Is gluten free a fad like fat free was?
Replies
-
Whether or not it is a fad, it is not like fat free unless the food manufactures start making gluten free foods that are worse for us than the original!
It isn't like fat free unless people start thinking "well, it is gluten free, so it must be good for me!"
Hopefully, we have come far enough to avoid going through all that again, but folks like day fixes and industry likes money.0 -
Hi
Thought I'd reply to this.
There seems to be some myth circulating within the weight loss world that by removing wheat/gluten from your diet you're magically going to lose weight. This isn't the case but unfortunately for those of us with Celiac's disease, it does kind of make a mockery of our diet. I eat gluten free because I have to. I can't share a toaster with my flatmates and have to be ultra careful of cross-contamination. If I eat gluten the effects stay with me for days and it's not pretty
Like anything, for those who can eat wheat and gluten it's the same principle - calories in vs. calories out. I can't eat gluten but the principle applies to me for weight loss. There's no point me eating half a bag of potatoes and a kilo of rice...
Fat free has been around for a long, long time in the literature. It's a fad that keeps circulating and no doubt in years to come the same will happen with low carb (see Dukan and Atkins for prime examples of such) and also now gluten free. We've only just really moved into an era where we have the means and ability to test for allergies and intolerances. Again, there's a difference there. People can be intolerant to something without being allergic to it. Just think of people who are allergic to bee/was stings and go into anaphylactic shock. Although with gluten allergies the reaction isn't so severe it would restrict your airways, the damage you can do to your intestines over a long period of time can be quite devastating and leave you much more susceptible to bowel and stomach cancers. It also takes a very long time to repair that damage, as I'm finding out.
So, in terms of being a fad - yes it's been embraced by some parts of the diet industry as such and hopefully it dissipates as quickly as it arrived. Plus, it gives food companies the opportunity to embrace this fad and charge an extortionate amount for gluten free products which, in my opinion should be affordable to those who really need to buy them as an alternative rather than a preference.
H
0 -
Like many things, it's become a fad. However, many people do have a gluten intolerance and don't realize it. It's unfortunate that people see it as such a fad now, because it makes it VERY difficult for a person with Celiac or an intolerance to actually have that respected. I will have many servers roll their eyes, or people make dumb comments, assuming that I eat gluten free because of some dubious health concerns or some book I read or interview on television. It means it isn't taken as seriously, and for many people it IS a serious issue.0
-
I think people that go gluten free just to do it are silly. If there's a medical reason, I don't consider it a fad. It does help a lot of people. A lot of people have diseases and disorders that cause them to be intolerant to gluten.0
-
Like many things, it's become a fad. However, many people do have a gluten intolerance and don't realize it. It's unfortunate that people see it as such a fad now, because it makes it VERY difficult for a person with Celiac or an intolerance to actually have that respected. I will have many servers roll their eyes, or people make dumb comments, assuming that I eat gluten free because of some dubious health concerns or some book I read or interview on television. It means it isn't taken as seriously, and for many people it IS a serious issue.
I feel the same way. My husband was just diagnosed with Crohn's and he needs to watch what he eats. I'm doing the diet with him because of my thyroid disorder, which supposedly, gluten free is supposed to help. Not everyone does it just to be "cool."0 -
Like many things, it's become a fad. However, many people do have a gluten intolerance and don't realize it. It's unfortunate that people see it as such a fad now, because it makes it VERY difficult for a person with Celiac or an intolerance to actually have that respected. I will have many servers roll their eyes, or people make dumb comments, assuming that I eat gluten free because of some dubious health concerns or some book I read or interview on television. It means it isn't taken as seriously, and for many people it IS a serious issue.
In the same boat, when I first went Gluten Free. My friends and family were so confused. I got snotty comments that I was following some trend diet. When I got better. My color returned. My random stomach episodes stopped, they now understand.
I think it is so underdiagnosed, so when people try the diet they start to feel better. It is not for everyone. The only weight thing that ever happened with me, I got better so I could exercise again. GF foods are higher in calories.0 -
Whether or not it is a fad, it is not like fat free unless the food manufactures start making gluten free foods that are worse for us than the original!
It isn't like fat free unless people start thinking "well, it is gluten free, so it must be good for me!"
Hopefully, we have come far enough to avoid going through all that again, but folks like day fixes and industry likes money.
Unfortunately, I think this has already happened. Gluten-free junk food is everywhere now. It's still junk food.0 -
Yes, the only people who need gluten free are those with celic disease. High calorie food, high carbohydrates is high calorie food no matter what it is called.0
-
Wheat Belly is full of half-truths and speculation. It is not backed by rigorous scientific experiment.
Read this:
http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.ca/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html
Ha ha :laugh: Don't use blogspot as a source for reliable info.
I have no postition on gluten. Well, except I only have it once a week. But, blogspot is not a resource. Anyone can say anything in a blog or book. Doesn't make it so.
I have to agree with you there. I'm going strictly on my personal experience. I won't say going wheat free increased my weight loss. I've been stalled for quite some time since I haven't been moving enough. However, the other health benefits I mentioned previously are true.0 -
Wheat Belly is full of half-truths and speculation. It is not backed by rigorous scientific experiment.
Read this:
http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.ca/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html
Ha ha :laugh: Don't use blogspot as a source for reliable info.
I have no postition on gluten. Well, except I only have it once a week. But, blogspot is not a resource. Anyone can say anything in a blog or book. Doesn't make it so.
I'll use any link I would like thanks.
The link is not a scientific journal but explains quite well where Davis speculated and was intellectually dishonest.
It also gives cites to the journals in question which Davis misquotes.0 -
I am opting to go gluten free from my own observations of my symptoms (which I won't go into here as it's somewhat indelicate!) I can say I feel better for it and my symptoms are now reduced. I'm not a coeliac but would definately say I'm gluten intolerant. I can cope with small amounts occasionally but it sort of 'builds up' and I certainly know when I've eaten too much!0
-
I have Celiac disease and am completely baffled that someone would choose to give up gluten completely without medical reasons. Have you never eaten a good bagel?! Oh, what I would give.
On the other side, more people eating GF as a fad means more companies producing GF food - a delicious upside for me.0 -
I have Celiac disease and am completely baffled that someone would choose to give up gluten completely without medical reasons. Have you never eaten a good bagel?! Oh, what I would give.
On the other side, more people eating GF as a fad means more companies producing GF food - a delicious upside for me.
This
I would cut someone for a donut.0 -
I have Celiac disease and am completely baffled that someone would choose to give up gluten completely without medical reasons. Have you never eaten a good bagel?! Oh, what I would give.
On the other side, more people eating GF as a fad means more companies producing GF food - a delicious upside for me.
This
I would cut someone for a donut.
So...make a grain-free doughnut? I make them occasionally for my family; my kids prefer them to regular ones and they don't jack my bG up so I can enjoy one too. 0 -
Totally.
Hot buttered baguette for me with a lovely bowl of homemade tomato soup and I am quite literally in heaven.
Alas... 0 -
Yes and no.
There is a massive amount of evidence to suggest that many people, while not victim to full-blown celiac, are gluten INTOLERANT. Gluten intolerance is often undetectable until the slow harm to the digestive tract results in seemingly unrelated health issues.
Because so many people are likely to be gluten intolerant, doctors began suggesting a gluten-free trial as a first attempt at a cure for many "mystery problems" like skin issues, hair loss, fatigue, etc.
Of course, when a gluten-free lifestyle helped a large number of patients, those happy people took to the web with their newfound "miracle cure", not knowing exactly what they were touting and why it works. Now, with a mass of (often inaccurate) information at the fingertips of the uneducated, we have a full-blown fad!
THE TRUTH: If you are having health issues, speak to your DOCTOR and find out of gluten intolerance is a possible diagnosis for you. DO NOT DIAGNOSE YOURSELF AND EMBARK ON A NEW "DIET" BECAUSE YOU SAW A POST BY SALLY69 ON MYFITNESSPAL.COM!0 -
I have Celiac disease and am completely baffled that someone would choose to give up gluten completely without medical reasons. Have you never eaten a good bagel?! Oh, what I would give.
On the other side, more people eating GF as a fad means more companies producing GF food - a delicious upside for me.
This
I would cut someone for a donut.
So...make a grain-free doughnut? I make them occasionally for my family; my kids prefer them to regular ones and they don't jack my bG up so I can enjoy one too.
It is not the same as a hot Krispy Kreme donut.
Tomato soup sounds great too with a grilled cheese sandwich.0 -
Yes, it is a fad for many, but not all people. Every couple of years, someone comes up with a diet that cuts out an entire food group. The difference in this case is, there actually are people who need to be gluten free. So one good thing about this diet fad is that people who need to be gluten free for medical reasons should have an easier time of it getting products, or even restaurant food now.0
-
Definitely a fad. People see packets saying 'organic' or 'gluten free' or 'vegan' and they instantly think it's healthy and diet food.
Hint: I know a vegan who eats gluten free, organic, vegan cheesecake and they're fat.0 -
If you have a gluten allergy, no.
If you don't have a gluten allergy, yes.0 -
No one is exactly sure why the increase in food related allergies is happening.
Most likely because people with the allergies are surviving (thanks to modern medicine) and going on to have kids with those allergies. It's similar to people who have a penicillin allergy. No one knew I had it until a doctor's prescription of it caused me to go into anaphylactic shock and nearly choke to death.0 -
There are people who legitimately have to eat gluten free for health reasons. However, I think that marketers and food companies took the term "gluten-free", created a marketing buzzword, put out misleading information to the general public and started marketing gluten free food to people who don't actually need it so they (the food companies) can make more money. I hate that they did this because when people get tired of the "fad" then it will be at the expense of those who have to eat gluten free foods.0
-
I lost a lot of weight without trying (without working out, and removing gluten being the only dietary change) when I went gluten free... But that's because gluten triggers my hypothyroid. I wouldn't be gluten-free if I didn't have to be. It actually annoys me when people call it a "diet", because that implies that it is a fad, or something to try short-term... My daughter also has a gluten allergy (breaks out in a rash and has horrible constipation when she has gluten), and I've had people ask when she'll outgrow it, or when I'll "finally" give her gluten. Like many sensitivities, it's misunderstood as being what's popular, rather than what's necessary.
I've actually heard people say that gluten-free foods (like breads, cookies, etc) "don't count" or are "healthy" just because they're gluten-free. Well, pure sugar is gluten free, but I certainly wouldn't recommend eating it by the spoonful. LOL Gluten-free items have starch and carbs and sugar and other things that will make people gain weight... So when I look at weight loss, it's not the same to me as being gluten free. I can gain weight or maintain a higher weight, while still being gluten-free. So to me, weight loss and gluten-free are two separate categories.
That said, I think in general, most Americans consume too many grains. we simply don't need as many grains as most people are consuming (average is about 10 servings a day, when we really only need about 4-5 servings a day). And I actually think that has more to do with portion size and not knowing what a real serving is (ie, one slice of bread is one serving, as opposed to the assumption that two slices is one serving). But I think that could be a whole other subject.
On the whole, most people are just fine with wheat and other glutinous grains, in moderation (just like any other food group--all in moderation). But for some people, like me and my daughter, it affects much more than just weight.0 -
I think people that go gluten free just to do it are silly. If there's a medical reason, I don't consider it a fad. It does help a lot of people. A lot of people have diseases and disorders that cause them to be intolerant to gluten.
I so agree with this. It helps me -- but I still eat gluten because the "disruptions" are minor in comparison to my enjoyment of homemade bread. I don't get people who cut out when they don't have a medical reason to -- just seems so unnecessarily restrictive.0 -
Definitely a fad. People see packets saying 'organic' or 'gluten free' or 'vegan' and they instantly think it's healthy and diet food.
Hint: I know a vegan who eats gluten free, organic, vegan cheesecake and they're fat.
Because it's STILL cheesecake! Junk food is junk food. Even the "healthy" versions of junk food.0 -
...and I've had people ask when she'll outgrow it, or when I'll "finally" give her gluten. Like many sensitivities, it's misunderstood as being what's popular, rather than what's necessary.
If she was allergic to peanuts would they ask when you were finally going to feed her peanuts??!!!0 -
we simply don't need as many grains as most people are consuming (average is about 10 servings a day, when we really only need about 4-5 servings a day).
Actually, we don't NEED ANY servings of grain. There's not a single nutrient in grains that you can't get from another food without all the insulin-spiking, inflamation-causing starch.0 -
Fad, unless diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac's0
-
Up until a month or two back I'd have said fad. Having suddenly become intolerant to oats and rye bread.... totally valid. Feeling bloated, sick, gassy and unable to eat is not fun!0
-
Yes and no. There are a lot of people who have legitimate medical issues that make them unable to digest it without severe medical reactions, and this seems to become more common with each generation (no clue why). But for people who don't have these issues to to go GF, yeah. Total fad with no benefit at all.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions