Gluten Free

[zerogravity]

My DD had a skin rash from age 1 to 13. We tried every topical ointment available. By chance a Dr suggested eliminating gluten and I am not kidding you OVERNiGHT the child's rash was clear. I feel so guilty that I never could ease her suffering during her childhood . I think back to every bath where she would cry because the water was stinging, and every night when she could not sleep because of the itchy skin!

Subsequent allergy testing revealed a host of food allergies.
Gluten free is a marketing ploy now but it is a real issue for people with allergies and those with celiac.

 

[haha]

My DD had a skin rash from age 1 to 13. We tried every topical ointment available. By chance a Dr suggested eliminating gluten and I am not kidding you OVERNiGHT the child's rash was clear. I feel so guilty that I never could ease her suffering during her childhood . I think back to every bath where she would cry because the water was stinging, and every night when she could not sleep because of the itchy skin!

Subsequent allergy testing revealed a host of food allergies.
Gluten free is a marketing ploy now but it is a real issue for people with allergies and those with celiac.

This sounds like a condition that I developed, not long before my celiac diagnosis. It was called dermatitis herpetiformis. I was no stranger to itching, as I had severe poison ivy usually once every summer as a child. But this wheat related rash was many times worse, it was truly awful. I was so happy when it went away, I didn't really care what I had to give up,. as long as that itching rash would be gone.

I must have been truly awful for your child to have this.

Ha

 

[Nemo2]

I recall, when I lived in British Columbia, that the local baker contracted a wheat allergy.....had a huge blotch on his face when I spoke to him.....his wife took over the bakery...and he couldn't even step inside it to give advice.

 

[Meadbh]

I recall, when I lived in British Columbia, that the local baker contracted a wheat allergy.....had a huge blotch on his face when I spoke to him.....his wife took over the bakery...and he couldn't even step inside it to give advice.

Wow, that would be a career ending problem! I hope he had own occupation disability insurance!

 

[braumeister]

I have great sympathy for folks with celiac disease, because I have friends where the whole family suffers from it.

However, there is a recent book on the larger topic addressed in this thread that I think some here might enjoy:
The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat - Kindle edition by Alan Levinovitz. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The following quote is from a nice review of this book:

He might seem like a strange candidate to author a book on diet. He’s not a nutrition expert, a doctor, or even a scientist; he is a scholar of religion. But that gives him a unique perspective. His expertise is in studying religious stories that function as metaphors. He says the key to understanding fad diets is not science, but history. “Once you see enough of the same archetypal myths and the same superstitions, new dietary claims start to look a lot like flood myths.”

They do indeed. The same memes keep repeating. Good vs. evil. Natural vs. manmade. Magical thinking: you are what you eat. The scary technology of the modern world vs. the idealistic Eden our ancestors supposedly enjoyed (they didn’t!). Evolutionary “Just So Stories” that convert what we think our ancestors ate into what we should eat or argue that since evolution didn’t equip us with sharp fangs, we shouldn’t eat meat. People presume to know Nature’s intentions. Clean, pure, virtuous foods vs. “unclean” forbidden foods, toxins, and sinful indulgence. We are being manipulated for profit by evil big corporations to the detriment of our health. Subconscious Puritan values kick in: if it’s pleasurable, it must be bad. Religious-like mantras divide the world into simplistic binary categories. Following the strict guidelines of the in-group proves you are a good person. Moral and religious vocabulary is inappropriately applied to scientific questions.

 

[MichaelB]

I have great sympathy for folks with celiac disease, because I have friends where the whole family suffers from it.

However, there is a recent book on the larger topic addressed in this thread that I think some here might enjoy:
The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat - Kindle edition by Alan Levinovitz. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The following quote is from a nice review of this book:

That's an excellent quote. "Magical thinking" sums up many of the health claims surrounding food and nutritional supplements. So does "truthiness".

Edit to add: looking over the reviews at Amazon, it is funny how the negative views all focus on one aspect, which is the lack of scientific or medical support for his point of view. This is the one constant almost always present in the literature promoting organics, additives or nutritional supplements.

 

[HFWR]

"Magical thinking" is prevalent in way too many human endeavors...

I wonder if "gluten-free" is an exact, controlled term. Obviously, many items labeled as such have no naturally-occurring gluten, but may be cross-contaminated during processing. I would think that using this term loosely would be a recipe for a lawsuit.

Many fast food places have a sticker by the drive-thru, basically saying that if you have a food allergy - milk/lactose, peanuts/nuts, wheat/gluten, etc. - best to eat somewhere else...

 

[Lakewood90712]

My problem is much simpler. I just need to go Glutton Free and get rid of the 40# I piled on at at my last job . I'm down 10# from 50# to 40# just from stress relief.

 

[Amethyst]

The part about "religious" thinking strikes a chord - my friend, who goes on about coconut curing everything, is also a bit of a fundie.

Amethyst

That's an excellent quote. "Magical thinking" sums up many of the health claims surrounding food and nutritional supplements. So does "truthiness".

Edit to add: looking over the reviews at Amazon, it is funny how the negative views all focus on one aspect, which is the lack of scientific or medical support for his point of view. This is the one constant almost always present in the literature promoting organics, additives or nutritional supplements.

 

[Walt34]

I wonder if "gluten-free" is an exact, controlled term. Obviously, many items labeled as such have no naturally-occurring gluten, but may be cross-contaminated during processing.

I read the labels closely for that reason. If it says "gluten free" it generally really is. If there is a possibility of cross contamination I haven't seen a label where they don't say so, as in "produced in a facility that also produces wheat products" or similar language. In my case that's good enough since trace amounts don't bother me. But trace amounts do matter very much to others.

On the rare occasions when I get a pizza I get it from a local shop that of course makes the regular kind too and have suffered no ill effects.

But on one occasion I found they lied. Suffice it to say that "gluten free" Girl Scout cookies are not. The result killed the rest of that day and most of the next.

 

[haha]

I read the labels closely for that reason. If it says "gluten free" it generally really is. If there is a possibility of cross contamination I haven't seen a label where they don't say so, as in "produced in a facility that also produces wheat products" or similar language. In my case that's good enough since trace amounts don't bother me. But trace amounts do matter very much to others.

On the rare occasions when I get a pizza I get it from a local shop that of course makes the regular kind too and have suffered no ill effects.

But on one occasion I found they lied. Suffice it to say that "gluten free" Girl Scout cookies are not. The result killed the rest of that day and most of the next.

Something I noticed before I got really good at avoiding gluten was that a reliable early warning of GI problems to come was a slight depressed feeling.

Where I live the restaurants are not cheap, but if I avoid the low end, it is pretty easy to get safe no gluten meals. There is a lot to be said for college educated wait staff. Also, within a few blocks there are >50 restaurants. And they are always busy it seems, so lots of choice

Ha

 

[bjorn2bwild]

This update on celiac disease might be of interest to the gluten sensitive individuals.
"Oslo professor Dr. Ludvig Sollid has solved the riddle of coeliac disease". -

"The disease develops because the immune system reacts to gluten, which is an alien substance. At the same time, the immune system launches a reaction against the body itself by creating antibodies to transglutaminase

.

"We discovered that there were two types of HLA (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8) which predispose a person for coeliac disease", explains Professor Sollid.
Further research revealed that the two HLA types present gluten remnants to the T-cells. The T-cells therefore believe that gluten is dangerous, and they initiate immune reactions that cause an inflammation reaction in the intestines.
This is what causes coeliac disease.

Solved the riddle of coeliac disease - Institute of Clinical Medicine

 

[anethum]

A 2nd opinion regarding gluten:

For many, gluten isn’t the villain it gets cracked up to be - The Washington Post

 

[audreyh1]

This update on celiac disease might be of interest to the gluten sensitive individuals.
"Oslo professor Dr. Ludvig Sollid has solved the riddle of coeliac disease". -

.



Solved the riddle of coeliac disease - Institute of Clinical Medicine

Does this mean they can detect the condition more easily?

Sounds promising in general if the can tackle arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and maybe even thyroid autoimmune diseases?

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Does this mean they can detect the condition more easily?

Sounds promising in general if the can tackle arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and maybe even thyroid autoimmune diseases?

Parting shot from the article. -

"Our research has also given us the opportunity to design diagnostic tests that look very promising. The tests will be far more precise, because we will be using antibodies created from the patient's cells as part of the tests", explains Sollid.

 

[haha]

This update on celiac disease might be of interest to the gluten sensitive individuals.
"Oslo professor Dr. Ludvig Sollid has solved the riddle of coeliac disease". -

.



Solved the riddle of coeliac disease - Institute of Clinical Medicine

Thank you. Excellent article. Did you catch the 1/50 to 1/100 incidence of celiac disease in the Norwegian population?

Ha

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Thank you. Excellent article. Did you catch the 1/50 to 1/100 incidence of celiac disease in the Norwegian population?

Ha

Yes, my Norwegian grandmother had a very mild condition that was not diagnosed until she was in her mid 70's. She was quite frail and ultimately succumbed to complications from a hip fracture @ age 99. Not too bad.
I have apparently dodged the bullet.

 

[eytonxav]

Thank you. Excellent article. Did you catch the 1/50 to 1/100 incidence of celiac disease in the Norwegian population?

Ha

+1, thanks for posting bjorn2bwild

 

[sengsational]

Does this mean they can detect the condition more easily?

Sounds promising in general if the can tackle arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and maybe even thyroid autoimmune diseases?

Doctors were taught (incorrectly) that if a person did not react to alpha gliadin, they were not gluten intolerant. There's now a panel (Cyrex) of 12 things that are implicated in gluten sensitivity.

The article seems to indicate insight into the mechanism, but I'd be surprised if that makes any difference in the immediate future.

Has anyone looked up those HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes in your 23andMe?

 

[AllDone]

Doctors were taught (incorrectly) that if a person did not react to alpha gliadin, they were not gluten intolerant. There's now a panel (Cyrex) of 12 things that are implicated in gluten sensitivity.

The article seems to indicate insight into the mechanism, but I'd be surprised if that makes any difference in the immediate future.

Has anyone looked up those HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes in your 23andMe?

The problem with these independent lab tests is that we know nothing about them. They aren't validated. We don't really know if they work or how well they work or if they are testing for anything that is actually important. If you feel better when you don't eat wheat, then don't eat wheat. If you can't tell if you feel better, then don't worry about it. Changing your diet based on the results of an unvalidated test is kind of nutty.

The claim in "Wheat Belly" is that gluten has "changed" somehow as a result of selective breeding, causing increasing obesity over the last forty years. Well, guess what? It turns out that gluten derived from modern strains of wheat is chemically identical to gluten from historic strains. Wheat Belly's sensational claim is just an overly simplistic idea.

 

[haha]

The claim in "Wheat Belly" is that gluten has "changed" somehow as a result of selective breeding, causing increasing obesity over the last forty years. Well, guess what? It turns out that gluten derived from modern strains of wheat is chemically identical to gluten from historic strains. Wheat Belly's sensational claim is just an overly simplistic idea.

But it sure works for selling books.

Ha

 

[eytonxav]

Doctors were taught (incorrectly) that if a person did not react to alpha gliadin, they were not gluten intolerant. There's now a panel (Cyrex) of 12 things that are implicated in gluten sensitivity.

The article seems to indicate insight into the mechanism, but I'd be surprised if that makes any difference in the immediate future.

Has anyone looked up those HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes in your 23andMe?

I doubt that 23 and Me will provide much in the way of useful genetic info. My DD had a very comprehensive genetic test from GeneDX (cost > $15K), and fortunately they accepted a much lower payment from the insurance company. We met with a geneticist after the results came back (took 6 months) and he indicated that this field is still in its infancy as many companies around the world are building databases to capture and compare genetic defects. Probably a lot more knowledge will be coming in the next 5 years.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

But it sure works for selling books.

Ha

And cereal, cuz nothing sez healthy quite like gluten-free Lucky Charms.
New slogan - "they're magically nutritious"

In the face of declining cereal sales, General Mills is tapping a growing diet trend with plans to offer gluten-free Lucky Charms later this summer, the company said on an earnings call Wednesday.

Once gluten-free Cheerios and Lucky Charms hit the shelves, gluten-free products will make up over half of its cereal sales and 17% of total category sales, the company estimated.

General Mills plans gluten-free Lucky Charms to boost cereal sales

 

[grasshopper]

And cereal, cuz nothing sez healthy quite like gluten-free Lucky Charms.
New slogan - "they're magically nutritious"


General Mills plans gluten-free Lucky Charms to boost cereal sales

Wow all sugar no gluten, what a smart move.

 

[eytonxav]

Now if someone would just come out with a nutritionally balanced, non-GMO, low carb (no sugar, only fiber) and delicious breakfast cereal packaged in a box. Is that too much to expect?