Benefits of Gluten free diets for regular folks?

Lots of people don't know that they are sensitive to wheat till they try going off of it. It can cause inflamation in the joints, indigestion, headaches, poor concentration, irritability, unexplained rash, bloating and all sorts of things that you might not expect it to. And it can be hard to determine if it is wheat or gluten. On the other hand wheat can be a completely healthy part of some ones diet.

Why? One explanation is that we have basicaly one type of geneticaly modified (to contain more gluten) wheat used for 90% of wheat products. Also people are looking to have whole grain bread be as fluffy and light and bound together as the wonder bread they had as children. To do this the bakery adds more gluten into the whole grain mixes. Now the typical diet contains more bread products than ever before. Pretty much every meal and snack.

If you want to know if wheat or gluten is causing you the sypmtoms you could try a 2 week gluten free fast. Not easy as most sauce, soups, processed meats and even some yogurts and cottage cheese contain gluten. (and stupid things like flour dusted cranberries)
If you feel noticeably better after 2 weeks then add in spelt, kumut, oats and other grains that contain small amounts of gluten and see if these bother you. (gluten test)
If not then try adding wheat back. (wheat test)
It may seem extreem but it took me two decades to figure out I was celiac. I always knew wheat made me ill. But my immune system never healed till I cut out all gluten. Now I consider myself healthy.
Up to you.

It's very easy to be gluten-free nowadays as most packaging lists gluten as ingredient or gluten-free.

Lots of people don't know that they are sensitive to wheat till they try going off of it. It can cause inflamation in the joints, indigestion, headaches, poor concentration, irritability, unexplained rash, bloating and all sorts of things that you might not expect it to. And it can be hard to determine if it is wheat or gluten. On the other hand wheat can be a completely healthy part of some ones diet.

Why? One explanation is that we have basicaly one type of geneticaly modified (to contain more gluten) wheat used for 90% of wheat products. Also people are looking to have whole grain bread be as fluffy and light and bound together as the wonder bread they had as children. To do this the bakery adds more gluten into the whole grain mixes. Now the typical diet contains more bread products than ever before. Pretty much every meal and snack.

If you want to know if wheat or gluten is causing you the sypmtoms you could try a 2 week gluten free fast. Not easy as most sauce, soups, processed meats and even some yogurts and cottage cheese contain gluten. (and stupid things like flour dusted cranberries)
If you feel noticeably better after 2 weeks then add in spelt, kumut, oats and other grains that contain small amounts of gluten and see if these bother you. (gluten test)
If not then try adding wheat back. (wheat test)
It may seem extreem but it took me two decades to figure out I was celiac. I always knew wheat made me ill. But my immune system never healed till I cut out all gluten. Now I consider myself healthy.
Up to you.

It's very easy to be gluten-free nowadays as most packaging lists gluten as ingredient or gluten-free.

Much easier than in the past. But there are lots of food people don't think to check, ie processed meats, dairy, or all beef hamburger patties in the grocery store, cranberries, .... or if they love sushi, the fake crab, the tempura, the soy sauce. Soy sauce has even been added to the rice while cooking.... It took me a long time to figure it out.
If you are doing the elimiation diet, I would suggest doing most of your own cooking. And do your grocery shopping with a magnifying glass.

I haven't read wheat belly, but I do know a lot about gluten (son is sensitive, and I'm the house cook).

If you have intestinal problems that appear to be IBS, it's definitely worth a shot. I would give it a 6-8 week trial and go NATURALLY gluten free. Super easy to do - veggies, fruits, rice, oats, corn, meats, dairy - they don't contain gluten. Make sure to watch out for hidden sources in things like soy sauce, tho. Sub in a corn tortilla for a whole grain one, PB & J on a rice cake, etc.

I would 100% avoid PROCESSED gluten free foods, however. A ton of them are unhealthier than their glutened counterparts - more sugar and more chemicals to replace the gluten. If you're craving a GF brownie, then make one at home. If it's marketed as a GF option and comes in a box, pass it by. This is how a lot of people get healthier on a GF diet - not because it's the lack of gluten, it's because they're eating less crap food like donuts, sugary cereals and cupcakes!

Wow...lots of opinions as always. I'll try and quickly recap my experience. I started working with a nutritionist a couple of years ago to help me with weight loss and to lower my cholesteral. She recommended I try Gluten Free as I was having various aches and pains from my heavy weight lifting that she thought could be related to slight inflamation.

When I stopped eating Bread and other foods that contain gluten (there is a surprsing long list) I started to feel better, had much less pain in my joints and tendons and also found I had more energy. Also surprising was my cholesteral dropped which she said is more from the reduction of inflamation AND that she was pushing me hard to replace the carbs from gluten foods with vegetables.

It's now been over 2 years and I've maintained 99% gluten free. I do cheat occasionaly but when I do I feel poorly for several days after. That's my direct experience. Works for me might not work for your wife but I think it's worth a try. If I never had tried I wouldn't have found out that I have a slight reaction to Gluten.

Seems a good way to cut out fibre and spend a lot of money. A lot of gluten free food is highly processed and completely tasteless so you're also going to be left unsatisfied by your meals. Even things like soy sauce have to be rethought as wheat's a fairly common ingredient. So unless you're going to be the sort of gluten-free type who skips bread and pasta but happily munches on a gravy made with a small amount of flour and almond cake that's not entirely flourless, you're in for a world of stress when it comes to shopping and eating out. And if you're going to approach gluten-free eating that way, why bother? Surely a small amount of gluten is just as bad for you as a large amount; I know my coeliac friends react just as strongly to gluten, even the small amounts. Some react horribly to trace amounts of gluten. It's a bit odd to want to share their limitations.

No diet is sustainable when it's so limiting. And gluten-free is such a very obvious limitation. You're basically broadcasting to everyone you eat out with, as well as to those who have you over as a dinner guest, that you've no issue at all inconveniencing them because the internet or a book told you to follow a fad diet.

i do low carb which means no wheat obv.

i have never felt better. i highly recommend people to cut out wheat (and most carbs) out of their life.

Benefits? None.

It's a common myth that wheat in this day and age is bad for you. The higher fibre and nutrient contents of wholegrain wheat actually promotes digestive health.

Bloating is caused by intestinal gas. It has multiple causes such as insufficient fibre, food intolerance or simply just....holding 'it' in!

Long story short: It's a fad.
Or unless you have coeliac disease, don't listen

Benefits? None!! Okay, you said it so must be right!

Yeah. You give me a good solid argument that it benefits a normally healthy person over any other miracle diet and I'll eat my hat.

Much easier than in the past. But there are lots of food people don't think to check, ie processed meats, dairy, or all beef hamburger patties in the grocery store, cranberries, .... or if they love sushi, the fake crab, the tempura, the soy sauce. Soy sauce has even been added to the rice while cooking.... It took me a long time to figure it out.
If you are doing the elimiation diet, I would suggest doing most of your own cooking. And do your grocery shopping with a magnifying glass.

Everything has to be checked - I've been using some stuff for 20 years and then they change the recipe (bisto for example). The only things that go unchecked into my basket are fruit/veg and raw pure meat. Although we are so careful sometimes something will still make me poorly even though it states it has nothing in. I cant have the same marg as the kids because of bread crumbs and our deep fat fryer( not used very often) is out of bounds as the kids has some chips that had wheat flour on. The list of things to avoid are massive not just wheat flour - no whisky, beer, vinegar, most soy sauce (and therefore most chinese), gravies, cakes, pasta, rye, barley ( so many breakfast cereals are out) and processed meat such as sausages (anything contain rusk).

I very rarely eat out and If i do its only at places that carry an allergy sheet with all the info in and then I'm still very careful. Being gluten free is not easy - although easier than it was when i was a child and more places are aware.

i'm trying to stay away from much of the prepackaged stuff marked gluten free. as someone else pointed out, often times it's way higher in calories.

i did buy a bunch of cookbooks by bette hagman and the few recipes i have tried have been really good and relatively easy to make. my local whole foods has all of the different types of flours

My wife's doc has recommended a trial period on a Gluten free diet - specifically she recommended the "Wheat Belly" approach.

My wife hasn't been officially diagnosed with any gluten intolerance though, especially not with celiac disease, and since I'm not familiar with gluten free eating, I thought I'd ask you experts about it.

Are there any studies showing the effects of gluten free diets on non-gluten-intolerant people? Are there benefits?

Have any of you heard of or read "Wheat Belly" and what are your opinions on its validity? Just want to make sure this isn't the doc jumping on a fad bandwagon.

Thanks guys! :drinker:

Personally I'd let her give it a shot. She may notice that she feels better, fewer stomach/bowel issues (if she has any), and possibly more energy. This is just from personal experience.

I can never see the benefit of removing an entire food group from your diet if it's not directly related to a health issue. It seems gluten-free is the new thing Doctors are touting.....even when the patient has not been diagnosed with a legitimate intolerance! It's the new healthcare 'buzz-word'. Everything in moderation!

the people on here are hardly "experts"

THIS!!!!!!

I've been gluten free for just over 2 months now & I can tell you first hand it's HARD and I wouldn't wish for anyone else to have to do this, even an enemy! It's a pain to eat out and grocery shopping takes forever until you get the hang of things. It's a lifelong commitment, not something you can try or do halfway, if you're doing it for legitimate health reasons.

But, if you are a person who has Celiac or a gluten intolerance, the benefit is that you finally feel BETTER, so the benefit is 100% there. I don't think there would be any benefit to someone who does not have Celiac or gluten intolerance, but it's doubtful that it would cause any ill effects, provided you make sure to eat a balanced diet to get all the nutrients you need.

In my case, I tested negative for Celiac, but my doctor (a specialist) was certain that my history & symptoms are related to gluten intolerance, so she suggested I try eating gluten free for 3 months and see if I have any improvement. Gluten intolerance is relatively new as a recognized illness and there aren't testing levels for it yet, so an elimination diet is the way they back into a diagnosis. It sounds like that's what your wife's doc is trying to do.

It's hard, especially at first, but if she has gluten intolerance, believe me, she'll feel better very soon & it'll be worth it.

For me, personally, after going gluten free:

Within 1 week, the sharp STABBING pains I got in my upper right abdomen stopped (a minor miracle not to be in pain constantly!!)

Within 1 month, the terrible IBS-like symptoms were going away (diarrhea, cramping, bloating, gas, etc). General stomach bloat started to dissipate (losing the pregnant belly look).

Within 2 months, acid reflux is gone, general fatigue is improved greatly, headaches gone, etc.

Everyone is different, but truly, going gluten free is NOT a fad and if your body doesn't play well with gluten, then it should be cut out. End of story. If you do not need to do gluten free but are doing it as a "fad" or think it will help you lose weight, it WON'T. It's a pain and expensive if you buy bread replacements (and most the time they taste terrible) and it's hard to eat out or at friends' houses. No one should do this as a fad because it's just not worth it. But, if you have health issues and going gluten free solves those problems...then it's a win.

Good luck to your wife & to you for being concerned about her health and any possible effects on yours. You both need to educate yourselves to do a gluten free diet properly so you avoid accidental ingestion and cross-contamination, etc.

Best wishes!