What's your experience with Gluten?

[Barry]

While being Gluten-Free (GF) is all the rage in the progressive community these days, so far the science is inconclusive.

See this recent article:



https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/03/grain

My question is: What is your experience with being Gluten Free? Have you tried it? Did it make a difference? Did you fall off the wagon and give it up? Did that make a difference? Any other personal reflections to add?

For me, I gave up most grains as staples years ago, and now treat them as condiments or treats. Not because of gluten but because of the (mostly empty) carbs. However, I still would eat some, especially vital wheat gluten (aka seitan) which is high in protein and I rather like it's chewy texture.

But was it wrecking my health? I don't know... I'm trying to abstain from it for a while and see if it makes difference. So far (a week) I don't notice any difference. However, I didn't keep a journal before so it's going to be hard to track. Perhaps I'll have to go back to eating gluten and keep track this time!

That brings up another point. Have you kept a journal of how you felt before and after trying to be gluten free? How can you tell you are not just being susceptible to the general gluten hysteria and confirmation bias?

So what's your experience with gluten??

[jesswolfe]

I've been gluten free for many years. It was suggested by a doc I was seeing. At the time I thought why would that work? Then I realized I was really living in denial. I have other family members who have celiac or are gluten intolerent. So I tried it. I have had the antibody tests for celiac and they come up negative but a lot of symptoms went away when I got off gluten. I used to have some horrible digestion issues. Those all went away. I had something with wheat recently and wasnt sure if I would have symptoms, but I did. I had really awful pain in my joints and my digestion issues. I would rather be gluten free than deal with that.

Jessica

[Barry]

This was sent to me from a user that wished to remain anonymous:

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I first went off wheat in 2000, on the advice of a holistic practitioner. I stayed about 90% off it for a number of years and did feel somewhat better in terms of digestion, but I had gone off other things as well, so not sure if it was the wheat.

Then around 2009 I was advised to go off ALL gluten, on the advice of a different holistic practitioner, as I did show some moderate gluten sensitivity on a blood test. At first I didn't notice ANY difference, especially since I had replaced my healthy wheat-free bread with gluten-free breads that had added starches, etc. No difference to digestive issues. BUT after about 6 months, I realized i wasn't having mood swings or depressive episodes anymore. Turns out gluten had a profound effect on my mood (as do some other foods). Whenever i ate gluten a few days in a row, I would start feeling super depressed again. So, I'm off. I'll cheat a couple times a year for something I REALLY want, but for me it's not worth it. Should note I'm dealing with other sensitivities as well, but most tend to have more of a physical effect rather than a mood effect. Of course, it's all related to inflammation regardless of whether it's physical symptoms or emotional symptoms. It's most likely I have some kind of leaky gut thing and max out my tolerance of foods by consistently eating too much of them.

Interestingly, I come from wheat farmers on my dad's side. So maybe I'm resisting being my father's daughter...

If you want some good, well-researched info, try ChrisKresser.com

[Tinkerbell]

I'm a person with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and multiple allergies. I've been gluten-free for several years now, and years ago I was also gluten free. I find that when I eat gluten, I get dizzy and spacey. During June and July when grasses are pollinating, there is a cross reaction to grains and I also get asthma and depression if I eat gluten. I have been tested with certain antibodies (I forget the name) that indicate an inability to tolerate gluten. Avoiding it makes such a difference that I am not even tempted when I see chocolate cake with whipped cream!!

[newdawn707]

The wheat we are eating or is available to us for the majority, i s not the same wheat our Grandparents ate.
I feel this is one of the main issues.
Secondly, This new wheat is covered totally with pesticides.
Thirdly. it can be Gmo wheat.

These are all various inputs to the equation that can help us to know or realize if its the wheat, what kind of wheat or is the additional junk on it?

A friend who is grain free, went to Europe recently and had a really lovely time eating croissants!!
She didnt have a reaction!! so thats fun to hear about.

[jesswolfe]

I read an article a couple of years ago about wheat and bread. Besides the GMOs and the chemicals, the way we make bread is not the same as it used to be made. We tend to use fast acting yeast and let it proof for a relatively short amount of time. This baker decided to use organic wheat and use an older technique for making bread. The bread didn't cause reactions in people who had reactions to gluten. It takes longer to make the bread and we don't typically find bread that won't cause a reaction. I think that when you were in Europe, that is probably why you didn't have a reaction.

Jessica

[newdawn707]

I read an article a couple of years ago about wheat and bread. Besides the GMOs and the chemicals, the way we make bread is not the same as it used to be made. We tend to use fast acting yeast and let it proof for a relatively short amount of time. This baker decided to use organic wheat and use an older technique for making bread. The bread didn't cause reactions in people who had reactions to gluten. It takes longer to make the bread and we don't typically find bread that won't cause a reaction. I think that when you were in Europe, that is probably why you didn't have a reaction.

Jessica

Oh, i didnt know that. Very interesting!
So what would that be called.. slow rising bread?

[jesswolfe]

A few articles about bread:

https://breadtopia.com/gluten-intolerance-and-bread/

https://renourishment.org/2012/09/06...urdough-bread/

https://www.arcadia-farms.net/sourdo...n-intolerance/

https://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blo...n-intolerant-2

Jessica

[newdawn707]

https://www.organiclifestylemagazine...preservatives/

Wow, check this out.
Restaurant Chipotle, started removing gmos from its ingredients, yay, but now they are trying to make its tortillas with sourdough!

[Shandi]

I had recently seen this in www.livestrong.com:

"If you're intolerant to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, you know how hard it is to find a good-tasting bread. Most gluten-free breads are dense, dry and expensive. But wheat bread may be making a comeback for the gluten-intolerant thanks to new research on sourdough. It turns out this old-fashioned baking technique may help break down gluten in wheat. Sourdough is not only good for baking but may also help heal the gut in those newly diagnosed with celiac disease."

https://www.organiclifestylemagazine...preservatives/

Wow, check this out.
Restaurant Chipotle, started removing gmos from its ingredients, yay, but now they are trying to make its tortillas with sourdough!

[DeannaHarris]

Very useful post. Thanks for sharing.

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