GLUTEN FREE

luv2eat2013
luv2eat2013 Posts: 428 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I SEE SO MANY ITEMS GLUTEN FREE IN THE SUPERMARKETS AND ADVERTISEMENTS ALL OVER. CAN ANYONE ENLIGHTEN ME ON ANY ADDITIOANL INFO OR SUCCESS STORIES OF GLUTEN FREE DIET?
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    People who are allergic to gluten have great success with using gluten-free items to avoid painful and harmful allergic reactions.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    No benefit to anyone who doesn't need to eat it for medical purposes.
  • caffeinatedcami
    caffeinatedcami Posts: 168 Member
    edited January 2016
    Gluten is a protein in wheat and other grains like barley. I have to eat a gluten free diet because I have celiac disease. There is no evidence that a gluten free diet is beneficial to people without celiac or a wheat allergy/intolerance.
  • starbuckaddict
    starbuckaddict Posts: 38 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    People who are allergic to gluten have great success with using gluten-free items to avoid painful and harmful allergic reactions.

    My life in one sentence.
  • Lutielu
    Lutielu Posts: 188 Member
    People seem to think that going gluten free will help them lose weight and that's not always the case. Many of the gluten free products out there add sugars or other less healthy things to make their products taste better. Just be aware and read labels. I've had to be gluten free for a little less than a year now for medical reasons and the only thing I really buy prepared are gf noodles. Anything else I buy gluten free flour and make it myself, at least then I know what gets added in.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I'm glad I was born before "gluten-free" was discovered.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    And for that matter, before ADHD and such was discovered.
  • tans3352
    tans3352 Posts: 57 Member
    Unless you have celiac disease or NCGS, it is not going to help. It does not help weightless, CICO does that.
  • Lose2Cruise2016
    Lose2Cruise2016 Posts: 36 Member
    edited January 2016
    Gluten-free is for people with celiac disease or other gluten sensitivity. I've heard some people without these conditions claim that they feel "so much better" after cutting gluten from their diets, but I firmly believe that's a psychosomatic response. There's no evidence that gluten is problematic for anyone who doesn't have a sensitivity, or that going gluten-free is beneficial if you don't need to for medical reasons.
  • MiloBloom83
    MiloBloom83 Posts: 2,724 Member
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    edited January 2016
    Gluten free is necessary for individuals with Celiac, IBS, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (which is real but most people aren't who think they are). Especially in the case of Celiac, a gluten free lifestyle is a matter of life and death. My dad has celiac and he was diagnosed before it was a widely understood disease. It took the doctors a long time to figure out what was wrong and in that time he nearly died from malnourishment. For these individuals, gluten free isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. For the remaining 99% of us, gluten free is wholly unnecessary and does not help with weight loss. Many of the gluten free foods are actually higher calorie than their gluten-containing counterparts. Simply going gluten free won't do anything for your weight.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    MiloBloom83 wrote: »
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.

    I absolutely agree!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Nice to see this finally seeping in to the general consensus

    All of this thread, except the ADHD comment
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    The equation is CICO. However, there are lots of ways to do CICO. As long as your calories in are less than your calories out, you'll lose weight.

    Some people find that gluten is in a lot of processed and calorically dense foods, and by eliminating gluten, they end up eating fewer calories (by focusing on vegetables or less calorically dense foods).

    Some people purchase gluten free substitutes of foods that traditionally have gluten in them, like gluten free bread or muffins or cookies. These items have just as many if not more calories than their gluten filled counterparts, and so by eating them, you could gain or lose weight just the same based on your quantity.

    And some people find eliminating any food group to be inhibiting, and find the most success when they allow themselves to eat whatever their li'l heart desires in the proper portion.

    Some people are more successful in weight loss than others. There are lots of ways to do CICO, its up to you.
  • Erindipitous
    Erindipitous Posts: 1,234 Member
    I eat a Paleo diet. I don't eat gluten, but I also don't eat grains. I eat real food. However, I do this for health reasons.. I have an autoimmune vasculitis issue that I'm trying to control through diet.. Gluten and certain foods can trigger inflammation in some people.

    My body feels so much better when I stick to Paleo, and I like that I just eat within my allowed foods and don't have to worry about calories.
  • Robo_mooh
    Robo_mooh Posts: 44 Member
    edited January 2016
    I eat Gluten Free and Grain Free because my partner has really bad reactions to them, so we don't have them in the house. It's not quite Paleo, as we have so much dairy! For me, I have no reaction to either grains or gluten.

    I think I eat healthier, a lot less processed food & nearly everything cooked from scratch. BUT it takes 10x as long to cook. If it was me living by myself, I wouldn't bother with GF. Also, the GF products in supermarkets mostly taste like sawdust - we don't buy any of them. They have more ingredients in than regular food. The wheat is replaced with about 50 other ingredients and I've got no idea what they really are! Is that really healthier?

    Edit: Mostly Gluten & Grain free! I'll have doughnuts and biscuits when someone brings them into work, and I'll eat gluten when I eat out - very rarely!
  • luv2eat2013
    luv2eat2013 Posts: 428 Member
    THANKS FOR RESPONSES
    GF NOT A MOVE FOR ME....although some of products delish and costly worth a try.
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
    MiloBloom83 wrote: »
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.

    Really? The last time I ate something with gluten in it, I ended up in the Emergency Room. The doc and I both thought initially my appendix had ruptured. Turrns out my small intestine was inflammed because of the gluten - one single noodle in otherwise noodle-free chicken soup.

    But do go on and explain to me how it's a marketing ploy.
  • booksandchocolate12
    booksandchocolate12 Posts: 1,741 Member
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    I'm glad I was born before "gluten-free" was discovered.
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    And for that matter, before ADHD and such was discovered.

    The fact that you're saying these things indicates that you do not have celiac disease or ADHD, nor do you know anyone who does.

    So, if that's the case, why do you care that these things were "discovered"? How do they affect you?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited January 2016
    ClosetBayesian wrote: »
    MiloBloom83 wrote: »
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.

    Really? The last time I ate something with gluten in it, I ended up in the Emergency Room. The doc and I both thought initially my appendix had ruptured. Turrns out my small intestine was inflammed because of the gluten - one single noodle in otherwise noodle-free chicken soup.

    But do go on and explain to me how it's a marketing ploy.

    The person you are responding to said "mainly." Nobody denies that there are people with real and serious reactions to gluten. At the same time, the explosion of interest in gluten-free diets *is* marketing. The uptick in products is a response to consumer interest in this diet because they think it will clear up vague symptoms, result in weight loss, or fix other problems that aren't related to gluten.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    edited January 2016
    Maybe folks that think gluten free is a 'marketing ploy' could educate themselves about celiac disease, and develop a little empathy for people who have to eat gluten free. I've watched many family members struggle with the disease. Gluten free is not fun, trendy, or easy.
  • Likichina
    Likichina Posts: 50 Member
    Women who suffer from PCOS also take advantage of a gluten free (and low-glycemic) diet in order to help with the embarrassing symptoms of PCOS and to keep our blood glucose levels in check. Before my doctor indicated me this kind of diet, my symptoms had been completely out of control ever since it first developed in my puberty despite having tried many prescription meds and even holistic approaches. This diet alone has changed my life, my symptoms were greatly subsided, I finally am starting to see my weight drop and I'm not pre-diabetic anymore. I still eat basically the same things as before, I only eat their gluten free versions and have eliminated high-glycemic foods (like rice cakes, for example). I believe that, if you have PCOS, this is the only situation in which a gluten free diet will "help" you to lose weight. If you don't have PCOS, Celiac, IBS, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity like mentioned above, then a gluten free diet wouldn't make any difference for you besides making your wallet lighter.

    For the guy who believes gluten free products are a "marketing ploy": not everything in this world is a conspiracy theory, my friend. This "modern society invention" might look useless to you but it has changed the lives of many people who depend on or benefit from it.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    edited January 2016
    MiloBloom83 wrote: »
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.

    Lol. I am scared to agree with you. You will be shredded for comments like this. The mods will be after you.
  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
    I don't understand for a minute why anyone would want to eat gluten free unless they actually have a condition that is improved by avoiding gluten. Gluten free products are mostly awful.

    I don't have celiac but I do have a gluten sensitivity, so I pretty much avoid it. But I "avoid it" by eating meat and vegetables, not by eating rice/tapioca/whatever substitute.

  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    This thread is talking about two different phenomenons...the gluten free movement that is necessary due to medical necessity and the gluten free movement born out of trendiness, a misguided idea that it results in weight loss, and/or trying to be "special." Celiac and other diseases mentioned are gluten free out of necessity. But there are other people who do not have a medical need who are born out of the second movement.
  • j_baerg
    j_baerg Posts: 6 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    ClosetBayesian wrote: »
    MiloBloom83 wrote: »
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.

    Really? The last time I ate something with gluten in it, I ended up in the Emergency Room. The doc and I both thought initially my appendix had ruptured. Turrns out my small intestine was inflammed because of the gluten - one single noodle in otherwise noodle-free chicken soup.

    But do go on and explain to me how it's a marketing ploy.

    The person you are responding to said "mainly." Nobody denies that there are people with real and serious reactions to gluten. At the same time, the explosion of interest in gluten-free diets *is* marketing. The uptick in products is a response to consumer interest in this diet because they think it will clear up vague symptoms, result in weight loss, or fix other problems that aren't related to gluten.

    Yes. It has become a marketing ploy because if you look at how it is being marketed it is focusing on the "health" or "weight loss" potential of the product and not the reality that the only people who need these products are those who will be sick if they consume the gluten counterpart. I am not complaining, there are a lot more options to choose from not than there were 5+ years ago but with all the marketing comes explaining how my being gluten free is not a diet aka weight loss choice. Frankly most GF products are nutritional inferior to their gluten counterparts, often higher in calories, fat and sugar and lower in protein and fibre. It is definitely not the route to go unless you need to.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    When you see a naturally gluten free food product with a label that says "Gluten Free!" its pretty certain its a marketing ploy. People with Celiac disease and other gluten sensitive medical conditions are very educated about what they can and cannot eat, so this kind of marketing is obviously aimed at other consumers.
  • motherlars
    motherlars Posts: 2 Member
    dhimaan wrote: »
    MiloBloom83 wrote: »
    "Gluten free" is mainly a marketing ploy.

    Lol. I am scared to agree with you. You will be shredded for comments like this. The mods will be after you.

    Obviously, you don't have Celiac disease or any other gluten sensitive medical condition - a little consideration for people who do would be nice...
  • Matilda_the_Hun
    Matilda_the_Hun Posts: 1 Member
    cross2bear wrote: »
    When you see a naturally gluten free food product with a label that says "Gluten Free!" its pretty certain its a marketing ploy. People with Celiac disease and other gluten sensitive medical conditions are very educated about what they can and cannot eat, so this kind of marketing is obviously aimed at other consumers.

    I'm newly diagnosed with celiac disease. Personally, I appreciate it when packages are marked gluten free. You just never know when companies add gluten for various reasons. I bought some deli meat the other day, and what if they used gluten to thicken the seasonings they put on the meat, or what if my spices have added gluten? Just because a food should be gluten free (like soy sauce) doesn't mean it is. It's difficult navigating this diet, and the gluten free labels help.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited January 2016
    UpEarly wrote: »
    Maybe folks that think gluten free is a 'marketing ploy' could educate themselves about celiac disease, and develop a little empathy for people who have to eat gluten free. I've watched many family members struggle with the disease. Gluten free is not fun, trendy, or easy.

    It is legit for people with celiac...but for the most part it has become a fad...I know tons of people who are gluten free and don't need to be...because they're buying into marketing that somehow going gluten free is going to help them lose weight....

    If you can't see that, you're blind as a bat.

    Nobody is talking about gluten free for celiac...they're talking about it being marketed as a diet...sheesh...

    Hell, my buddy brought over gluten free paper plates for the football championship games last weekend because he was scared to eat off my normal paper plates...which I'm pretty sure don't have gluten...and it's irrelevant anyway because nothing is wrong with him that would require him to be gluten free.

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