Fans of Gluten-Free Diet?

2

Replies

  • smileymaxine
    smileymaxine Posts: 275 Member
    Celiacs we -love- not being incredibly ill !!

    People who do not need to cut a entire food group from their shouldn't it can actually cause food sensitivities. Also means I have to share gluten snacks with other people who just do it for a diet very annoying
  • HorrorGeekLiz
    HorrorGeekLiz Posts: 195 Member
    Here's the deal with a gluten free diet (and I am not speaking to people with Celiac disease here....obviously you have no choice) - it's fine if you want to cut out gluten because of some perceived benefit, but I can guarantee you, if you think gluten is the sole reason for your weight gain, and you just sub every processed food you've been eating with a gluten free version, you're not going to get any benefit whatsoever. Gluten does not cause weight problems, therefore eating gluten free pasta instead of regular pasta will do nothing if you don't eat less of it.

    I do not have a gluten allergy, so I do not monitor gluten. I do, however, have a family history of diabetes that I am trying to avoid becoming the next victim of, so I have removed many items from my diet that happen to have gluten, such as bread and pasta. I feel better without these foods because they tend to make me lethargic and extra hungry, no matter how much of it I eat. People think this is proof positive of some "gluten intolerance", when in fact, it's because they're cutting out foods that are low nutrient, high glycemic index foods that cause these reactions due to blood sugar spikes.

    I DID think I had Celiac for a while, so I went gluten free (without eating processed gluten free substitutions) and I felt better, MOST of the time, but I still had several issues. I felt worse when I went back on the gluten foods. I falsely thought there was a connection. Well, there was a connection, but it wasn't gluten - it was milk. After some allergy testing, I found out I was allergic to milk, which is in a lot of the same processed foods I was avoiding when I mistakenly thought the issue was gluten. (You always put butter on bread, cheese on pasta, etc).

    So, in short, unless you have a medical reason to avoid it, there is no need. Gluten itself isn't the cause of any issues. There is certainly no harm in avoiding the items it is in, as long as you don't replace them with a bunch of processed substitutes.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    Panda_brat wrote: »
    What is so unhealthy about gluten unless you have a condition that makes you unable to tolerate it?

    Some non-celiac people make antibodies to it and it causes inflammation and a host of other issues. Here are a few articles about gluten and grains from the paleo world. The underlined bits are references: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/does-gluten-have-any-effect-on-non-celiacs/
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Gluten free replacements are expensive and basically taste like I assume sadness would.....id much rather have gluten

    Do you even Outback Chocolate Thunder from Down Under?


    My wife has to be for her medical condition and it sucks. Constantly trying to work around it and find restaurants that can compensate. Add on top of that many gluten free foods are higher in calories.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    buntzums wrote: »
    I don't know what effects it has if you don't happen to have a sensitivity

    There are none...
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
    Panda_brat wrote: »
    What is so unhealthy about gluten unless you have a condition that makes you unable to tolerate it?

    Some non-celiac people make antibodies to it and it causes inflammation and a host of other issues. Here are a few articles about gluten and grains from the paleo world. The underlined bits are references: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/does-gluten-have-any-effect-on-non-celiacs/
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/

    Instead of Mark's Daily Apple, look at the actual science
    Analyzing the data, Gibson found that each treatment diet, whether it included gluten or not, prompted subjects to report a worsening of gastrointestinal symptoms to similar degrees. Reported pain, bloating, nausea, and gas all increased over the baseline low-FODMAP diet. Even in the second experiment, when the placebo diet was identical to the baseline diet, subjects reported a worsening of symptoms! The data clearly indicated that a nocebo effect, the same reaction that prompts some people to get sick from wind turbines and wireless internet, was at work here.

    http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/05/gluten_sensitivity_may_not_exist.html

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23648697


  • CharleezAngel1
    CharleezAngel1 Posts: 11 Member
    I went gluten free to help with depression and overall inflammation. I feel like living again, so yeah, huge fan.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
    I have Graves Disease so no gluten or dairy for me!
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I cut out sugar and all forms of all grains Oct 2014 hoping to manage 40 years of pain without Rx meds going forward. It was a hellish first two weeks then the cravings faded fast. 30 days in my pain levels of 7-8 had dropped to 2-3 and stayed low ever since. 180 days in my 40 years of serious IBS had totally resolved and has not returned. All health markers are better now at 65 than at age 45.

    I am a huge fan of this new way of eating because it is giving me back my life.

    Gluten is in a lot of things besides grains...

    2X on that.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    Panda_brat wrote: »
    What is so unhealthy about gluten unless you have a condition that makes you unable to tolerate it?

    Some non-celiac people make antibodies to it and it causes inflammation and a host of other issues. Here are a few articles about gluten and grains from the paleo world. The underlined bits are references: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/does-gluten-have-any-effect-on-non-celiacs/
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/

    Instead of Mark's Daily Apple, look at the actual science
    ...
    http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/05/gluten_sensitivity_may_not_exist.html

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23648697


    Actual science? From a science blogger? Ok...

    If you looked at the multitude of links in Mark's articles, most of them come from nih.gov, just like (one of) yours. Don't assume I am pushing a no grain agenda. I'm not here to debate. I was simply providing the perspective on grains and gluten from the paleo community, as they are the ones who are the loudest about not eating those foods.

    As far as the "realclearscience" blog author, he is no more legit as Mark Sisson. However, Mark Sisson has posted numerous literature reviews on the subject, and continues to do so. It is his life's work. Regardless, the bottom line is that there is currently no diagnostic test for it (but maybe there will be soon http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27388423), but that does not mean that sensitivity does not exist.

    An open mind allows that the truth might lie somewhere in the middle.
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
    Panda_brat wrote: »
    What is so unhealthy about gluten unless you have a condition that makes you unable to tolerate it?

    Some non-celiac people make antibodies to it and it causes inflammation and a host of other issues. Here are a few articles about gluten and grains from the paleo world. The underlined bits are references: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/does-gluten-have-any-effect-on-non-celiacs/
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/

    Instead of Mark's Daily Apple, look at the actual science
    ...
    http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/05/gluten_sensitivity_may_not_exist.html

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23648697


    Actual science? From a science blogger? Ok...

    If you looked at the multitude of links in Mark's articles, most of them come from nih.gov, just like (one of) yours. Don't assume I am pushing a no grain agenda. I'm not here to debate. I was simply providing the perspective on grains and gluten from the paleo community, as they are the ones who are the loudest about not eating those foods.

    As far as the "realclearscience" blog author, he is no more legit as Mark Sisson. However, Mark Sisson has posted numerous literature reviews on the subject, and continues to do so. It is his life's work. Regardless, the bottom line is that there is currently no diagnostic test for it (but maybe there will be soon http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27388423), but that does not mean that sensitivity does not exist.

    An open mind allows that the truth might lie somewhere in the middle.

    Then ignore the blog and read the actual study, which, in fact, was done by the person that originally hypothesized the existence of non celiac gluten sensitivity.

    And your link says nothing about gluten.

    As far as Sisson is concerned, he's a supplement shill turned blogger. Nothing more.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    edited July 2016
    Panda_brat wrote: »
    What is so unhealthy about gluten unless you have a condition that makes you unable to tolerate it?

    Some non-celiac people make antibodies to it and it causes inflammation and a host of other issues. Here are a few articles about gluten and grains from the paleo world. The underlined bits are references: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/does-gluten-have-any-effect-on-non-celiacs/
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/

    Instead of Mark's Daily Apple, look at the actual science
    ...
    http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/05/gluten_sensitivity_may_not_exist.html

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23648697


    Actual science? From a science blogger? Ok...

    If you looked at the multitude of links in Mark's articles, most of them come from nih.gov, just like (one of) yours. Don't assume I am pushing a no grain agenda. I'm not here to debate. I was simply providing the perspective on grains and gluten from the paleo community, as they are the ones who are the loudest about not eating those foods.

    As far as the "realclearscience" blog author, he is no more legit as Mark Sisson. However, Mark Sisson has posted numerous literature reviews on the subject, and continues to do so. It is his life's work. Regardless, the bottom line is that there is currently no diagnostic test for it (but maybe there will be soon http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27388423), but that does not mean that sensitivity does not exist.

    An open mind allows that the truth might lie somewhere in the middle.

    Then ignore the blog and read the actual study, which, in fact, was done by the person that originally hypothesized the existence of non celiac gluten sensitivity.

    And your link says nothing about gluten.

    As far as Sisson is concerned, he's a supplement shill turned blogger. Nothing more.

    While i agree that Mark Sisson isnt the best of resources there are plenty of medical conditions that have adverse reactions to gluten. And even then, the NIH has only started to evaluate these things.


    But if someone doesnt have these conditions cutting out gluten does nothing.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    TaraTall wrote: »
    hal1964 wrote: »
    I'd say I am gluten-sensitive. I did an elimination diet and one of the things that was eliminated was wheat. I just felt better after and I don't consume much food containing wheat anymore. They even have gluten free beer!

    Don't you dare tell me Gluten Free Beer is even comparable to the real stuff lol. I miss my beer. There's some okay ones out there but...just... no.

    I came across one that I really liked. Dara Damm. Of course, it seems i dont do well with alcohol either. But on a splurge....

    Celiacs can't have Daura (or how ever it is spelled). It is made from barley but it is supposedly "gluten removed". It's not. Most celiacs get pretty sick from it.

    A few years ago, early in my GF life, I tried it. I was all excited because it tased like real beer. Within 20 minutes I looked 6 months pregnant and was ill for a week.
  • socalrunner59
    socalrunner59 Posts: 149 Member
    I'm celiac. Never, never would I choose to be gluten free otherwise.

    The problem with people jumping on the gluten free fad diet it the horrible backlash/pushback by society for those of us with a real disease.

    People don't understand how serious celiac disease can be. My doctor tells me research scientist have long established a connection between celiac and lymphoma.

    For celiacs gluten free isn't a fad diet, it's the only known management for a debilitating disease.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited July 2016
    I'm celiac. Never, never would I choose to be gluten free otherwise.

    The problem with people jumping on the gluten free fad diet it the horrible backlash/pushback by society for those of us with a real disease.

    People don't understand how serious celiac disease can be. My doctor tells me research scientist have long established a connection between celiac and lymphoma.

    For celiacs gluten free isn't a fad diet, it's the only known management for a debilitating disease.

    https://verywell.com/lymphoma-risk-in-celiac-disease-562619

    Thanks for a heads up on this subject. Before my 40 years of serious IBS resolved six months after cutting out sugar and all forms of all grains it leading to cancer was a concern. Hopefully nothing started developing when I had IBS.
  • Byronic_Ryu
    Byronic_Ryu Posts: 176 Member
    I have to be gluten free because of my illnesses. I am happy to no longer have to take steroids for itching, my stomach rarely has painful inflammation, and I haven't had an IBS episode in a while. However, it is restricting, expensive at times, can be a hit or miss when it comes to trying out new recipes or requires more steps (I have a chronic pain illness so this is a huge pain), and people judge you because they assume you do it because you buy into a fad diet (honestly, why can't people ask first before lecturing, I don't understand).
  • Anabug81
    Anabug81 Posts: 161 Member
    I do gluten free it helps with my bi polar symptoms.
  • kronin23
    kronin23 Posts: 59 Member
    I would if I had to for health reasons, few weeks per year Im giving my body no gluten vocation - it works
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    kronin23 wrote: »
    I would if I had to for health reasons, few weeks per year Im giving my body no gluten vocation - it works

    Why do you give your body a gluten vacation if you don't have health reasons to avoid gluten?
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I'm celiac. Never, never would I choose to be gluten free otherwise.

    The problem with people jumping on the gluten free fad diet it the horrible backlash/pushback by society for those of us with a real disease.

    People don't understand how serious celiac disease can be. My doctor tells me research scientist have long established a connection between celiac and lymphoma.

    For celiacs gluten free isn't a fad diet, it's the only known management for a debilitating disease.

    https://verywell.com/lymphoma-risk-in-celiac-disease-562619

    Thanks for a heads up on this subject. Before my 40 years of serious IBS resolved six months after cutting out sugar and all forms of all grains it leading to cancer was a concern. Hopefully nothing started developing when I had IBS.

    Are you celiac as IBS doesn't lead to cancer or any damage at all.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Fan??

    I have to be gluten free due to severe allergies. Honestly-if someone doesn't have to be on it, I wouldn't reccomend it. It severely restricts what you can eat. Also, if I get accidental cross contamination, I end up in the ER.

    So I guess you can say I am a "fan".

    BTW-going gluten free will not automatically cause weightloss.

    Yes I was just in ER yesterday Thanks Gluten!
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    hal1964 wrote: »
    I'd say I am gluten-sensitive. I did an elimination diet and one of the things that was eliminated was wheat. I just felt better after and I don't consume much food containing wheat anymore. They even have gluten free beer!

    That you can not drink if you have celiac so ...
  • queenofpuppies
    queenofpuppies Posts: 189 Member
    I have an autoimmune disease and I tried gluten free for two months to see if it impacted my symptoms under the recommendation of a doctor who had heard mixed reviews from patients. It was very very hard and required a great deal of planning to avoid all the gluten in the world, like in soy sauce and other places you wouldn't assume. Anyway, I had a mild reduction in joint inflammation and my lymph-nodes became less inflamed then they normally are. My biggest result was that I literally cried because I couldn't have pizza. I didn't think the minor improvements were worth the extreme dietary restriction. I would rather just take ibuprofen for inflammation. My sister has a similar condition and with worse symptoms and she also tried gluten free. She thought it was total bull-kittens. so I'm guessing my improvements were mostly a placebo affect.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    My poor brother is super allergic to gluten. Like, the docs were thinking Leukemia because he was so tired, his bones ached and he was so thin. Now that he doesn't eat it any more (and it's in the stupidest stuff like freaken soy sauce) he is doing much better. So I'm a fan of it for people who need to eat it for medical reason. People jumping on the band wagon has made it easier for him to purchase gluten free stuff (like Barille Pasta and Betty Crocker) but if you don't need it medically a gluten free diet is pointless.
    It seems a lot of people who go 'gluten free' don't actually go gluten free, they just stop eating processed crap foods so yeah, you lose weight and feel better. Not from the lack of gluten, from the lack of processes foods and the increase in fruits and veggies.
    One last thing, if you just don't like something and you are ordering in a restaurant DO NOT say you are allergic to it. For allergies, the whole prep area has to be cleaned. You have to get new serving stuff, and utensils, and it's a serious pain in the *kitten* and slows everything down. When someone says they are allergic to tomatoes and then puts ketchup on their fries, it's infuriating.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    My doctor recommended that I try eliminating gluten for a couple of months to see if it would alleviate my fatigue and brain fog. It was kind of hard to tell how much better I was feeling while it was eliminated, but upon re-introducing it, I felt horrible. I got migraines, weird irritated bowel stuff, and heavy fatigue. So I think that I am now stuck with going "gluten free" (did I lose a tolerance to wheat?). I did lose weight during the initial elimination phase (no more beloved pale ales), but quickly gained it back after I started eating more rice, potato starch, and sugar, simple carbs that replace wheat in most of the gluten-free stuff on the supermarket shelves.

    I still have regular pizza a couple of times per year. And sometimes you just can't avoid gluten. But I always pay the price afterwards with fatigue, migraines, and weird poop stuff.

    So I would add that if you do it, be prepared to possibly be stuck with it, whether you want it or not.

    why in the world didn't he just run the allergy test!!??
  • minniemoo1972
    minniemoo1972 Posts: 295 Member
    My doctor recommended that I try eliminating gluten for a couple of months to see if it would alleviate my fatigue and brain fog. It was kind of hard to tell how much better I was feeling while it was eliminated, but upon re-introducing it, I felt horrible. I got migraines, weird irritated bowel stuff, and heavy fatigue. So I think that I am now stuck with going "gluten free" (did I lose a tolerance to wheat?). I did lose weight during the initial elimination phase (no more beloved pale ales), but quickly gained it back after I started eating more rice, potato starch, and sugar, simple carbs that replace wheat in most of the gluten-free stuff on the supermarket shelves.

    I still have regular pizza a couple of times per year. And sometimes you just can't avoid gluten. But I always pay the price afterwards with fatigue, migraines, and weird poop stuff.

    So I would add that if you do it, be prepared to possibly be stuck with it, whether you want it or not.

    why in the world didn't he just run the allergy test!!??

    Because they are expensive and for celiac you have to carb load for weeks to inflame
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    [quote="buntzums;37092020"]I recently started "gluten free." I wish everyone would go gluten free - that way the producers of gluten free products would charge less. I don't know what effects it has if you don't happen to have a sensitivity of some kind too the protein. I don't even know what it's doing for me but inflammation in the gut seems lower. Also less skin problems so far. That's about it. Losing weight yes. Doing gluten free thing since the 17th of last month.

    Actually, it is the "trendiness" of going gluten free that has driven the price point up. People who have gluten intolerence/allergy that have to eat gluten free are likely wishing that less people were jumping on the bandwagon because it is causing manufacturers to think they can charge a premium price for something...


    [/quote]

    Drive the prices up? I don't think you bought gluten free stuff before people started jumping on the band wagon. Yes, sure little mom and pop 'artisan' manufactures may charge more but companies like Betty Crocker, Bisquick, and Braille Pasta are making a gluten free and it's the same price price as the other stuffs (at least in my grocery store). Also with the trendiness of it, things that were always gluten free now actively advertise as gluten free. Like Pimm's Popcorn and Quaker Rice Cakes.

    I am not a fan of people just assuming they are allergic to gluten, but the trendiness has been useful in some ways.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    People with celiac yesterday I was in a lot of pain and went to the ER of course they could do nothing for me. How do you handle it? Does your doctor give any pain meds? I have a followup with my primary next week.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    Treece68 wrote: »
    People with celiac yesterday I was in a lot of pain and went to the ER of course they could do nothing for me. How do you handle it? Does your doctor give any pain meds? I have a followup with my primary next week.

    My brother (who has it) says nothing really helps when he accidentally (or on purpose, stupid McD fries!) eats gluten. He tends to just sleep it off as much as possible. For him, he's figured it out it's really not worth it to eat it on purpose, but sometimes you makes a mistake.