People who think gluten free diet is a fad

stimpson · 28-08-2016 08:32AM

Non-coeliac gluten intolerance does not exist according to the scientist that discovered it:

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-who-found-evidence-for-gluten-sensitivity-have-now-shown-it-doesn-t-exist

Staph · 28-08-2016 08:35AM

It's funny that people who think they have intolerance, never go to qualified doctors to get a formal diagnosis. No, they just relish the moments that they get to mention their 'illness'. If you are actually coeliac, you have damaged and scarred intestines, that will likely have contributed to being unable to absorb vital nutrients adequately -among other physical symptoms. But the 'intolerants' would rather subject themselves to occasionally ingesting gluten containing items knowingly/unknowingly as they have usually have very little grasp on the true affects on the disease and have no real interest in addressing it.

failinis · 28-08-2016 09:08AM

stimpson wrote: »

Non-coeliac gluten intolerance does not exist according to the scientist that discovered it:

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-who-found-evidence-for-gluten-sensitivity-have-now-shown-it-doesn-t-exist

As far as I know, I am just IBS (coeliac tests and endoscopy negative even though I get all the coeliac symptoms), but avoiding it is good for my symptoms.
I would believe others do get symptoms but the coeliac test never came up positive, so they are "intolerant" even though its not a recognised thing.

Thats different than the twats who are on a magazine fad diet and "detoxing".

Outlaw Pete · 28-08-2016 09:17AM

Was diagnosed with Coeliac when I was 18. For well over a decade I was the model patient but I began to slip back many times over the years, mainly down to being diagnosed with other ailments and so then doubted the original diagnosis. The doc I seen (in a specialty clinic in St James - it and he are still there) hates all the self diagnosing wheat intolerants. Remember one day, after a decade or more of avoiding gluten like the plague, he was asking me where I eat when out and about and then he went on a rant telling me these people where making it worse for genuine Coeliac sufferers because restaurants where not taking food prep as serious as they used to.

Was 1990 when I was diagnosed and back then there were only a few places anyone with Coeliac could reliably eat. One was Cornucopia, then there was Blazing Salads on the top floor of the Powerscourt (gone now but they have a deli on Drury St) and the last was my favourite, The Well Fed Cafe in the old Temple Bar are. Was nigh impossible to be able to get the stuff you could take home, like gluten free wraps etc. Was one one place called the General Health Food Store on Marlbrough St which sold some stuff alright but that was about it. Ended up making bread from nut flour and the like. No Internet back then either and so people had to fend for themselves. The library and Easons was all anyone really had for the latest info.

Favourite book from the 90's was the actor Terrance Stamp's gluten free cookbook. Now there must be a million such books of course but I still go back to it even so. Ultimately though, have to say the whole self diagnosing doesn't bother me in the slightest. If anything it just means there are more products around now than ever before. Even Beshoffs do gluten-free Fish & Chips now.

anothernight · 28-08-2016 09:26AM

Thread reminded me of this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdJFE1sp4Fw

"Do you avoid gluten?"
"I do, I don't eat wheat, oats, eggs, this, that, this other stuff..."
"So what is gluten?"
"Er...."

stimpson · 28-08-2016 09:38AM

failinis wrote: »

As far as I know, I am just IBS (coeliac tests and endoscopy negative even though I get all the coeliac symptoms), but avoiding it is good for my symptoms.
I would believe others do get symptoms but the coeliac test never came up positive, so they are "intolerant" even though its not a recognised thing.

Thats different than the twats who are on a magazine fad diet and "detoxing".

You could be sensitive to FODMAPs. There is a low FODMAP diet that can help people with IBS symptoms. FODMAPs can be present in foods with gluten which can explain the confusion. But you're not intolerant to gluten.

maximum12 · 28-08-2016 09:42AM

Winterlong wrote: »

I reckon I have a slight gluten intolerance.

A friend of mine convinced me to go on a wheat free diet for a week recently. I definitely felt a bit better. More energy and more stable stomach.
But I really did miss having bread....and my weekly pizza and the odd beer.

So now I just try to cut down - not totally eliminate- on wheat products.

Arghhh you're part of the problem

You just ate better quality food for a week and surprise surprise you felt a bit better and are self diagnosing. That's not a "slight" gluten intolerance, it's just the result of better diet.

CMOTDibbler · 28-08-2016 09:51AM

Staph wrote: »

It's funny that people who think they have intolerance, never go to qualified doctors to get a formal diagnosis. No, they just relish the moments that they get to mention their 'illness'. If you are actually coeliac, you have damaged and scarred intestines, that will likely have contributed to being unable to absorb vital nutrients adequately -among other physical symptoms. But the 'intolerants' would rather subject themselves to occasionally ingesting gluten containing items knowingly/unknowingly as they have usually have very little grasp on the true affects on the disease and have no real interest in addressing it.

Well I have gluten intolerance and don't have coeliac disease. Was tested ten years ago when the symptoms first appeared and the diagnosis was generally of IBS and likely caused by a food intolerance. So went through the main food groups and the symptoms started to ease up when I went gluten free. The symptoms btw were extremely painful. My intestines were so inflamed that you could feel the heat from my skin.

Charcoal tablets can ease the symptoms, but it's manageable if I stick to wholewheat foods and away from anything with refined flours. My GP told me that he sees a lot more of it now because a lot of the wheat we eat has been bred for high gluten content. WIth food intolerance (like many things

), age has a part to play. The longer you're exposed to the source, the more likely you are to become intolerant.

As a general rule, you should try and stick to less refined flour and wheat products. You might be fine now, but ten years down the road it could be a completely different matter.

SlipperyPeople · 28-08-2016 09:55AM

my SO suffers greatly from adverse effects of gluten. Not a diagnosed coeliac nor does she suffer any stomach problems but definitely has a gluten intolerance as gluten based foods will greatly adversely influence her mood.

If she has beer or bread or pizza over next few day she will experience extreme sadness and depression to the point of waking up in tears. eventually it will go away after a couple of days.

If she avoids eating foods with no gluten in them never gets the same feeling.

After seeing what shes gone through and finally pinpointing the problem it irks me when people dismiss gluten as a fad.

strandroad · 28-08-2016 09:58AM

Staph wrote: »

It's funny that people who think they have intolerance, never go to qualified doctors to get a formal diagnosis. No, they just relish the moments that they get to mention their 'illness'. If you are actually coeliac, you have damaged and scarred intestines, that will likely have contributed to being unable to absorb vital nutrients adequately -among other physical symptoms. But the 'intolerants' would rather subject themselves to occasionally ingesting gluten containing items knowingly/unknowingly as they have usually have very little grasp on the true affects on the disease and have no real interest in addressing it.

My OH has intolerance of some sort, he's not a coeliac thanks heavens but if he consumes flour/grains he ends up with migraine, digestion problems and joint pain - even if he didn't know what he ate (I was amazed how many products are bulked up with flour... even meat!). He enquired about tests but he was told that he'd need to consume various gluten foods for 7 or 10 days before they can measure his reaction and he just cannot bring himself to do it because he would really suffer, even a day of symptoms is quite hard.
It's not as simple as it sounds sometimes.

Risteard · 28-08-2016 10:01AM

Chromosphere wrote: »

No, Coeliac disorder can be largely symptom free until it starts to do damage. It basically is an evolutionary leftover from an era when we didn't have wheat in our diets, rather than a disease.

A Coeliac's immune system misinterprets gluten as a dangerous pathogen and attacks it vigorously where it's in contact with the surface of the intestines. In the process it damages the surfaces of the intestines, particularly the villi (the hair/carpet like protrusions that increase the surface area or your intestine and basically allow it to absorb food).

The risk for a Coeliac is if they keep triggering that response it can damage your intestines badly enough that it can make it impossible to absorb nutrients and you'll end up with dangerous deficiencies, it can cause the intestines to fail to digest due to being swollen or damaged which can lead to painful or unpleasant side effects as bacteria ends up working on the undigested food or it can even cause bad damage like perforations and even cancer.

So for a Coeliac this stuff is very, very serious - it's not just an upset stomach or an allergy.

Also Ireland has a fairly high prevalence of this because some people have ancestry that comes from areas of Europe that didn't have access to modern wheats - parts of Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia etc

Wow. I've been a coeliac since birth and never got as detailed explanation as that.

I've find myself getting more sensitive to it as I get older.

CMOTDibbler · 28-08-2016 10:09AM

mhge wrote: »

My OH has intolerance of some sort, he's not a coeliac thanks heavens but if he consumes flour/grains he ends up with migraine, digestion problems and joint pain - even if he didn't know what he ate (I was amazed how many products are bulked up with flour... even meat!). He enquired about tests but he was told that he'd need to consume various gluten foods for 7 or 10 days before they can measure his reaction and he just cannot bring himself to do it because he would really suffer, even a day of symptoms is quite hard.
It's not as simple as it sounds sometimes.

Apparently the full diagnostic system is as you outline above followed by tests, followed by a period of gluten free diet followe by more tests and then followed up with a second gluten based diet period and further tests. Many diagnosticians omit the second round of gluten consumption and often misdiagnose coeliac when it's actually gluten intolerance. A friend of mine in Italy was diagnosed as coeliac many years ago and only relatively recently was she properly diagnosed as gluten intolerant. It's made a huge difference obviously as it's much more easily dealt with.

jackboy · 28-08-2016 10:15AM

hungoverbunny wrote: »

If she has beer or bread or pizza over next few day she will experience extreme sadness and depression to the point of waking up in tears. eventually it will go away after a couple of days.

Gluten causes depression now. That's a new one.

28-08-2016 10:16AM

A sibling's girlfriend was diagnosed as coeliac disease recently and it's incredible just how tough can be; it's not just having to avoid eating certain products, it's being unbelievably careful about where you eat.

It's incredible how many places advertise being gluten intolerance friendly and yet cook on the same surfaces as they would normally, thus essentially negating the entire purpose.

However there are people that lump on the bandwagon and for them it is a fad.

CMOTDibbler · 28-08-2016 10:20AM

jackboy wrote: »

Gluten causes depression now. That's a new one.

Free education courtesy of boards.ie

Adults may also have digestive symptoms if they have celiac disease. However, adults are more likely to experience symptoms such as:
fatigue

anemia

depression and anxiety

osteoporosis

joint pain

headaches

canker sores inside the mouth

infertility or frequent miscarriages

missed menstrual periods

tingling in the hands and feet

Staph · 28-08-2016 10:21AM

It's a big effort to correctly follow a coeliac diet. We grew up with altering recipes for my sister and being careful not to contaminate.

SlipperyPeople · 28-08-2016 10:33AM

jackboy wrote: »

Gluten causes depression now. That's a new one.

Yeah sneer all ya want.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 28-08-2016 10:38AM

I'm thankful for all those people going through a gluten free 'phase' as it means there is now a huge amount of GF foods available. My 4yr old was diagnosed with coeliac disease 2 years ago and as any parents reading this knows, trying to feed a 2yr old is hard at the best of times without having to restrict foods containing gluten (which is a huge amount of regular foods and confectionary) we are now able to feed her pretty much the same type foods as ourselves such is the range of foods available.

Long live the GF fad!!

jackboy · 28-08-2016 11:02AM

hungoverbunny wrote: »

Yeah sneer all ya want.

Sorry, I had toast for breakfast. I'm sure the gluten in that has put me in a bad mood.
Look, if your SO is experiencing health issues take her to the GP to find out what is going on. Self diagnosing is dangerous.

cbyrd · 28-08-2016 11:05AM

My OH is celiac, I can't eat dairy.
I know how to make wheat/gluten dairy free chocolate cake, Christmas cake, buns, pastry, chocolate, deep pan pizza...

Our daughter gets eczema from dairy and wheat, bananas, pears, tomatoes, cashew nuts and wearing wool next to her skin.
I have 4 other children who get very little wheat or dairy in my house (it wouldn't be completely restricted) but when they go to their dads house it's a free for all. My 6 year old comes home tired cranky and emotional and very pale. Keeping him off both dairy and wheat for a couple of days and he's grand again.
My eldest daughter (17) decided a few weeks ago to go vegetarian and dairy free .. she used to get migraines and her skin was quite bad.. after about 3 weeks of this she had some cheese and ended up with a 2 day migraine.
Some people have food intolerances that are not diagnosed. I went through the testing about 9 years ago. It showed nothing but I can tell you the extreme pain I get if I eat dairy is not worth a spoon of ice cream or a piece of chocolate. I was hospitalized with suspected appendicitis 3 times in my life.. turns out it was dairy.

On the marketing issue, I do have a problem with products that wouldn't contain gluten wheat or dairy being flagged as free from and charging extra for it.. like tomato and basil sauce .. check out Tesco free from one .. then read the ordinary one.. no wheat..but the free from one is twice the price.
It's not only wheat or gluten but malt barley and the like. Some products are labelled wheat free but still contain gluten. It's a minefield. But a fad.. Not if you suffer.
A lot of the gluten free 'breads' contain so much gunk that if you're not intolerant/allergic the ordinary stuff is better for you.

Wigglepuppy · 28-08-2016 11:14AM

mrswhiplash47 wrote: »

OMG never mind !!!!

Er... what was wrong with what I said?

Chromosphere · 28-08-2016 11:22AM

There's actually a likely other impact of cutting gluten ; highly processed wheat is the basic building block of a huge % of the junk food in the western diet. Spuds being the next biggest source.

It's been argued that those people who don't need to go on what free diets but opt to, end up feeling better because they're actually just eating less garbage.

There's nothing wrong with wheat - good bread is excellent but the reality is most bread and cakes sold aren't good quality.

The likelihood of if you deliberately cut gluten, you'll increase consumption of fresh fruit and veg and so on to compensate as you'll have cut a ton of highly processed food. You'll also analyse ingredients much more carefully.

Rather than cutting gluten just maybe adopt a healthier diet and eat less precessed food.

Also a lot of gluten free breads are full of artificial gunk to recreate the texture.

It's possible that gluten free is actually making some people feel better because it's actually that they're cake, biscuit and donut free...

Also that fluffy white soft industrial bread isn't much better for you than a cake. They're are much better breads (including white bread) out there and they're not all that expensive.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 28-08-2016 11:24AM

I always used to scoff at "gluten free" people. Coeliacs are different. They have an actual condition. I never took people who chose not to eat gluten seriously. However, I got really ill a few months ago, they repeat blood tests for coeliac disease every single time I have my bloods done and so far it's always come back negetive. I decided to come off gluten for a few weeks to see how I felt, and pretty much straight away I felt a bit better.

I was so surprised how easy it was to do gluten free. The cafe near my job had gluten free muffins and bread. Another place down the street did gluten free breakfasts, pancakes etc. There's a stand in st Stephens green food hall that's 100 % gluten free. Even Aldi has a gluten free section. I couldn't believe how easy it actually is to be gluten free, and I'm glad now it has been such a fad because i clearly am intolerant to it, and it would have been impossible for me if everyone else hadn't put in the ground work

Chromosphere · 28-08-2016 11:30AM

Some places are good some aren't.

I find a lot of the cafe chains the worst. Starbucks at least makes some effort. Costa just doesn't bother. There's nothing other than a bar of chocolate or a horrible little ultra processed brownie.

Then you get places that put pasta or croutons into every bloody prepacked salad. Why?!!

28-08-2016 11:55AM

I had symptoms of it for two years before i got the bloods done. Sometimes it's just laziness like if i know it makes me sick just avoid it. They wanted to do the second follow up test after but id have to eat it again for that and i couldn't face the pain again
It's great having alternatives to everything
Except dominos cookies

jamesbere · 28-08-2016 11:58AM

Chromosphere wrote: »

Some places are good some aren't.

I find a lot of the cafe chains the worst. Starbucks at least makes some effort. Costa just doesn't bother. There's nothing other than a bar of chocolate or a horrible little ultra processed brownie.

Then you get places that put pasta or croutons into every bloody prepacked salad. Why?!!

Well if you have specific dietary requirements, then it's up to you to watch what you put in your mouth. Cafe's/restaurants can't accommodate everyone's dietary needs.

failinis · 28-08-2016 12:04PM

jamesbere wrote: »

Well if you have specific dietary requirements, then it's up to you to watch what you put in your mouth. Cafe's/restaurants can't accommodate everyone's dietary needs.

Woah I could totally see that this gluten free bread dough was kneaded on the same board as non gluten free bread.
X ray eyes super man.

Chromosphere · 28-08-2016 12:09PM

jamesbere wrote: »

Well if you have specific dietary requirements, then it's up to you to watch what you put in your mouth. Cafe's/restaurants can't accommodate everyone's dietary needs.

They could just not wreck a perfectly good salad by flinging about 6 mouldy croutons into it for no reason.

A bit of thought and they'd expand market share.

Yea it's up to customers but it's also shooting yourself in the foot as a business if you can't accommodate certain key dietary issues around specific allergens or have no vegetarian options etc

SlipperyPeople · 28-08-2016 12:44PM

jackboy wrote: »

Sorry, I had toast for breakfast. I'm sure the gluten in that has put me in a bad mood.
Look, if your SO is experiencing health issues take her to the GP to find out what is going on. Self diagnosing is dangerous.

Cheers but it's actually not a self diagnosis. After going to a couple of doctors the only thing that ever affects her mood is the days after she eats gluten based foods...A Doctor advised she quit gluten for a period of time which she did and no symptoms as experienced before.

suicide_circus · 28-08-2016 01:25PM

"i'm feeling kinda bloated after eating a 16" pizza and 3 beers, I must be gluten intolerant..."

People who think gluten free diet is a fad

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