Paleo / Gluten Free Diets

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Replies

  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    I have been eating Primal now for 3 weeks give or take a day and I have found it really hard...but totally worth it. Seriously I was a carb monster, I loved baked, loved making homemade breads and my ultimate comfort food was a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and baked beans on top. Now I don't eat any grains, or white potatoes and to be honest, I don't really miss eating them. The most I miss is the convenience of processed foods but I can be lazy.

    I also had really bad IBS, I would be in pain and feel bloated nearly every day, but since going Primal I hardly ever feel bloated and can honestly say that the IBS is pretty much cleared up now. I would definitely say try it and see how you go!

    You should be able to eat irish potatoes at least, but I guess it might be good to eliminate it if it was a comfort food for you haha!
  • Mistyblu08
    Mistyblu08 Posts: 580 Member
    I eat paleo and I actually think more clearly and I'm embarrassed to say I'm not as quick to anger when avoiding gluten.

    I have massive mood swings if I eat gluten. I have Celiacs, and if I even have the smallest bit I'm flipping out over every little thing. Its awful.

    hmmm that is weird to say the least-or should I say interesting:) I am gonna have to start correlating the two; never having thought my mood swings would have something to do with the gluten although I know I do feel MUCH better when I dont eat or at least cut it down to a couple times a week...think clearer, feel lighter, happier, stomach and intestinal issues take a break, no headaches and have energy :)
  • babymaddux
    babymaddux Posts: 209 Member
    I eat paleo and I actually think more clearly and I'm embarrassed to say I'm not as quick to anger when avoiding gluten.

    I have massive mood swings if I eat gluten. I have Celiacs, and if I even have the smallest bit I'm flipping out over every little thing. Its awful.


    Wow - this is the first I've heard of mood swings on gluten! And I thought I was the only one! Ever since I went off of gluten, I have had virtually NO PMS. And trust me, the PMS I had was so profoundly bad that I'd be a raging lunatic one moment, a crying nut job the next. I'd even catch myself laughing WHILE crying.

    I thought it was all in my head -- but sure enough, I haven't had bad PMS in two years -- and I'm on the cusp of menopause.

    Thanks for sharing, I don't feel so crazy anymore!

    I'm actually three weeks into a GF trial to see if gluten affects my moods as well. I have PMDD, aka PMS on crack. I'm in the worst week of the PMDD cycle right now and I feel great. It wasn't nearly as hard to avoid the gluten as I thought it would be (since I'm such a carb wh0re). I've just been making smarter choices. I feel great, not bloaty, and I've been better able to stick to my calorie range. I've also lost almost 3 lbs in three weeks.

    I think this may be a permanent change for me. I am a beer lover though, so I may cheat once in a while and I'm not too worried about cross contamination as I don't have celiac or a sensitivity (that I know of), but the drastic reduction in my gluten consumption has definitely been positive for me. Sorry for crazy run-on sentence.

    now that you mention it, i'm just coming to the end of my first pms zone since going properly primal (i tested the waters before xmas, knowing that i'd cave as i had quality streets waiting for my xmas treat) and i've been fine! i'm usually ready to kill anyone who even looks my way lol. i remember my mother tried an intolerance diet when i was in my teens, which was pretty much a gluten free one, and she said the same thing.
    this way of eating is honestly much easier for me, even if it's not quite as cheap. i can taste foods, not chemicals. it may sound weird, but i think i eat with my nose. if it smells bad, i really struggle to put it into my mouth. what i'm cooking smells great, tastes great, and i'm not craving sugar at all :)
  • pj300a
    pj300a Posts: 4 Member
    I've been paleo since the end of August. Like others have said, it is a lifestyle choice for me. Also as others have said, I don't have a diagnosed gluten issue, but feel a million times better when I avoid gluten. I've been tracking my weight since January 1 2013 on MFP, so my ticker at the bottom doesn't show how much I lost since going paleo, but just comparing the handful of days I take off of paleo for this reason or that, I see another plus for paleo. It makes it so much easier to keep your caloric intake low. With paleo, I sometime have to struggle just to get up to 1200 calories, where as yesterday, when my wife brought me lunch at work, it shot straight up to 1200 calories in one meal. That's a merit of Paleo I don't think gets enough credit. It's also useful in that you don't have to put as much thought into what you are eating at a restaurant and such. I can move through a buffet line real quick, and get all good things, while my youth minister takes his time calculating his points on his phone. I really love my paleo lifestyle!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
    Lots of people report a link between their diet, particularly gluten, and depression. Eliminate gluten, reduce depression and other brain-related issues. Lots of anectodal stuff about paleo, GAPS diets and kids with ADD/ADHD/autism. Also data starting to show up about low-carb diets and parkinsons/alzheimer's.

    But... for me... I've been eating Primal for 7 months. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing improvement in my issues with depression or PMS mood swings. I wish I could say changing my diet and exercise was a cure-all for that, but for me... not so much.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Lots of people report a link between their diet, particularly gluten, and depression. Eliminate gluten, reduce depression and other brain-related issues. Lots of anectodal stuff about paleo, GAPS diets and kids with ADD/ADHD/autism. Also data starting to show up about low-carb diets and parkinsons/alzheimer's.

    But... for me... I've been eating Primal for 7 months. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing improvement in my issues with depression or PMS mood swings. I wish I could say changing my diet and exercise was a cure-all for that, but for me... not so much.

    reintroduce wheat and see if it gets worse?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    It's an N=1 experiment for yourself. I never thought I had gluten issues, and I didn't suffer from any of the common gluten-related ailments like IBS, joint pain, gall-bladder issues, etc. My motivation to eliminate gluten at first was because I wanted to cut out all the stuff I commonly overate... I personally do better with a diet that is more black and white than shades of moderation gray.

    Anyway, I was shocked after eliminating gluten to find that when I reintroduced it, I had such a strong reaction to it. Like... in the bathroom for 2 days kind of reaction. I realized that while eating gluten, I probably was always fighting a low-level of gut irritation. When I eliminated it for several months and then reintroduced it, my gut rebelled (or actually, I probably had an onslaught of antibodies race to address those gliadins, which caused inflammation and gastric distress).

    Since then, I've learned that I can eat small amounts of gluten without the severe reaction I got at first. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about contamination like Celiac-sufferers do, but it has made me think hard about how much I really need/want to have gluten in my life. Is that piece of cake worth it? Is that bread worth it? Is that slice of pizza worth it? Sometimes, in fact, the answer is yes. But most times, it's not. Now that I did my little N=1 experiment, I'm more educated about how my body reacts to things.

    Here's another example. Since eating Primal (Paleo + small amounts of dairy), I have discovered that I have a reaction to oils used in restaurants. Probably canola oil, although I'm not 100% sure. But what I know is that I used to get pretty significant chest congestion after eating fast food. Within 5 minutes of finishing a fast food meal, virtually any meal (I never ordered fast food salads), I had a loose, productive cough. It would last for about 30-40 minutes, and go away. I wasn't sure what caused it, but it only ever happened at fast food places. Now that I've eliminated not only fast food, but have eliminated almost anything made with canola or seed oils, I have learned that I now have that congested reaction any time I eat something cooked with oils in any kind of restaurant. I never have that reaction with anything I cook at home with coconut, avocado, or olive oil... only at restaurants where I can't control the type of oils they use. Even nice restaurants. So... not earth shattering, but I wouldn't have known that about myself if I hadn't taken the time to try an elimination protocol.

    Anyways... just my input on WHY it's interesting to do an elimination diet (which is essentially what strict Paleo is) every once in a while... you learn about how your body reacts to foods in ways that you might not have noticed before. If nothing happens when you reintroduce gluten, or dairy, or whatever... then great. You've learned something.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    Nobody here has simply eliminated the protein gluten, they have eliminated wheat or grains including other proteins fats, and carbs and additives in the products. Almost all wheat products are heavily processed so it's very difficult to pick apart if the culprit is truly gluten or if it is the highly processed high glycaemic index carbs or something else in the products.

    How many people have tried a full medical elimination diet, adding in small servings one food/ ingredient (NOT product) every few days, getting the exact same symptoms from whole barley or wheat berries as they do from scarfing hot dog buns or doughnuts made from incredibly finely ground refined flour which needs barely any chewing or digesting, and packed with sugars, yeasts, chemical flavours and preservatives? You are blaming wheat when what actually happened is you ate a pile of processed nutrient devoid cr@p.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    @caribougal - Sorry to hear that. I consider myself very fortunate that I can eat virtually anything with no ill effect. I have a little bit of an iron gut, and can even eat near-spoiled food out of the fridge, to my wife's horror. However, I am a little lactose intolerant, but that just means I take some lactase enzyme with my pizza or my ice cream.

    No, I am not interested in an elimination diet, nor for looking for problems where there are none.
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    Lots of people report a link between their diet, particularly gluten, and depression. Eliminate gluten, reduce depression and other brain-related issues. Lots of anectodal stuff about paleo, GAPS diets and kids with ADD/ADHD/autism. Also data starting to show up about low-carb diets and parkinsons/alzheimer's.

    But... for me... I've been eating Primal for 7 months. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing improvement in my issues with depression or PMS mood swings. I wish I could say changing my diet and exercise was a cure-all for that, but for me... not so much.

    Have you also eliminated night shade vegetables and what about dairy?

    I recently ate ice cream and I am having major sinus issues and congestion with lots of thick, gross, sticky mucus.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    It's an N=1 experiment for yourself. I never thought I had gluten issues, and I didn't suffer from any of the common gluten-related ailments like IBS, joint pain, gall-bladder issues, etc. My motivation to eliminate gluten at first was because I wanted to cut out all the stuff I commonly overate... I personally do better with a diet that is more black and white than shades of moderation gray.

    Anyway, I was shocked after eliminating gluten to find that when I reintroduced it, I had such a strong reaction to it. Like... in the bathroom for 2 days kind of reaction. I realized that while eating gluten, I probably was always fighting a low-level of gut irritation. When I eliminated it for several months and then reintroduced it, my gut rebelled (or actually, I probably had an onslaught of antibodies race to address those gliadins, which caused inflammation and gastric distress).

    Since then, I've learned that I can eat small amounts of gluten without the severe reaction I got at first. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about contamination like Celiac-sufferers do, but it has made me think hard about how much I really need/want to have gluten in my life. Is that piece of cake worth it? Is that bread worth it? Is that slice of pizza worth it? Sometimes, in fact, the answer is yes. But most times, it's not. Now that I did my little N=1 experiment, I'm more educated about how my body reacts to things.

    Here's another example. Since eating Primal (Paleo + small amounts of dairy), I have discovered that I have a reaction to oils used in restaurants. Probably canola oil, although I'm not 100% sure. But what I know is that I used to get pretty significant chest congestion after eating fast food. Within 5 minutes of finishing a fast food meal, virtually any meal (I never ordered fast food salads), I had a loose, productive cough. It would last for about 30-40 minutes, and go away. I wasn't sure what caused it, but it only ever happened at fast food places. Now that I've eliminated not only fast food, but have eliminated almost anything made with canola or seed oils, I have learned that I now have that congested reaction any time I eat something cooked with oils in any kind of restaurant. I never have that reaction with anything I cook at home with coconut, avocado, or olive oil... only at restaurants where I can't control the type of oils they use. Even nice restaurants. So... not earth shattering, but I wouldn't have known that about myself if I hadn't taken the time to try an elimination protocol.

    Anyways... just my input on WHY it's interesting to do an elimination diet (which is essentially what strict Paleo is) every once in a while... you learn about how your body reacts to foods in ways that you might not have noticed before. If nothing happens when you reintroduce gluten, or dairy, or whatever... then great. You've learned something.

    A true medical elimination diet doesn't just eliminate the suspect food, it's hellishly more strict than paleo/ primal. People drop down to a handful of foods initially, needs to be carried out under medical supervision because it is not nutritionally balanced as paleo/ primal *should* be.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    It's an N=1 experiment for yourself. I never thought I had gluten issues, and I didn't suffer from any of the common gluten-related ailments like IBS, joint pain, gall-bladder issues, etc. My motivation to eliminate gluten at first was because I wanted to cut out all the stuff I commonly overate... I personally do better with a diet that is more black and white than shades of moderation gray.

    Anyway, I was shocked after eliminating gluten to find that when I reintroduced it, I had such a strong reaction to it. Like... in the bathroom for 2 days kind of reaction. I realized that while eating gluten, I probably was always fighting a low-level of gut irritation. When I eliminated it for several months and then reintroduced it, my gut rebelled (or actually, I probably had an onslaught of antibodies race to address those gliadins, which caused inflammation and gastric distress).

    Since then, I've learned that I can eat small amounts of gluten without the severe reaction I got at first. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about contamination like Celiac-sufferers do, but it has made me think hard about how much I really need/want to have gluten in my life. Is that piece of cake worth it? Is that bread worth it? Is that slice of pizza worth it? Sometimes, in fact, the answer is yes. But most times, it's not. Now that I did my little N=1 experiment, I'm more educated about how my body reacts to things.

    Here's another example. Since eating Primal (Paleo + small amounts of dairy), I have discovered that I have a reaction to oils used in restaurants. Probably canola oil, although I'm not 100% sure. But what I know is that I used to get pretty significant chest congestion after eating fast food. Within 5 minutes of finishing a fast food meal, virtually any meal (I never ordered fast food salads), I had a loose, productive cough. It would last for about 30-40 minutes, and go away. I wasn't sure what caused it, but it only ever happened at fast food places. Now that I've eliminated not only fast food, but have eliminated almost anything made with canola or seed oils, I have learned that I now have that congested reaction any time I eat something cooked with oils in any kind of restaurant. I never have that reaction with anything I cook at home with coconut, avocado, or olive oil... only at restaurants where I can't control the type of oils they use. Even nice restaurants. So... not earth shattering, but I wouldn't have known that about myself if I hadn't taken the time to try an elimination protocol.

    Anyways... just my input on WHY it's interesting to do an elimination diet (which is essentially what strict Paleo is) every once in a while... you learn about how your body reacts to foods in ways that you might not have noticed before. If nothing happens when you reintroduce gluten, or dairy, or whatever... then great. You've learned something.

    A true medical elimination diet doesn't just eliminate the suspect food, it's hellishly more strict than paleo/ primal. People drop down to a handful of foods initially, needs to be carried out under medical supervision because it is not nutritionally balanced as paleo/ primal *should* be.

    I have done medically supervised elimination diets that have went both ways..............one was more like Atkins Induction where you ate nothing but protein, fat and green vegetables (about 4 or 5 different ones) and then slowly re-introduced foods to see how the body reacted.

    The second and most recent time that I went through an elimination plan, I ate a bunch of what they thought was the culprit, did tests and then removed the culprits to see how I improved or didn't improve.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    Are you saying that hot dogs and donuts are a direct cause of road rage? :noway:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Has anyone ever tried these diets? I have gotten some very good advice from a very good friend recently and she highly encourages eating a Paleo and Gluten free diet. I am willing to try, I know that I need to start eating to live and not living to eat.... I have just turned 29 and have dedicated this year to taking care of my health and being the healthiest me I can be. I vow to look better in my 30s than I have in my 20s.

    While I don't know that there is anything wrong with them, Paleo, in particular, is very restrictive. Restriction can be tough for many people to adhere to without a medical reason to do so. For most people, this type of restriction is not necessary for health.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    Are you saying that hot dogs and donuts are a direct cause of road rage? :noway:

    Maybe it was the thought of going without them again that caused the rage. :wink:

    <disclaimer: the above is an attempt at humor. It is not meant as a slam at any diet, dieter or meant to encourage the consumption of junk food>
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.

    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    Are you saying that hot dogs and donuts are a direct cause of road rage? :noway:

    Directly haha.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    Nobody here has simply eliminated the protein gluten, they have eliminated wheat or grains including other proteins fats, and carbs and additives in the products. Almost all wheat products are heavily processed so it's very difficult to pick apart if the culprit is truly gluten or if it is the highly processed high glycaemic index carbs or something else in the products.

    How many people have tried a full medical elimination diet, adding in small servings one food/ ingredient (NOT product) every few days, getting the exact same symptoms from whole barley or wheat berries as they do from scarfing hot dog buns or doughnuts made from incredibly finely ground refined flour which needs barely any chewing or digesting, and packed with sugars, yeasts, chemical flavours and preservatives? You are blaming wheat when what actually happened is you ate a pile of processed nutrient devoid cr@p.

    Wheat is not even edible by humans without excessive processing by the way. The more refined grains are the better they are for you simply because they become less and less the plant and more just a simple carbohydrate. There are not enough vitamins in them in the first place to speak of. If you wanted vitamins in your food you would eat offal and tubers not whole wheat and corn.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.

    Why would one have to eliminate something to know if they have issues? Issues either exist or they don't. While one may not know that X is the cause of issue Y, one would know if issue Y existed.

    Eliminating anything from the diet for an extended period of time and then adding it back can cause digestion issues. This is not specific to wheat or carbs. Try it with meat sometime. The gut produces enzymes needed to digest the foods eaten. When something new is introduced, there is a chance the enzyme needed to digest it won't be there. It's the same reason foreign foods sometimes cause distress.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.

    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.

    I guess I have issues attempting communication with people who are as biased as you.

    Have you tried eliminating all plastics from your home? How do you know they're safe?
    Have you tried avoiding water between the hours of 12pm and 1pm? How do you know that's not the cause all your life's problems?
    Some people are allergic to peanuts. To be on the safe side, we're better off eliminating, nay, BANNING them, eh?
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.

    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.

    I guess I have issues attempting communication with people who are as biased as you.

    Have you tried eliminating all plastics from your home? How do you know they're safe?
    Have you tried avoiding water between the hours of 12pm and 1pm? How do you know that's not the cause all your life's problems?
    Some people are allergic to peanuts. To be on the safe side, we're better off eliminating, nay, BANNING them, eh?

    Whether or not YOU think it's useless, you need to respect others who have found it has benefited their health. I am a walking example of what happened when I eliminated wheat and grains from my diet, and kept everything else. I have the blood work to prove that my body HAD been in full auto immune response prior to, then no more, AFTER 3 months of being off wheat and grains. I still ate processed bacon, processed other foods, etc, but NO wheat or grains.

    Just because it doesn't affect you (or you aren't AWARE of how it has affected you, or you HAVENT had the symptoms crop up yet - I was 46 before I discovered the correlation), it doesn't mean others are BSing you, or having some sort of placebo affect that you believe they have. For US, it is very real and very obvious something was wrong, the issue was identified, and now things are better.

    End of story.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.

    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.

    I guess I have issues attempting communication with people who are as biased as you.

    Have you tried eliminating all plastics from your home? How do you know they're safe?
    Have you tried avoiding water between the hours of 12pm and 1pm? How do you know that's not the cause all your life's problems?
    Some people are allergic to peanuts. To be on the safe side, we're better off eliminating, nay, BANNING them, eh?

    Plastics, I have not tried that so I don't know that they aren't safe. I don't eat them however so I do not consider it having the same risk factor as food.

    Avoiding water between 12pm and 1pm, I have not tried this, but it is very unlikely as water is a benign substance and the time of day should not be a concern.

    I do not eat peanuts.

    You can't just say it doesn't cause any issues for you if you've been eating it your whole life. It causes issues for a lot of other people, and that is worth removing it and reintroducing it to see if you notice any difference. What's funny is that the nutrient density of your diet will go up, so undoubtedly it will be better for you to not eat it anyway, even if it doesn't help you specifically because of the gluten.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    It's an N=1 experiment for yourself. I never thought I had gluten issues, and I didn't suffer from any of the common gluten-related ailments like IBS, joint pain, gall-bladder issues, etc. My motivation to eliminate gluten at first was because I wanted to cut out all the stuff I commonly overate... I personally do better with a diet that is more black and white than shades of moderation gray.

    Anyway, I was shocked after eliminating gluten to find that when I reintroduced it, I had such a strong reaction to it. Like... in the bathroom for 2 days kind of reaction. I realized that while eating gluten, I probably was always fighting a low-level of gut irritation. When I eliminated it for several months and then reintroduced it, my gut rebelled (or actually, I probably had an onslaught of antibodies race to address those gliadins, which caused inflammation and gastric distress).

    Since then, I've learned that I can eat small amounts of gluten without the severe reaction I got at first. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about contamination like Celiac-sufferers do, but it has made me think hard about how much I really need/want to have gluten in my life. Is that piece of cake worth it? Is that bread worth it? Is that slice of pizza worth it? Sometimes, in fact, the answer is yes. But most times, it's not. Now that I did my little N=1 experiment, I'm more educated about how my body reacts to things.

    Here's another example. Since eating Primal (Paleo + small amounts of dairy), I have discovered that I have a reaction to oils used in restaurants. Probably canola oil, although I'm not 100% sure. But what I know is that I used to get pretty significant chest congestion after eating fast food. Within 5 minutes of finishing a fast food meal, virtually any meal (I never ordered fast food salads), I had a loose, productive cough. It would last for about 30-40 minutes, and go away. I wasn't sure what caused it, but it only ever happened at fast food places. Now that I've eliminated not only fast food, but have eliminated almost anything made with canola or seed oils, I have learned that I now have that congested reaction any time I eat something cooked with oils in any kind of restaurant. I never have that reaction with anything I cook at home with coconut, avocado, or olive oil... only at restaurants where I can't control the type of oils they use. Even nice restaurants. So... not earth shattering, but I wouldn't have known that about myself if I hadn't taken the time to try an elimination protocol.

    Anyways... just my input on WHY it's interesting to do an elimination diet (which is essentially what strict Paleo is) every once in a while... you learn about how your body reacts to foods in ways that you might not have noticed before. If nothing happens when you reintroduce gluten, or dairy, or whatever... then great. You've learned something.
    You had a reaction because your body has specific enzymes and bacteria to digest certain foods. When you eliminate certain foods like you did, the body stops making those enzymes. Then when you reintroduce the food, you can't properly digest it, and you have a bad reaction to it. The same thing happens to someone who eats meat regularly, then decides to go vegan for a year. After the year they decide to have a nice big steak, and promptly get extremely sick. It's not that meat always made them ill, it's because their body stopped making the necessary enzymes to digest meat because there was no need for it for a year. I'm willing to bet that was your real issue, and you saying that you can eat small amounts with no issue really points to that.
  • Bumbeen
    Bumbeen Posts: 263 Member
    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.

    Why would one have to eliminate something to know if they have issues? Issues either exist or they don't. While one may not know that X is the cause of issue Y, one would know if issue Y existed.

    Eliminating anything from the diet for an extended period of time and then adding it back can cause digestion issues. This is not specific to wheat or carbs. Try it with meat sometime. The gut produces enzymes needed to digest the foods eaten. When something new is introduced, there is a chance the enzyme needed to digest it won't be there. It's the same reason foreign foods sometimes cause distress.

    You don't HAVE to eliminate it, just some things that you wouldn't attribute to it will not be obvious without doing that. I am not talking about GI distress by the way. Dairy may cause issues for me but I eat it anyway, but I'm not going to sit here and tell you ohhhh no I know for a fact casein isn't doing any harm to me.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Haven't had the need as I don't have issues with gluten. If you have gluten issues, then it makes sense to limit or eliminate gluten.

    Have you tried eliminating it for a time and the reintroducing it?

    No, why would I do such a thing?

    Because of all the posters here saying they have had good experience by eliminating it.

    I used to have some pretty bad road rage. I went 11 months without eating any grains except white rice and occasionally corn. For my birthday I had hotdogs and doughnuts, the next morning, I was driving like an *kitten* and I was getting pissed off. It really surprised me that there would be some kind of mental benefit to avoiding wheat. You should maybe try :)

    The reason I have found success is because I have virtually never tried any of these random bulsh*t things.

    Well you don't know if you don't try it. So don't pretend like you know you have no issues with gluten.

    I guess I have issues attempting communication with people who are as biased as you.

    Have you tried eliminating all plastics from your home? How do you know they're safe?
    Have you tried avoiding water between the hours of 12pm and 1pm? How do you know that's not the cause all your life's problems?
    Some people are allergic to peanuts. To be on the safe side, we're better off eliminating, nay, BANNING them, eh?

    Whether or not YOU think it's useless, you need to respect others who have found it has benefited their health. I am a walking example of what happened when I eliminated wheat and grains from my diet, and kept everything else. I have the blood work to prove that my body HAD been in full auto immune response prior to, then no more, AFTER 3 months of being off wheat and grains. I still ate processed bacon, processed other foods, etc, but NO wheat or grains.

    Just because it doesn't affect you (or you aren't AWARE of how it has affected you, or you HAVENT had the symptoms crop up yet - I was 46 before I discovered the correlation), it doesn't mean others are BSing you, or having some sort of placebo affect that you believe they have. For US, it is very real and very obvious something was wrong, the issue was identified, and now things are better.

    End of story.
    He never said it wasn't real for you. He was commenting on people trying to insist that it must be real for him just because it's real for them. Basically the same thing you are accusing him of, in reverse.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You can't just say it doesn't cause any issues for you if you've been eating it your whole life. It causes issues for a lot of other people, and that is worth removing it and reintroducing it to see if you notice any difference. What's funny is that the nutrient density of your diet will go up, so undoubtedly it will be better for you to not eat it anyway, even if it doesn't help you specifically because of the gluten.

    This makes no sense whatsoever.

    You can say something doesn't cause issues for you if you don't have issues. Why would nutrient density automatically go up by switching diets? Certianly it would depend as much on what diet is being switched from as to,