Gluten allergies are a farce?

As someone who was diagnosed quite some time ago with celiac disease (17 years now), seeing it become "trendy" to avoid gluten (as apart from people with sensitivy) is sort of interesting to me. The accompanying backlash is also interesting. And concerning.

Celiac groups have tried for many years to get accommodation in food stores, restaurants and the public consciousness for the disease and have succeeded admirably. I have read reports, though, where people claiming to accommodate those with gluten issues were merely paying lip service to the issue because of the perception that so many out there claiming a problem with gluten were really just being snowflakes about the whole thing. This is all a bit of the backlash that I find troubling. This presents a bit of a minefield situation for someone with celiac.

It's concerning when a very real health issue for you (and those of you with genuine sensitivity, I believe you) gets lost in the wave of skepticism directed at the latest fad diet craze.

mamapeach910 wrote: »

As someone who was diagnosed quite some time ago with celiac disease (17 years now), seeing it become "trendy" to avoid gluten (as apart from people with sensitivy) is sort of interesting to me. The accompanying backlash is also interesting. And concerning.

Celiac groups have tried for many years to get accommodation in food stores, restaurants and the public consciousness for the disease and have succeeded admirably. I have read reports, though, where people claiming to accommodate those with gluten issues were merely paying lip service to the issue because of the perception that so many out there claiming a problem with gluten were really just being snowflakes about the whole thing. This is all a bit of the backlash that I find troubling. This presents a bit of a minefield situation for someone with celiac.

It's concerning when a very real health issue for you (and those of you with genuine sensitivity, I believe you) gets lost in the wave of skepticism directed at the latest fad diet craze.

What bugs me, too, is the perception from restaurants that a person is just being a snowflake. Even "full-blown" Celiac doesn't always have instant reactions (especially for those who are newly-diagnosed and still learning how to eliminate gluten from their diets, and so haven't been off gluten for very long, if at all; in such cases, the brain is still desensitized to the distress signals the body is sending and/or they haven't yet associated a given symptom with gluten ingestion). This can appear to someone who only sees them for a grand total of an hour that they're faking it or just following a trend, but the customer is paying dearly for it sometime after leaving the restaurant in one way or another.

In my opinion, the reasons don't and shouldn't matter for why a person is asking for gluten-free options. The requests should be respected to the best of the restaurant's ability.

Re: the original premise of "if it's not Celiac, it's not real" -- The issue I have with that is that Celiac is defined quite narrowly. Specifically, villus atrophy (the breakdown of the nutrient-absorbing constructs in the intestine) is considered a hallmark of the disease and is a key to diagnosing it. Additionally, they only test for one or two of the immune response cells that are consistent with Celiac (ie - most people that have tested positive for these have Celiac), but they don't test the others. Did you know that there are 5 different types of antibodies that the body creates, depending on how it perceives the threat? The current test for Celiac -- and the mindset that if you tested negative, then your issues don't really exist -- is like saying that because the Navy hasn't been deployed, we're not actually at war (even though the Marines, Air Force, and Army have been deployed), and there's nothing going on.

Diabetes is diagnosed by a threshold. Prior to that threshold, you can be at various stages of "at risk" and your doctor will advise you to take certain actions depending on your risk level. Additionally, not everyone who is Diabetic is insulin dependent. Likewise, early stages of Hashimoto's involve both hyper and hypothyroid episodes, before the thyroid gives out entirely. Nearly every illness and disorder has a certain "scale" or "spectrum" upon which an individual can fall, where symptom and severity can vary between any two people. Why, then, is Celiac and its related issues seen as this neat and tidy box, requiring a few, very specific symptoms (namely, GI symptoms, even though a large percentage suffer neurological, dental, and dermatological issues and don't actually have much in the way of GI issues), and the presence of one or two specific antibodies or it "doesn't exist"? It's one thing to say "we use this because it's the best we have." It's a completely different matter to say "this is the only thing there is or needs to be, and if you don't test positive on it, then everything you're feeling is just in your head." (What a way to drive people away from doctors, let me tell you.)

Dragonwolf wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

As someone who was diagnosed quite some time ago with celiac disease (17 years now), seeing it become "trendy" to avoid gluten (as apart from people with sensitivy) is sort of interesting to me. The accompanying backlash is also interesting. And concerning.

Celiac groups have tried for many years to get accommodation in food stores, restaurants and the public consciousness for the disease and have succeeded admirably. I have read reports, though, where people claiming to accommodate those with gluten issues were merely paying lip service to the issue because of the perception that so many out there claiming a problem with gluten were really just being snowflakes about the whole thing. This is all a bit of the backlash that I find troubling. This presents a bit of a minefield situation for someone with celiac.

It's concerning when a very real health issue for you (and those of you with genuine sensitivity, I believe you) gets lost in the wave of skepticism directed at the latest fad diet craze.

What bugs me, too, is the perception from restaurants that a person is just being a snowflake. Even "full-blown" Celiac doesn't always have instant reactions (especially for those who are newly-diagnosed and still learning how to eliminate gluten from their diets, and so haven't been off gluten for very long, if at all; in such cases, the brain is still desensitized to the distress signals the body is sending and/or they haven't yet associated a given symptom with gluten ingestion). This can appear to someone who only sees them for a grand total of an hour that they're faking it or just following a trend, but the customer is paying dearly for it sometime after leaving the restaurant in one way or another.

In my opinion, the reasons don't and shouldn't matter for why a person is asking for gluten-free options. The requests should be respected to the best of the restaurant's ability.

Re: the original premise of "if it's not Celiac, it's not real" -- The issue I have with that is that Celiac is defined quite narrowly. Specifically, villus atrophy (the breakdown of the nutrient-absorbing constructs in the intestine) is considered a hallmark of the disease and is a key to diagnosing it. Additionally, they only test for one or two of the immune response cells that are consistent with Celiac (ie - most people that have tested positive for these have Celiac), but they don't test the others. Did you know that there are 5 different types of antibodies that the body creates, depending on how it perceives the threat? The current test for Celiac -- and the mindset that if you tested negative, then your issues don't really exist -- is like saying that because the Navy hasn't been deployed, we're not actually at war (even though the Marines, Air Force, and Army have been deployed), and there's nothing going on.

Diabetes is diagnosed by a threshold. Prior to that threshold, you can be at various stages of "at risk" and your doctor will advise you to take certain actions depending on your risk level. Additionally, not everyone who is Diabetic is insulin dependent. Likewise, early stages of Hashimoto's involve both hyper and hypothyroid episodes, before the thyroid gives out entirely. Nearly every illness and disorder has a certain "scale" or "spectrum" upon which an individual can fall, where symptom and severity can vary between any two people. Why, then, is Celiac and its related issues seen as this neat and tidy box, requiring a few, very specific symptoms (namely, GI symptoms, even though a large percentage suffer neurological, dental, and dermatological issues and don't actually have much in the way of GI issues), and the presence of one or two specific antibodies or it "doesn't exist"? It's one thing to say "we use this because it's the best we have." It's a completely different matter to say "this is the only thing there is or needs to be, and if you don't test positive on it, then everything you're feeling is just in your head." (What a way to drive people away from doctors, let me tell you.)

Quite true. My little granddaughter has some kind of a problem with gluten. The first tiny bit that she gets causes her to break out in an itchy rash but then it goes on to stomach cramps and nausea and progresses to projectile vomiting and diarrhea. Her other grandma thought that my daughter was being a "health nut" and gave the little one some toast that made her very ill. My daughter was furious. But after a royal scolding from my son-in-law, she saw the light and is very conscious of what food items have gluten. My little granddaughter has learned to ask, "Is this gluten-free?" Sad that some people would endanger the health of others through carelessness or even being obtuse. There was a young girl who died in Toronto a few years ago because she had a very severe dairy allergy and the cafeteria worker apparently didn't believe her when she asked if some food item had dairy in it (it had margarine in it I think--margarine typically has dairy whey in it). I don't know if she didn't have her epi-pen with her or what. But anyway, by the time that the paramedics were called, it was too late. Her mom started a campaign to have school workers trained to handle food sensitivity reactions.

BFDeal wrote: »

Well that just makes you at the least uninformed. Don't jump on the contempt for people claiming coeliac disease bandwagon no matter how fashionable it is right now. It isn't scientifically valid.

herrspoons wrote: »

Coeliac disease is very real and has a clear aetiology. Gluten sensitivity is a spectrum of disorders, and includes coeliac. Wheat allergy is not gluten sensitivity, but a separate group of conditions.

Most people have none of these conditions, sensitivities, or diseases.

But don't you see? The problem with being dismissive about "most people" particularly in response to the idiots out there jumping on the fad bandwagon is the risk of dismissing those of use who aren't "most people" who have a legitimate diagnosis.

I've been at the gluten-free game for a loooooooooong time. It is really quite frustrating to see gains that have been made in the public consciousness being wiped out by intolerance to idiots. Why can't people ignore the idiots and just remember that there are quite a few people (certainly not most, but more than you'd think, actually) who do have a genuine issue with gluten?

Back when I was first diagnosed, it was so hard to get specialty products, and shopping was a minefield. Forget eating out. At least now, those of us who have a genuine problem have an easier time of things--at least when yahoos in restaurants aren't deciding to play fast and loose with gluten because they decide that everyone saying they need to avoid gluten is just making it up to jump onto the latest fad bandwagon.

I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy 30 years ago. I get huge hives, my airway closes, and I get digestive problems. But, I can eat rye and barley, which have gluten in them. So, I don't have a problem with gluten, but with wheat. I also get the same reactions to soy and corn. That allergy was also diagnosed many years ago.

"Already a $4.2 billion market, gluten-free foods are expected to have sales of more than $6.6 billion by 2017"
- Market researcher Packaged Facts

mamapeach910 wrote: »

herrspoons wrote: »

Coeliac disease is very real and has a clear aetiology. Gluten sensitivity is a spectrum of disorders, and includes coeliac. Wheat allergy is not gluten sensitivity, but a separate group of conditions.

Most people have none of these conditions, sensitivities, or diseases.

But don't you see? The problem with being dismissive about "most people" particularly in response to the idiots out there jumping on the fad bandwagon is the risk of dismissing those of use who aren't "most people" who have a legitimate diagnosis.

I've been at the gluten-free game for a loooooooooong time. It is really quite frustrating to see gains that have been made in the public consciousness being wiped out by intolerance to idiots. Why can't people ignore the idiots and just remember that there are quite a few people (certainly not most, but more than you'd think, actually) who do have a genuine issue with gluten?

Back when I was first diagnosed, it was so hard to get specialty products, and shopping was a minefield. Forget eating out. At least now, those of us who have a genuine problem have an easier time of things--at least when yahoos in restaurants aren't deciding to play fast and loose with gluten because they decide that everyone saying they need to avoid gluten is just making it up to jump onto the latest fad bandwagon.

I would disagree. I believe the bandwagon individuals who do not have a true sensitivity, allergy, or disease and only go GF because Oz or whoever else told them it's the "healthier" way to live are what adds to the disbelieve and dismissal of real issues. I have had many customers tell me they tell others they have an allergy because they want to make sure there are no mistakes with their food. That's fine; that's even understandable, but do you see where that can lead restaurant and service workers to believe that more than these few individuals are doing this? Those people are the problem, not those who don't believe all the time.

LexGN wrote: »

2 of my children have celiac disease. Trust me they are not just jumping on the bandwagon. they would love to eat like their friends, but they aren't tempted to cheat because of the intense pain and misery eating gluten causes them. My son also is a type 1 diabetic, and ends up in the hospital with low blood sugar and needing iv sugar when he accidently gets glutened. Its kind of a big deal. So please don't assume all the people eating gluten free are doing it because its a trend. My dr. also wants me to eat gluten free because of my Hypo thyroid...I'm on the fence...not enough research done on that to make me go gluten free completely, I have no symptoms of celiac, and I know them well. So there are Dr.s out there telling people they have gluten intolerence, (as mine has) when in fact not enough research has proven it to be true.

If you eat healthy, as most do, when you take out gluten, you are bound to feel better, but you can eat unhealthy and gluten free.

TRY IT for six months.. I'm off my synthroid with completely normal thyroid panel and I feel SO much better. I don't know if it's the gluten or the wheat or what because like you said there hasn't been enough research.. but frankly I DON'T CARE! All I know is that whatever I'm doing it's totally WORKING without strict adherence to being 100% wheat free... I just avoid all obvious sources of wheat and limit my other cereal grains to one or two small servings per day. Changed. My. Life.

mnricha927 wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

herrspoons wrote: »

Coeliac disease is very real and has a clear aetiology. Gluten sensitivity is a spectrum of disorders, and includes coeliac. Wheat allergy is not gluten sensitivity, but a separate group of conditions.

Most people have none of these conditions, sensitivities, or diseases.

But don't you see? The problem with being dismissive about "most people" particularly in response to the idiots out there jumping on the fad bandwagon is the risk of dismissing those of use who aren't "most people" who have a legitimate diagnosis.

I've been at the gluten-free game for a loooooooooong time. It is really quite frustrating to see gains that have been made in the public consciousness being wiped out by intolerance to idiots. Why can't people ignore the idiots and just remember that there are quite a few people (certainly not most, but more than you'd think, actually) who do have a genuine issue with gluten?

Back when I was first diagnosed, it was so hard to get specialty products, and shopping was a minefield. Forget eating out. At least now, those of us who have a genuine problem have an easier time of things--at least when yahoos in restaurants aren't deciding to play fast and loose with gluten because they decide that everyone saying they need to avoid gluten is just making it up to jump onto the latest fad bandwagon.

I would disagree. I believe the bandwagon individuals who do not have a true sensitivity, allergy, or disease and only go GF because Oz or whoever else told them it's the "healthier" way to live are what adds to the disbelieve and dismissal of real issues. I have had many customers tell me they tell others they have an allergy because they want to make sure there are no mistakes with their food. That's fine; that's even understandable, but do you see where that can lead restaurant and service workers to believe that more than these few individuals are doing this? Those people are the problem, not those who don't believe all the time.

Those people might be the problem, but if you're a business person who decides to be lax in your response to the gluten issue by treating something like cross-contamination or even gluten itself not seriously (there have been cases of passing off gluten-filled items as gluten-free on menus... then the problem for legitimate sufferers comes in the from people responding to the snowflakes, not from the snowflakes themselves.

_SKIM_ wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

mnricha927 wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

herrspoons wrote: »

Coeliac disease is very real and has a clear aetiology. Gluten sensitivity is a spectrum of disorders, and includes coeliac. Wheat allergy is not gluten sensitivity, but a separate group of conditions.

Most people have none of these conditions, sensitivities, or diseases.

But don't you see? The problem with being dismissive about "most people" particularly in response to the idiots out there jumping on the fad bandwagon is the risk of dismissing those of use who aren't "most people" who have a legitimate diagnosis.

I've been at the gluten-free game for a loooooooooong time. It is really quite frustrating to see gains that have been made in the public consciousness being wiped out by intolerance to idiots. Why can't people ignore the idiots and just remember that there are quite a few people (certainly not most, but more than you'd think, actually) who do have a genuine issue with gluten?

Back when I was first diagnosed, it was so hard to get specialty products, and shopping was a minefield. Forget eating out. At least now, those of us who have a genuine problem have an easier time of things--at least when yahoos in restaurants aren't deciding to play fast and loose with gluten because they decide that everyone saying they need to avoid gluten is just making it up to jump onto the latest fad bandwagon.

I would disagree. I believe the bandwagon individuals who do not have a true sensitivity, allergy, or disease and only go GF because Oz or whoever else told them it's the "healthier" way to live are what adds to the disbelieve and dismissal of real issues. I have had many customers tell me they tell others they have an allergy because they want to make sure there are no mistakes with their food. That's fine; that's even understandable, but do you see where that can lead restaurant and service workers to believe that more than these few individuals are doing this? Those people are the problem, not those who don't believe all the time.

Those people might be the problem, but if you're a business person who decides to be lax in your response to the gluten issue by treating something like cross-contamination or even gluten itself not seriously (there have been cases of passing off gluten-filled items as gluten-free on menus... then the problem for legitimate sufferers comes in the from people responding to the snowflakes, not from the snowflakes themselves.

Agree. If you advertise GF then it's good customer service to honour that regardless of whether or not you personally think the customer is on a bandwagon.

Similarly, when I was in the fast food industry, junior staff would accidentally fill an order with coke when the customer ordered diet coke and just shrug their shoulders and still try to give to the customer. I had to explain on numerous occasions that that customer might be diabetic and it wasn't to be fobbed off. I'm not diabetic, I don't know what's what with it for each customer but it doesn't matter. It's on the menu and they asked for it. Their reasons are none of my business.

I did not say that I do not honor the requests and I have never worked in a place where things like this were not taken seriously. I was merely pointing out that the "special snowflakes" may be the reason some people do not take real cases seriously. If all you see on a regular basis is the special snowflakes you start to see them as the norm. You start to wonder if there even is a problem. No, it is none of my business why you order a certain way, but don't tell the servers around you that you lie because it's easier. It demeans the issues for those who truly have them.

I have friends who have celiacs and friends who are highly sensitive to caffeine. I've also had to explain why you don't serve someone regular coffee if they ask for decaf.

Keep in mind also that you cannot have 100% guarantee that there was no contamination. You can do your best to make sure, but if you are so severely allergic to something that your life depends on it you had better not leave anything to chance. I know very well what precautions need to be taken, but I also have extensive experience in restaurants, both the FOH and the kitchen. When it gets busy and customers are frustrated because they ordered something special because, let's face it unless you go to a GF restaurant then whatever is ordered as GF will be considered a special menu item - not the norm - mistakes get made. When thirteen tables with 3-6 people at each one have an order that comes through in an eight minute time frame, people start to get a little flustered. It's human nature.
I have friends with these severe allergies and intolerances that choose to eat before they go out because they work in the industry and know how hard it can be to get everything just right without any problems during a dinner rush.

Just like with kcals and macros, unless you prepare and cook something yourself, you have no way of knowing.

I too did an elimination test. I was having horrible bloating, inflammation in my limbs, and gas. Getting rid of gluten was the only thing that helped. I don't pick and choose. I can tell the same day if I misunderstood whether something contained gluten as my symptoms returned. I buy gluten free breads and pancake/waffle mix, order gluten free if eating out, but otherwise, I just stick to veggies and lean protein. If I bake, I'll make it gluten free. As others have said, you just have to find what works for you and know your body.

SanteMulberry wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

Kelene616 wrote: »

I don't have celiac disease, but if I eat anything containing gluten I get hives. It's not a farce, and it bothers me when people say they are allergic when they really are just looking for an excuse, for whatever reason. It's very difficult having ths allergy. My hives are one step away from anaphylaxis.

Some celiacs get topical reactions to gluten. So clearly the body doesn't just react in one set way to an allergen or food sensitivity!

But as for myself, I stopped eating gluten 4-5 years ago and I feel much better without it. I first tried going dairy-free and this didn't change my painful bloating or gas. I also was doing these elimination diets more with the hope it'd clear up my acne (which it didn't) and wasn't really banking on some digestive improvements. I didn't even know what the symptoms of gluten allergy or sensitivity were when I did this.

So eh, YMMV.

About five or six years ago, many wheat growers were convinced by Monsanto that they should apply Roundup (Monsanto's name for their herbicide in which glyphosate is the major component) to their wheat crops. Even though wheat is not yet "Roundup-ready" (they are working on it) they apply the Roundup, shortly before harvest, in order to kill the wheat plants and more efficiently dry the wheat kernels on the stalk. While it saves a bit of money for the farmer, it means that there will be quite a lot of Roundup residue in the wheat. While the government has cleared glyphosate as "generally recognized as safe"--it may not be the glyphosate that is the problem in observed toxic reactions in animal studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25245870 (and possible human toxicity as well). There is a chemical called POE-15 that is added to the glyphosate in the herbicide and POE-15 has, so far, proved to be highly toxic to living cells. But glyphosate itself may not be as innocent as was once thought because further animal studies have determined that long-term exposure wreaks havoc with bowel flora among other undesirable effects: "Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, macrocytic anemia and depression. It is a multifactorial disease associated with numerous nutritional deficiencies as well as reproductive issues and increased risk to thyroid disease, kidney failure and cancer." You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/

Monsanto is pulling out all the stops in fighting those who are raising the alarm on the herbicide's pervasive use throughout the food supply. It is an extremely profitable product for them. They hire scientists to produce "positive" studies on its use and they hire individuals to post articles that negate its possible negative affects on health.

Mulberry, I was about type the same thing but you probably detailed it more clearly than I could have! Thank-you for posting this as most people don't know this. It is making everyone who consumes this round-up wheat (among other Monsanto crops) sick little by little and sometimes faster if someone already has health issues. This is very important info, folks!

Alleghany wrote: »

SanteMulberry wrote: »

ana3067 wrote: »

Kelene616 wrote: »

I don't have celiac disease, but if I eat anything containing gluten I get hives. It's not a farce, and it bothers me when people say they are allergic when they really are just looking for an excuse, for whatever reason. It's very difficult having ths allergy. My hives are one step away from anaphylaxis.

Some celiacs get topical reactions to gluten. So clearly the body doesn't just react in one set way to an allergen or food sensitivity!

But as for myself, I stopped eating gluten 4-5 years ago and I feel much better without it. I first tried going dairy-free and this didn't change my painful bloating or gas. I also was doing these elimination diets more with the hope it'd clear up my acne (which it didn't) and wasn't really banking on some digestive improvements. I didn't even know what the symptoms of gluten allergy or sensitivity were when I did this.

So eh, YMMV.

About five or six years ago, many wheat growers were convinced by Monsanto that they should apply Roundup (Monsanto's name for their herbicide in which glyphosate is the major component) to their wheat crops. Even though wheat is not yet "Roundup-ready" (they are working on it) they apply the Roundup, shortly before harvest, in order to kill the wheat plants and more efficiently dry the wheat kernels on the stalk. While it saves a bit of money for the farmer, it means that there will be quite a lot of Roundup residue in the wheat. While the government has cleared glyphosate as "generally recognized as safe"--it may not be the glyphosate that is the problem in observed toxic reactions in animal studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25245870 (and possible human toxicity as well). There is a chemical called POE-15 that is added to the glyphosate in the herbicide and POE-15 has, so far, proved to be highly toxic to living cells. But glyphosate itself may not be as innocent as was once thought because further animal studies have determined that long-term exposure wreaks havoc with bowel flora among other undesirable effects: "Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, macrocytic anemia and depression. It is a multifactorial disease associated with numerous nutritional deficiencies as well as reproductive issues and increased risk to thyroid disease, kidney failure and cancer." You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/

Monsanto is pulling out all the stops in fighting those who are raising the alarm on the herbicide's pervasive use throughout the food supply. It is an extremely profitable product for them. They hire scientists to produce "positive" studies on its use and they hire individuals to post articles that negate its possible negative affects on health.

Mulberry, I was about type the same thing but you probably detailed it more clearly than I could have! Thank-you for posting this as most people don't know this. It is making everyone who consumes this round-up wheat (among other Monsanto crops) sick little by little and sometimes faster if someone already has health issues. This is very important info, folks!

I honestly hope that what happens to me is only because of the herbicide, I won't know until I get tested for allergies or celiac but because I have to stop eliminating them for at least a few weeks before I can get accurately tested I have been putting it off for years. I will definitely look into this more. We've avoided anything that wasn't labeled GMO free and eaten mostly organic vegetables for a few years now to avoid things like that. I wonder if it's helped or if it explains why my reactions keep getting worse when I have them.