Wife wants to go Gluten Free

If your wife truly wants to go "gluten free" she is going to have to live her life as though she has celiacs. It's not a matter of just "no bread/wheat" etc. it's a matter of the hidden gluten in items. Carmel coloring for one. Also the way food is prepared in restaurants. She needs to make sure that the food is prepped differently from the other food at the restaurants. For example if she orders french fries are they fried in the same oil that they fry say breaded chicken in? If so then the breading contains gluten which can get on the fries. My sister has celiacs and it's a PITA for her to go out to eat for the most part. Not only that but she had to purchase separate cookware because she was getting sick from traces of gluten left in the pans that she used to cook meals for the rest of her family with.

I'm just saying that to go truly gluten free is a lot more than just taking out wheat and breads from ones diet.

I'm gluten free due to inflammation issues. It has not affected my boyfriend's eating habits at all. We live together. He eats cookies and cakes and pizza. I don't, or I eat gluten free alternatives.

I don't understand the issue.

if she is going gf just because she read the book, then tell her she might rethink it. many gf replacements are less.healthy and have.more.additives and even more expensive

if.its for.medical.reason, then support her.

I'm sorry.

I'm so, so sorry.

This is grounds for divorce.

This.

Honestly, I would try to convince her that it's excessive and unnecessary. It's faddish to say that gluten is the devil, unless you have an intolerance or allergy. There's no reason to restrict it. Can you appeal to logic/science with her? If my spouse was trying to do something faddish, I would try to show him how it's unnecessary.

If she's emotionally attached to the idea and logic won't bring her around, show her how your lifestyle is providing you with success. Work hard and your results will speak for themselves.

Chances are that she hasn't yet realized just how many things contain gluten and she'll give up on her own.

The fad, actually, is to add gluten to every single thing we eat. Gluten itself is unnecessary, not the desire to avoid it. Having said that, I do agree that restricting gluten completely isn't necessary, even if you have a non-Celiac intolerance to it (as I do). I restrict my grains and use gluten-free alternatives when I can but I certainly don't fret over the idea that my ketchup might have gluten in it. If my symptoms are reduced by semi-restricting gluten, then your wife's possible wheat belly will also see a difference with a semi-restriction. If she goes full boar crazy about it, perhaps use Google scholar to research this wheat-belly idea and show her the science behind the idea. It'll likely settle the craziness.

I love the things like water and fruit that say "gluten free"

I do not understand these things.

I assume they mean there is no possibility of cross-contamination.

I do a lot of our cooking, so hopefully that will help...although I didn't know about things like ketchup and bouillon having gluten. That's good to know.

She's done alright with losing weight too (she's also on MFP), but for as hard as she's worked and how she's hit her calorie goals for several months, she's disappointed that she hasn't done better. I'm pretty shocked as well because I've seen it first hand. She wants to give this a go to see if maybe gluten intake has something to do with this, and honestly I hope that we settle on a low/limited gluten diet, but I'm willing to do it to help her.

The idea of gluten free dinners doesn't sound too bad. She can be on her own for breakfast/lunch at work and I can do my own thing. Lots of good discussion here.

Women are rather prone to hormone disruptors than men are, so I'd definitely advise against the "my way worked for me, so it should work for you" tactic that was mentioned earlier, especially in light of this information. Even if she hasn't been diagnosed with anything, or she's been diagnosed with something seemingly unrelated, it's entirely possible that she is reacting to the gluten (or other proteins) in wheat and other grains. There's only one way to find out.

Provided you don't rely on replacing the gluten stuff with gluten-free products (ie - bread with gluten free bread, etc), then the gluten free dinners aren't that bad. Gluten-free products (or as I like to call them, "fake-wheat") are generally a road to failure, because there's a sort of expectation that they'll taste the same, and they won't, and as one person has mentioned, they're often worse for you in other aspects, such as the amount of sugar in them. Relying on fake-wheat will make for a miserable time, and it doesn't really need to be.

That said, gluten free doesn't have to affect you, except that you might be prompted to try something new (oh, the humanity! ).

That said, you guys should check out the various Paleo cookbooks and recipe sites, in addition to the usual gluten free ones. They'll be grain-free by default, and there's some awesome recipes, including homemade condiments and drinks, as well as ways to help heal the gut in the event that she is sensitive to gluten (for those that are sensitive, it can destroy the intestinal lining, leading to other issues).

I actually have celiac. OMG it sucks! I feel sorry for you. A few facts you might want to know: Gluten free foods have 1. more calories 2. more simple sugars 3. less fiber. The more calories and sugar is great when you are recovering from malnutrition from having actual celiac disease. Once you are gluten free and start to gain OVER it becomes a pain in the *kitten*. Eating out will virtually ensure that you are getting gluten even if they have a "gluten free menu". I cannot eat at restaurants I get sick. You just can't freaking believe how much crap has gluten in it. I can only eat certain dressings, soups, nuts, popcorn, yogurt, cottage cheese, hell the list is freaking endless. Fad diets suck and this is no exception. However, I do appreciate access to gluten free donuts and the like from these fad diets. Thank you.

I think it's funny that people say that going gluten free is a fad...It's actually becoming a very real thing for MANY, MANY people.

It's not that it's bad-it's that it's in nearly everything you eat...it's like saying-here is the same thing to eat every day...your body needs a variety and it gets just a few things because of how industrialized our food-like-products have become.

My advice...your wife shouldn't be too hard on herself if she isn't doesn't have celiacs, isn't sensitive, or allergic to gluten. But cutting it down/out will not hurt your body and she probably will see benefits. It's just a matter of are those benefits worth the really hard work it takes to avoid A LOT of food.

Have you considered she's going to get more attractive...

I have a friend who went wheat free after reading Wheat Belly and encouraged me to do the same. I didn't consider it until she told me how much better her hot flashes are. Since my hot flashes can start a forest fire, I tried it and wow! It really did make a difference for me.

So I avoid wheat (not perfectly) and milk products (allergic to cow's milk). My family eats just fine... They still have their regular bread and pizza crusts, while I use gluten free. I've also been experimenting with GF baking - let's just say they are good sports as I figure out what works and what doesn't... The only thing I had to promise was that I wouldn't mess with my recipe for homemade focaccia.

Planning to borrow a book from the library - a new GF cookbook from America's Test Kitchen (those wonderful folks that publish Cook's magazine). We'll see what good tips they share.