Is being Gluten Free a Fad or .....?!?!?!?!

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Chika_2015
Chika_2015 Posts: 359 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, someone tell me what is the big deal with being glueten free, as if everything organic isn't enough. Is it a fad or are there really benefits to being gluten free?

Now alot of my friends are gluten free, and most of them will only eat beef that has been grass fed only (really), I'm just saying....Love you guys/gals.

Some info would be greatly appreciated. I want to see if it is benfecial for me to hop on that bandwagon myself....well not really.

~Chika
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Replies

  • yquier
    yquier Posts: 10 Member
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    ABC Nightly News had a report on this a couple of days ago. The Dr. they were talking to said people that aren't allergic to it should not go gluten free. I've never thought about going gluten free and the report has me believing that I shouldn't . I can't remember all the details of the report but maybe you can see it online.
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
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    There is a disease that many people have in which they get sick if they eat gluten. They are intolerant of it and therefore must meet special dietary restrictions, hence the labels for gluten free foods and recent popularization.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    In my personal opinion it is a fad HOWEVER there are people who have a very legitimate reason (EDIT: Celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivty) to go gluten free and for these people it is in their best interest to do so. In that regard, I'd say it's a fad but I'd put a little asterisk by it.
  • Moonblood
    Moonblood Posts: 199 Member
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    I feel it's a legitimate disease. My husband gets violently ill if he ingests any gluten at all. No matter the amount. I think people and doctor's are becoming more aware of it now, so maybe that's why some people see it as a fad.
  • chubbster17
    chubbster17 Posts: 31
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    I found not eating wheat made my tummy flatter. :) according to the diet I was on, wheat makes women bloat!
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
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    In my personal opinion it is a fad HOWEVER there are people who have a very legitimate reason to go gluten free and for these people it is in their best interest to do so. In that regard, I'd say it's a fad but I'd put a little asterisk by it.

    I second this.
  • RebekahEdna
    RebekahEdna Posts: 4
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    i went gluten free because i would feel pretty crap after i ate gluten products. i feel loads better when i don't eat them, but if you don't have a medical reason to do it then its a little faddy to shout from the rooftops that everyone should be gluten free.
  • 10goal13
    10goal13 Posts: 54
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    It has become a 'fad' its the new 'organic' or 'clean diet' and some people do find it better to follow gluten free but as an above poster says some people HAVE to follow gluten free like me, i have celiacs disease and so cannot eat gluten/wheat/oats/rhy/barley etc i have had this since I was 6 years old so we celiacs have no choice
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    Whether there is some type of gluten sensitivity in some people that don't have cialic disease is bit of a controversial topic. I tend to believe that there are some people that are sensitive to gluten, but wheat gluten is not "bad" in a general sense as some would have you believe.

    You also folks that make the logical leap from "I'm sensitive to wheat gluten" to "All carbs are always bad for everyone in every context."
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
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    Gluten free is no more of a fad than sugar free for diabetics or peanut free for allergies. Proper labelling for different dietary needs ensures the safety of consumers.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    Gluten makes me quite sick (allergy); therefore, I don't eat it.
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    It's a fad for people that don't have a real reason to avoid gluten and are just using it as a new diet. I don't understand why people would avoid gluten if they don't need to, since the products seem to be more expensive, with less fiber and higher calories.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
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    Obviously not a fad for people who need to avoid gluten, but when I was in high school I knew a few girls who went gluten free for no apparent reason (they weren't intolerant or allergic)
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
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    I would never have gone GF if I didn't have to!

    I break out in hives, itch like mad, get swollen terribly achy joints and amazingly horrible stomachaches from eating: wheat, buckwheat, rye, oats, gluten free oats (seriously pisses me off), and occasionally, I will react to corn. I can eat brown rice and white rice with no issues.

    Once I was diagnosed, I started reading labels of absolutely EVERYTHING - and that horrifying experience has led me to go to buying organic, local veggies, grass fed beef, organic eggs, and local farm raised organic pork and chicken. Oh, and wild caught fish.

    I also - during the 20 million blood tests - found that I'm insulin resistant, so I had to cut out sugar as well. (good times, that)

    It's a personal choice to go this far, and it's also taken me a very long time to get here.

    But damn, I miss pizza! And Taco Bell!
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 450 Member
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    I stopped eating gluten for 3 months, now I can't go back to it or I get either headaches or bad stomach cramps.

    Makes me wonder... why is it making me feel bad now and not before? Are we all just conditioned to accept something that our body doesn't want?
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    Unless you are sensitive to gluten or wheat than there is no real reason to cut it out of your diet. I'm sensitive to them both, it gives me stomach aches and other lovely things so I avoid them as much as possible. So fad unless health reasons, problem is it is in everything we eat....so avoiding it is a *****
  • moosmumma
    moosmumma Posts: 25
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    My husband and ny daughter are have coeliac disease and are very sick if they eat anything containing gluten. It is a serious condition with risks of stomach and intestinal cancer along with high risk of diabetes and thyroid disorders. GF food is also incredibly expensive. I have noticed that it seems "trendy" to have an allergy to products. Many people are genuine but there is a few out there that are being extra. My hubby is desperately trying to gain weight / bodybuild but has limited foods and supplements available and GF foods are extortionate.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
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    For those that do not have Coeliac Disease, its a choice.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Some people have medical disorders (e.g. gluten intolerance, Coeliac disease) that make eating gluten physically harmful. For these people, avoiding gluten entirely has clear health benefits. I know of no widely accepted health benefits of eating a gluten-free diet for people without these disorders.
  • JBennis1013
    JBennis1013 Posts: 377 Member
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    I work at a gastroenterologists office. Eating gluten free is necessary for people with celiac disease. For people who do not have celiac disease no clue what the benefits are.

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