Flaxseeds, glutten-free bread etc - do believe in new age eating habits?

RedTie · 26-06-2017 05:42PM #1

I ask because this week I did indeed buy flaxseeds and glutten-free bread. Does it work to help you live a healthier lifestyle? Who knows, but I'm trying it as a continued effort to live a healthier life.

I think any of these new age eating habits only work if you have a good active lifestyle too, which I do.

So do you try any of it? Have you changed your diet drastically in recent years?

ScumLord · 26-06-2017 05:47PM

There's no point in buying gluten free if you're not intolerant to gluten and most people aren't.

Most of it is a fad, products to make people feel superior because they're buying the healthy stuff.

Raging_Ninja · 26-06-2017 05:49PM

ScumLord wrote: »

There's no point in buying gluten free if you're not intolerant to gluten and most people aren't.

Gluten "intolerance", as opposed to actual Coeliac disease, hasn't even been proven to be a thing.

Kimbot · 26-06-2017 05:52PM

I know a couple of people that are Coeliacs and I've tried some of their gluten free foods. I don't envy them at all. Some of it is grand but some of it is just muck in fairness.

D3V!L · 26-06-2017 05:53PM

I'm "intolerant" to idiots who latch onto the latest diet fad.

It makes me break out in a fit of rage rash

Ubbquittious · 26-06-2017 06:04PM

€8 for an undercooked veggie burger

Cee-Jay-Cee · 26-06-2017 06:08PM

My 4yr old daughter is coeliac and I have tasted everything she eats and in 90% of cases there is no discernible difference between the GF version and regular version. The one with the biggest difference is white bread but saying that there are breads available which actually taste very good and it wouldn't bother me to eat them regularly, the only thing stopping us (as a family) from eating it all the time is the price of it as its over €4 for a small loaf.

Cereals and biscuits/cakes taste the same and better in some cases. Many foods are naturally gluten free but are prepared/manufactured in a factory which handles other products containing gluten and so there is cross contamination and so they have to state that on the packaging. My daughter is ultra sensitive to gluten and will vomit violently about 1-3hrs after only a tiny mouthful of a food containing gluten and so she has to avoid anything that has even trace amounts of gluten.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero · 26-06-2017 06:11PM

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

Gluten "intolerance", as opposed to actual Coeliac disease, hasn't even been proven to be a thing.

Room-mate of mine has the intolerance and he's far from feigning it. Not too bothered about his health either, but if he has a roll/pizza he'll pay for it by spending about a while on the jacks.

He had an awful time of it the year or two before he figured it out. Doubt many people would feign it when you take into account the cost and convenience.

fussyonion · 26-06-2017 06:11PM

I haven't been diagnosed as coeliac but I do find certain breads and rolls don't agree with me. Then again I have IBS and whenever I eat doughy bakery products it will trigger an IBS flare-up so I avoid particular products.

I do think plans such as Paleo are ridiculous though. It seems so restrictive and fad-like.

fussyonion · 26-06-2017 06:11PM

Big Pussy Bonpensiero wrote: »

Room-mate of mine has the intolerance and he's far from feigning it. Not too bothered about his health either, but if he has a roll/pizza he'll pay for it by spending about a while on the jacks.

He had an awful time of it the year or two before he figured it out. Doubt many people would feign it when you take into account the cost and convenience.

He might have IBS?

...And Justice · 26-06-2017 06:16PM

fussyonion wrote: »

I haven't been diagnosed as coeliac but I do find certain breads and rolls don't agree with me. Then again I have IBS and whenever I eat doughy bakery products it will trigger an IBS flare-up so I avoid particular products.

I do think plans such as Paleo are ridiculous though. It seems so restrictive and fad-like.

It's probably all the additives added to food over the years that has caused these problems in people. I picked up a loaf of Brennan's the other day and now noticed that it's "sugar free" WTF!? I wonder what else is in there?

Send In The Robots · 26-06-2017 06:21PM

I only buy (old age) 'Spelt bread', this is an 'ancient grain', and an ancient eating habit, and so there isn't anything 'new age' about it.
Available in that very good, germanic discount supermarket chain, and for not much more than the other stuff.

Winterlong · 26-06-2017 06:22PM

I have a problem with my eyes, the tear ducts dont work well enough and what they produce is not enough to keep my eye healthy. Saw an eye disease specialist fella and he has me on Flax seed oil capsules. One a day for life. It seems to have done the trick for me.

He was based in blackrock clinic and apparently they are always right in there.

Fr_Dougal · 26-06-2017 06:34PM

Send In The Robots wrote: »

I only buy (old age) 'Spelt bread', this is an 'ancient grain', and an ancient eating habit, and so there isn't anything 'new age' about it.
Available in that very good, germanic discount supermarket chain, and for not much more than the other stuff.

Yeah but it has cocaine in it.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero · 26-06-2017 06:41PM

fussyonion wrote: »

He might have IBS?

He's gone to a doctor (several actually) and did the diet-elimination tests (amongst other, including blood tests).
It's been a big problem for him so I'd imagine he's fairly certain at this stage that gluten is the problem. He had to give up a lot too, change his diet and spend nearly double on food, along with obviously avoiding what used to be the majority of his diet.

Samaris · 26-06-2017 06:47PM

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

Gluten "intolerance", as opposed to actual Coeliac disease, hasn't even been proven to be a thing.

*eyeroll*

Believe me, I would not bother my arse or my wallet with gluten-free stuff if it wasn't for that the normal stuff would come out the other end at high speed accompanied with stomach cramps.

Oddly enough, the coeliac disease foundation reckons it is a thing. You'd think they'd have a good idea.

Fathom · 26-06-2017 07:10PM

RedTie wrote: »

I ask because this week I did indeed buy flaxseeds and glutten-free bread. Does it work to help you live a healthier lifestyle? Who knows, but I'm trying it as a continued effort to live a healthier life.

I eat a balanced diet. Glutten-free not a factor. Experimented with flaxseeds. Saw no difference before and after. So stopped. Lots of what you called "new age eating habits" are myth.

Samaris · 26-06-2017 07:11PM

There is no point in going gluten-free if you don't need to though. It's more expensive, bread and pastry are a bit eh still, it's a pain for eating out and you're probably missing out on something you really should be getting.

Send In The Robots · 26-06-2017 07:52PM

Fathom wrote: »

Lots of what you called "new age eating habits" are myth.

The only thing 'new age' is the typical shop bought 'modern wheat' (also most corns and rice).

Wheat is a 'hybrid' descendant of several ancient grains, compared to actual pure unchanged ancient grains, modern wheat is almost of a 'genetically modified' status that's only become popular since early farming.

Ancient grains, that have been around for literally 'ages' include spelt, Kamut, millet, barley, teff, oats, freekeh, bulgur, sorghum, Farro, einkorn, Quinoa, emmer etc. Early nomadic mankind probably ate a range of these.

Some, but not all, ancient grains are gluten-free, and whilst there isn't any great nutritional advantage between them all. The real difference is that mankind has been eating these ancient grains for much much longer than the modern varieties, therefore more suitable to digestion, thanks to evolution.

26-06-2017 08:06PM

I don't buy gluten free, but since I tend to feel a bit bloated if I eat much bread, I might see if it makes any difference. Other than that, I'm often a sucker for sweet things but mainly I eat fairly well and try to buy healthy. I don't think there's anything new age about eating a healthy diet, unless you only eat food produced by fairies in Buddhist monasteries and delivered by angels.

Fad diets are rarely healthy diets, long term.

...And Justice · 26-06-2017 08:14PM

Candie wrote: »

I don't buy gluten free, but since I tend to feel a bit bloated if I eat much bread, I might see if it makes any difference. Other than that, I'm often a sucker for sweet things but mainly I eat fairly well and try to buy healthy. I don't think there's anything new age about eating a healthy diet, unless you only eat food produced by fairies in Buddhist monasteries and delivered by angels.

Fad diets are rarely healthy diets, long term.

The new age diets are the food that was consumed in the 80's, modern food is full of shít to preserve it for high level manufacturing. Sprayed with food safe varnish to increase sell by dates. I never remember potatoes going to sludge in the pot either, something has changed..

26-06-2017 08:24PM

...And Justice wrote: »

The new age diets are the food that was consumed in the 80's, modern food is full of shít to preserve it for high level manufacturing. Sprayed with food safe varnish to increase sell by dates. I never remember potatoes going to sludge in the pot either, something has changed..

More disease resistant strains have been developed and grown since then.

If you've ever been in the US for long, you'd realise how fantastic the quality of Irish/British food is, compared to the antibiotic ridden, growth hormone pumped, genetically modified, tasteless, pesticide laden, but cheap-to-grow rubbish that makes up most of what's on offer in the cheaper grocery outlets.

Samaris · 27-06-2017 07:19AM

Something that would solve a lot of problems is allowing GMO foods. Sure, make it a well-controlled market, but this outright ban on GMO is, tbh, extremely short-sighted. It's needed. It's been needed before and it has had some fantastic successes (golden rice and dwarf wheat being two major ones). And unsurprisingly, countries that desperately need GMO foodstuffs for the quantity required to feed their people in bad years, are turning it down because the West are making all sorts of flaily nonsense up about it and then turning around to Ethiopia and saying "but we have GMO foods we can send." Yeah, like that's going to work after you've spent the last decade screaming about apples with teeth and other rubbish.

It might well be a workaround for those intolerant to certain traits in current foodstuffs (lactose, wheat) as well.

chrissb8 · 27-06-2017 10:19AM

Working with someone who is coeliac and she has a very hard time of it eating gluten (vomiting, swelling etc.). She would love nothing more than to be able to have a pint of beer or eat a pizza on the weekend. It's insulting to the people who have to go through this hard lifestyle choice when it's thrown in their face literally at any event where there's food. Much like people who go around saying their bipolar (without being diagnosed) but couldn't be any further from it and are just using it as a "hey look at me I'm different" just to be different because otherwise the might shrivel up and die from getting no attention.

sbsquarepants · 27-06-2017 10:33AM

I think a lot of it is just fad nonsense and you're basically just eating mass produced, cleverly marketed crap anyway. As a basic rule of thumb, if it's sold in a box it's basically poison. By the raw materials and make your own meals and you can't go too far wrong.
We're omnivores after all - unless there's something wrong with you, we can eat pretty much anything - the key is to mix it up, wheatgerm for every meal will kill you, just like sausages will!

27-06-2017 11:00AM

RedTie wrote: »

So do you try any of it? Have you changed your diet drastically in recent years?

The biggest change I made in my diet was to simply vary it as much as possible. Each day I try to have things I have not had in awhile - and each day I try to have a little of a lot of things rather than more of any one thing.

Seems to work for me. I try not to go for any of those diets that suggest you eat a lot of one thing - or cut out other things. I simply give my body the most variety it can have - and trust that after millions of years of biological evolution it will have a fair idea what to do with it all.

whoopsadoodles · 27-06-2017 11:08AM

Samaris wrote: »

*eyeroll*

Believe me, I would not bother my arse or my wallet with gluten-free stuff if it wasn't for that the normal stuff would come out the other end at high speed accompanied with stomach cramps.

Oddly enough, the coeliac disease foundation reckons it is a thing. You'd think they'd have a good idea.

Do you have the same symptoms if you eat barley/bulgar/ or as someone mentioned above - spelt?

twill · 27-06-2017 11:27AM

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

Gluten "intolerance", as opposed to actual Coeliac disease, hasn't even been proven to be a thing.

It is indeed a thing. You'll find it in people with certain chronic illnesses, so the fad argument doesn't really work there.

nearzero · 27-06-2017 11:27AM

Alot of people think its the gluten in foods that is 'bad' for them somehow! But it can also be yeast or the wheat grain itself - so dont just jump to gluten! Most people say they feel bloated after eating bread - that is usually from the yeast!

Gluten free foods are not healthier in my opinion, when you compare them to the regular version of the same food, they can have more sugar, more salt & more fat in order get them to taste better. So unless you have a solid medical reason to choose them - I would just stick to a healthy diet!

Tar.Aldarion · 27-06-2017 11:29AM

Seeds have always been really good for you, they just focus on the in fashion one.

I love gluten and am glad I'm not intolerant.

whoopsadoodles · 27-06-2017 11:32AM

twill wrote: »

It is indeed a thing. You'll find it in people with certain chronic illnesses, so the fad argument doesn't really work there.

Although the USA headline today suggests it's gluten on its own that's the problem, the actual study that it refers to speaks about wheat specifically. So other gluten containing products such as barley and rye are not included.

Therefore, the intolerance is to wheat, not gluten.

Flaxseeds, glutten-free bread etc - do believe in new age eating habits?

Comments