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rob_s
08-11-10, 07:23
Thoughts on this? It's supposedly the "new fad" in celebrity food trends. I think it's also part of our national hypochondria and people are self-diagnosing with Cyliac.

I tried it for a bit due to a lifetime of stomach issues and found no benefit, but I also understand that it's very, very hard to really eliminate gluten from your diet.

Gutshot John
08-11-10, 09:23
I think it's also part of our national hypochondria and people are self-diagnosing with Cyliac.

Based on what? Are you a nutritionist?


I tried it for a bit due to a lifetime of stomach issues and found no benefit.

So because it didn't work for you it must be hypochondria? There are many causes of stomach issues for people. Have you seen a doctor about your problems?

Sensitivity to gluten doesn't make you celiac any more than cheese giving you constipation makes you lactose intolerant.

While eliminating gluten entirely isn't realistic unless you are an actual celiac (when it's necessary), I've seen a lot of improvement by cutting intake significantly.

rob_s
08-11-10, 09:52
here we go again. You have a unique knack for taking personal offense at everything people post.

Back on ignore you go.

Mods go ahead and lock this one up if you like, I lost interest.

Gutshot John
08-11-10, 10:04
I didn't take it personally at all.

You have a unique knack for making imperious statements even when grossly misinformed and then you get offended when someone dares to disagree.

Put on your big boy pants.

sadmin
08-11-10, 11:37
On the topic of stomach issues:
Three years ago I got very bad food poisoning from chicken. Very bad like hospitalization and I dropped around 11 pounds in 3 days. Anyway, after that, I had a nice hiatal hernia from the vomiting and thus began a solid year of bad acid indigestion. So bad was this, my voice changed due to the deterioration in my esophagus, and my tongue would be burned daily. I even got a ST on my heart because I was sure I was having a heart attack due to the acid spilling into my chest cavity. My Gastro doc of course prescribed me to meds and said it may stop, it may not; I couldnt live with that since im sort of against meds anyway.

I had to change my diet significantly, started researching flipping my stomach into a alkaline environment by eating low acidic foods and removing all fluids from my diet except lime water and coconut water. After that I began eating yogurt every morning and low acid foods like oatmeal and granola, raw fruits and veggies. It sucked because Im a meat eater, but proteins are very acidic by nature so I was pseudo-veggie for about a month. I also bought some alkaline drops and put them in any beverage that I incorporated back into my diet like iced tea, which is my black tar heroin. Whatever I did, cleared it up so much that I can even have red wine at night time without waking up asking for last rights.

This wasnt very informative for the gluten topic, but if your stomach issues are similar, try an alkaline diet for awhile.

orlanger
08-11-10, 12:26
Back on the topic of a gluten free diet. My wife has celiac disease (celiac sprue). She was diagnosed about 15 years ago (the true test is a combination of blood tests and a biopsy of the stomach tissue). I and my son have been tested and we do not have celiacs but we all have since learned to live "gluten free". It is just not food, it is soaps, detergents, cosmetics, etc... You would be surprised at the products that contain gluten in some shape or form.

Rob, you're correct. It is extremely difficult at first to eliminate all gluten in your diet. Many food manufacturers use fillers and other unlabeled ingredients that contain gluten. But once we learned to adjust and knew what foods and brands to stick with, it hasn't been too bad. It is however, considerably more expensive to grocery shop and you can pretty much forget eating out.

I don't know if it is the new fad in diets or not, but my wife and I are pleased to see more people are taking notice. We hope it leads to more research and food options in the future.

If you are interested in more information try celiac.org.

Mat
08-11-10, 17:19
12 or so years ago one of my family member's was so allergic to gluten it was making her depressed to the point of having suicidal thoughts. Doctor after doctor kept telling her it was menstruation and to learn to deal with it. Instead she started tweaking her diet and figured out it was gluten that was making her crazy. If you look carefully and at good stores you can find gluten free products to cook with. I think she mentioned it's more common for women to have the severe reactions to gluten but here's a couple books she recommends checking out for newbies:

Living Gluten-Free For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness)) by Danna Korn (Paperback - April 10, 2006)

The Living Gluten-Free Answer Book: Answers to 275 of Your Most Pressing Questions by Suzanne Bowland (Paperback - Jan 1, 2008)

The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Jules E. Dowler Shepard (Paperback - Dec 1, 2008)

chadbag
08-11-10, 18:24
Unless you have a true gluten intolerance / allergy, instead of reducing gluten, try getting your gluten only through whole grain sources... See if that helps.

I think some peoples' problems are more related to processed flours and sugars being highly glycemic than the actual gluten.

No, I am not an expert.

WillBrink
08-12-10, 09:24
Thoughts on this? It's supposedly the "new fad" in celebrity food trends. I think it's also part of our national hypochondria and people are self-diagnosing with Cyliac.

Agreed. Gluten "intolerance" is the latest fad to sell various programs, diets, etc. and is being blamed for all that ills us....As there are specific tests for celiac disease, so self diagnosing is a bad idea. If one suspects they have it (due to symptoms that are similar to celiac disease) then best to make an app with your doc. I do know a few people who lived with it for many years without proper diagnosis (and they did seek medical help but were not tested 'till too late...) and it caused serious illness. By the time they were properly diagnosed, serious damage had already been done. It does appear celiac disease is more common then once thought, so, no harm in getting tested if one has had ongoing GI issues.

Good Luck. ;)

Derek_Connor
08-12-10, 09:26
If you can avoid gluten, and most all grain sources, you will benefit in the short term, and long term.

The literature and research is out about Gluten, it affects EVERYONE at some level. Whether or not you perceive it, will be the question. It is a no brainer in my book to avoid Gluten, and most grains in general.

Gluten punches wholes in your gut lining membranes and allows things to leak in that have been linked to autoimmune diseases, type "3 diabetes" aka Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis, and other metabolic type syndromes as well.

You have to truly minimize your exposure, hell, be 100% avoiding gluten/grains in general to see the rewards. Which is very hard to do as flour is in damn near everything from the super markets now a days, even lunch meat.

There is no benefit to having gluten containing items in your diet, at all.