Wheat

[Kroeran]

Any adherents of Dr William Davis’s

“Wheat Belly….”

Fascinating lecture

https://youtu.be/UbBURnqYVzw?si=NYSEoJ-RJJvj_ROE

 

[Sanstar]

I did a test of no wheat x 3 weeks. Sinuses opened up, eyes quit itching and sneezes abated. So much so that I stopped eye drops, nasal steroids and OTC antihistamines. Then had a piece toast….oh boy! It all came roaring back within 20 minutes. Nasal Niagara Falls! No more wheat for me.

Waking down the bread isle makes me ?.

 

[razztazz]

It sounds like another case of: You can find a study or studies that say just about anything. Do it, it's good! Oh no, wait. Now it's bad. Honest opinion: Whatever the settled, evidence-based data says, it is guaranteed to be: Not as good as they're telling you or, alternately, not as bad as they're insisting it is.

 

[Dash man]

With fructose and lactose intolerance, wheat is my friend.

 

[yhoomajor]

Most of human civilizations (Mesopotamia, India, Egypt and many more).. survived mostly on wheat based diet. Its not wheat thats your enemy. Its everything else - stress, lack of physical work, TV and so on. Also, sitting in an office 8 hr a day, for 30 years in your prime age, is not healthy.

 

[SecondCor521]

I eat almost entirely gluten free. I can notice immediate and long term beneficial effects when I avoid it: clearer thinking, less joint pain, less inflammation, fewer sinus issues, reduced ravenous cravings, and possibly lower blood pressure.

I also avoid alcohol, caffeine, and added sugar.

I also exercise, work to manage stress, try to maintain good sleep hygiene.

 

[Aerides]

FIL was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and was quite unwell for a while until it was figured out.

Niece hasn't been diagnosed, but has an obviously upset stomach when she eats gluten, which she now avoids.

 

[audreyh1]

No grains here.

If you have allergic reactions to wheat then definitely avoid it! Simple. Some people are extremely sensitive.

 

[stargazer08]

I've been gluten free for several years. It's made a huge difference in my life. I'm almost 6 feet tall and had dropped down to 110 pounds because I couldn't eat without having severe gut issues. My gut problem was solved and my migraines got 95% better. I'm gluten intolerant and so are my 2 daughters. I think my mom also is but she refuses to go gluten free. Guess it's too much effort.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Didn't watch the video. 10% of world's population are gluten intolerant but 90% of them don't know it.

I had IBS for many years. Doctors kept saying eat more fiber, nope, didn't touch it. In Jan 2015, I developed a severe case of constant lower right abdominal pain, with CT-Scan and MRI multiple times. 6 months later, a wrong interpretation by radiologist on a CT Scan thought it was a mass in my ovary. Ovaries came out, nope, nice and healthy and still in pain. OBGYN then finally suggested that I go gluten-free sharing her own personal story about how she was bedbound for 3 months with horrible abdominal pain, constipation and severe diarrhea. She did her research and went gluten-free. Her problem went away, and her severe acid reflux also disappeared.

I went gluten-free, 7 days later my IBS said goodbye for good. It took 6 whole months for that abdominal pain to go away, doctor suggested that it took that long for the intestines to heal.

Gluten intolerance is real. Many don't realize that they are gluten intolerant.

 

[wallygator69]

I had IBS for many years. Doctors kept saying eat more fiber, nope, didn't touch it. In Jan 2015, I developed a severe case of constant lower right abdominal pain, with CT-Scan and MRI multiple times. 6 months later, a wrong interpretation by radiologist on a CT Scan thought it was a mass in my ovary. Ovaries came out, nope, nice and healthy and still in pain. OBGYN then finally suggested that I go gluten-free sharing her own personal story about how she was bedbound for 3 months with horrible abdominal pain, constipation and severe diarrhea. She did her research and went gluten-free. Her problem went away, and her severe acid reflux also disappeared.

I went gluten-free, 7 days later my IBS said goodbye for good. It took 6 whole months for that abdominal pain to go away, doctor suggested that it took that long for the intestines to heal.

Holy crap this sounds like what DW has been going thru for 3 years now. She has had every test in the world done but didn't have her ovaries removed. She hasn't been diagnosed with IBS but is addicted to laxatives. She takes Miralax daily and started with Metamucil last week. She has to keep things moving or is in a lot of pain.



She has Diverticulosis and had an "attack" a week ago like nothing she's had before. Pain was near the constant pain on her right side but seemed deeper and way more intense.


I wanted to private message you but don't remember how to.



Did your constant pain get better over the 6 months or did you notice it getting less gradually or did you wake up one day with it gone?


In your experience how long were you gluten free before you could say it helped the pain in your right side?


THANK YOU for the discussion. We are at our wits end and although it's going to be a huge change we have to try it.


All the best,


Wally

 

[SecondCor521]

^ I'll just say for me that although it has been a big change, it hasn't been that hard to start or maintain. The negative side effects are so obvious and large once you start seeing the patterns, that it is easy in most cases to just look at something with gluten and say "No thanks".

Not who you asked, but I started noticing feeling better immediately. It does take time for the inflammation and gut to heal I think, which could take weeks to months depending on how bad things are. But I didn't have things anywhere near as bad as the other poster.

 

[mickj]

My guess is it’s all the glyphosate in our wheat supply. Evil

 

[RetiredHappy]

Holy crap this sounds like what DW has been going thru for 3 years now. She has had every test in the world done but didn't have her ovaries removed. She hasn't been diagnosed with IBS but is addicted to laxatives. She takes Miralax daily and started with Metamucil last week. She has to keep things moving or is in a lot of pain.



She has Diverticulosis and had an "attack" a week ago like nothing she's had before. Pain was near the constant pain on her right side but seemed deeper and way more intense.


I wanted to private message you but don't remember how to.



Did your constant pain get better over the 6 months or did you notice it getting less gradually or did you wake up one day with it gone?


In your experience how long were you gluten free before you could say it helped the pain in your right side?


THANK YOU for the discussion. We are at our wits end and although it's going to be a huge change we have to try it.


All the best,


Wally

Severe pain and constipation can also be IBS symptoms.

Our good friend (husband) had these symptoms for several decades and it got progressively worse until it was so bad that he couldn't eat as he was very constipated and started losing weight (78 yo).

After a lot of tests, including colonoscopy, doctors could not find what was wrong other that it must be IBS, which I had told him for many years. He was put on Linzess which he complained of giving him diarrhea. I asked him to try the FODMAP diet (you can look it up - it is for IBS) and go by process of elimination to identify source of culprit. He spoke to his doctor who agreed with me. After getting on and off the FODMAP diet, because he found it hard to resist wheat and other food items, he finally went back on the wagon. He no longer has pain and constipation. He has identified and since eliminated from his diet - wheat gluten, lactose (lactose-free milk like Fairlife is great), onion and garlic.

For me, it took 6 months of gluten-free diet for the pain to be gone. I would say the pain lessened towards the end of the 6 months and one morning, it was gone. Because gluten-free and NO sugar alcohol (sugar alternatives ending with -tol), was the game changer for my IBS after a week, it was easy to stay off the culprits.

 

[wallygator69]

Thanks folks for the ideas,


Take Care,


W

 

[Koolau]

I never noticed any issues with wheat products - oh, other than weight gain if I over do it. YMMV

 

[Spock]

My guess is it’s all the glyphosate in our wheat supply. Evil

They call it desiccation. Spray Round-Up on wheat fields to dry it down before the combine crew arrives. Same thing is done on edible beans specifically black/turtle beans.

I've been watching a lot of farming channels on utube... the number of times they spray the fields now is amazing. It's not just weeds any more. Now they spray a couple of times a year for different types of fungus. Another shot of insecticides for Japanese Beetles or grasshoppers.


I'm mildly curious if SOME (definitely not all) of the "I can't eat wheat" population could actually eat organic wheat.

 

[JoeWras]

And those yields are keep the world away from famine.

I grow my own organically and it is about to kill me. This year was a complete crop failure.

 

[Chuckanut]

If giving up wheat and wheat based products helps a person to better health and improve the quality of life, GREAT!

I eat bread and other wheat based products and don’t have any problems with them. Bring on the gluten! OTOH, I have noticed that the bread I make myself is physically different from store bought bread. This really is obvious when I toast the bread. The store bread toasts rapidly and will start to turn to charcoal if I am not careful. OTOH, the home made bread is more solid, takes 3x longer to toast, and has a crust that is a pleasure to chew on. I suspect that the physical difference between my home made bread and the store bought stuff makes my bread better for me.

I think there is some truth to the belief that it’s not the food itself, but what they do to the food that is a problem for many people.

 

[JoeWras]

If giving up wheat and wheat based products helps a person to better health and improve the quality of life, GREAT!

I eat bread and other wheat based products and don’t have any problems with them. Bring on the gluten! OTOH, I have noticed that the bread I make myself is physically different from store bought bread. This really is obvious when I toast the bread. The store bread toasts rapidly and will start to turn to charcoal if I am not careful. OTOH, the home made bread is more solid, takes 3x longer to toast, and has a crust that is a pleasure to chew on. I suspect that the physical difference between my home made bread and the store bought stuff makes my bread better for me.

I think there is some truth to the belief that it’s not the food itself, but what they do to the food that is a problem for many people.

I make our own bread using a bread machine, and occasionally kneading the old way.

I used to ADD gluten to my bread recipe. I had to take it out after they stopped stocking it in stores. I guess the stores got feedback that they had "poison" the shelves and it was off-putting to some people. I get it, I make no judgements about that.

I tweaked my recipe and the bread still rises, but it is not as elastic. It takes about 3 minutes to toast a slice. I thought the toaster was broken, but one time we brought back some bread we purchased on a trip and it toasted in about 50 seconds. Same as your experience.

Of course it is better for us. We know exactly what is in it. I sometimes even treat myself to fresh ground whole wheat flour that a local bakery mills. Now that I took out the extra gluten, the ingredient list is incredibly short with no weird stuff.

 

[Koolau]

I make our own bread using a bread machine, and occasionally kneading the old way.

I used to ADD gluten to my bread recipe. I had to take it out after they stopped stocking it in stores. I guess the stores got feedback that they had "poison" the shelves and it was off-putting to some people. I get it, I make no judgements about that.

I tweaked my recipe and the bread still rises, but it is not as elastic. It takes about 3 minutes to toast a slice. I thought the toaster was broken, but one time we brought back some bread we purchased on a trip and it toasted in about 50 seconds. Same as your experience.

Of course it is better for us. We know exactly what is in it. I sometimes even treat myself to fresh ground whole wheat flour that a local bakery mills. Now that I took out the extra gluten, the ingredient list is incredibly short with no weird stuff.

But, but, but, but...Think of all that extra atmospehric-carbon-producing electricity it takes you now to toast your bread!

 

[pacergal]

Gluten allergy, celiac disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can all have very similar symptoms. It is very important to work with your medical provider to get a good diagnosis.
Going gluten free doesn't hurt anyone and it certainly can help those who suffer. Luckily, there are more gluten free options in the stores now for those who need them.

If you are not gluten intolerant, there is no need to avoid it, in my opinion.

 

[Koolau]

Gluten allergy, celiac disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can all have very similar symptoms. It is very important to work with your medical provider to get a good diagnosis.
Going gluten free doesn't hurt anyone and it certainly can help those who suffer. Luckily, there are more gluten free options in the stores now for those who need them.

If you are not gluten intolerant, there is no need to avoid it, in my opinion.

Yeah, "gluten free" is typically more expensive as DW and I discovered at our summer family reunion. IIRC the pizza place charged $2/pizza extra. Three of our grand sons are gluten intolerant. So we purchased gluten free pizza specifically for them. Typically, we could have ordered pizzas with half this and half that, but no, for gluten-free, the pizza place ONLY did whole pizza's with no half and half. And, of course, 3 kids wanted 3 different toppings. SO it cost us almost $40 to feed 3 kids ages 4 to 11 with the pizza of their choice. AND, of course, little tummies hold only so much - like maybe 2 pieces of pizza each. So the rest was wasted as no one else liked/wanted/needed/noticed gluten free. I've tried it and do not care for the crust's taste.

Renting a shelter for 30 cost us $75 and Pizza for 27 cost about $65 but pizza for 3 was near $40. But it was all well worth it and memorable. But, take away, gluten free ain't cheap. YMMV

 

[aja8888]

Gluten allergy, celiac disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can all have very similar symptoms. It is very important to work with your medical provider to get a good diagnosis.
Going gluten free doesn't hurt anyone and it certainly can help those who suffer. Luckily, there are more gluten free options in the stores now for those who need them.

If you are not gluten intolerant, there is no need to avoid it, in my opinion.

I saw gluten free potato chips in Walmart today. Never would have guessed that would be.

 

[Jerry1]

I saw gluten free potato chips in Walmart today. Never would have guessed that would be.

I have a couple of friends that are gluten intolerant. You’d be surprised of all the things that have gluten in them. Wheat is used for many things like flavoring and thickening.