Gluten Free

[okapi]

A friend of mine lost a lot of weight on a gluten free diet.He said I should try it.He even drinks g.f. beer.I looked around a g.f. store the other day and noticed that the items are pretty expensive.My ? is if anyone went this route and if it"s worth it.

 

[bo_knows]

I eat "Paleo", which is to say that I don't eat any grains (no bread, no pasta, no flour at all), and I don't eat dairy (this is the strictest version).

You're essentially eating Meat, Vegetables, Fruit, Nuts and seeds.

I will tell you that if you make the switch to this sort of diet, and you don't limit yourself initially in calories, you'll feel different. If you're used to eating a lot of starchy foods, getting "food comas" after lunch, etc... you'll notice a difference in your blood sugar levels.

I think that trying to by "gluten-free" substitutes of foods that typical have gluten is sort of silly. They're not even real "foods" in my opinion. They're food products.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[haha]

A friend of mine lost a lot of weight on a gluten free diet.He said I should try it.He even drinks g.f. beer.I looked around a g.f. store the other day and noticed that the items are pretty expensive.My ? is if anyone went this route and if it"s worth it.

It's worth it if someone has celiac disease. I also agree with Bo above, if you are for some reason planning to do this, go all the way and stay out of gluten free stores. They are just ways to sell more expensive, less satisfying junk foods to food faddists.

Once you jettison grains- not just gluten containing grains, but all grains, you have 95% of it licked. Then look out for gluten in prepared foods. It gets easier every year, because the demand from both people who really do need to avoid gluten, and those who might like to try the diet is getting response. Many of the foods at Trader Joe for example are labeled re gluten status.

Ha

 

[mpeirce]

My wife has celiac disease and so completely avoids wheat.

She generally avoids special foods produced as "gluten free". She finds them to be over priced and not all that tasty - some are down right nasty, though there are a few exceptions.

So instead of replacing pasta with "gluten free pasta" she just has rice or potatoes. Likewise, drink wine rather than beer. Etc.

It's not easy, but not that hard once you learn what's what. It also helps that I eat low-carb, so leaving out the pasta and bread in our meals is no big deal.

I haven't heard of people loosing weight by simply going gluten-free, my wife stayed steady after switching. I'd look into low carb or paleo for weight loss, that works for me.

 

[RAE]

I eat "Paleo", which is to say that I don't eat any grains (no bread, no pasta, no flour at all), and I don't eat dairy (this is the strictest version).

You're essentially eating Meat, Vegetables, Fruit, Nuts and seeds.

I will tell you that if you make the switch to this sort of diet, and you don't limit yourself initially in calories, you'll feel different. If you're used to eating a lot of starchy foods, getting "food comas" after lunch, etc... you'll notice a difference in your blood sugar levels.

I think that trying to by "gluten-free" substitutes of foods that typical have gluten is sort of silly. They're not even real "foods" in my opinion. They're food products.

I agree. Gluten is not the whole problem for most people.......the gluten-containing grains (like wheat) are the worst, but grains in general are not something humans were designed to eat. See article below:

9 Steps To Perfect Health – #1: Don’t Eat Toxins

My advice is to forget about looking for "gluten-free" products, and just eat real food that we were designed to eat (vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, some fruit).........things that do not come in a box or a package with a list of ingredients on the side.....and watch your health improve. It certainly worked for me.

 

[WM]

I realized a few years ago that I felt better when I avoided wheat (other carbs were fine) and got serious about eating gluten-free about a year ago. I can't believe how much better I feel. I lost 5-10 lbs and now have no trouble at all keeping my weight where it should be.

I still eat plenty of other carbs (I'd already been eating vegan for about 7 years at that point, and the rest of my diet hasn't changed much). I didn't get anything near the full benefits until I really ate 100% GF. I thought I was doing pretty well until I started learning from people with celiac.

If you think you're sensitive to gluten, it's definitely worth a try to eliminate it for a while, but you can do that for a few weeks to test it out without worrying about buying the special GF foods.

 

[eridanus]

Didn't paleo people eat grass seeds (aka grains)?

The Paleo dieters I know are slowly becoming lumped with the vegans I know -- the more militant and vocal ones are just damned annoying. (Both also pay a premium for special foods.)

 

[ERD50]

... I don't eat any grains ....

You're essentially eating Meat, Vegetables, Fruit, Nuts and seeds.

Aren't grains seeds? Is there some other distinction that you meant?

-ERD50

 

[UtahSkier]

A friend of mine lost a lot of weight on a gluten free diet.He said I should try it.He even drinks g.f. beer.I looked around a g.f. store the other day and noticed that the items are pretty expensive.My ? is if anyone went this route and if it"s worth it.

As you are looking for a testimonial, I can offer one. I convinced my sister in law to go Gluten Free last April. She has lost around 30 lbs with minimal exercising. She definitely thinks its worth the effort.

She just stopped eating processed foods in general and strictly avoided wheat products.

I agree with the recommendation of avoiding processed foods labeled as "Gluten Free". Just eat apples and carrots instead of bagels and doughnuts... whole foods.

What you will find is that it takes more effort to over consume calories. You basically become a hunter - gatherer as you have to seek out appropriate foods. An example is home-made lasagna. I now use sliced eggplant instead of pasta... more vegetables and less processed food.

I have avoided wheat for about 18 months now (I am not gluten intolerant). My personal experience is that avoiding wheat (and sugar) has reduced my appetite urges... I can do more without always being hungry.

The only downside for me has been dining with friends when the group wants to share (indian, chinese food). The list of acceptable items on the menu can be rather restrictive at times.

My advice is to try it out for 2 months and see if you can tell the difference. Then you get to decide if it is worth it.

 

[Walt34]

Celiac disease forced me to go gluten free 20+ years ago. While I've rarely had a problem keeping my weight down the diet isn't that hard to maintain once you learn what has wheat gluten in it and what doesn't. Stuff you wouldn't expect has it, like all Campbell's soups and Uncle Ben's rice, McCormick's spice packages (such as for beef stew) and lots more.

DW's has a relative who is recently retired from McCormicks and she was surprised when I told her the company was writing off 10% and climbing of their market share of spice packages by including gluten in their products.

I read the label on everything that comes in a can, bottle, jar or box.

 

[braumeister]

Good advice here.

"Gluten free" is a waste of money and effort unless you actually have celiac disease.

Just as a side note, nearly every gluten free beer I've tried (and I've judged them at beer competitions) has been terrible. Most are made from sorghum instead of barley, and tend to taste like Cracker Jack. Yecch!!

 

[bo_knows]

Aren't grains seeds? Is there some other distinction that you meant?

-ERD50

Things like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are not grains.

 

[bo_knows]

Didn't paleo people eat grass seeds (aka grains)?

The Paleo dieters I know are slowly becoming lumped with the vegans I know -- the more militant and vocal ones are just damned annoying. (Both also pay a premium for special foods.)

Whether or not paleolithic man ate a very specific product is not entirely relevant to the modern concept. I don't want to bore you with details, since you obviously don't want to hear them, but suffice to say: The general outlook of the "diet" today is part based on what paleolithic man actually ate, and part science. Example: Clarified butter. Paleolithic man didn't eat any dairy products, because we are all intolerant to lactose then. But, it is easy to use something like clarified butter (which has the lactose taken out) as a healthy animal fat... and people do, because it doesn't suffer from the effects that people think lactose has on the body.

I agree about the evangelizing... it's annoying, and vegans are often pretty guilty of that. I'm not here to evangelize. It just happens to be relevant to the discussion of gluten-free foods, and people are asking a lot of questions.

 

[bo_knows]

Just as a side note, nearly every gluten free beer I've tried (and I've judged them at beer competitions) has been terrible. Most are made from sorghum instead of barley, and tend to taste like Cracker Jack. Yecch!!

All gluten-free beer IS terrible. I tend to just drink hard cider and wine.

 

[eytonxav]

Celiac disease forced me to go gluten free 20+ years ago. While I've rarely had a problem keeping my weight down the diet isn't that hard to maintain once you learn what has wheat gluten in it and what doesn't. Stuff you wouldn't expect has it, like all Campbell's soups and Uncle Ben's rice, McCormick's spice packages (such as for beef stew) and lots more.

DW's has a relative who is recently retired from McCormicks and she was surprised when I told her the company was writing off 10% and climbing of their market share of spice packages by including gluten in their products.

I read the label on everything that comes in a can, bottle, jar or box.

+1 DW was diagnosed with Celiac about a year ago, although I suspect she was suffering from it for a long time. We now read the labels on everything.

 

[okapi]

Thanks all for the suggestions.I am doing some more research on paleo + gf sites.These "diets" do seem doable.I can eat fish everyday,I really like it.Regular food markets do seem to have what I would need instead of these expensive specialty shops.Wine over beer,I have to work on that.
Best Wishes Okapi

 

[Chelhxi]

I went gluten free for health reasons (sensitive but not Celiac) and didn't lose weight but at least got rid of the big belly after eating. I didn't really need to lose more than 5-10 lbs anyhow. Sugar and fat are gluten free so it's really easy to eat gluten free and still get tons of calories. I think decreasing carbs is good for the average person.

When my sister with Celiac disease went gluten free she gained a bunch of weight since the gluten was making her starve to death - all the symptoms of anorexia, no matter how much she ate. The weight gain in her case was clearly a good thing.

 

[HFWR]

Aren't grains seeds? Is there some other distinction that you meant?

-ERD50

Many Paleo advocates say to limit seeds, including legumes, because of the "anti-nutrients" present in seeds.

Why Grains Are Unhealthy | Mark's Daily Apple

 

[Lsbcal]

For a normal healthy adult, is there any reputable research that says gluten is bad for you?

My guess is that a normal diet that contains gluten is just fine for normal healthy people. "Healthy" includes not being overweight.

 

[bltkmt]

DW is gluten free and I tag along sometimes. I will say that the Udi's gluten free bread is quite tasty, especially toasted. Gluten free beer tends to have a nasty aftertaste. Tito's vodka is made from corn and is her go-to drink of choice.

 

[bo_knows]

For a normal healthy adult, is there any reputable research that says gluten is bad for you?

My guess is that a normal diet that contains gluten is just fine for normal healthy people. "Healthy" includes not being overweight.

Studies are out there that suggest that reactions to gluten vary so much, that it is hard to determine at what level is actually symptomatic. This meta-study BMC Medicine | Full text | Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification shows just a handful of diseases and problems associated. Read the first few paragraphs of that meta-study. The problem is that gluten affects the immune system, and often has a delayed reaction. So, while you might not get anaphylaxis from eating a piece of bread (wheat allergy and/or celiacs) that bread might be causing long-term autoimmune response which can lead to numerous things. Again though, this lends itself to anecdotal stories of how not eating bread cured grandma's nasal drip, or cured your uncle's knee arthritis (which sound crazy, but are actually potential autoimmune responses that can be fixed).

Just reading about the proteins (gliadins and glutenins) found in gluten and how they react with humans is interesting enough.

 

[ERD50]

Things like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are not grains.

OK, I gotcha now. You eat the seeds that are not grains.

Just as a side note, nearly every gluten free beer I've tried (and I've judged them at beer competitions) has been terrible. Most are made from sorghum instead of barley, and tend to taste like Cracker Jack. Yecch!!

All gluten-free beer IS terrible. I tend to just drink hard cider and wine.

I have tasted one of the micro-brewed ones that was quite bad (IMO). But the 'Redbridge' ( ANHEUSER-BUSCH) I thought was OK - opposite of what I would have expected. I won't buy another, but if I did have Celiac disease, it would at least be something.

-ERD50

 

[WM]

I'm not a beer drinker, so I don't have any experience, but a couple friends of ours who are beer drinkers have tried at least 2 GF beers that they liked so far. I don't know what brands, or what type of beer they normally drink, though. I assume it would all just depend on your preferences.

 

[Walt34]

These "diets" do seem doable.I can eat fish everyday,I really like it.Regular food markets do seem to have what I would need instead of these expensive specialty shops.Wine over beer,I have to work on that.
Best Wishes Okapi

Yeah, the wine over beer was a hard adjustment for me too. And I soooo miss a pizza, having yet to find a good GF one. Most taste like cardboard.

But if that's my worst health problem at age 62 I will consider myself fortunate.

Other than the beer & pizza issue the rest really wasn't much of an adjustment for me other than I eat a lot more salads than I used to. And that's not a bad thing, I've grown to like them a lot.

 

[RonBoyd]

See, for instance:

Amazon.com: Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health (3520700000720): William Davis: Books

Wheat Belly Cookbook: 150 Recipes to Help You Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health: William Davis: 9781609619367: Amazon.com: Books