Gluten-free...thoughts?

I went GF due to tummy issues. After a few weeks I found that I had stopped craving sweets and bread so much. For a while I was eating GF bread, but now I don't and I don't miss it at all. I don't bake any GF goodies except for birthdays. Maybe once or twice a month we will have GF pasta. I do use corn tortillas for tacos and wraps, but don't use those much either. I feel like my belly bloating went down quit a bit and gas has mostly gone away too. You do have to make up for fiber and really eat your veggies and fruits though.

I have recently thought about going gluten free - I'm super dependent on carbs and feel like this might help me shy away from them / get rid of my addiction to them! I heard the benefits are awesome! any thoughts?

If you have any symptoms of gluten sensitivity (bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhea), or coeliac disease or maybe a wheat allergy, it would be a great idea. Otherwise, I can't think of any benefits.

My thoughts exactly! I do it because I have digestive issues.

I've had to be gluten free for 13 years now and I have a background in nutrition (but I don't give official nutrition advice here). There are many levels of gluten sensitivity and many doctors who aware only of celiac disease and not the whole range of the sensitivities. That said, CoolClimate's right about the fact that in the US it IS still difficult to be completely gluten free (GF). It is also much more expensive. THAT said, if you avoid buying GF substitutes (GF bread, pizza, bagels, waffles, etc.) and simply avoid eating so many carbs, as you are planning to do, it IS a good way to approach it.

As someone else mentioned, it does force you to rethink how you structure your meals. And if you make sure you are eating a well-balanced diet (fairly easy to do with some research and work), you will most likely be eating HEALTHIER. There are a number of studies from the UK and Italy that show that people on GF lifestyles live, on average, 5 years longer than their counterparts. That's probably because GF people, until fairly recently, ate more veggies and fruit b/c there weren't as many palatable GF pastas, cookies, cakes, etc. to be found.

CoolClimate -- I am THRILLED that so many people are trying GF because it has drastically raised awareness of this issue that, as you know personally, is NOT merely a choice for most of us who MUST be GF. Yet the "popularity" of going GF right now has encouraged big companies such as General Mills and Betty Crocker and hundreds of smaller companies to produce and market GF products. Granted, not all of them are healthy, but for those who have children who must follow a GF diet, it's a huge help to be able to buy GF cereal or tell friends, family and classmates what brand of cake mix they can buy, etc, when planning holiday events or parties.

It is a different world today than it was even 7 years ago, let alone 13 years ago -- so much easier with clear labeling, not as much cross-contamination, so many choices (even in restaurants) and I am glad for any and all attention brought to our cause, even if it is celebrities touting it as a way to feel better and be healthier. Many people DO feel much better when GF because it is STILL a vastly under-diagnosed health issue. Just b/c someone doesn't have diagnosed celiac disease does not mean they don't have gluten problems. There is research that is beginning to show it is actually a spectrum of disorders -- the inability to properly digest/metabolize gluten -- that affects people in a number of different ways.

I recommend trying GF for a month and seeing how you feel! Cravings are actually one of the symptoms of being on the gluten-sensitivity spectrum. Please report back how you feel after the first few weeks! Good luck with whatever path you choose!

well the benefits to me are not having itchy face and developing hives and my throat constricting.

if you're not sensitive to gluten then i dont see the point in eliminating it. it's kind of a pain in *kitten* to get around since so many things your couldnt even realize have gluten in them. why make your life harder unless you absolutely have to?

and yeah i agree that the fadness of this has hurt those of us who have legitimate issues with gluten. heck i just got sick a few weeks ago because a pizza place was advertising they had gluten free pizza when in actuality it wasnt. apparently i'm the first person to call them out on it even though they've been selling it for months. i guess that means the people who have been getting it really have no way of knowing if what they eat does or does not have gluten.

We've been gluten free just over a year. I am sensitive and my wife has MS and it's the recommended diet approch for MS. It was hard at first, but now is pretty second nature. If you don't have to go GF it'll be really hard. The nice thing is with increased interest it is creating more GF products available in regular stores. We rarely have burgers and sandwiches anymore, but when we do we use a GF bagel, Udi's GF bread or GF english muffin. Problem is the bun is usually way higher in fats and calories than the meat. So it's a treat not a rergular meal. Meal structure as others said is key. We eat much more fresh fruit and veggies these days and really very little rice, GF pasta, or GF breads, but still get a lot of carbs in order to get all our fiber. I lost 11 lbs by just cutting Gluten and not changing anything else. Now my stomach feels better, not bloated anymore and that helped me tolerate dairy again although we have reduced that to just feta and parmesan and use almond milk. Read labels. I would never have thought spinach dip would have gluten in it, but we got some and sure enough it's in there. And it can be hidden under different names. Good luck and enjoy!

Symptoms of celiac disease are not limited to digestive symptoms. Many celiacs have no digestive symptoms at all.

Here are some of the possible symptoms, but celiac disease can cause problems with any system in your body.

http://www.celiac.com/articles/1106/1/Celiac-Disease-Symptoms/Page1.html

I would not bother going gluten-free just in an effort to lose weight. When I went gluten free, I put on quite a bit of weight. Switching from wheat to gluten-free breads and treats will not necessarily cause you to lose weight. Commercial gluten free foods are lower in fibre, higher in starches and sugar.

If you are going to try to give up gluten, do it by eliminating commercial and processed foods and stick to naturally gluten-free whole foods. Sure, get rid of the bagels and replace them with brown rice, quinoa, vegetables, beans, etc.

I have recently thought about going gluten free - I'm super dependent on carbs and feel like this might help me shy away from them / get rid of my addiction to them! I heard the benefits are awesome! any thoughts?

If you have any symptoms of gluten sensitivity (bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhea), or coeliac disease or maybe a wheat allergy, it would be a great idea. Otherwise, I can't think of any benefits.

I am gluten free as well as my daughter as we are allergic. This is a long learning curve and I have help you if you want.

If you mean naturally gluten free as in no grains gluten free you'll lose weight
If you mean switching from wheat/rye/barley products to corn/rice/potato then don't! It's more expensive and often has extra calories.

I'm gluten sensitive so please eat some french bread for me

Celiac, lactose intolerant for about 1-1/2 years and Type I diabetic for 39 years. I have no problem with the diet changes for non-gluten/dairyfree and cook 95% of what I eat to ensure a healthy balance. I do bake from scratch GF bread products as a personal preference as I like them better than pre-made variety and have no reason to give them up completely. I find by eating smaller meals and limiting what I'm eating to close to the amount of alloted daily calories, carbs, protein and fat I can maintain current weight. Occassionally have a day where the rules are broken, but that is why there is always tomorrow to get back on track....

I agree with everyone else - if you don't have a problem tolerating gluten, then there is no benefit for doing so.

I have found many good recipes on Paleo sites as they have healthy ideas that are gluten and dairy free. I'm not recommending going on that kind of extreme diet, just that some recipes may be of interest. I love to browse the gluten free recipe sites and appreciate all the work those folks put in to help make the rest of us healthier.