Gluten is the Devil
GorillaEsq
Posts: 2,198 Member
About once a week, the media upchucks something new that's "bad for you." Fat, carbs, tigers, bears, wtf-ever...
Thus, when the Mrs. (who's a nutty-crunchy-semi-vegitarian-whole-food-doctor) approached me with yet another thing that was going to kill me by next Wednesday, I was less than impressed. In fact, my initial response was something to-the-effect of, "Sweet. Let me go drag in a dead horse. You beat it, whilst I make it feel small, humiliated and question the choices its made in its life up to this point."
The catalyst for this newest onslaught on my dietary awesomeness was a book she recently devoured called Wheat Belly (I'll provide a link below). The very-short-Cliff's-Notes summary of the book is basically this, "Gluten, bad."
Now, this notion flies directly in the face of the FDA food-dodecahedron, or pyramid, or whatever f**king shape it is this month. We've always been taught that "wheat good... WHEAT... GOOOOOD." William Davis, author of Wheat Belly summarily says in the book that wheat, more specially genetically engineered wheat that contains icky gluten, is basically turning everyone on the planet into squishy, achy, diabetes-riddled Michelin Men.
Reluctantly, I agreed to try a little experiment, mostly because my wife keeps both my spine and testicles in her nightstand, and she said I could have them back for a few hours, if I agreed. Excited at the prospect of being allowed to be a man for a brief stay, I went gluten-free for three (3) days.
In my profession we have a legal term that epitomizes the results... "holy *kitten*."
Within forty-eight (48) hours, every joint in my body stopped hurting, I stopped having headaches, my 4 year old graduated college, I cured cancer and my farts began to smell like freshly baked cupcakes.
Ok, so some of that was an exaggeration. But... My joints and back really did stop aching, entirely.
I have long attributed my terrible back and joint pain to years of martial arts / combatives training, and the fact that I'm quickly growing older than dirt. I was wrong. (Which is very painful for me to type, by the way, as I have never been wrong about anything, ever. Just ask me.)
I continued going gluten-free for another week, and I remained pain-free the entire time.
My chiropractor even noticed a difference. Before the experiment, I was visiting him 1-3 times a week, and each time my joints would crackle like a movie theater popcorn machine. I'm down to seeing him once every two weeks, for "maintenance" only. He's a bit pissed, because he's having a hard time making the payments on his summer home, since I cutout gluten.
To further drive-home the results, this past weekend we went camping with the kids. As it was a special trip, I basically opened-up a giant bag of wheat-based whoop@*kitten*, that we will affectionately call "Gluten-Palooza." Hotdog buns, hamburger buns, crackers, etc, etc. I think at one point I actually rolled angel-hair pasta into a joint, and smoked it.
We started camping on Friday morning, and by Saturday evening, my knees, elbows and back felt as though they were on fire, they hurt so badly.
Sunday, I went back to gluten-free and by Tuesday morning, I felt awesome, once again.
Just something to ponder, as you drudge through your Friday towards the weekend.
Now quick... minimize the screen... your boss is coming.
Happy Friday.
Keep being awesome.
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543
Thus, when the Mrs. (who's a nutty-crunchy-semi-vegitarian-whole-food-doctor) approached me with yet another thing that was going to kill me by next Wednesday, I was less than impressed. In fact, my initial response was something to-the-effect of, "Sweet. Let me go drag in a dead horse. You beat it, whilst I make it feel small, humiliated and question the choices its made in its life up to this point."
The catalyst for this newest onslaught on my dietary awesomeness was a book she recently devoured called Wheat Belly (I'll provide a link below). The very-short-Cliff's-Notes summary of the book is basically this, "Gluten, bad."
Now, this notion flies directly in the face of the FDA food-dodecahedron, or pyramid, or whatever f**king shape it is this month. We've always been taught that "wheat good... WHEAT... GOOOOOD." William Davis, author of Wheat Belly summarily says in the book that wheat, more specially genetically engineered wheat that contains icky gluten, is basically turning everyone on the planet into squishy, achy, diabetes-riddled Michelin Men.
Reluctantly, I agreed to try a little experiment, mostly because my wife keeps both my spine and testicles in her nightstand, and she said I could have them back for a few hours, if I agreed. Excited at the prospect of being allowed to be a man for a brief stay, I went gluten-free for three (3) days.
In my profession we have a legal term that epitomizes the results... "holy *kitten*."
Within forty-eight (48) hours, every joint in my body stopped hurting, I stopped having headaches, my 4 year old graduated college, I cured cancer and my farts began to smell like freshly baked cupcakes.
Ok, so some of that was an exaggeration. But... My joints and back really did stop aching, entirely.
I have long attributed my terrible back and joint pain to years of martial arts / combatives training, and the fact that I'm quickly growing older than dirt. I was wrong. (Which is very painful for me to type, by the way, as I have never been wrong about anything, ever. Just ask me.)
I continued going gluten-free for another week, and I remained pain-free the entire time.
My chiropractor even noticed a difference. Before the experiment, I was visiting him 1-3 times a week, and each time my joints would crackle like a movie theater popcorn machine. I'm down to seeing him once every two weeks, for "maintenance" only. He's a bit pissed, because he's having a hard time making the payments on his summer home, since I cutout gluten.
To further drive-home the results, this past weekend we went camping with the kids. As it was a special trip, I basically opened-up a giant bag of wheat-based whoop@*kitten*, that we will affectionately call "Gluten-Palooza." Hotdog buns, hamburger buns, crackers, etc, etc. I think at one point I actually rolled angel-hair pasta into a joint, and smoked it.
We started camping on Friday morning, and by Saturday evening, my knees, elbows and back felt as though they were on fire, they hurt so badly.
Sunday, I went back to gluten-free and by Tuesday morning, I felt awesome, once again.
Just something to ponder, as you drudge through your Friday towards the weekend.
Now quick... minimize the screen... your boss is coming.
Happy Friday.
Keep being awesome.
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543
0
Replies
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Gluten isn't everyone's devil though, I went gluten free for a couple of weeks and noticed no change in anything so I started eating it again (admittedly I probably have less than I used to cause I don't have much bread or pasta anymore) cause well it's in a lot of tasty stuff!0
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I read wheat belly....and I was intrigued at what the author had to say....
i went gluten free for my daughter...(I don't eat bread based carbs anyways...for other reasons) and she's been sick less...and less achy in her arms (four breaks total in two years...so she already gets achy in the arms)....
so yeah...i'm actually keeping an eye on this gluten free thing...0 -
Maybe you felt better because it was in your head that you were doing a good thing? I don't believe gluten is a bad thing and if I don't have a medical reason, I see no reason to cut it from my diet personally. Until I do, if I do, I won't be gutting it out. I don't eat much pasta or breads anymore because of it being high in carbs and all, I wish I felt better from doing so, but I don't. To each his own.0
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Funny read, but It's hard to tell whether all of this is BS or some of it is actually true.
I was gluten free for three months (because I was low carb, Atkins style). Started working out again, have allowed myself to eat a little bit of bread and even some sugar (although I'm still not sure I like the taste of chocolate milk anymore, I keep going to the fridge, pouring a glass, drinking it, and trying to decide if it's icky or tasty). But anyway, no extra joint or back pain that I've noticed yet, and I have a bad back and creaky knees.
Of course, it could be different for everyone, and if any part of your post is serious, I'll keep a closer eye on how my joints feel on days I do eat bread.
Cheers!0 -
I'm definitely going to ponder this, but I'm not quite sure if you're being serious or not. My sarcasm meter isn't working yet this morning
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You make my day :flowerforyou:0
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I watched that documentary Fathead the other day (I know came out in 2009, not sure where I've been) but the point of this is they talked about how grain is pushed on us to lose weight when it's what farmers/ranchers use to fatten up their livestock.0
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Oh, and the following:
We started camping on Friday morning, and by Saturday evening, my knees, elbows and back felt as though they were on fire, they hurt so badly.
Could be attributed to sleeping on the ground, couldn't it?0 -
Gluten intolerance maybe?
Just like lactose intolerance.
Another book you might want to read is 'The Paleo Solution' by Robb Wolfe.
I'm not saying go caveman-ish in any sense of the word, but it's actually an entertaining book and goes along similar lines... I'm about to buy 'Wheat Belly' myself, and hope to have some good reading for next week 0 -
Possibly, but unlikely as we slept on an air mattress that was nearly as comfortable as our bed.Oh, and the following:
We started camping on Friday morning, and by Saturday evening, my knees, elbows and back felt as though they were on fire, they hurt so badly.
Could be attributed to sleeping on the ground, couldn't it?0 -
I'm no doctor, but that's what my wife thinks. Everyone's body handles things differently, and apparently mine hates gluten.Gluten intolerance maybe?
Just like lactose intolerance.
Another book you might want to read is 'The Paleo Solution' by Robb Wolfe.
I'm not saying go caveman-ish in any sense of the word, but it's actually an entertaining book and goes along similar lines... I'm about to buy 'Wheat Belly' myself, and hope to have some good reading for next week0 -
I just want to point out that any benefits you may or may not garner from going gluten free is going to be vastly and wildly overshadowed from the pain that is your better half saying "I told you so" for the next 20 years
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Gluten isn't everyone's devil though, I went gluten free for a couple of weeks and noticed no change in anything so I started eating it again (admittedly I probably have less than I used to cause I don't have much bread or pasta anymore) cause well it's in a lot of tasty stuff!
QFT0 -
Gluten allergies are much more prevalent than what is diagnosed. You probably are one of the many who have a slight intolerance. I've been tested because of IBS symptoms gluten is not my trigger.0
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Amen brotha. Amen.I just want to point out that any benefits you may or may not garner from going gluten free is going to be vastly and wildly overshadowed from the pain that is your better half saying "I told you so" for the next 20 years0 -
you're wife is ALWAYS right !
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Ok, you got me. My farts don't smell like cupcakes.Funny read, but It's hard to tell whether all of this is BS or some of it is actually true.
The joint / back pain parts are completely true.0 -
I would discuss with your doctor about being tested for coeliac . Join pain is one of the symptoms and its worth ruling out - from experience as I had severe arthritis at 16 due to undiagnosed coeliac.. For the blood test you will need to eat gluten for a few weeks before hand but if you are wanting to go down that path its worth getting the test out of the way.
I also know quite a few people who have tested negative but have seen a positive result when cutting out gluten. There is now research into non-coeliac auto immune responses to gluten which gives the same symptoms as coeliacs.
Good luck with the diet - it is very easy to find stuff in this day and age.
PS wish my farts smelt of cupcakes!!0 -
Good for you on being prepared to experiment, and find out how YOUR body responds.
Gluten is certainly a big culprit for may people - but not all (as has been pointed out)
And thank you for your entertaining style :laugh:0 -
The Wheat Belly book: Worst pseudo-science EVER
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That post was hilarious. Glad you found a solution to your aches and pains! err, well, your wife did. 0
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Thank you for having the courage to open your mind, put aside the "wheat is healthy" propaganda and TRY something different. The people that argue hardest against gluten free/paleo/primal/low carb have never tried it, didn't try it long enough, or were not being 100% compliant with eliminating grain. Everyone that I have ever met that has tried it for at least two weeks (usually it only takes a few days, such as in your case and mine) noticed a dramatic improvement in health. Of course, not all of them stick with it. Neither did I; I had to finally get sick of being sick.
Most grains do not like to be consumed and have chemical strategies to try to deter consumption, that's why they make us sick. The gov't agencies, etc aren't going to stop pushing grains anytime soon. There's NO WAY they want everyone to stop consuming wheat, corn, and soy. The profit machine loves monocultures.
And I love your presentation... I almost didn't get to the good part because I thought you were just another person who was going to try to tell me that my many, many health improvements have all been imaginary and not due to my diet. I get a little tired of my personal experience being discredited especially when I am genuinely trying to help others.0 -
Ive been gluten free since august and my "IBS" as the doctor diagnosed has dissapeared.0
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Maybe you felt better because it was in your head that you were doing a good thing? I don't believe gluten is a bad thing and if I don't have a medical reason, I see no reason to cut it from my diet personally. Until I do, if I do, I won't be gutting it out. I don't eat much pasta or breads anymore because of it being high in carbs and all, I wish I felt better from doing so, but I don't. To each his own.
Yup, it's all in our heads, diet can't possibly affect health. This is the kind of comment that irks me so badly.
My diet resolved: severe depression, anxiety, anti-social behaviour, indigestion, gas, bloating, acid reflux, ulcers, chronic pain (this was bad enough that I was considering suicide), sleep apnea, insomnia, joint pain, muscle cramps, pre diabetes, headaches, chronic infections/colds/flus/bronchitis, and more.
Many of the health problems are common ailments that people suffer with that don't even know they are sick. For instance, depression, gas, bloating, etc. No, lots of gas is not normal and feeling "down" is not normal.
You don't have to change your diet, but stop discrediting the experience of other people. Thanks.0 -
Maybe you felt better because it was in your head that you were doing a good thing? I don't believe gluten is a bad thing and if I don't have a medical reason, I see no reason to cut it from my diet personally. Until I do, if I do, I won't be gutting it out. I don't eat much pasta or breads anymore because of it being high in carbs and all, I wish I felt better from doing so, but I don't. To each his own.
Yup, it's all in our heads, diet can't possibly affect health. This is the kind of comment that irks me so badly.
My diet resolved: severe depression, anxiety, anti-social behaviour, indigestion, gas, bloating, acid reflux, ulcers, chronic pain (this was bad enough that I was considering suicide), sleep apnea, insomnia, joint pain, muscle cramps, pre diabetes, headaches, chronic infections/colds/flus/bronchitis, and more.
Many of the health problems are common ailments that people suffer with that don't even know they are sick. For instance, depression, gas, bloating, etc. No, lots of gas is not normal and feeling "down" is not normal.
You don't have to change your diet, but stop discrediting the experience of other people. Thanks.
She wasn't discrediting your experience, just stating her opinion. She clarified that medical reasons could warrant it, but that for her such exclusion wasn't necessary.0 -
Oh, and the following:
We started camping on Friday morning, and by Saturday evening, my knees, elbows and back felt as though they were on fire, they hurt so badly.
Could be attributed to sleeping on the ground, couldn't it?
Actually, sleeping on the ground is healthy and was the norm for humans at one time. Ever heard of "grounding"? Something to be aware in this day and age of being surrounded by electrical currents and wifi and always wearing insulated shoes. Sure I use a comfy sleep pad when I go camping, and I feel awesome, but not if I eat the things that caused the OP to get sick.0 -
First of all, great post. I'll admit I'm one that doesn't often make it to the end of long posts, but yours was entertaining enough to make me read the whole thing.
Second of all, congrats on relieving your pain. Sounds like gluten was a devil for you (i.e. you have a previously undiagnosed gluten sensitivity).
But, I don't believe everyone would have the same results. Mainly because not everyone has joint pain. Giving up gluten can only alleviate symptoms if they exist. And if you eat gluten and don't have symptoms that is a pretty good sign that giving it up wouldn't make any difference. And for some, I'm sure the symptoms would continue because they are caused by something else.
I don't believe in demonizing foods just because they are common irritants. Bananas are a common migraine trigger. That doesn't make bananas the devil or mean everyone should stop eating them.0 -
Maybe you felt better because it was in your head that you were doing a good thing? I don't believe gluten is a bad thing and if I don't have a medical reason, I see no reason to cut it from my diet personally. Until I do, if I do, I won't be gutting it out. I don't eat much pasta or breads anymore because of it being high in carbs and all, I wish I felt better from doing so, but I don't. To each his own.
Yup, it's all in our heads, diet can't possibly affect health. This is the kind of comment that irks me so badly.
My diet resolved: severe depression, anxiety, anti-social behaviour, indigestion, gas, bloating, acid reflux, ulcers, chronic pain (this was bad enough that I was considering suicide), sleep apnea, insomnia, joint pain, muscle cramps, pre diabetes, headaches, chronic infections/colds/flus/bronchitis, and more.
Many of the health problems are common ailments that people suffer with that don't even know they are sick. For instance, depression, gas, bloating, etc. No, lots of gas is not normal and feeling "down" is not normal.
You don't have to change your diet, but stop discrediting the experience of other people. Thanks.
She wasn't discrediting your experience, just stating her opinion. She clarified that medical reasons could warrant it, but that for her such exclusion wasn't necessary.
Did you miss this part: "Maybe you felt better because it was in your head that you were doing a good thing"?
Most doctors don't have a clue about nutrition and disease prevention; that's not what they learn. I guess I should have just waited until I had full-blown diabetes and an official "diagnosis" before taking any kind of action. Because doctors always know best and all of my health improvements are a figment of my imagination.0 -
I actually agree on the "long post" issue. If I open-up an OP, and it's more than two paragraphs I'm typically like, "WTF, I don't have time to READ things...GAHHH!"First of all, great post. I'll admit I'm one that doesn't often make it to the end of long posts, but yours was entertaining enough to make me read the whole thing.
Second of all, congrats on relieving your pain. Sounds like gluten was a devil for you (i.e. you have a previously undiagnosed gluten sensitivity).
But, I don't believe everyone would have the same results. Mainly because not everyone has joint pain. Giving up gluten can only alleviate symptoms if they exist. And if you eat gluten and don't have symptoms that is a pretty good sign that giving it up wouldn't make any difference. And for some, I'm sure the symptoms would continue because they are caused by something else.
I don't believe in demonizing foods just because they are common irritants. Bananas are a common migraine trigger. That doesn't make bananas the devil or mean everyone should stop eating them.0 -
I watched that documentary Fathead the other day (I know came out in 2009, not sure where I've been) but the point of this is they talked about how grain is pushed on us to lose weight when it's what farmers/ranchers use to fatten up their livestock.
Grain is used to fatten up cattle because ranchers used to feed cattle a feed which included the ground remains of other butchered cows and this upped the chance of spreading disease to the living cows including, but not limited to, e-coli and mad cow. There was a great push to stop the practice a few decades ago and grain fed beef became the new healthy beef.
Like most things in the food industry, that good change has gone astray with the quest for profit margin and the grain they are fed is not what they'd naturally eat, but it's also most often corn, which is gluten free. So it doesn't really have anything to do with the OP.0
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