How many of us are paleo/primal?

Sapsorrow

I was just wondering how many of us follow the paleo or primal lifestyles? As in no grains, beans/legumes, refined sugars, veg oils, trans or hydrogenated fats etc.. I was thinking it would be cool to try and get some sort of paleo/primal meet up group going for Ireland but I just wonder how feesible it is, are there enough of us out there!?

--Kaiser--

I would say I'm following a primal type lifestyle perhaps 80% of the time. It's easy enough to follow but I do have my lapses

the keen edge

I'd love to fully embrace the Paleo diet.

Not eating grains must be hard though, no porridge, bread, pasta or rice! Take some doing.

El_Dangeroso

I'm more primal than paleo as I have dairy, dark chocolate and the odd ear of sweetcorn. I do stay completely gluten free though, wheat is not my friend.

Sapsorrow

the keen edge wrote: »

Not eating grains must be hard though, no porridge, bread, pasta or rice! Take some doing.

You'd be very suprised actually, most of the time it makes life easier, especially in terms of cooking at home. The main time I find it a hassel is if I find myself at the mercy of a bad cafe's menu when I'm really hungry and literally everything has gluten in some shape or form in it.

Sapsorrow

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

I'm more primal than paleo as I have dairy, dark chocolate and the odd ear of sweetcorn. I do stay completely gluten free though, wheat is not my friend.

He he ya I couldn't resist my mums buttery homegrown sweetcorn last time I was down for a visit, this year her plants were over ten foot tall really bizarre! Gluten is evil, I had a pack of cheese and onion taytos without checking the label during the summer and I was ill for three days after them Did I ever mention I found herbal tea with gluten in it?

El_Dangeroso

Sapsorrow wrote: »

He he ya I couldn't resist my mums buttery homegrown sweetcorn last time I was down for a visit, this year her plants were over ten foot tall really bizarre! Gluten is evil, I had a pack of cheese and onion taytos without checking the label during the summer and I was ill for three days after them Did I ever mention I found herbal tea with gluten in it?

That's crazy! I get a really bad reaction from even small amounts of gluten now. It supposedly gets worse the longer you go without it. It's almost like your body doesn't want you to eat it

Adelie

Mostly primal. Apart from social occasions, unfortunately. I can explain why I don't eat wheat and dairy, because they make me sick, but I don't really feel like telling people that I think the stuff they eat everyday is really bad for them.

El_Dangeroso

Adelie wrote: »

Mostly primal. Apart from social occasions, unfortunately. I can explain why I don't eat wheat and dairy, because they make me sick, but I don't really feel like telling people that I think the stuff they eat everyday is really bad for them.

I know! You can tell people to pretty much not eat anything, but the minute you say, well bread is sort of bad for you they say.. 'No, I couldn't live without bread!!'

Which really isn't surprising considering that it is the number one staple food of this country. We also have one of the highest prevalence of celiac disease, especially in the West, this makes sense as we weren't really exposed to high-gluten foods as a population until after the famine.

Really interesting history of Irish food here.

Red Cortina

I stick to a 'if it walks, runs, swims, flies or grew in the ground then eat it' approach except for the chocolate at the weekend:D I have to avoid gluten like the plague. In fact I would rather go hungry than eat the stuff.

What is it with people with regards to not eating bread?? I don't know how many people I have told that I can't eat gluten and the shock and horror that they display at the fact that I don't eat bread is unreal. They can't understand how someone can live without it:rolleyes:

Also I was at a wedding at the weekend and both my husband and I noticed how exceptionally unhelpful the hotel were with accomodating me on having a gluten free meal:(

El_Dangeroso

Red Cortina wrote: »

Also I was at a wedding at the weekend and both my husband and I noticed how exceptionally unhelpful the hotel were with accomodating me on having a gluten free meal:(

Don't get me started! They will nearly always accommodate a vegetarian option which is a choice, but poor old gluten intolerant people and celiacs get forgotten about, which is not a choice but a health issue!

In a way I feel lucky to be gluten intolerant, considering that it damages the gut of 83% of people tested (probably an even higher percentage in Ireland), I'm glad I have such a visceral reaction to it, it's a great incentive to say no thanks to the bread basket. Though I do miss beer. Gluten free beer I've tasted is horrible. I'm seriously thinking of buying this stuff online:

http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/store/prodtype.asp?s=5r7bfp208694&strParents=69&CAT_ID=88&numRecordPosition=1

Sooooo expensive but might splurge for xmas..

brianthebard

Have you tried brewing your own? Maybe ask about it on the home brewing forum, there are certain grains that are gluten free aren't there?
Also, Harvest carry that brand of beer so they might order a case if you asked them, or might even have it there already.

Sapsorrow

Ya I've heard of a good gluten free beer, spanish I think although I've yet to find it. I miss beer too I hate having to pretend I'm a diagnosed celiac when I'm trying to get help in a cafe or restaurant, there's not really any other way to go about saying why you don't eat gluten, bread or wheat in those kinda situations but I feel stupid saying it. I miss bread a lot, I was a serious fresh bread junkie for a long time before going primal, sounds wierd but now I just smell it for ages when my boyfriend gets some and it really satisfies me.

--Kaiser--

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

. Though I do miss beer. Gluten free beer I've tasted is horrible..

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Ya I've heard of a good gluten free beer, spanish I think although I've yet to find it. I miss beer too

Does beer have that much gluten in it? The Heineken website states that it can be okay for coeliacs, depending on your intolerance level.

I couldn't give a monkeys about bread most of the time, but I do like beer (especially in pubs), however I figure I'm not particularly intolerant to gluten (doesn't make me sick etc...)

Red Cortina

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

In a way I feel lucky to be gluten intolerant, considering that it damages the gut of 83% of people tested (probably an even higher percentage in Ireland), I'm glad I have such a visceral reaction to it, it's a great incentive to say no thanks to the bread basket. Though I do miss beer. Gluten free beer I've tasted is horrible. I'm seriously thinking of buying this stuff online:

http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/store/prodtype.asp?s=5r7bfp208694&strParents=69&CAT_ID=88&numRecordPosition=1

Sooooo expensive but might splurge for xmas..

I was thinking about this one the other day...will the 10years or so ill health associated with my gluten sensitivity stand me in good stead in the long term? If I hadn't experienced such ill health then I doubt I would have made such an effort to educate myself more about my food choices and I wouldn't be such a zealot today with regards to avoiding gluten. Or will the damage that I have done to my health still mean that I am destined to suffer from all those auto-immune diseases associated with gluten sensitivity/celiac disease not to mention the affects of whatever nutritional deficiencies I have had.

Have to say that I do not miss beer, all I remember about drinking it was the awful gas and guaranteed bout of diarrhea the day after. Would be rather more upset if I couldn't have a glass of red wine tho:D

Red Cortina

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Ya I've heard of a good gluten free beer, spanish I think although I've yet to find it. I miss beer too I hate having to pretend I'm a diagnosed celiac when I'm trying to get help in a cafe or restaurant, there's not really any other way to go about saying why you don't eat gluten, bread or wheat in those kinda situations but I feel stupid saying it. I miss bread a lot, I was a serious fresh bread junkie for a long time before going primal, sounds wierd but now I just smell it for ages when my boyfriend gets some and it really satisfies me.

I feel the same way:)

metamorphosis

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

I would say I'm following a primal type lifestyle perhaps 80% of the time. It's easy enough to follow but I do have my lapses

Identical i suppose, more like slowly building my way there. With all the running and cycling i do, i do sometimes take in refined sugar but don't make it a day to day habit.

Iv cut out wheat majorly other than a little rye here and there. Dairy and dark chocolate do largely feature inmy diet

Macha

I'd say I'm 100% primal, with red wine, chocolate and dairy. Complete cut out grains & even sweet potatoes, etc but the weight still isn't coming off :

Sapsorrow

I don't know how bad beer is for gluten, but in my books (and eroded state of health) anything derived from wheat or other gluten grains is best avoided just to be careful. I remember as a teenager I used to get a headache about half way trough my first pint, every time. I think that may have been one of the earliest signs of my intolerance but of course I totally failed to recognize it for what it was and rather drank faster to get drunk enough not to notice it :rolleyes: Sometimes I think it really is no wonder I ended up with so many intolerances and other digestive problems, I kind of earned them.

Sapsorrow

taconnol wrote: »

Complete cut out grains & even sweet potatoes, etc but the weight still isn't coming off :

Do you count your macronutrient intake at all? I can't say I've lost a lot of weight since going primal although I've been pretty heavy with my carbs though, just feel healthier that way, more energetic and less headachey. I've lost a few pounds alright and have way more muscle definition on my abs but I'm no stick insect that's for sure. But then that's largely genetic anyway, we're curvy girls who like our food in my family (and between us we've tried every diet going) so there's not much point my trying to fight that battle.

Macha

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Do you count your macronutrient intake at all? I can't say I've lost a lot of weight since going primal although I've been pretty heavy with my carbs though, just feel healthier that way, more energetic and less headachey. I've lost a few pounds alright and have way more muscle definition on my abs but I'm no stick insect that's for sure. But then that's largely genetic anyway, we're curvy girls who like our food in my family (and between us we've tried every diet going) so there's not much point my trying to fight that battle.

Yeah my carbs are around 50g/day so I am doing a low-carb version of primal. Eg, very little fruit. Can't say I've noticed any difference in weight, in fact I'm exactly the same weight as before. I used to be a stone lighter and would love to get back there but I'm definitely doing something wrong. Maybe just too many calories overall or too much dairy/too few vegetables?

Sapsorrow

Wow ya 50g is low, I'd be around 150 I reckon. I find dairy makes me put on weight very very fast and always stalls any loss for me, even when I have some that needs losing. I don't know if it's some bioactive component of the dairy itself, bioactive peptides or something along those lines.. it also gives me spots

Macha

Oh dear..I gave up bread no problem, gave up pasta, risotto, potatoes, pizza,bread etc. I'm going to find dairy so tough as I don't eat a lot of meat & it's one of my main sources of protein. Oh well. It's just so frustrating at this stage. I have friends who eat like horses, never watch what they eat and are half my size.

BTW, love your blog!

Renn

Not sure what exactly I'm following but maybe you guys know better. Have read up a little bit on paleo and have taken some advice etc from it. Some days my diet looks like this:

Breakfast - 3 or 4 full eggs, usually poached, and some fried 'low fat' bacon (Tesco healthy living stuff usually), fried in rapeseed oil.

Snacks throughout the day - Apples/Oranges/Bananas/Avocado/Almonds/Cashews/Brazil Nuts

Lunch - Sometimes a chicken salad with baby spinach, peppers, nuts and with walnut oil poured over

Dinner - Anything really. Steak/Pork chops/Chicken/whatever...with a large bag of frozen veg from Tesco all mashed up.


Struggling to add more stuff in but I need to as I'm 13.5 stone and don't really want to go below that. Also I've no idea what to eat before and after the gym (weight lifting fwiw).

brianthebard

taconnol wrote: »

Yeah my carbs are around 50g/day so I am doing a low-carb version of primal. Eg, very little fruit. Can't say I've noticed any difference in weight, in fact I'm exactly the same weight as before. I used to be a stone lighter and would love to get back there but I'm definitely doing something wrong. Maybe just too many calories overall or too much dairy/too few vegetables?

Off topic but you've ruled out non dietary issues like a bum thyroid and stuff?

Macha

brianthebard wrote: »

Off topic but you've ruled out non dietary issues like a bum thyroid and stuff?

Good idea, I'm having that tested in a few weeks time as part of a general check-up. I'd actually be happy if it turned out to be something like that as at least I would understand why the hell I can't lose any weight.

Sapsorrow

Thanks Oh I hear you on the dairy front, I grew up on farmhouse cheddar and chutney sandwichs every single day of my childhood. One of my nicest memories is of getting to taste a little bit of each of the cheese's on my dads annual christmas cheese board I can't eat eggs either to make matters even worse! I ate an egg yolk yesterday (couldnt' resist) and was really ill for the rest of the day! I'd say replace the dairy with eggs and coconut milk!

Renn wrote: »

Not sure what exactly I'm following but maybe you guys know better. Have read up a little bit on paleo and have taken some advice etc from it. Some days my diet looks like this:

Breakfast - 3 or 4 full eggs, usually poached, and some fried 'low fat' bacon (Tesco healthy living stuff usually), fried in rapeseed oil.

Snacks throughout the day - Apples/Oranges/Bananas/Avocado/Almonds/Cashews/Brazil Nuts

Lunch - Sometimes a chicken salad with baby spinach, peppers, nuts and with walnut oil poured over

Dinner - Anything really. Steak/Pork chops/Chicken/whatever...with a large bag of frozen veg from Tesco all mashed up.


Struggling to add more stuff in but I need to as I'm 13.5 stone and don't really want to go below that. Also I've no idea what to eat before and after the gym (weight lifting fwiw).

That's very primal indeed! My boyfriend is tiny and really struggles to maintain the minimum weight advised for his height. I feed him lots of eggs, potatoes, root veg, bananas, butter and coconut milk and he's put on about a stone (thank god!) and now weighs about 8 and 1/2 stone which is great for him. A shake of protein powder, coconut milk and bananas is a good work out snack! I'd also increasse you fat intake I get the impression your diet doesn't include a lot.

brianthebard

taconnol wrote: »

Good idea, I'm having that tested in a few weeks time as part of a general check-up. I'd actually be happy if it turned out to be something like that as at least I would understand why the hell I can't lose any weight.

Good luck with the check up so.

El_Dangeroso

Red Cortina wrote: »

Or will the damage that I have done to my health still mean that I am destined to suffer from all those auto-immune diseases associated with gluten sensitivity/celiac disease not to mention the affects of whatever nutritional deficiencies I have had.

Diagnosed celiacs that are gluten free (and by the time you get to have Iga antibodies spilling into your bloodstream you have severely damaged a good portion of your gut) have a 47% reduced risk of cancer, go figure. They do have a 38% increased risk of heart disease but I bet any money that's from decreased absorption of fat soluble vitamins (K2, A, D, E), all of which have inverse association with atherosclerosis. The human body is wonderfully resiliant, if people can get to age 80 eating white bread and smoking, I'm sure we're ahead of the game even with a little bit of prior indiscretion.

I hate to play correlations as evidence of anything but I can't help but notice that wheat correlated with cancer in the re-analysis of the china study too...hmmmm..doesn't gluten increase your body's need for vitamin D?

Renn

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Thanks Oh I hear you on the dairy front, I grew up on farmhouse cheddar and chutney sandwichs every single day of my childhood. One of my nicest memories is of getting to taste a little bit of each of the cheese's on my dads annual christmas cheese board I can't eat eggs either to make matters even worse! I ate an egg yolk yesterday (couldnt' resist) and was really ill for the rest of the day! I'd say replace the dairy with eggs and coconut milk!



That's very primal indeed! My boyfriend is tiny and really struggles to maintain the minimum weight advised for his height. I feed him lots of eggs, potatoes, root veg, bananas, butter and coconut milk and he's put on about a stone (thank god!) and now weighs about 8 and 1/2 stone which is great for him. A shake of protein powder, coconut milk and bananas is a good work out snack! I'd also increasse you fat intake I get the impression your diet doesn't include a lot.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to stay away from potatoes and the like, even if they're nice and high in calories, I'm just trying to cut out all that food for the moment. Where do you get good coconut milk? Also, that's the shake you'll have immediately after training - what would you recommend as a meal, say, one hour after this shake? Bearing in mind no rice/pasta/potatoes will be involved!

Think my fat intake is quite high actually - butter, walnut oil, just picked up some flax seed oil today, cook my stuff in rapeseed oil, eat almonds/cashews/brazil nuts...

Red Cortina

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Diagnosed celiacs that are gluten free (and by the time you get to have Iga antibodies spilling into your bloodstream you have severely damaged a good portion of your gut) have a 47% reduced risk of cancer, go figure. They do have a 38% increased risk of heart disease but I bet any money that's from decreased absorption of fat soluble vitamins (K2, A, D, E), all of which have inverse association with atherosclerosis. The human body is wonderfully resiliant, if people can get to age 80 eating white bread and smoking, I'm sure we're ahead of the game even with a little bit of prior indiscretion.

I hate to play correlations as evidence of anything but I can't help but notice that wheat correlated with cancer in the re-analysis of the china study too...hmmmm..doesn't gluten increase your body's need for vitamin D?

Wow, it's great to read all that and certainly makes me feel a bit lot better:)

When I look at my mam and see her at 67 years of age with high blood pressure, shortness of breath, an out of wack thyroid, no energy, asthma (but only when she bakes bread:rolleyes:), adult acne (not now but well into her 30's) and alopecia to list her complaints that I know of, I know that I definitely don't want to live my life into old age like that with such poor health. I know for a fact that she has at least one gluten intolerent gene (cause she passed it on to me:)) and based on the aliments listed above, she is has not done well on gluten. Reading all that I have done on gluten and how it wrecks your body, seeing my own health drastically improve by eliminating gluten, reading the above post that I have quoted and seeing the long term effects of gluten intolerence by looking at my mam strengthens my decision to avoid gluten:)

Wantobe

Sapsorrow wrote: »

I hate having to pretend I'm a diagnosed celiac when I'm trying to get help in a cafe or restaurant, there's not really any other way to go about saying why you don't eat gluten, bread or wheat in those kinda situations but I feel stupid saying it.

Red Cortina wrote: »

I feel the same way:)

As a diagnosed coeliac I don't believe that anyone should pretend to be a coeliac when they are not. I feel it trivialises something that I HAVE to live with. If you don't want to eat gluten or carbs or wheat, then just say that- it's your choice. But don't pretend to have a disease with potentially life threatening consequences if you eat gluten.

El_Dangeroso

Wantobe wrote: »

As a diagnosed coeliac I don't believe that anyone should pretend to be a coeliac when they are not. I feel it trivialises something that I HAVE to live with. If you don't want to eat gluten or carbs or wheat, then just say that- it's your choice. But don't pretend to have a disease with potentially life threatening consequences if you eat gluten.

Well it's not really a choice for me. I have severe cramps when I eat gluten, I'm not trivialising celiac disease. You guys are canaries in the mine for the damage that gluten can do. You should be happy that there are more people out there asking for gluten free options, makes it an easier world for you to live in.

Wantobe

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Well it's not really a choice for me. I have severe cramps when I eat gluten, I'm not trivialising celiac disease. You guys are canaries in the mine for the damage that gluten can do. You should be happy that there are more people out there asking for gluten free options, makes it an easier world for you to live in.

I didn't say I felt you shouldn't ask for a gluten free option- if you read what I posted. I said I didn't feel anyone should pretend to have a disease they don't. Big difference.

El_Dangeroso

Wantobe wrote: »

I didn't say I felt you shouldn't ask for a gluten free option- if you read what I posted. I said I didn't feel anyone should pretend to have a disease they don't. Big difference.

Why not? If it gets them what they need. Most people will not take the request of a gluten-free meal seriously if you are not celiac. Gluten intolerance makes you look like a fussy eater, but no one will think twice when you say celiac. Wish it were different but it isn't.

Wantobe

Why do you think people will take coeliac disease seriously but not gluten or food intolerence? Is it because one is an actual medically diagnosed disease with potentially life threatening consequences? And the other, er, isn't?

The coeliacs in my family have died young. My grandmother died in her early50s leaving a very young family- we don't know if she was a coeliac as she was never diagnosed but we think she probably was. My mother was a coeliac, she's dead. Two of my aunts were coeliac- one is dead, the other is in and out of hospital on an ongoing basis. My sister and I are both coeliacs. My sister was in hospital for about three months 16 years ago when she dropped down to 5 stone as she couldn't get her condition under control. She's fine now, but she's very careful.

I'm fine too, I've been in and out of hospital but thank god, nothing serious. I worry about all the auto immune disorders I could easily develop because of my disease but I'm very, very careful about what I eat. I don't eat in restaurants if I don't know for sure they understand the coeliac condition. If I go to a restaurant and get a roll of the eyes because I've asked for something gluten-free and I get the attitude that they think I'm on a fad diet- I don't eat there, I can't take the risk. I rarely eat out. It's not about feeling good, or losing weight, it's not about my skin or what people think. It's about staying alive and having a decent life expectancy.

So yeah, hearing someone say that they are pretending to have coeliac disease is infuriating to me and I find it hard to credit that you don't understand that. It's a bit like the signs in France in a disabled parking space- 'Si you prenez ma place, prenez aussi mon handicap.' If you take my place, take my handicap too.

--Kaiser--

Wantobe wrote: »

So yeah, hearing someone say that they are pretending to have coeliac disease is infuriating to me and I find it hard to credit that you don't understand that. It's a bit like the signs in France in a disabled parking space- 'Si you prenez ma place, prenez aussi mon handicap.' If you take my place, take my handicap too.

Have you considered that maybe if more people are claiming to be coeliac (falsely or otherwise) that restaurateurs will think more about gluten free options and the like? I'm seeing more and more Gluten-Free options in supermarkets and in restaurants as people becoming more and more aware of the condition, surely this is a good thing?

I don't understand the holier-than-thou attitude either. I know people who stopped eating wheat because it made them feel sick, do they not have a right to be able to exclude this substance from their diet without having to be diagnosed a coeliac?

Red Cortina

Wantobe wrote: »

As a diagnosed coeliac I don't believe that anyone should pretend to be a coeliac when they are not. I feel it trivialises something that I HAVE to live with. If you don't want to eat gluten or carbs or wheat, then just say that- it's your choice. But don't pretend to have a disease with potentially life threatening consequences if you eat gluten.

I was diagnosed as having irritable bowel syndrome which I guess is the one size fits all response that gastroenterologists give to folks who come to them with cramps and diarrhea and don’t really know what is wrong with them. And while not trying to trivialise your condition, which by the way I am very sorry to hear about, I feel that the diagnosis which I received and the advice given to me (ie take some anti-diarrhea medication) certainly trivialised the condition which I have.
I don’t think that it is normal to be toilet-aware when you are 22 years of age, worried about having ‘an accident’, to feel sapped and exhausted on a general run of the mill day just because you are after sitting through bouts of cramps and are after running to the toilet for the millionth time with diarrhea. The degree to which my body reacts to gluten might not be as severe as the degree to which your body reacts to gluten. But it certainly reacts in a highly distressing way and one which is not normal. Therefore I will do anything I can to avoid all the reactions which I list above and the many other responses which I am sure my body undergoes when eating gluten such as inflammation, mal-absorption of nutrients and the subsequent implications of this.

El_Dangeroso

Wantobe wrote: »

Why do you think people will take coeliac disease seriously but not gluten or food intolerence? Is it because one is an actual medically diagnosed disease with potentially life threatening consequences? And the other, er, isn't?

So what, we're supposed to chow down on gluten even though it depletes our vitamin D, damages our gut and sends our blood sugars very high because no one takes it seriously?

I really don't understand why you're infuriated, I really don't. I want to understand, I haven't ever personally said I was celiac but I can understand why people would. Who's to say that someone who is gluten intolerant couldn't end up celiac down the line if they continue to barrage their gut with something that causes it injury.

Wantobe

Don't put words in my mouth.

How many times do I have to repeat that I do not have any problem with anyone requesting a gluten-free, wheat-free, low carb, whatever they want meal. I've now said it three times- that enough?

My problem- and I repeat again- is with people falsely claiming to have coeliac disease. If you don't get that, I can't make you.

Wantobe

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Have you considered that maybe if more people are claiming to be coeliac (falsely or otherwise) that restaurateurs will think more about gluten free options and the like?

Not in my name. I don't care what you eat, I have no problem with someone discovering that certain foods don't suit them and avoiding them. But don't claim to have a disease if you don't have it. That really saddens me.

Sapsorrow

This holier than thou attitude is ridiculous, who on earth are we hurting exactly? People think you're being a fussy eater and general pain in the butt when you ask them if there's eggs, dairy and then gluten or wheat (in my case) in a menu option and they ask you if you're a a celiac and you say no! The last thing I want when I'm out for breakfast or lunch is getting negativity like that from the waiting staff. For all I know I AM a celiac, I haven't been diagnosed and I've never tried to be, because I didn't need to, I found out myself how gluten was making me sick. God knows I've been pretty damn sick and nearly hospitalized several times in the last few years and the best thing I ever did for my health was get off gluten. I understand that gluten has really damaged the health of your family but guess what it's really damaged mine too. I spent the first 4 years of my twenties in literally daily pain with stomach cramps, diarrhoea, constant headaches (waking up with them in the morning and going to bed with them at night), lethargy and nutrient malabsoprtion/deficiencies and spending hours in bed everyday over it, I was on several types of medications and was taking a LOT of painkillers so I could still get through my science degree. Who's to say it may not have affected my life expectancy had I not cut the crap out? You're sick, I'm sick, it's sucks and it's hard for us to life a gluten-free life but I don't see why you should get so irritated by something so trivial. Geez, there are so many things to get 'infuriated' about in life, get over it!

Wantobe

If you have serious medical issues, then why don't you go to a doctor, a specialist, get tested, take your own health seriously enough to get it checked by specialists? If you don't want to, fair enough, but don't pretend to have a disease to make your life easier in a restaurant.

You should fight your own fight. If you want restaurants to take food intolerences seriously, then you keep on requesting gluten-free, egg-free, dairy free meals.

I and other coeliacs had to do it for ourselves. 15 years ago when I was first diagnosed a coeliac there was no such thing as a tesco-own range, any food I wanted had to be ordered in the pharmacy and no restaurant had ever heard of the disease. I carried a card from the Coeliac Society of Ireland and a little hand book, and I gave it in to supermarkets and restaurants here and abroad. I asked and asked and asked. Now over a decade later things are better.

By pretending to have a disease you don't, to me you are trivialising both my condition and yours- whatever it is.

El_Dangeroso

Wantobe wrote: »

Don't put words in my mouth.

How many times do I have to repeat that I do not have any problem with anyone requesting a gluten-free, wheat-free, low carb, whatever they want meal. I've now said it three times- that enough?

My problem- and I repeat again- is with people falsely claiming to have coeliac disease. If you don't get that, I can't make you.

Hang on, don't get upset about it. I don't give a flying fiddle about someone claiming to have any disease when they don't, I just don't see the point in getting upset about it. It really doesn't affect you one way or the other.

Sapsorrow

I was diagnosed with IBS among other things. A very dear friend of mine has been suffering with celcias for some years now, he's had part of his colon removed, had to give up his very active hobbies, is in crippling pain and very depressed as a result. I am under no illusions about how difficult celiacs is to live with and I'm not trying to imply I'm as sick as you or he is by any means and I would never trivialise it. You see it that way but I doubt many others would if they understood the situation.

Sapsorrow

Wantobe wrote: »

If you have serious medical issues, then why don't you go to a doctor, a specialist, get tested, take your own health seriously enough to get it checked by specialists?

I did look into it and spoke to several doctors but I was a student and couldn't afford the tests and neither could my family (not that I asked them but I knew they couldn't). Excuse me for not taking my health seriously enough. :rolleyes:

--Kaiser--

Wantobe wrote: »

Not in my name. I don't care what you eat, I have no problem with someone discovering that certain foods don't suit them and avoiding them. But don't claim to have a disease if you don't have it. That really saddens me.

You're treating coeliac disease like it's a disability. It's not. Being blind, being paraplegic, those are disabilities. You just have to watch what you eat. Grow up.

Sapsorrow

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

You're treating coeliac disease like it's a disability. It's not. Being blind, being paraplegic, those are disabilities. You just have to watch what you eat. Grow up.

Well said, pretty sums it up.

Wantobe

Depression is quite common in coeliacs, especially those who have remained undiagnosed for some time. Another close relative of mine committed suicide shortly after being diagnosed as a coeliac. It's because coeliacs who don't stay on a gluten free diet don't absorb the necessary vitamins and minerals which we need and therefore clinical depression is quite common- or so my consultant says. It's actually one of the things I'm most afraid of. Another of my relatives who is coeliac is on anti-depressants but they're not working very well, she's had two suicide attempts so far.

If you have IBS, then that's your condition, and why on earth would you rather tell someone in a restaurant that you are a coeliac rather than you have IBS? By telling them, you are informing them, you will make things better for others with IBS. As I said before, fight your own fight.

Wantobe

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

You're treating coeliac disease like it's a disability. It's not. Being blind, being paraplegic, those are disabilities. You just have to watch what you eat. Grow up.

Oh right, thanks for that. :rolleyes: If you don't like what you hear, attack is the best form of defence, right? Attack the post, not the poster.

Wantobe

Sapsorrow wrote: »

I did look into it and spoke to several doctors but I was a student and couldn't afford the tests and neither could my family (not that I asked them but I knew they couldn't). Excuse me for not taking my health seriously enough. :rolleyes:

I was a student when I was diagnosed, had it done under the public health system, didn't cost me a penny.