla/bread with extra veggie. I'm lucky that I live in a town full of GF eaters, so most restaurants have GF options labeled, and we have one really good totally GF-free restaurant. It's freaking fantastic.

Good luck to the OP. If you're looking for support in eating grain free, join the Paleo/Primal group on MFP. Eating Paleo/Primal isn't specifically low-carb, but since you eliminate grains, legumes, and added sugars, it ends up being much lower carb than a SAD diet. www.marksdailyapple.com is a good place to learn more.

mearlie

Zela, I have been GF for probably 6-8 months? something like that. I DID feel better after a week or two and wanted to share it with the world! I had finally figured out what was causing all these symptoms I've been struggling with for YEARS!

TheSink

This is not an intended snarky comment, so I apologize in advance if it comes across as such. But I am honestly curious....

I've read many posts on MFP by people who have ditched gluten from their diets, and how "great {they} feel". It's always the standard "I dropped gluten from my diet, and it's so great because I feel so much better now." And I don't believe those individuals are lying, but I'm wondering what sort of tangible evidence that going gluten free is actually better. I've read about the addictive properties of gluten (and really, carbs in general), but I'm wondering if it lowers cholesterol, or increases blood flow, or someone ate 10,000 calories of gluten free foods every day, and still lost 100 pounds....something that can prove to me that for the non-gluten intolerant or alergic that it makes sense to entirely cut it out of a diet.

soulfulsally

I don't see how it could hurt to try. If you've got some extra money to spare, you could get tested for celiac disease first. I think if you have a diagnosis, you can get government assistance for gluten free foods. Used to be that way at least.

My #1 suggestion for going gluten free: Don't get hung up on buying the gluten free versions of snack foods. It's costly and those foods almost always higher calorie that the regular versions. Stick with fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, nuts, rice, and rice pasta.

exacerbe

No offensive to the OP... just my view on the situation of "gluten free" foods:

I hate all these stupid articles about how bad carbs are.... whether you're a nutritionist, dietitian, whatever.. now, if an article was written by someone with a PH.D. in molecular biology that has studied the effects of carbs and tumor necrosis factors, I would believe it.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't try it... I'm just saying, don't believe every single thing that you read.

Try it for 30 days.. if you feel better... good. If not, fine. Unless you have a chronic illness... there is really not a need to cut out gluten. I only say this because I have Crohn's disease and my gut hates EVERYTHING.

My only suggestion: if you want to eliminate gluten, eliminate all other grains, sugars, and starches (including corn, etc..) as well. Do not eliminate carbs all together. Fruits, honey, coconuts = good.

Eat healthy, live healthy.

mearlie

This is not an intended snarky comment, so I apologize in advance if it comes across as such. But I am honestly curious....

I've read many posts on MFP by people who have ditched gluten from their diets, and how "great {they} feel". It's always the standard "I dropped gluten from my diet, and it's so great because I feel so much better now." And I don't believe those individuals are lying, but I'm wondering what sort of tangible evidence that going gluten free is actually better. I've read about the addictive properties of gluten (and really, carbs in general), but I'm wondering if it lowers cholesterol, or increases blood flow, or someone ate 10,000 calories of gluten free foods every day, and still lost 100 pounds....something that can prove to me that for the non-gluten intolerant or alergic that it makes sense to entirely cut it out of a diet.

If you don't have a gluten sensitivity or celiacs, gluten free living is ridiculous. BUT there are lots of people eating gluten who would feel better if they were GF because they actually DO have an intolerance. And the only real way to find out if you are sensitive to gluten is to go cold turkey. Stop all gluten for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. There's no magical test, no bloodwork, no saliva workup that can tell with absolute certainty whether you are sensitive to it or not. If you have diagnosed celiacs, your gut is so mangled that there's no villi left when they biopsy a piece of the colon.

caribougal

This is not an intended snarky comment, so I apologize in advance if it comes across as such. But I am honestly curious....

I've read many posts on MFP by people who have ditched gluten from their diets, and how "great {they} feel". It's always the standard "I dropped gluten from my diet, and it's so great because I feel so much better now." And I don't believe those individuals are lying, but I'm wondering what sort of tangible evidence that going gluten free is actually better. I've read about the addictive properties of gluten (and really, carbs in general), but I'm wondering if it lowers cholesterol, or increases blood flow, or someone ate 10,000 calories of gluten free foods every day, and still lost 100 pounds....something that can prove to me that for the non-gluten intolerant or alergic that it makes sense to entirely cut it out of a diet.

It's a totally legit question. Here's a recent blog post that discusses the difference between gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity, and cites several recent studies.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-common-is-gluten-sensitivity/#axzz284Mz2yJY

Basically, the gist of it is that gluten causes an inflammatory response in MANY people. The cause of inflammation is different for Celiacs than those who are just sensitive to gluten, but the symptoms (and relief from those systems upon elimination) is often the same.

From the article:
Celiacs have persistent and profound perforation of the intestinal lining (at least as long as they’re eating gluten) as well as atrophy of the villi, thereby allowing foreign proteins – including, but not limited to, gluten – constant access into the bloodstream and impairing nutrient absorption. Folks with “mere” gluten sensitivity have transient and milder intestinal permeability, or sometimes none at all.

Celiac is an autoimmune disease that inspires the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues, while in gluten sensitivity, the immune attacks are directed solely against components of the diet (gliadin).

Celiac disease seems to involve the “adaptive immune system,” while gluten sensitivity involves activation of the “innate immune system.”

In celiac, the inflammatory cytokine IL-17 is elevated. In gluten sensitivity, it is not.

So gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are two distinct “clinical entities” with the same environmental trigger – gluten – and many of the same symptoms:

Diarrhea
Bloating
Abdominal pain
Eczema
Headache
Foggy brain
Fatigue
Depression
Joint pain
Numbness in the extremities

Me again: Because gluten can cause systemic inflammation, it often exacerbates other inflammatory conditions such as chronic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and others. So many people who have suffered from things that seem totally unrelated to diet, like pain from a bad knee or shoulder, experience pain relief when eliminating gluten.

There's suspicion that gluten plays a role in psychological or behavioral issues as well. I know anectdotally, people eating paleo/primal say they experience less depression, and see less ADHD or ADD issues with kids, but that may be as much from eliminating sugars and additives as from eliminating gluten.

The science behind this is still pretty young. There is also suspicion that the wheat in the US has been so modified over the past 50 years to increase yield, that it's part of why there is so much more GF sensitivity/Celiac today. There are reports that American Celiacs can eat wheat in Europe without issue.

zela

Zela, I have been GF for probably 6-8 months? something like that. I DID feel better after a week or two and wanted to share it with the world! I had finally figured out what was causing all these symptoms I've been struggling with for YEARS!

Yes, I understand your point of view and that it worked for you for 6 months. I went on a intermittent fasting diet for 6 months and felt great after the first 2 days, felt like I had more energy, spent less time in the kitchen, slept in longer, etc... I wanted to share with the whole world. I recently went back to eating breakfast and not fasting and I all of a sudden feel like I am 100x more energized eating breakfast in the morning and getting stronger in the gym.

I also went on a low carb diet earlier in the year and was pretty much gluten free for about 2 months. After the first 2 weeks I wanted to share with the world that this was the best diet in the world. After 2 months I burned out and wanted to eat every slice of pizza and pint of ice cream in town. Luckly I had the will power and long term vision of my goals to contain myself.

My list for everything I've tried can be summed up in my library of 70+ books that I have sitting on my ipad of training and diets. Every one of them promises to take you to the promise land within the first few pages. After trying many of them I would agree for them to be true to some point but after going through their battles I would say there are many more factors to consider than can be listed in the first few pages. That is why I get itched the wrong way when somebody tries to influence not even a full week of experience onto somebody else.

I take away one thing from everything that is the big tree in fitness & nutrition being that everybody has a common but specific to the individual goal. Your path to that goal has its own branch and its unique for me than it is for you. Don't try to fit your branch onto somebody else or in simple terms everybody is different and needs to find what works for them. If it was as black and white as a week of experience can lead us to believe than we wouldn't be asking questions and would have only one answer.

mearlie

Living a gluten free lifestyle is NOT easy. I don't do it because I want to, I promise you that! There have been several times over this 6-8 month experiment that I've tried to eat a piece of bread or pasta or a slice of cake. I paid for it for 2-3 days! The pain in my gut, the numbness in my fingers, face and toes, and the brain fog prove to me when I've had gluten.

Point is, there's only one way to know for sure if going gluten free works, and that is to give it a try. It doesn't matter how many books you've got on your ipad. If you've got a problem with gluten, reading won't fix it. BUT you can fix it by not eating gluten.

If one DOES decide to go gluten free and gets no benefit, then it's silly to continue.

I understand your frustration but we are all where we are and it's OK to share where you're at right now. Since we are using the internet/social media, we all know to take everything here like a grain of salt.

jack3Dav3

Zela, I have been GF for probably 6-8 months? something like that. I DID feel better after a week or two and wanted to share it with the world! I had finally figured out what was causing all these symptoms I've been struggling with for YEARS!

Yes, I understand your point of view and that it worked for you for 6 months. I went on a intermittent fasting diet for 6 months and felt great after the first 2 days, felt like I had more energy, spent less time in the kitchen, slept in longer, etc... I wanted to share with the whole world. I recently went back to eating breakfast and not fasting and I all of a sudden feel like I am 100x more energized eating breakfast in the morning and getting stronger in the gym.

I also went on a low carb diet earlier in the year and was pretty much gluten free for about 2 months. After the first 2 weeks I wanted to share with the world that this was the best diet in the world. After 2 months I burned out and wanted to eat every slice of pizza and pint of ice cream in town. Luckly I had the will power and long term vision of my goals to contain myself.

My list for everything I've tried can be summed up in my library of 70+ books that I have sitting on my ipad of training and diets. Every one of them promises to take you to the promise land within the first few pages. After trying many of them I would agree for them to be true to some point but after going through their battles I would say there are many more factors to consider than can be listed in the first few pages. That is why I get itched the wrong way when somebody tries to influence not even a full week of experience onto somebody else.

I take away one thing from everything that is the big tree in fitness & nutrition being that everybody has a common but specific to the individual goal. Your path to that goal has its own branch and its unique for me than it is for you. Don't try to fit your branch onto somebody else or in simple terms everybody is different and needs to find what works for them. If it was as black and white as a week of experience can lead us to believe than we wouldn't be asking questions and would have only one answer.

^^THIS

karaks

I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease and have been GF for about a month now. I've had the symptoms of Celiac for years, but never knew that was the reason for my problems. I can't even explain to most people the difference in how I feel. There have been no other changes in my life, except for my diet. It has been tough, but I am completely gluten free. I noticed a difference after 4 days of changing my diet. It wasn't that all of my symptoms completely disappeared, but they were lessened significantly. After a week, I accidentally ate something with gluten in it and was so sick that I couldn't leave the house for like 36 hours. It was horrible. That made me realize how serious I needed to be with this and am diligent now in checking labels, searching for information, etc.

I sleep better now, no longer have migraines, the stomach problems I've had for years seem to be almost gone, and even the pain from arthritis in several joints isn't nearly as bad as it was before going GF. I think I read that gluten free is considered an anti-inflammatory diet...not sure about that, but it seems to be helping either way. Anyway, I have actually had to watch my carb intake since I started this because I was trying so many new (to me) pre-packaged GF foods and breads that I was having more carbs than I usually do (and I am not on a low carb diet).

I have lost about 5 lbs this month since going GF, but I think that's just because I've started eating healthier foods and more fruits and veggies. And because I've felt better, my workouts seem to be more fun and intense. I will never go back to eating gluten. The difference in the way I feel is amazing. But if I didn't have Celiac, I would not be eating GF by choice.....