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Do you think that gluten, lactose, or {insert supposed food intolerance here} is really just a fad?
Replies
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I won't speak much on the gluten thing as a lot has already been said. I think a lot of comparisons can be made to lactose intolerance in that some peoples' bodies can handle it better than others, and it all exists on a spectrum. If someone feels better not eating gluten I couldn't care less how they choose to eat. I think it's important if a restaurant or food product advertises being gluten free that they not take chances with assuming people are lying/being honest and just take the high road. I know nobody appreciates the inappropriate coopting of celiac disease - my FIL has it and it is a serious and life changing illness that goes far beyond having some discomfort after consuming gluten. I think it's important to distinguish between simple digestive intolerance and the inflammatory, damaging celiac response.
RE: lactose intolerance - while a lot of people probably aren't fully intolerant, it is pretty normal to develop a bit of intolerance as we age and as our lactose consumption goes down. Certain populations are more likely to be intolerant to begin with, and many people age out of their tolerance.
Groups that tend to tolerate lactose the best are those that have historically relied heavily on milk as a part of their diet. Personally I come from a dairy farming family and never had problems with it as a kid/teenager. My mom purchases massive amounts of dairy products, and they're a large part of why I gained so much weight when I was younger. When I moved away from home I drank/ate less milk products while losing weight. Over time I noticed I can't handle it like I used to. If I drink lactose free milk I have no problems. I'm definitely not outright lactose intolerant, but the GI discomfort that comes with a bowl of cereal or glass of milk is enough to keep me mostly away.0 -
A lot of people don't realise that there are other components in wheat that can cause gut issues- fructans for instance can contribute to IBS. I wonder if lots of the self proclaimed gluten intolerant are actually just suffering with IBS?1
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I don't know if it's lactose, casein, or something else, but dairy really messes up my tummy. It also makes me break out and my face, chest, and upper arms will look red and ruddy.
So I completely believe in that intolerance. I can't speak for the others because I do not have other issues/allergies/intolerances.0 -
Okay, I’m just gonna be throwing a whole bunch of things out here, because I tried to read it all, LOL.
First, I really gotta say this about people who say they are gluten intolerant or celiacs and then eat gluten.
IT HAPPENS.
This really surprises me how many people do not get that this happens all the time and does not mean, at all, that people are lying, or faking it. I mean, we are all on this site trying to lose weight, many of us diet…how many times have you cheated on your diet? Because if it’s happened, remember – people with allergies are not magically more full of will power than you.
If you don’t have a deadly allergy, or a horrific reaction to a food…let me tell you, you’ll usually cheat on the allergy diet sometimes. You will be having a miserable day, you will be sick of having to eat your own cooking for the 405th night in a row, you will be tired of people giving you those judging looks for asking all those questions about the meal, you’ll be hugely tempted looking by all the great food around you that you cannot have…and you’ll think, ‘what the heck, I’ll only be sick for a couple of hours, or a day.’
The pain’ll be worth it.
And honestly, sometimes it freaking IS worth it.
My father is a celiac, and he freaking cheats all the time, because he’ll be travelling, and he’s starving, and he knows he’ll feel crappy for a few days but to him it’s worth it not to have to buy all the expensive GF foods along the way, or to get to try some new food he’s never seen before.
Me, I am a celiac too but I have a much worse reaction, so I don’t cheat. But honestly, if I didn’t feel so bad after gluten contamination, I’d probably cheat once in a while, too.
Just because someone decides to cheat is not a reason to assume they have been lying all this time, or won’t be affected by their decision later at home, where you won’t get to see it. Let’s cut ‘em a little slack and remember that they’re as human as the rest of us, yeah?
Are gluten free diets are a fad?
I am sure that for some, it is a fad. For some it’s likely a desire to be one of the gang, so to speak. For some, I’m sure it’s from an attempt to feel better when they feel lousy or in pain.
But I don’t personally think that there is enough evidence by far to conclude that the majority of people’s positive response to eliminating gluten should be attributed to a nocebo kind of effect if it’s not celiac disease. Quite the opposite, actually.
Some reasons why I think so:
----Gibson’s study stating that, basically, there was no evidence of gluten sensitivity, had a lot of problems.
- Small study size (only 37 people) (if it’s the study I know of, at least)
- Pre-selecting for people who have lesser reactions to gluten (a common problem for celiac disease or gluten intolerance studies, because the participants know in advance they will have to ingest gluten, possibly for a long time or in large amounts. People who have worse reactions typically do not sign up for these studies).
- An assumption that the researchers KNOW what the physiological response of gluten intolerance would be (so looking for biomarkers of this response would be definitive, if true).
The problem of making this assumption is highlighted well by the fact that last year, there was another study on gluten intolerance whose researchers speculated that gluten intolerance might NOT involve Gibson’s presumed biomarkers, but different – and also measurable – markers. And turns out, they seem to be right. People who claim wheat/gluten sensitivity, who are not allergic to wheat nor have celiacs, had a measurable response. Just not the one that Gibson tested for.
http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2016/07/26/columbia-researchers-find-biological-explanation-wheat-sensitivity-2/
----Celiacs are considered to be about 1% of the population. Which is millions of people. About 3-5% of them are likely diagnosed. Right now, it takes 10 years or more for celiacs to be diagnosed, on average.
The tests for celiac disease have about a 20% false negative rate, last I heard. On top of that, it is known currently that some celiacs have antibodies attack the gut, some the skin (causes dermatitis herpetiformis) and some even have antibodies that attack the nervous system (causing gluten ataxia).
The probem with this is that blood gluten testing ONLY looks at the gut, and the antibodies that attack it. And the couple of studies on skin and nervous system cases have found that these folks don’t always HAVE elevated gut antibodies, or gut damage at all.
Anyone with gluten intolerance currently has no accurate way for a doctor to test, and the medical community has not even decided, officially, if it exists or not.
Anecdotally, allergy testing is unlikely to be recommended by doctors unless a person presents with obvious symptoms like hives or anaphylaxis, even though lower level allergies can cause a lot of internal inflammation and other problems. I’ve experienced this myself, and my doctor has talked about the fact that this is what he was taught in med school, as well.
The reason I mention all the above is that if you look at it, what you are left with is a LOT of people who can potentially have a real, physical improvement on a gluten free diet, for a variety of reasons. And they have no medical diagnosis to back them up. Yet they are not crazy, they are not experiencing nocebo effects, they are actually better.
And all these people have OTHER people who see them get better (presuming just 2 friends per undiagnosed celiac alone would be nearly 6 million people seeing someone improve on a GF diet), and they see how real the improvement is, and THEY are going to try it too, because they, too, are feeling bad and want to get better. That’s likely millions of people doing this for reasons that have nothing to do with fads at all, but more to do with results they are experiencing or seeing themselves in others.
---- The medical community is woefully ignorant about our food supply and food processing (which translates to the possibilities for allergen cross contamination). And many doctors are woefully ignorant about allergies in general. These matter because if a doctor is testing for a reaction to something, they have to know about the supplies they are using. They have to know what it is possible to react TO. They have to know what the possible reactions ARE. They have to know what may contaminate the foods eaten. And so on.
And sadly, many times with things like food intolerances and food-impacted diseases, they don’t.
There is a famous study a while back where researchers were sure they had discovered celiacs reacted to corn as well as wheat. Turns out, they were just ignorant about the food supply and hadn’t realized the corn was wheat contaminated. Same for why scientists thought oats were a problem, too. Actually, for a while, researchers thought that wheat and oats had some of the same proteins, because they didn’t realize how wheat contaminated all their oat samples were.
For YEARS, some celiacs were claiming that they had seizures that stopped when they went gluten free. They were told by the medical community that it was in their heads, or completely unrelated. They had done tests and found no such thing (looking at antibodies that do NOT attack the nervous system, I'm presuming). And then finally, one doctor in the UK researched it, found the correct gluten triggered antibodies that attack the nervous system, and found out that yes, some celiacs have seizures as a reaction to gluten.
This crap still happens today all the time. Meds are often treated as though only the active ingredient can cause any changes in the body, foods are treated as though they are always ‘pure’ and can’t be contaminated with anything else (which is almost never the case), barely researched conditions and diseases are treated as though the ONLY things that can be symptoms are the ones that have been verified.
It's not that I would expect doctors to know about things that, well, they don't know about. But it's become quite bad lately where many doctors react as though anything they don't know, doesn't exist. And that's REALLy bad news for a lot of their patients. And the same attitude adds doubt to a number of study results, when researchers assume they have foods that are free from X, or when they research only one type of response and seem to think that this is the ONLY response that could exist when in contact with a food.
All of the above contributes, again, to why I don’t think the evidence supports the idea that the majority of people on a gluten free diet are just following the fad, and not really experiencing effects. I am not saying there is evidence that the majority IS experiencing effects, mind you. But I’m saying that what evidence exists makes it entirely possible that more people are experiencing effects from gluten than we are able to prove at this point. Even likely.
So I, for one, am choosing to at least believe that the majority of people are having a problem, at the very least, and are hoping to see if gluten free diets will help them with it.9 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I think there are people with eating disorders who claim to be allergic/intolerant to a myriad of foods, this gives them the perfect excuse to refuse to eat many foods.
As a recently diagnosed celiac, I would also note that not everyone has gastric issues. My symptoms include /weeks/ of joint and muscle pain and weakness - it presents like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. And you know what? It means I've basically been forced to have an eating disorder. I travel a lot for business and actually have to take an anti-anxiety medication to go out to new restaurants. So, I might be annoying you by peppering the waitress with questions or simply not eating at the business dinner, but I'm doing it because my health is more important than your embarrassment.3 -
Okay, I’m just gonna be throwing a whole bunch of things out here, because I tried to read it all, LOL.
First, I really gotta say this about people who say they are gluten intolerant or celiacs and then eat gluten.
IT HAPPENS.
This really surprises me how many people do not get that this happens all the time and does not mean, at all, that people are lying, or faking it. I mean, we are all on this site trying to lose weight, many of us diet…how many times have you cheated on your diet? Because if it’s happened, remember – people with allergies are not magically more full of will power than you.
If you don’t have a deadly allergy, or a horrific reaction to a food…let me tell you, you’ll usually cheat on the allergy diet sometimes. You will be having a miserable day, you will be sick of having to eat your own cooking for the 405th night in a row, you will be tired of people giving you those judging looks for asking all those questions about the meal, you’ll be hugely tempted looking by all the great food around you that you cannot have…and you’ll think, ‘what the heck, I’ll only be sick for a couple of hours, or a day.’
The pain’ll be worth it.
And honestly, sometimes it freaking IS worth it.
My father is a celiac, and he freaking cheats all the time, because he’ll be travelling, and he’s starving, and he knows he’ll feel crappy for a few days but to him it’s worth it not to have to buy all the expensive GF foods along the way, or to get to try some new food he’s never seen before.
Me, I am a celiac too but I have a much worse reaction, so I don’t cheat. But honestly, if I didn’t feel so bad after gluten contamination, I’d probably cheat once in a while, too.
Just because someone decides to cheat is not a reason to assume they have been lying all this time, or won’t be affected by their decision later at home, where you won’t get to see it. Let’s cut ‘em a little slack and remember that they’re as human as the rest of us, yeah?
Are gluten free diets are a fad?
I am sure that for some, it is a fad. For some it’s likely a desire to be one of the gang, so to speak. For some, I’m sure it’s from an attempt to feel better when they feel lousy or in pain.
But I don’t personally think that there is enough evidence by far to conclude that the majority of people’s positive response to eliminating gluten should be attributed to a nocebo kind of effect if it’s not celiac disease. Quite the opposite, actually.
Some reasons why I think so:
----Gibson’s study stating that, basically, there was no evidence of gluten sensitivity, had a lot of problems.
- Small study size (only 37 people) (if it’s the study I know of, at least)
- Pre-selecting for people who have lesser reactions to gluten (a common problem for celiac disease or gluten intolerance studies, because the participants know in advance they will have to ingest gluten, possibly for a long time or in large amounts. People who have worse reactions typically do not sign up for these studies).
- An assumption that the researchers KNOW what the physiological response of gluten intolerance would be (so looking for biomarkers of this response would be definitive, if true).
The problem of making this assumption is highlighted well by the fact that last year, there was another study on gluten intolerance whose researchers speculated that gluten intolerance might NOT involve Gibson’s presumed biomarkers, but different – and also measurable – markers. And turns out, they seem to be right. People who claim wheat/gluten sensitivity, who are not allergic to wheat nor have celiacs, had a measurable response. Just not the one that Gibson tested for.
http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2016/07/26/columbia-researchers-find-biological-explanation-wheat-sensitivity-2/
----Celiacs are considered to be about 1% of the population. Which is millions of people. About 3-5% of them are likely diagnosed. Right now, it takes 10 years or more for celiacs to be diagnosed, on average.
The tests for celiac disease have about a 20% false negative rate, last I heard. On top of that, it is known currently that some celiacs have antibodies attack the gut, some the skin (causes dermatitis herpetiformis) and some even have antibodies that attack the nervous system (causing gluten ataxia).
The probem with this is that blood gluten testing ONLY looks at the gut, and the antibodies that attack it. And the couple of studies on skin and nervous system cases have found that these folks don’t always HAVE elevated gut antibodies, or gut damage at all.
Anyone with gluten intolerance currently has no accurate way for a doctor to test, and the medical community has not even decided, officially, if it exists or not.
Anecdotally, allergy testing is unlikely to be recommended by doctors unless a person presents with obvious symptoms like hives or anaphylaxis, even though lower level allergies can cause a lot of internal inflammation and other problems. I’ve experienced this myself, and my doctor has talked about the fact that this is what he was taught in med school, as well.
The reason I mention all the above is that if you look at it, what you are left with is a LOT of people who can potentially have a real, physical improvement on a gluten free diet, for a variety of reasons. And they have no medical diagnosis to back them up. Yet they are not crazy, they are not experiencing nocebo effects, they are actually better.
And all these people have OTHER people who see them get better (presuming just 2 friends per undiagnosed celiac alone would be nearly 6 million people seeing someone improve on a GF diet), and they see how real the improvement is, and THEY are going to try it too, because they, too, are feeling bad and want to get better. That’s likely millions of people doing this for reasons that have nothing to do with fads at all, but more to do with results they are experiencing or seeing themselves in others.
---- The medical community is woefully ignorant about our food supply and food processing (which translates to the possibilities for allergen cross contamination). And many doctors are woefully ignorant about allergies in general. These matter because if a doctor is testing for a reaction to something, they have to know about the supplies they are using. They have to know what it is possible to react TO. They have to know what the possible reactions ARE. They have to know what may contaminate the foods eaten. And so on.
And sadly, many times with things like food intolerances and food-impacted diseases, they don’t.
There is a famous study a while back where researchers were sure they had discovered celiacs reacted to corn as well as wheat. Turns out, they were just ignorant about the food supply and hadn’t realized the corn was wheat contaminated. Same for why scientists thought oats were a problem, too. Actually, for a while, researchers thought that wheat and oats had some of the same proteins, because they didn’t realize how wheat contaminated all their oat samples were.
For YEARS, some celiacs were claiming that they had seizures that stopped when they went gluten free. They were told by the medical community that it was in their heads, or completely unrelated. They had done tests and found no such thing (looking at antibodies that do NOT attack the nervous system, I'm presuming). And then finally, one doctor in the UK researched it, found the correct gluten triggered antibodies that attack the nervous system, and found out that yes, some celiacs have seizures as a reaction to gluten.
This crap still happens today all the time. Meds are often treated as though only the active ingredient can cause any changes in the body, foods are treated as though they are always ‘pure’ and can’t be contaminated with anything else (which is almost never the case), barely researched conditions and diseases are treated as though the ONLY things that can be symptoms are the ones that have been verified.
It's not that I would expect doctors to know about things that, well, they don't know about. But it's become quite bad lately where many doctors react as though anything they don't know, doesn't exist. And that's REALLy bad news for a lot of their patients. And the same attitude adds doubt to a number of study results, when researchers assume they have foods that are free from X, or when they research only one type of response and seem to think that this is the ONLY response that could exist when in contact with a food.
All of the above contributes, again, to why I don’t think the evidence supports the idea that the majority of people on a gluten free diet are just following the fad, and not really experiencing effects. I am not saying there is evidence that the majority IS experiencing effects, mind you. But I’m saying that what evidence exists makes it entirely possible that more people are experiencing effects from gluten than we are able to prove at this point. Even likely.
So I, for one, am choosing to at least believe that the majority of people are having a problem, at the very least, and are hoping to see if gluten free diets will help them with it.
The study you posted is interesting. And I completely agree that science knows very little about celiac disease and foods affect autoimmune issues. My major symptom was arthritis - I'd lose the ability to use scissors, or raise my arms above my shoulders, for weeks to months at a time a few times per year. Yeah, I got stomach aches after eating and a lot of migraines, but I could still function with those. Those were the minor symptoms. The obvious symptoms.
I do think that a celiac who cheats is looking for trouble far beyond a stomachache. It takes weeks for the autoimmune reaction to die down. A celiac's body will be attacking itself for many, many days after a small exposure like accidental crumbs nevermind a spaghetti diner. When I first went GF, it was close to a year before my autoantibodies were within normal, and symptoms like arthralgias took about a year to go away even though the tummy aches were gone within days.
Celiac is more than the obvious symptoms. I too get REALLY sick of making my own food but I have no sympathy for the celiac who cheats on purpose. I just wish they would tell no one that they are celiac because it makes others take our food safety much less seriously. Joe Schmoe ate their stuffing because it was a holiday, but I won't even eat the stuffed bird? Somehow it ends up that I'm the one who they would roll their eyes at and not the cheater, and now it is that much harder to eat somewhere else besides home.
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Christine_72 wrote: »I think there are people with eating disorders who claim to be allergic/intolerant to a myriad of foods, this gives them the perfect excuse to refuse to eat many foods.
As a recently diagnosed celiac, I would also note that not everyone has gastric issues. My symptoms include /weeks/ of joint and muscle pain and weakness - it presents like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. And you know what? It means I've basically been forced to have an eating disorder. I travel a lot for business and actually have to take an anti-anxiety medication to go out to new restaurants. So, I might be annoying you by peppering the waitress with questions or simply not eating at the business dinner, but I'm doing it because my health is more important than your embarrassment.
This isn't my quote.0 -
mph323 wrote: »
» show previous quotes
As a recently diagnosed celiac, I would also note that not everyone has gastric issues. My symptoms include /weeks/ of joint and muscle pain and weakness - it presents like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. And you know what? It means I've basically been forced to have an eating disorder. I travel a lot for business and actually have to take an anti-anxiety medication to go out to new restaurants. So, I might be annoying you by peppering the waitress with questions or simply not eating at the business dinner, but I'm doing it because my health is more important than your embarrassment.
Matt422, this isn't my quote.1 -
Not all milk is a2 in Europe. There are 4 types of casein, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Type 1 is the dominant casein in most bovine milks. Types 3, and 4 are present but not in significant amounts. Goat milk is type 2 dominant as are generally Jersey and Guernsey cows. These and bovine type 2 casein herds were kept in isolation by circumstances, as in being on an island without other inputs. A2 herds now have to be tested individually in order to identify their status because of cross breading in the not too distant past.
Goat milk is most like human milk being as said previously it is type two dominant. It is highly unlikely that a human will suddenly become reactive to type 2. It has been found that people who are able to have goat or type two casein specified are better able to digest the lactose because the body is no longer stressed by the type one.
Also a cow is wanting her calf to make 1000lb a goat kid starts at a similar size to a regular baby and the adult weight is also similar. Bovine milk contains more growth hormone!
BTW casein intolerance is far more common than lactose!0 -
The study you posted is interesting. And I completely agree that science knows very little about celiac disease and foods affect autoimmune issues. My major symptom was arthritis - I'd lose the ability to use scissors, or raise my arms above my shoulders, for weeks to months at a time a few times per year. Yeah, I got stomach aches after eating and a lot of migraines, but I could still function with those. Those were the minor symptoms. The obvious symptoms.
Yeah, I don't think people often get just how much celiac disease actually impacts. And how much of that has barely been researched, too. Like, there was a little study a while back that found that the majority of celiacs eating gluten had low blood flow to the brain, while those who had gone gluten free and the non-celiacs did not. (this one - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14984816 )
We have no research that tells us why the heck this would happen. There's been no follow up studies to say if this happens only after prolonged gluten exposure, or if cheating once could cause this, too. Or if a larger participant group might show that the impact is not as large (it's a small study).
I wish more doctors talked to their patients about this, so they understood too - my father's didn't, so he keeps thinking that the only effects are his gut and feeling tired. He cheats.
I have gut issues, plus the inflammation, plus huge neurological effects that continue on for months if I get as much as contamination so small I can't even see it. Plus another condition that the inflammation sets off, too, so I really 'feel' all the extra impact. I can't fool myself it's not happening, you know?... the celiac who cheats on purpose. I just wish they would tell no one that they are celiac because it makes others take our food safety much less seriously. Joe Schmoe ate their stuffing because it was a holiday, but I won't even eat the stuffed bird? Somehow it ends up that I'm the one who they would roll their eyes at and not the cheater, and now it is that much harder to eat somewhere else besides home.
I can appreciate that sentiment, but at the same time...I think I get more annoyed at the people who roll their eyes. Mostly because I think otherwise, what we're saying is that people have to be 'perfect' for others in their 'group' to be treated with any respect or belief, you know? And I don't personally think that we all need to be perfect for people to treat each other with respect, or to treat people like they are not liars or hypochondriacs.
Like, if a few people on a diet to lose weight happen to cheat one day, most of us don't assume, then, that they're not 'really' on that diet. We assume that had a moment of weakness. If they do it a lot, we might assume that particular PERSON is not real good at dieting, but wouldn't necessarily assume it applies to everyone. If we see a LOT of people doing it, we might assume that a lot of dieters have a moment of weakness...not that it means all people who are strict about their diet are faking it, you know?
To do otherwise reflects more on the person making the assumptions, and treating the people around them poorly, than it does on the person who is on the diet, IMHO.
Although even I have had some of that frustration, because I can understand CONFUSION by people who have some celiacs who don't take precautions, and some who do. I have to be so careful that I can't eat out anymore. My daughter can only eat out at places that are super, super careful about contamination. My brother and dad, also both celiacs, can eat out at places that are pretty careful, but not nearly to the level my daughter needs to have. We're all different, and people outside the group may not necessarily know that, right?
But that doesn't mean they are justified to act nasty just because of that, I don't think.
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I can tell you that I am 100% for sure lactose intolerant. Do you really want to know what happens to me when I drink milk or eat ice cream? Probably.... not. I'll spare you the gross details.
The most (absolute most) milk I can drink is about 1/3 of a cup. And that, really makes me feel like crap and causes some pretty bad consequences.3 -
There's really no question that lactose intolerance is a real thing (and not particularly uncommon), and that celiac is a real thing (but less common). Is avoiding dairy and wheat kind of trendy now well beyond people who might actually need to for health reasons? Sure, but who really cares. So long as people don't assert that dairy is bad for everyone because some are lactose intolerant (or because many, many, many years ago humans did not regularly consume milk after infancy), or that grains are bad for all because some are celiac, eh, whatever.4
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Disagree! If you want to know the validity of, feel free to ask my toilet after I have some ice cream LOL
Plenty of options these days for my fellow sufferers, unlike 20 years ago when I developed the intolerance. So I can now have my ice cream and eat it too (just not often) :P1 -
My sister claimed a gluten sensitivity a few years back when the fad started.
She eats gluten now, but God help her if she eats it in front of me, I go all super warrior and smack that food outta her hand and order her something gluten free. I point out every bit of gluten. She can't even post a picture of her dinner on instagram without me freaking out that she could get sick if she eats it.
I'm a horrible sister. And no, I'm not fun at parties.7 -
I think my mom's food intolerances (mostly herbs and spices, like pepper) are just an excuse for her to be overly picky and that she's not really intolerant, she just doesn't like the flavors of the herbs and spices. She has no physical reactions to them (believe me, she'd tell me if she did) to spices, but she "can't eat them".
I think she might have an intolerance to eggs, but she can eat them just fine in baked goods all day long. I lived with her for 21 years, and shared a room with her for most of it, I never saw GI evidence of these intolerances. She says she gets stomach cramps now though, so I believe her about that.
The rest though? Just another way to get attention and manipulate us.
Interestingly enough, a couple of my friends are celiacs and they have had to give up dairy as well. Apparently quite a few celiacs can't handle dairy, and it's not the lactose either, because they can't eat cheese or yogurt.
They can also "gluten" themselves through cosmetics and skin care products. One of them is more sensitive to gluten on the skin than the other, but they both have to be careful. Apparently gluten is in a LOT of beauty and skin care products.2 -
The study you posted is interesting. And I completely agree that science knows very little about celiac disease and foods affect autoimmune issues. My major symptom was arthritis - I'd lose the ability to use scissors, or raise my arms above my shoulders, for weeks to months at a time a few times per year. Yeah, I got stomach aches after eating and a lot of migraines, but I could still function with those. Those were the minor symptoms. The obvious symptoms.
Yeah, I don't think people often get just how much celiac disease actually impacts. And how much of that has barely been researched, too. Like, there was a little study a while back that found that the majority of celiacs eating gluten had low blood flow to the brain, while those who had gone gluten free and the non-celiacs did not. (this one - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14984816 )
We have no research that tells us why the heck this would happen. There's been no follow up studies to say if this happens only after prolonged gluten exposure, or if cheating once could cause this, too. Or if a larger participant group might show that the impact is not as large (it's a small study).
I wish more doctors talked to their patients about this, so they understood too - my father's didn't, so he keeps thinking that the only effects are his gut and feeling tired. He cheats.
I have gut issues, plus the inflammation, plus huge neurological effects that continue on for months if I get as much as contamination so small I can't even see it. Plus another condition that the inflammation sets off, too, so I really 'feel' all the extra impact. I can't fool myself it's not happening, you know?... the celiac who cheats on purpose. I just wish they would tell no one that they are celiac because it makes others take our food safety much less seriously. Joe Schmoe ate their stuffing because it was a holiday, but I won't even eat the stuffed bird? Somehow it ends up that I'm the one who they would roll their eyes at and not the cheater, and now it is that much harder to eat somewhere else besides home.
I can appreciate that sentiment, but at the same time...I think I get more annoyed at the people who roll their eyes. Mostly because I think otherwise, what we're saying is that people have to be 'perfect' for others in their 'group' to be treated with any respect or belief, you know? And I don't personally think that we all need to be perfect for people to treat each other with respect, or to treat people like they are not liars or hypochondriacs.
Like, if a few people on a diet to lose weight happen to cheat one day, most of us don't assume, then, that they're not 'really' on that diet. We assume that had a moment of weakness. If they do it a lot, we might assume that particular PERSON is not real good at dieting, but wouldn't necessarily assume it applies to everyone. If we see a LOT of people doing it, we might assume that a lot of dieters have a moment of weakness...not that it means all people who are strict about their diet are faking it, you know?
To do otherwise reflects more on the person making the assumptions, and treating the people around them poorly, than it does on the person who is on the diet, IMHO.
Although even I have had some of that frustration, because I can understand CONFUSION by people who have some celiacs who don't take precautions, and some who do. I have to be so careful that I can't eat out anymore. My daughter can only eat out at places that are super, super careful about contamination. My brother and dad, also both celiacs, can eat out at places that are pretty careful, but not nearly to the level my daughter needs to have. We're all different, and people outside the group may not necessarily know that, right?
But that doesn't mean they are justified to act nasty just because of that, I don't think.
Yeah... That eye rolling is annoying. Celiac symptoms are largely invisible so people don't get it. Same with other food sensitivities.
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I think my mom's food intolerances (mostly herbs and spices, like pepper) are just an excuse for her to be overly picky and that she's not really intolerant, she just doesn't like the flavors of the herbs and spices. She has no physical reactions to them (believe me, she'd tell me if she did) to spices, but she "can't eat them".
I think she might have an intolerance to eggs, but she can eat them just fine in baked goods all day long. I lived with her for 21 years, and shared a room with her for most of it, I never saw GI evidence of these intolerances. She says she gets stomach cramps now though, so I believe her about that.
The rest though? Just another way to get attention and manipulate us.
Interestingly enough, a couple of my friends are celiacs and they have had to give up dairy as well. Apparently quite a few celiacs can't handle dairy, and it's not the lactose either, because they can't eat cheese or yogurt.
They can also "gluten" themselves through cosmetics and skin care products. One of them is more sensitive to gluten on the skin than the other, but they both have to be careful. Apparently gluten is in a LOT of beauty and skin care products.
It usually is the lactose that bothers most celiacs. The lactase anzyme is produced in the microvilli of the intestine, and that is what is usually destroyed in a celiac's gut. After healing, many celiacs can handle dairy. It just may take many months or a couple of years to get there, if they ever do.
Supposedly celiacs can not get glutened through the skin but I'm not sure of that. I tend to avoid glutened products just in case it gets in my mouth. I've tasted hand lotion or shampoo before so it's safest not to risk it.2 -
A lot has been said about celiacs, so I'm not going to touch on that.
Intolerance, sensitivities, and allergies definitely exist. Since more people are aware of such things, more people can be diagnosed with such things. So while the proportion of people is unlikely to have changed, the proportion of people who are now diagnosed/aware has changed.
Personally, I have no real issues other than some to do with my gall bladder being removed. I don't like certain foods, and even a hint of some ingredients can ruin a whole dish for me due to being sensitive to their flavour/smell. But that's as easy as not ordering/buying foods with that in them. There's a small possibility my persistent headaches and migraines are due to food but it's unlikely.
My father had gastric issues with some foods but never logged or got tested; he just ate simply, and that worked for him. My mother has gastric issues with wheat; this may or may not be due to medication, age, etc. This is known, and supported by her doctor. She doesn't have to go out of her way to avoid wheat, but she does avoid it to some degree. My sister most likely has IBS; she has problems with spicy food, and wheat/gluten. She can eat a small amount of either, but not a lot. Since she loves both, and has kept a log, it's highly unlikely she's lying. She may also be developing lactose intolerance due to age as she has never been much of a milk drinker.
Are any of them lying? Unlikely. Do they have to avoid all food with it? No, they just have to limit the amount. Does this mean they're doing this because it is a fad? No.
Do some people claim intolerance, allergies, sensitivities, etc. as a fad or to hide an eating disorder? Yes. But to assume anyone does is just arrogant; you do not know what their issues are, so it is not your place to assume you know better.
(The general "you", of course)2 -
My brother has Celiac and when people are like "o, I'm cutting gluten out" it's like WHY, IT"S SUCH A PAIN IN THE *kitten*.
I think a lot of people cut out gluten, and eat more fruits/veggies and less processed stuff and mis-attribute their feeling better to lack of gluten rather than lack of processed stuff.2 -
For someone that has a sensitivity to gluten I hate that everyone thinks my 90 pound weight loss is due to being gluten free. When I am at a function and they announce they have gluten free substitutes and everyone flocks to the table that I know are only following a fad it is frustrating. No I don't have celiac but when I eat gluten I am in pain, have horrible cramps, headaches , bloating and gastrointestinal issues. Being gluten free did help me be able to exercise because I wasn't in pain all the time so I guess it contributed to a degree but gluten free foods can still put the weight on as we all know weight loss is due to a calorie deficit. For those that think mine is a fad I don't care . I know how I feel now versus what I felt like before.5
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I think my mom's food intolerances (mostly herbs and spices, like pepper) are just an excuse for her to be overly picky and that she's not really intolerant, she just doesn't like the flavors of the herbs and spices. She has no physical reactions to them (believe me, she'd tell me if she did) to spices, but she "can't eat them".
I think she might have an intolerance to eggs, but she can eat them just fine in baked goods all day long. I lived with her for 21 years, and shared a room with her for most of it, I never saw GI evidence of these intolerances. She says she gets stomach cramps now though, so I believe her about that.
The rest though? Just another way to get attention and manipulate us.
Interestingly enough, a couple of my friends are celiacs and they have had to give up dairy as well. Apparently quite a few celiacs can't handle dairy, and it's not the lactose either, because they can't eat cheese or yogurt.
They can also "gluten" themselves through cosmetics and skin care products. One of them is more sensitive to gluten on the skin than the other, but they both have to be careful. Apparently gluten is in a LOT of beauty and skin care products.
It usually is the lactose that bothers most celiacs. The lactase anzyme is produced in the microvilli of the intestine, and that is what is usually destroyed in a celiac's gut. After healing, many celiacs can handle dairy. It just may take many months or a couple of years to get there, if they ever do.
Supposedly celiacs can not get glutened through the skin but I'm not sure of that. I tend to avoid glutened products just in case it gets in my mouth. I've tasted hand lotion or shampoo before so it's safest not to risk it.
You may very well be right on both counts. I don't have celiac, and can only go by what they told me. I know one of them prefers to use gluten free products as much as possible, even makeup. She says she feels better when she does. May be placebo, may not. I'm not her, so I can't say. The other avoids all dairy, even cheese. Even if she could go back someday she says she probably wouldn't, it's not worth the risk of getting sick again.
I've tasted lotion and my fair share of shampoo too. I try to keep it as far away from my mouth as possible, and I don't have any intolerances!
Nasty tasting stuff. 0 -
Someone who is sensitive to herbs and spices could be Salicylate Intolerant. All herbs and spices are extremely high in salicylate as are many fruits and veg, being afflicted with this is very restrictive in the foods you are able to eat. Salicylate is one of the substances many edible plants use to protect themselves from moulds and mildews. I was fortunate to realise salicylate falls into the group of substances known as phenols and much to my relief there are digestive enzymes available which enables people who become unable to digest/cope with phenols consume a normal diet.
Many here with the various scoffed at maladies may well help themselves by trying some of the digestive enzymes on the market even digestive microbes could be beneficial particularly for those who have had even only one round of antibiotics because they are designed to kill of microbes indiscriminately. As a child I regularly had prescriptions for penicillin and achieved great relief using a preparation designed to repair the damage. Both digestive microbes and enzymes have played a real part in my personal recovery, getting my life back. There are many reasons why someone may loose the ability to make these enzymes themselves.3 -
Someone who is sensitive to herbs and spices could be Salicylate Intolerant. All herbs and spices are extremely high in salicylate as are many fruits and veg, being afflicted with this is very restrictive in the foods you are able to eat. Salicylate is one of the substances many edible plants use to protect themselves from moulds and mildews. I was fortunate to realise salicylate falls into the group of substances known as phenols and much to my relief there are digestive enzymes available which enables people who become unable to digest/cope with phenols consume a normal diet.
Many here with the various scoffed at maladies may well help themselves by trying some of the digestive enzymes on the market even digestive microbes could be beneficial particularly for those who have had even only one round of antibiotics because they are designed to kill of microbes indiscriminately. As a child I regularly had prescriptions for penicillin and achieved great relief using a preparation designed to repair the damage. Both digestive microbes and enzymes have played a real part in my personal recovery, getting my life back. There are many reasons why someone may loose the ability to make these enzymes themselves.
My mom eats just about all the fruit she can (I wish she wouldn't, she's diabetic and the sugar isn't good for her) and most vegetables. The only foods she doesn't eat is any non-sweet peppers, italian seasonings, sage, nutmeg, and black and white pepper, and eggs.
But it's funny. If she doesn't know the pepper in the food, she'll eat it and have no trouble. White pepper in a cream sauce? Like at Olive Garden. She can eat that just fine. No complaints (and believe me, my mom would tell me if she had a problem, the words TMI are not in her vocabulary).
If I make Alfredo sauce, and she watched me do every step, and then when she's eating it I tell her I put pepper in it? She'll say "I thought there was, I could taste it." Even though there is no pepper in it at all.
My mother is a likely sociopath that emotionally abused me for years. She's not really to be trusted in a lot of ways. That's the only reason I suspect that her intolerance is a preference and not an actual intolerance. However, I will look into those digestive enzymes and see what I can find for her. It can't hurt, and it might make things easier for her, if it is an intolerance, or even just a psychological one. Thanks for the tip.0 -
Interestingly enough, a couple of my friends are celiacs and they have had to give up dairy as well. Apparently quite a few celiacs can't handle dairy, and it's not the lactose either, because they can't eat cheese or yogurt.
I know another gal mentioned the lactase issue for lactose, but I thought I'd mention why so many lactose intolerant folks can't have cheese or yogurt any more: modern processing.
When yogurt or cheese used to be made, it was fermented, you know? Bacteria 'ate' the lactose so that the final product was soured or hard, but there was also pretty much no lactose left, so it was safe for the lactose intolerant. Many lists on what is 'safe' for those who are lactose intolerance will list yogurt and cheeses as ok for this reason.
The thing is, the medical community doesn't keep up with processing in the food industry (which is why allergen lists from doctors are so often REALLY out of date). And when it comes to cheese and yogurt, companies want to make more, so they can sell more, and letting these products completely ferment takes time.
So instead of doing that, many companies (possibly most, in the USA) do NOT let these products ferment all the way any longer. Instead, they let them ferment a little, and then add in agents that sour or thicken the cheeses and yogurts. That way, they get more product to market much more quickly.
But because of that, the cheeses and yogurts tend to still have a lot of lactose remaining. For yogurt especially, sometimes the thickener is milk powder, so the yogurt can have more lactose afterward than it did in the beginning!
For your celiac friends, you might ask them if they have ever checked out European imported cheeses or yogurts - sometimes these ARE completely fermented and can be tolerated by the lactose intolerant better. :-)
And also...if they are still having problems with dairy, it can sometimes be a sign that they are still getting low level gluten contamination as well, so you might want to let them know, if they are still struggling.
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These sensitivities are very real. My husband does not have celiac disease (no visible small intestine damage, no production of antibodies) but if he consumes gluten he has terrible diarrhea and stomach pain. Prior to figuring out gluten was the culprit he had lost 10lbs he couldn’t afford to lose due to an apparent problem with his food just going straight through him/ not being properly metabolized. He also had terrible heartburn. His gastroenterologist found nothing at all in testing. He finally cut out gluten and all symptoms disappeared. Accidentally consuming gluten now leads to more diarrhea and stomach pain. He obviously has some kind of problem with gluten.
He also has a dairy allergy (note: NOT lactose intolerance) as, since he was in junior high dairy products have cause him to break out in a bright red rash.2 -
I've had GI problems my whole life and my doctors are just now doing more invasive testing. I'm 25. I had to learn to cut things out of my diet not because of my doctor saying so, but because if I didn't I was going to be running to the bathroom because it was going to come out one way or the other. Now my Gastroenterologist wants me to not restrict what I eat so that the tests will show him any problems. I never want to have to go through this again.
I don't want to discredit people that say they have an intolerance, because it might be the best word they have to describe what is going on with them. Is there a fad right now with gluten free? Yes. Does it make it any easier to eat gluten free? No. I can't trust anything I don't make myself, cross contamination is real. It is so frustrating.5 -
Regrettably, intolerance is the word used to signify something is not an allergy, the difference is stark, a true allergy is lethal, one can die from it. Intolerances are really unpleasant, but you can exist with them though for many they can be in great discomfort. Life can be incredibly miserable.
I'm so very sorry you need to take yourself back to a place you have worked so very hard to get away from. Its so miserable not to be able to do/eat things so many take for granted because you need to know precisely what you are eating to be safe. I hope your doctors are able to tell you what is going on. Wishing you all the very best.1 -
ped6erzani wrote: »I've had GI problems my whole life and my doctors are just now doing more invasive testing. I'm 25. I had to learn to cut things out of my diet not because of my doctor saying so, but because if I didn't I was going to be running to the bathroom because it was going to come out one way or the other. Now my Gastroenterologist wants me to not restrict what I eat so that the tests will show him any problems. I never want to have to go through this again.
I don't want to discredit people that say they have an intolerance, because it might be the best word they have to describe what is going on with them. Is there a fad right now with gluten free? Yes. Does it make it any easier to eat gluten free? No. I can't trust anything I don't make myself, cross contamination is real. It is so frustrating.
I completely get this, and it's why my doctor and I agreed we really don't need a test that confirms I have issues with gluten (which I in no way think everyone does, the rest of you just carry on enjoying all that gluteny goodness on my behalf please!). To test would mean 4-8 week of eating the equivalent of four slices of bread a day (which is more gluten than I was eating when I cut it out). The eczema my body can generate in that space of time, just not worth it.2 -
Freakonomics Radio recent podcast had some interesting discussion on the gluten one.1
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My wife had all the issues many of you mention. The swollen, hard, water filled stomach every single time she ate bread or pasta. She was in denial for years because she loved both. Finally, one day, I made her Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup with Milk (to demonstrate to her what I already knew) and she got so sick we nearly had to go to the hospital. Now, we are both dairy/gluten free. Because I do the cooking at home, it's just easier that way.
What's odd is, when you don't eat gluten, your body seems to lose the enzyme needed to digest it. When I eat gluten now by mistake (I was told in Mexico last year that tortillas were corn and turned out to be flour), I'll get a "celiac rash" all over my rear. I used to get bad eczema too. Even though I never thought I had any gluten problems, turns out I had skin conditions that cleared right up after stopping gluten.
Yeah, we get the "oh you trendy people..." looks whenever we go out. Guess what? People that give us that look can pound it. I know how sick my wife used to be and how well she is now. She's also lost 30 lbs and looks 10 years younger. I lost 70 lbs before going gluten/dairy free but feel better now. So it helped her lose the weight and when her digestion was poor, CICO alone wasn't cutting it for her. She tracked calories for a year and lost 5 lbs. Once going gluten/dairy free, she lost 30 more in two months eating the same diet (she eats the same things nearly every day with the only variance being our dinners, which I make similar things each few weeks).3
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