Is gluten free a fad like fat free was?

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cheria67
cheria67 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
What do you think about all the info about gluten free? What about leaky gut syndrome?
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  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    Well some people all allergic to wheat, so there is that big difference.

    I do think it's became a bit of a fad. In the end though, whatever works to get people healthy though.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,131 Member
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    Valid syndrome. Valid intolerances. Not everyone, but some people.

    Those who need to go gluten free for health purposes have a hard hill to climb. No one would choose that on purpose unless they found gluten to be a harmful substance for them. It's tough to eliminate it 100% - gluten is in so many processed foods.

    Fat free was dangerous. Gluten free can be just a choice, without the negative consequences that occur when attempting fat free. You certainly don't need gluten to survive and thrive. Lots of people find that by cutting it out they have the ability to abstain from lots of food items that serve no real purpose in nutrition. So it's an easy thing to cut back on or semi-eliminate for weight loss purposes.

    .
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I think that a lot of people are eating gluten free when they don't have to because they think that there is some kind of additional benefit, but the only benefit is getting rid of wheat. It doesn't change calories, fat, etc, in the products.

    Now, for people that do actually have to eat gluten free, it's obviously more vital. And there has been a steady increase in food related allergies over the years including both gluten and nuts as top contenders. So the amount of gluten free products has started to take off due to that increase of actual need.

    No one is exactly sure why the increase in food related allergies is happening. I've seen studies linking it to everything from the additives in our drinking water to it simply being a generation that grew up on more processed foods in their diets and so their little, growing, bodies just didn't develop all of the proper inner workings to react to and digest things. But whatever the reason, allergies and diagnosed intolerances are starting to become basically commonplace in our society.

    And, as with pretty much any product like gluten free, it will be latched onto as something that can be helpful to more than just the targeted group it's being made for. "It's wheat-free! Our ancestors didn't have wheat, so we shouldn't eat wheat, so we'll eat gluten free!"

    So for some people it's a fad that will die out with the next new food thing to hit the market. But for some it will be a forever constant way of life due to specific dietary and health needs.
  • RandiLandCHANGED
    RandiLandCHANGED Posts: 630 Member
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    Well some people all allergic to wheat, so there is that big difference.

    I do think it's became a bit of a fad. In the end though, whatever works to get people healthy though.

    I completely agree.
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
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    Personally, being gluten free has solved some very serious issues that I was having. The doctors couldn't explain what was wrong with me, so I started experimenting and it turns out that I have (self-identified) a gluten intolerance. I had a blood test for celiacs just to be sure that it doesn't go further than an intolerance and it came back neg. Of course, I hadn't ingested gluten for months by the time I had that test, so it's possible that it could be incorrect...

    I think the majority of the population would see positive results by not eating gluten or even reducing it. For my husband, it has helped with his joint pain. I think gut inflammation affects so much: immunity, fat loss, skin health...etc., that it's worth a shot for pretty much anybody to try it. The only caution that I have is this: Once you quit eating it for a month or so, when you do eat it, you may have some VERY unpleasant consequences :cry:
  • charliesangel13
    charliesangel13 Posts: 25 Member
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    Read Wheat Belly and make your own decision. The doctor who wrote the book explains that most of the population has some kind of wheat sensitivity but shows its face in various ways. Weight gain is just one of them. Other stuff includes acne, IBS and a large range of other symptoms. It's the best book I ever read and I'm so glad that I read it before it was too late. It's a life changer for sure.
  • gpizzy
    gpizzy Posts: 171
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    If you have a valid 'issue' then it's good to go. If you don't - eat normal! Apparently if you focus on solely gluten free and you don't have an intolerance you may actually be doing more harm than good!
  • SnicciFit
    SnicciFit Posts: 967 Member
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    Also, a gluten-free processed food isn't necessarily a healthy option. I stay away from that stuff too. Whatever they put in it to replace the gluten probably isn't good for me either. So, in that sense, there is a dangerous fad attached to gluten-free. All these new "gluten-free" junk foods are still junk foods.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 762 Member
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    1 in 133 people in America are gluten intolerant. Only 10 percent know it. The drugs companies do not care about because the cure is diet. Doctors get information and continuing education from the pharmaceutical industry. It is not a fad but it is not a weight loss plan either.
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
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    for those with a gluten allergy it is NOT a fad....I get physically ILL when I consume gluten so this is not a "fad" for me. Now, for others who arent sensitive to gluten or who don't know if they are, then yes it could be a fad like the low fat thing.
  • bltrexler
    bltrexler Posts: 180 Member
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    No Fad for my husband...serious medical condition
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Fad started by the Wheat Belly book (which is full of errors and speculation). If you have a gluten sensitivity then definitely you need to be gluten free. If you don't you're wasting your time avoiding something.
  • Arleigh7
    Arleigh7 Posts: 150 Member
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    Just back from 2 weeks in Australia and boy is Gluten Free all over Down Under! I've been pretty much Gluten Free for several years and it's been very beneficial. Not only has it gotten me from eating so much processed foods it has also really helped me reduce my overall inflamation and decrease allot of aches and pains.

    I'm not really "allergic" to Wheat but while working with a Nutritionist a few years ago she asked me to try Gluten free to see if it will help reduce various aches and pains I have. I was working out allot with heavy weights and knees, back, elbows, etc were all sore.

    Much to my surprise 80% or more of my achiness went away and I got even stronger. So while in no way do I think I have Celiac disease it's pretty obvious that Gluten causes some type of reaction in my body.

    I've cheated from time to time and have had gluten products either on purpose or by accident and would always feel the difference the next day. Tired, achey, cranky, etc..

    So this might not be for everyone it's a permanent life choice for me now.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Read Wheat Belly and make your own decision. The doctor who wrote the book explains that most of the population has some kind of wheat sensitivity but shows its face in various ways. Weight gain is just one of them. Other stuff includes acne, IBS and a large range of other symptoms. It's the best book I ever read and I'm so glad that I read it before it was too late. It's a life changer for sure.

    It would have been an even better book if any of his "facts" were true.
  • charliesangel13
    charliesangel13 Posts: 25 Member
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    I think that a lot of people are eating gluten free when they don't have to because they think that there is some kind of additional benefit, but the only benefit is getting rid of wheat. It doesn't change calories, fat, etc, in the products.

    Now, for people that do actually have to eat gluten free, it's obviously more vital. And there has been a steady increase in food related allergies over the years including both gluten and nuts as top contenders. So the amount of gluten free products has started to take off due to that increase of actual need.

    No one is exactly sure why the increase in food related allergies is happening. I've seen studies linking it to everything from the additives in our drinking water to it simply being a generation that grew up on more processed foods in their diets and so their little, growing, bodies just didn't develop all of the proper inner workings to react to and digest things. But whatever the reason, allergies and diagnosed intolerances are starting to become basically commonplace in our society.

    And, as with pretty much any product like gluten free, it will be latched onto as something that can be helpful to more than just the targeted group it's being made for. "It's wheat-free! Our ancestors didn't have wheat, so we shouldn't eat wheat, so we'll eat gluten free!"

    So for some people it's a fad that will die out with the next new food thing to hit the market. But for some it will be a forever constant way of life due to specific dietary and health needs.

    Wheat Belly explains the phenomena regarding the increase in sensitivity. The doctor goes into great detail of his research and how the wheat of today is genetically modified and not good for human consumption.
  • PhiSigAmber
    PhiSigAmber Posts: 44 Member
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    For the most part, yes.

    Going "gluten-free" is only necessary if you have an intolerance to gluten. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of the people going gluten-free have done so because someone's sister "lost soooo much weight" doing it, not because they actually have an allergy to gluten.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    I think that a lot of people are eating gluten free when they don't have to because they think that there is some kind of additional benefit, but the only benefit is getting rid of wheat. It doesn't change calories, fat, etc, in the products.

    Now, for people that do actually have to eat gluten free, it's obviously more vital. And there has been a steady increase in food related allergies over the years including both gluten and nuts as top contenders. So the amount of gluten free products has started to take off due to that increase of actual need.

    No one is exactly sure why the increase in food related allergies is happening. I've seen studies linking it to everything from the additives in our drinking water to it simply being a generation that grew up on more processed foods in their diets and so their little, growing, bodies just didn't develop all of the proper inner workings to react to and digest things. But whatever the reason, allergies and diagnosed intolerances are starting to become basically commonplace in our society.

    And, as with pretty much any product like gluten free, it will be latched onto as something that can be helpful to more than just the targeted group it's being made for. "It's wheat-free! Our ancestors didn't have wheat, so we shouldn't eat wheat, so we'll eat gluten free!"

    So for some people it's a fad that will die out with the next new food thing to hit the market. But for some it will be a forever constant way of life due to specific dietary and health needs.

    Wheat Belly explains the phenomena regarding the increase in sensitivity. The doctor goes into great detail of his research and how the wheat of today is genetically modified and not good for human consumption.

    Which is more than likely why gluten intolerance is cropping up all over the place.
  • LordManybeers
    LordManybeers Posts: 9
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    Yes. But people do seem to have what you could call "intolerances" to certain foods quite easily and possibly gluten is one thing that causes this. Possibly also the nature of the protein has changed a bit with modern factory bread baking and hexaploid wheat? I don't know. Such food intolerances are not true allergies so there isn't a definitive test for them (this isn't saying that they are imaginary but they don't form part of a classic type 1 hypersensitivity reaction most of the time) so it can be hard to draw firm conclusions about them. All you can do I think is experiment as clinically as possible with/without/with/without etc and see the effect on yourself while reminding yourself that the placebo effect might be strong and possibly misleading at first.
  • charliesangel13
    charliesangel13 Posts: 25 Member
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    Read Wheat Belly and make your own decision. The doctor who wrote the book explains that most of the population has some kind of wheat sensitivity but shows its face in various ways. Weight gain is just one of them. Other stuff includes acne, IBS and a large range of other symptoms. It's the best book I ever read and I'm so glad that I read it before it was too late. It's a life changer for sure.

    It would have been an even better book if any of his "facts" were true.

    Links to debunk his facts are appreciated if you're making such statements.

    Myself and my husband have seen great benefits including acne clearing up, year round allergies diminished, cellulite fading, acid reflux cured, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I didn't read his book until AFTER I stopped the wheat. Results speak for themselves.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    Probably somewhat. But people do seem to have what you could call "intolerances" to certain foods quite easily and possibly gluten is one thing that causes this. Possibly also the nature of the protein has changed a bit with modern factory bread baking and hexaploid wheat? I don't know. Such food intolerances are not true allergies so there isn't a definitive test for them (this isn't saying that they are imaginary but they don't form part of a classic type 1 hypersensitivity reaction most of the time) so it can be hard to draw firm conclusions about them.

    There is a definitive test for Celiacs which is a gluten intolerance/allergy.

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