Going Gluten Free? good choice?

2

Replies

  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • 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.
  • Yeah! My mom is lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant. She was diagnosed with both of those when she got older!
  • whamann1
    whamann1 Posts: 40 Member
    I never really had any issues with gluten, no bloating, no pain...nothing except losing weight was always really difficult for me: slow and frustrating. I cut out gluten and dairy and the weight started dropping off even though I am still eating the same amount of calories. It was a healthy choice for me.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    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.

    Did you read the link Joy posted? That is from a gluten free blog that is in now way "anti-gluten free" but provides some genuine info. It was given to me by a friend who is a registered dietician.
    http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/5-signs-your-gluten-allergy-is-fake-2/


    Get tested. Gluten intolerance/sensitivities are not as common as people like to make it out to be and flaunting it about like a fad diet demeans those with serious issues to gluten.
  • whamann1
    whamann1 Posts: 40 Member
    Perhaps, but let's not be haters. If a particular way of looking at food is helping someone on their journey to health, then more power to them. I don't necessarily need to agree with their logic in order to be supportive and happy for them.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    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.

    Words of wisdom. I l'ove' the fact that people think that being gluten free will help with the weight loss. I'm a coeliac and have been for over 20 years but still managed to put on over 100lbs.

    I also cant have eggs, soya or diary lus a bunch of other stuff but still can go over my calories very easily.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Perhaps, but let's not be haters. If a particular way of looking at food is helping someone on their journey to health, then more power to them. I don't necessarily need to agree with their logic in order to be supportive and happy for them.

    Um, the OP asked if it was a good choice. She was open opinions from both sides and that is what she got.

    I don't see haters. I see people answering the OP's question.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I never really had any issues with gluten, no bloating, no pain...nothing except losing weight was always really difficult for me: slow and frustrating. I cut out gluten and dairy and the weight started dropping off even though I am still eating the same amount of calories. It was a healthy choice for me.

    When I found out I was soy intolerant, and when I cut processed sugar almost completely out due to a known sensitivity (I am lactose intolerant as well), weight began to drop off. Food sensitivity/intolerances can cause lots of problems.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    People in the western world can certainly do with less wheat gluten. To eat a wider variety of grains, less processed food can't hurt. You could see whether your symptoms happen with all gluten or just wheat. People are able to be allergic to wheat without anaphylaxis. Sometimes there are other issues with the bowels that mean things like gluten or dairy seem to upset it more and then cutting gluten or dairy out will help, but not solve the initial problem. So your doctor should really be your first point of call.
  • IF you are gluten intolerant, please take the advice of the others above who tell you to keep the gluten in your diet until you are tested. You want the tests to be accurate so that you know for sure.

    If you are intolerant, then I am sorry that you have been dealing with it. I had severe IBS and thought my problem was gluten. Turns out after all sorts of blood tests and the wonderful culposcopy/endoscopy/colonoscopy tests, it wasn't gluten at all. It was obesity and stress that was causing GERD. When I lost weight and changed things at work, my IBS subsided. When I gained weight again, the IBS came back. For me it was all about the mass quantity of everything I could shove in my mouth, and my body trying to digest far more food than it wanted to consume. Overeating made me sick.

    When it comes to your situation, the person who can best offer you advice on how to live gluten free is your mother because she is closest to you and can answer questions more readily than we can. Strangers on the internet can't really offer a whole lot of guidance for the day to day, whereas, she can.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    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.

    If I had a choice between being unnecessarily gluten-free or unnecessarily low-fat, I'd pick the former any day. No real negatives to the former.
  • I agree with the other respondents. There’s no need to go gluten-free unless you are truly intolerant or have Celiac Disease. Get with your healthcare provider and determine if there are foods that are causing problems for you. Gluten is wheat, rye and barley. These shouldn’t be cut from the diet unless they need to be.

    Get an exclusive look at Lisa's new book STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! at www.stopthediet.com and visit Lisa Tillinger Johansen at www.consultthedietitian.com on Facebook at Lisa Tillinger Johansen and on Twitter @LisaTJohansen
  • 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.)

    You can also get tested by enterolab.com and just pay out of pocket for a stool test. The gold standard for testing for celiac is a biopsy your doctor has to order. But you can find out if you have celiac or other gluten sensitive genes through enterolabs. If you find you have one or two celiac genes, then you know you will need to get tested further.
  • Saramelie
    Saramelie Posts: 308 Member
    I think i'm gluten intolerant. I want to go on a gluten free diet! Can anyone give me some advice on this diet? or any suggestions? I'm completely new to this! I'm eighteen and in college.

    The only advice I would give you is to STAY AWAY from ``gluten free products`` because they are usually filled with CRAP. So go toward REAL food (aka, no wrappers, no boxes....)
  • gabrielleelliott90
    gabrielleelliott90 Posts: 854 Member
    Bad choice. Apparently it has more calories or something like that. I read it awhile back.
  • Check out "Wheat Belly," by William Davis .

    Or don't, because it's ridiculous...

    QFT
  • 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.

    That isn't an actual symptom of celiac disorder.
  • Crohns2013
    Crohns2013 Posts: 57 Member
    Bad choice. Apparently it has more calories or something like that. I read it awhile back.


    It's because GF replacements are made mostly of starches (arrowroot, potato, tapioca etc)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    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.

    This.

    I know a young lady who said she eats gluten free and I asked her if she liked it. She said, "No, but I have celiac disease and I have to avoid gluten." She explained how the gluten free diet is horrible.

    Going gluten free is not all roses and IS NOT the answer for weight control.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    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.

    That isn't an actual symptom of celiac disorder.

    Actually it can be - I used to get hypoglycemic before diagnosis which would cause dizzy spells. Also coeliacs causes malnourishment and many vitamin/mineral deficiencies can give you such symptoms. Plus many of undiagnosed coeliacs suffer from chronic diarrhoea and this in itself can casue problems through dehydration

    Plus your body has an autoimmune response to gluten which along side destroying the villi in the gut can have other symptoms such as a fever, dizzy spells and such like.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Perhaps, but let's not be haters. If a particular way of looking at food is helping someone on their journey to health, then more power to them. I don't necessarily need to agree with their logic in order to be supportive and happy for them.

    Haters? That's a strong word. Nobody is displaying hateful behavior in this thread.

    However, there is inaccurate information being handed out.