Going Gluten Free? good choice?

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  • eclipse75048
    eclipse75048 Posts: 8 Member
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    Take a look at a ketogenic diet... here are some links to get you started on your research:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet
    http://www.reddit.com/r/theketodiet
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    If you think you have a problem with it, before you change your diet, see a physician about getting tested. The reason I say this is because if you DO have a problem with it and you cut the gluten out on your own first, it'll give a false negative on the tests. I figured out I had an issue with white flour about 15 years ago (bloating and skin issues - both of which went away when I cut the flour out.). When I finally got tested 2 years ago, the biopsy came up clean. The logic is that I wasn't eating the wheat, so nothing was inflamed. I wasn't about to gorge on pizza just to tick off my system in order to test positive.

    I advise getting tested for additional reasons:

    1) If you ARE diagnosed, you can claim the GF items on your taxes. No official (from a physician) diagnosis, no deduction.
    https://www.celiac.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=207

    2) Gluten-free can get really expensive if you do try to include "normal" things, like a bagel or a piece of bread for a sandwich. My four gluten-free bagels cost me $5.89, whereas 8 Lender's bagels cost something like $1.29. I pay $4.49 for a single box of mac and cheese (so it's a treat, not a regular part of my diet).

    3) Giving up gluten when you don't have to, will make your life more difficult than it needs to be. You'll have to start reading labels for EVERYTHING. Things like getting a burger on a bun are out of the question 99% of the time. Morningstar veggie burgers? Nope. Soy sauce? No can do. Pizza? Good luck with that. A malted milkshake? Not in this lifetime. (Malt is not GF) Birthday cake in the office? Nada. Chicken parmesan? That yummy warm roll that the waitress brings out with the cinnamon butter? Naan in an Indian restaurant? Kiss them all goodbye.

    It's a pain in the butt lifestyle that I don't wish on anyone. So, I recommend getting tested. Maybe you'll be fine and it'll point to something else that your system isn't reacting well to. If after you get tested, you want to do an elimination diet for 30 days to see if you have a sensitivity (as some people do), you'll at least know where you tolerances / thresholds are.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    I think everyone can benefit from eliminating or cutting down on gluten.

    Because.....

    Utter nonsense.

    Op go to the dr. Going gluten free is an entire lifestyle change and shouldn't be done just because its a current fad or you'll think you'll lose weight. People with true gluten intolerance suffer clear symptoms. There are no real benefits to going gluten free if you are not truly intolerant, which few people are.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I think i'm gluten intolerant.

    If you're gluten intolerant, there's no "thinking" about it, you know for sure.

    There's nothing wrong with reducing/eliminating gluten from your diet if it helps you meet your goals, but the odds of it being *necessary* for you are really quite small.

    Gluten-free is the new low-fat.
  • running_free_1984
    running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
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    I'm telling you to educate yourself on what the symptoms of gluten intolerance are and what gluten is because it doesn't sound like you know the basics yet. You're asking if going gluten-free is a good choice. If you're gluten-intolerant, it's pretty much the ony choice, really. If you're not gluten-intolerant, it's a very difficult way to live.

    +1

    true coeliacs is a massive lifestyle change and absolutely a difficult way to live. My mum has had it for ten years and its still a struggle for her. She misses foods with gluten in them. I feel terrible if i eat anything with gluten in it in front of her and if she does eat any by accident (even slight contamination) she is really sick.

    get a blood test to see if the antibodies are present
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Why do you think you're gluten intolerant? Really, a very, very small percentage of the population truly is...it's just that going "gluten free" is all the rage and very trendy right now. You get no benefit from going gluten free if you don't truly have an allergy. I'm with others here...you need to see a doctor if you think you're gluten intolerant.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    It's a pain in the rear to be GF, but if it clears up your health problems it's worth it. I spent over a decade in misery before discovering intolerances to eggs, casein (milk protein) and gluten. My symptoms included nausea, vomiting, alternating diarrhea AND constipation, bloating, and pain after eating. I lost a lot of weight (not in a good way) and developed severe anxiety. During this time I had not yet heard of gluten being a problem - it wasn't a "thing" yet. I was diagnosed with IBS. My doctor ran tons of tests and although I am not celiac, found that my digestive tract was inflamed. He had me try an elimination diet. It took a few weeks to start healing and feeling healthy, but I'm great, now. My IBS is a thing of the past. If eliminating gluten helps, then do it. Gluten isn't necessary to life. But otherwise, don't bother - it's a terrible inconvenience. :flowerforyou:

    P.S. I don't find GF to be expensive AT ALL, just inconvenient. I don't buy any of those processed GF products. I cook most of my food from scratch, and I'm not the type to eat out.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
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    I think i'm gluten intolerant.

    If you're gluten intolerant, there's no "thinking" about it, you know for sure.

    This is not necessarily true unless you do an elimination diet or get tested for allergies/intolerances. You may know that "something" is making you feel ill or trashing your insides, but you don't know for sure whether it's dairy or gluten or something else until you test in some way (blood test, skin test and/or elimination diet). GI symptoms or general "malaise" can also be due to a number of other things not necessarily related to food intolerance.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I think i'm gluten intolerant.

    If you're gluten intolerant, there's no "thinking" about it, you know for sure.

    This is not necessarily true unless you do an elimination diet or get tested for allergies/intolerances. You may know that "something" is making you feel ill or trashing your insides, but you don't know for sure whether it's dairy or gluten or something else until you test in some way (blood test, skin test and/or elimination diet). GI symptoms or general "malaise" can also be due to a number of other things not necessarily related to food intolerance.

    Agreed. Since gluten is in most processed foods and it's such a huge part of the typical person's every meal, it's hard to know exactly why you feel like death after you eat. You just know it's awful but you don't know why...
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    I think everyone can benefit from eliminating or cutting down on gluten.

    I totally agree. We don't need gluten to survive.... just like cutting out artificial sweeteners
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Hey there. If you have insurance, do get the testing done before you cut out any gluten. The tests are not accurate if you've already eliminated gluten.

    Some people with Celiac's can show very mild symptoms. Some people have no idea they have it. (Others who do have Celiacs DO know it's a big problem for them. But a person not having that severity of symptoms doesn't mean gluten isn't a problem. I once read a study that showed that people with mild symptoms have more long-term trouble than those with severe symptoms. Those who have severe symptoms don't cheat. Those with mild do and over time do worse damage to their bodies.)

    Your post didn't really tell us enough to know whether or not gluten is a possible problem. Living gluten-free is a pain. It's not something to do if you don't need to. If you decide to try the diet without going to the doctor first, try a control couple of weeks. Track your intake, your mood, your energy, your levels of pain, any digestive symptoms. You'll still be a bit biased when tracking, but it's better than nothing. Track again once you eliminate gluten and then compare the results.

    I recently accidentally ate gluten but only one bite, so I forgot about it. The next day, I had stabbing pains in my lower stomach every couple of hours. I'm hoping that will be enough to tamper down on any cheating cravings. It's really inconvenient to not be able to eat gluten.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    I think everyone can benefit from eliminating or cutting down on gluten.

    I totally agree. We don't need gluten to survive.... just like cutting out artificial sweeteners

    We don't need lots of things to survive - that doesn't mean we should cut them out if they aren't a problem for us.

    Sigh :noway:
  • Guinivere
    Guinivere Posts: 357 Member
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    I have never tested as gluten intolerant, but when I eat it I get dizzy and lightheaded. I certainly don't think you have to test positive on a celiac test to know that gluten isn't good for your body. I agree with people who said to do some research about gluten etc. There are a lot of people who think gluten isn't good for anyone, I tend to fall into that category, but it all depends on what you believe. I would say to try at least 2 weeks avoiding all gluten and then reintroduce it and see what your body does and how it responds. I never realized the effect certain food had on me until I eliminated them and reintroduced...it's amazing the things your body will tell you.

    This. Me too. Food trial is the best way to go.. The celiac test costs about £130 so they won't just order it for everyone. You have to be already sure it is a problem. You might find that lactose is a problem too as the intolerance for that go hand in hand with gluten for some people.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    Before going gluten-free get a proper medical diagnosis. Most people will not benefit of going gluten-free unless they have Celiac Disease/a strong intolerance to gluten. Your doctor should be able to provide you with appropriate information instead of relying on people peddling all sort of expensive gluten-free options, which may not help you at all with your health,

    This. As a diagnosed celiac, I never tell anyone to go GF without a diagnosis. It is a hard change and an expensive one. I felt better within 2.5 days so I stick with it, but it is not easy and I wouldn't recommend it.
  • tennisfan77
    tennisfan77 Posts: 10 Member
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    Gluten free is a great diet. Very healthy, and it helps if you need to lose weight. I recommend that you read Wheat Belly by William Davis before you begin. Although the book has some recipes, if you are serious about going gluten free then you should also read the Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis. I lost about 13 pounds since mid June by going gluten free.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    Gluten free is a great diet. Very healthy, and it helps if you need to lose weight. I recommend that you read Wheat Belly by William Davis before you begin. Although the book has some recipes, if you are serious about going gluten free then you should also read the Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis. I lost about 13 pounds since mid June by going gluten free.

    No, you lost weight by eating less calories than your body burns.

    Gluten free is not a magic method for weight loss - you're just cutting out lots of food and not replacing those calories. You can have a very heathly diet including gluten.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Gluten free is a great diet. Very healthy, and it helps if you need to lose weight. I recommend that you read Wheat Belly by William Davis before you begin. Although the book has some recipes, if you are serious about going gluten free then you should also read the Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis. I lost about 13 pounds since mid June by going gluten free.

    No, you lost weight by eating less calories than your body burns.

    Gluten free is not a magic method for weight loss - you're just cutting out lots of food and not replacing those calories. You can have a very heathly diet including gluten.

    Agreed. Please stop spreading that BS Davis likes to call 'science'. It's hugely manipulated and factually wrong. And just plain stupid.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Gluten free is a great diet. Very healthy, and it helps if you need to lose weight. I recommend that you read Wheat Belly by William Davis before you begin. Although the book has some recipes, if you are serious about going gluten free then you should also read the Wheat Belly Cookbook by William Davis. I lost about 13 pounds since mid June by going gluten free.

    No, you lost weight by eating less calories than your body burns.

    Gluten free is not a magic method for weight loss - you're just cutting out lots of food and not replacing those calories. You can have a very heathly diet including gluten.

    Agreed. Please stop spreading that BS Davis likes to call 'science'. It's hugely manipulated and factually wrong. And just plain stupid.

    Agreed with the two above
  • Sozu
    Sozu Posts: 18 Member
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    I've been gluten intolerant since I were very small (just a few years old).
    If you think you might be gluten intolerant, go talk with the doctors and let them check it up.

    Gluten food ain't no need really, you can live without it. There are also lots of gluten-free options.
  • nohateloseweight
    nohateloseweight Posts: 6 Member
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    I have researched gluten free living and for those of you who suggest reading wheat belly I also have already done that (: for those of you asking why I think I am gluten intolerant is because I possess a lot of the symptoms that come with being intolerant. also my mom is gluten intolerant and she's noticed that I've been having difficulties with gluten and she is going to take me to get checked out. this isn't some fad I want to do, it's just I've begun to notice how negatively my body reacts when I eat gluten.

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