People who think gluten free diet is a fad

thejuggler

I saw some comment in a thread on this forum recently along the lines that the poster couldn't wait until the gluten free diet fad was over.

Not sure if this is a commonly held belief but speaking as a coeliac diagnosed over 30 years ago (over 1% of people in Ireland have coeliac disease) it's not a fad for any coeliac - following the diet is what keeps us healthy.

Rant over!

failinis

I do not mind the people who ARE on a diet fad (me saying this as an IBS person) as it means products for people with digestive issues get a wider range.

Wigglepuppy

Yeah coeliac disease does exist. There may be people misdiagnosing themselves as gluten intolerant though. I don't have the greatest wheat tolerance - it can cause bloating and sinus trouble (hot!) but I'm not coeliac either though. Coeliac disease is extreme stomach pain isn't it?

suicide_circus

The is a far bigger gluten free industry than actually diagnosed coeliacs. Lots of slow witted people have conflated gluten free with "healthy" low cal type food. Ca-ching.

Steve

Yeah, those that wear the coeliac outfit on French beaches deserve what they get...


Wait, what?

The_Valeyard

All I know is the South Park episode based on this was hilarious.

Grayson

Your Face

Epic rant.

Chromosphere

Wigglepuppy wrote: »

Yeah coeliac disease does exist. There may be people misdiagnosing themselves as gluten intolerant though. I don't have the greatest wheat tolerance - it can cause bloating and sinus trouble (hot!) but I'm not coeliac either though. Coeliac disease is extreme stomach pain isn't it?

No, Coeliac disorder can be largely symptom free until it starts to do damage. It basically is an evolutionary leftover from an era when we didn't have wheat in our diets, rather than a disease.

A Coeliac's immune system misinterprets gluten as a dangerous pathogen and attacks it vigorously where it's in contact with the surface of the intestines. In the process it damages the surfaces of the intestines, particularly the villi (the hair/carpet like protrusions that increase the surface area or your intestine and basically allow it to absorb food).

The risk for a Coeliac is if they keep triggering that response it can damage your intestines badly enough that it can make it impossible to absorb nutrients and you'll end up with dangerous deficiencies, it can cause the intestines to fail to digest due to being swollen or damaged which can lead to painful or unpleasant side effects as bacteria ends up working on the undigested food or it can even cause bad damage like perforations and even cancer.

So for a Coeliac this stuff is very, very serious - it's not just an upset stomach or an allergy.

Also Ireland has a fairly high prevalence of this because some people have ancestry that comes from areas of Europe that didn't have access to modern wheats - parts of Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia etc

Realt Dearg Sec

thejuggler wrote: »

I saw some comment in a thread on this forum recently along the lines that the poster couldn't wait until the gluten free diet fad was over.

Not sure if this is a commonly held belief but speaking as a coeliac diagnosed over 30 years ago (over 1% of people in Ireland have coeliac disease) it's not a fad for any coeliac - following the diet is what keeps us healthy.

Rant over!

Rant unnecessary. The whole point is that it's a fad among people (including my missus) who follow a gluten free diet with no gluten intolerance.

cursai

Do you even read much Bro?

Grayson

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Rant unnecessary. The whole point is that it's a fad among people (including my missus) who follow a gluten free diet with no gluten intolerance.

yep, they fart a few times and go to some quack who tells them they have a gluten intolerance.
Or they polish down a bag of donuts and half a sliced pan and feel like ****, therefore they're gluten intolerant.

Realt Dearg Sec

Grayson wrote: »

yep, they fart a few times and go to some quack who tells them they have a gluten intolerance.
Or they polish down a bag of donuts and half a sliced pan and feel like ****, therefore they're gluten intolerant.

Or they're not gluten intolerant but just believe gluten=bad and gluten free=good.

Or they're gluten intolerant except for every now and then when something particularly yummy is on the menu at a restaurant. I once went out with a girl in college who was gluten intolerant but would eat a pasta if it was from a fancy enough restaurant. I think she was just intolerant of reasonably priced food. And liked attention a lot.

I think that last one is a big part of it. Some people aren't very interesting, so having something like this to draw attention to themselves when they're in a restaurant or visiting someone for dinner means that they need to be specifically catered to and worried over. It gives them an unearned sense of importance.

Chromosphere

I'm a Coeliac and I would absolutely love to be able to eat gluten. I really liked good bread and all the gluten free stuff is generally horrible.

I just don't even try it anymore. I just generally avoid dishes that might be wheat based at all.

The biggest problem is the world runs on sandwiches, at least in Europe anyway. It can be very difficult to get lunch sometimes.

For example head to somewhere like Costa and absolutely nothing other than a horrible prepacked brownie is wheat free.

In general thought you just find your options hugely reduced.

You also get weird ones like things that have nothing to do with wheat sometimes are laced with it. Even some brands or oven chips!

mrswhiplash47

failinis wrote: »

I do not mind the people who ARE on a diet fad (me saying this as an IBS person) as it means products for people with digestive issues get a wider range.

I was diagnosed with IBS (had all the tests and nothing showed up) for ten years, but I knew there was something wrong when I have to rush to the toilet an hour after I had eaten, I knew something was wrong.Long story short I had an intolerance to wheat and dairy. Happy days. Believe me it's not a fad.

mrswhiplash47

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Or they're not gluten intolerant but just believe gluten=bad and gluten free=good.

Or they're gluten intolerant except for every now and then when something particularly yummy is on the menu at a restaurant. I once went out with a girl in college who was gluten intolerant but would eat a pasta if it was from a fancy enough restaurant. I think she was just intolerant of reasonably priced food. And liked attention a lot.

I think that last one is a big part of it. Some people aren't very interesting, so having something like this to draw attention to themselves when they're in a restaurant or visiting someone for dinner means that they need to be specifically catered to and worried over. It gives them an unearned sense of importance.

You haven't a clue :mad:

Realt Dearg Sec

mrswhiplash47 wrote: »

I was diagnosed with IBS (had all the tests and nothing showed up) for ten years, but I knew there was something wrong when I have to rush to the toilet an hour after I had eaten, I knew something was wrong.Long story short I had an intolerance to wheat and dairy. Happy days. Believe me it's not a fad.

To reiterate, it's not a fad for people with an intolerance. It's a fad among people who are using it as a weight-loss program.

Realt Dearg Sec

mrswhiplash47 wrote: »

You haven't a clue :mad:

Not sure how anything I said contradicts anything you said about your situation. But if you want to take it personally and infer that I meant that YOU are only pretending to have a problem, go on ahead.

Junkyard Tom

A guide on gluten intolerance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

mrswhiplash47

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Not sure how anything I said contradicts anything you said about your situation. But if you want to take it personally and infer that I meant that YOU are only pretending to have a problem, go on ahead.

I still say you haven't a clue. Read up on food intolerance. If you haven't suffer food intolerance why post ?

B.A._Baracus

IMO, there is a big difference between a gluten free diet (because you have to) and the marketing spiel out of food companies. Which that is a fad. So many companies out there that don't even contain any wheat in the products now say "gluten free" - because it's the hot term... The in marketing term... what ever you wanna call it

Wigglepuppy

mrswhiplash47 wrote: »

I still say you haven't a clue. Read up on food intolerance. If you haven't suffer food intolerance why post ?

What do you mean? All they're saying is that some folks say they are gluten intolerant when they clearly aren't - they still manage to eat foods with high levels of gluten when it suits, and they have nothing like the symptoms which you or others with coeliac disorder have. They're probably folks like myself who sometimes feel tired and/or bloated after wheat-based foods, and/or experience sinus discomfort at times, but are not coeliac.

They didn't say at all that coeliac disorder does not exist.

mrswhiplash47

Wigglepuppy wrote: »

What do you mean? All they're saying is that some folks say they are gluten intolerant when they clearly aren't - they still manage to eat foods with high levels of gluten when it suits, and they have nothing like the symptoms which you or others with coeliac disorder have. They're probably folks like myself who sometimes feel tired and/or bloated after wheat-based foods, and/or experience sinus discomfort at times, but are not coeliac.

They didn't say at all that coeliac disorder does not exist.

OMG never mind !!!!

Realt Dearg Sec

mrswhiplash47 wrote: »

OMG never mind !!!!

I won't.

Of course it's an issue for some.

And of course it's a fad for many.

Had a girl recently get rather annoyed when I referred to it as a fad - she said that her mother, father and all her siblings had it too, as if numbers gave it legitimacy when of course it does the opposite and suggests both self diagnosis and ridiculous over diagnosis. Had seen her eating products with gluten without a care in the world before...but do know she's trying to lose weight and the useful thing about gluten intolerance is that it neatly ties in with the whole "cutting out bread" routine popular with those trying to lose a few pounds.

Special Circumstances

This thread is like a biker saying beards are not a fad right now because he's always had one and will always have one.

c montgomery

thejuggler wrote: »

I saw some comment in a thread on this forum recently along the lines that the poster couldn't wait until the gluten free diet fad was over.

Not sure if this is a commonly held belief but speaking as a coeliac diagnosed over 30 years ago (over 1% of people in Ireland have coeliac disease) it's not a fad for any coeliac - following the diet is what keeps us healthy.

Rant over!

About 1% are celiac but in restaurants about 15% of people identify themselves as celiac as they feel their meal will be prepared "fresher" according to some guy on the radio a few weeks ago from the restaurant industry
It's not a fad to 1% but to the rest .....

Staph

It's a fad if you diagnose yourself as coeliac/intolerant. Unless you have been formally diagnosed by visiting qualified medical doctors/consultants, you are not coeliac. My sister has coeliac and has to be careful with preparing foods and going out. People who profess 'intolerance' are usually attention seekers or are trying to lose weight by excluding certain things from their diet.

They will eat gluten containing products as they never look at the label to confirm if gluten free, just avoid bread etc. Many day to day products contain gluten (like oven chips) or sauces, but for these 'intolerant' people it's only an issue when they visit restaurants and other peoples houses and have the opportunity to feel special with their feigned illness.
If we are going to a restaurant with my sister she will look at their menu online and sometimes call ahead to check on specific dishes, no drama when we go to order.

Outlaw Pete

If you stopped eating gluten you'd feel way fucking better all day. Whenever you feel shitty, that's cause of gluten. Gluten's really a vague term. It's something that's used to categorize things that are bad, you know? Like calories, that's a gluten. Fat, that's a gluten.

Winterlong

I reckon I have a slight gluten intolerance.

A friend of mine convinced me to go on a wheat free diet for a week recently. I definitely felt a bit better. More energy and more stable stomach.
But I really did miss having bread....and my weekly pizza and the odd beer.

So now I just try to cut down - not totally eliminate- on wheat products.

hairyslug

I love doughnuts for breakfast

stimpson

Non-coeliac gluten intolerance does not exist according to the scientist that discovered it:

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-who-found-evidence-for-gluten-sensitivity-have-now-shown-it-doesn-t-exist

Staph

It's funny that people who think they have intolerance, never go to qualified doctors to get a formal diagnosis. No, they just relish the moments that they get to mention their 'illness'. If you are actually coeliac, you have damaged and scarred intestines, that will likely have contributed to being unable to absorb vital nutrients adequately -among other physical symptoms. But the 'intolerants' would rather subject themselves to occasionally ingesting gluten containing items knowingly/unknowingly as they have usually have very little grasp on the true affects on the disease and have no real interest in addressing it.

failinis

stimpson wrote: »

Non-coeliac gluten intolerance does not exist according to the scientist that discovered it:

http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-who-found-evidence-for-gluten-sensitivity-have-now-shown-it-doesn-t-exist

As far as I know, I am just IBS (coeliac tests and endoscopy negative even though I get all the coeliac symptoms), but avoiding it is good for my symptoms.
I would believe others do get symptoms but the coeliac test never came up positive, so they are "intolerant" even though its not a recognised thing.

Thats different than the twats who are on a magazine fad diet and "detoxing".

Outlaw Pete

Was diagnosed with Coeliac when I was 18. For well over a decade I was the model patient but I began to slip back many times over the years, mainly down to being diagnosed with other ailments and so then doubted the original diagnosis. The doc I seen (in a specialty clinic in St James - it and he are still there) hates all the self diagnosing wheat intolerants. Remember one day, after a decade or more of avoiding gluten like the plague, he was asking me where I eat when out and about and then he went on a rant telling me these people where making it worse for genuine Coeliac sufferers because restaurants where not taking food prep as serious as they used to.

Was 1990 when I was diagnosed and back then there were only a few places anyone with Coeliac could reliably eat. One was Cornucopia, then there was Blazing Salads on the top floor of the Powerscourt (gone now but they have a deli on Drury St) and the last was my favourite, The Well Fed Cafe in the old Temple Bar are. Was nigh impossible to be able to get the stuff you could take home, like gluten free wraps etc. Was one one place called the General Health Food Store on Marlbrough St which sold some stuff alright but that was about it. Ended up making bread from nut flour and the like. No Internet back then either and so people had to fend for themselves. The library and Easons was all anyone really had for the latest info.

Favourite book from the 90's was the actor Terrance Stamp's gluten free cookbook. Now there must be a million such books of course but I still go back to it even so. Ultimately though, have to say the whole self diagnosing doesn't bother me in the slightest. If anything it just means there are more products around now than ever before. Even Beshoffs do gluten-free Fish & Chips now.

anothernight

Thread reminded me of this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdJFE1sp4Fw

"Do you avoid gluten?"
"I do, I don't eat wheat, oats, eggs, this, that, this other stuff..."
"So what is gluten?"
"Er...."

stimpson

failinis wrote: »

As far as I know, I am just IBS (coeliac tests and endoscopy negative even though I get all the coeliac symptoms), but avoiding it is good for my symptoms.
I would believe others do get symptoms but the coeliac test never came up positive, so they are "intolerant" even though its not a recognised thing.

Thats different than the twats who are on a magazine fad diet and "detoxing".

You could be sensitive to FODMAPs. There is a low FODMAP diet that can help people with IBS symptoms. FODMAPs can be present in foods with gluten which can explain the confusion. But you're not intolerant to gluten.

maximum12

Winterlong wrote: »

I reckon I have a slight gluten intolerance.

A friend of mine convinced me to go on a wheat free diet for a week recently. I definitely felt a bit better. More energy and more stable stomach.
But I really did miss having bread....and my weekly pizza and the odd beer.

So now I just try to cut down - not totally eliminate- on wheat products.

Arghhh you're part of the problem
You just ate better quality food for a week and surprise surprise you felt a bit better and are self diagnosing. That's not a "slight" gluten intolerance, it's just the result of better diet.

CMOTDibbler

Staph wrote: »

It's funny that people who think they have intolerance, never go to qualified doctors to get a formal diagnosis. No, they just relish the moments that they get to mention their 'illness'. If you are actually coeliac, you have damaged and scarred intestines, that will likely have contributed to being unable to absorb vital nutrients adequately -among other physical symptoms. But the 'intolerants' would rather subject themselves to occasionally ingesting gluten containing items knowingly/unknowingly as they have usually have very little grasp on the true affects on the disease and have no real interest in addressing it.

Well I have gluten intolerance and don't have coeliac disease. Was tested ten years ago when the symptoms first appeared and the diagnosis was generally of IBS and likely caused by a food intolerance. So went through the main food groups and the symptoms started to ease up when I went gluten free. The symptoms btw were extremely painful. My intestines were so inflamed that you could feel the heat from my skin.

Charcoal tablets can ease the symptoms, but it's manageable if I stick to wholewheat foods and away from anything with refined flours. My GP told me that he sees a lot more of it now because a lot of the wheat we eat has been bred for high gluten content. WIth food intolerance (like many things ), age has a part to play. The longer you're exposed to the source, the more likely you are to become intolerant.

As a general rule, you should try and stick to less refined flour and wheat products. You might be fine now, but ten years down the road it could be a completely different matter.

SlipperyPeople

my SO suffers greatly from adverse effects of gluten. Not a diagnosed coeliac nor does she suffer any stomach problems but definitely has a gluten intolerance as gluten based foods will greatly adversely influence her mood.

If she has beer or bread or pizza over next few day she will experience extreme sadness and depression to the point of waking up in tears. eventually it will go away after a couple of days.

If she avoids eating foods with no gluten in them never gets the same feeling.

After seeing what shes gone through and finally pinpointing the problem it irks me when people dismiss gluten as a fad.

strandroad

Staph wrote: »

It's funny that people who think they have intolerance, never go to qualified doctors to get a formal diagnosis. No, they just relish the moments that they get to mention their 'illness'. If you are actually coeliac, you have damaged and scarred intestines, that will likely have contributed to being unable to absorb vital nutrients adequately -among other physical symptoms. But the 'intolerants' would rather subject themselves to occasionally ingesting gluten containing items knowingly/unknowingly as they have usually have very little grasp on the true affects on the disease and have no real interest in addressing it.

My OH has intolerance of some sort, he's not a coeliac thanks heavens but if he consumes flour/grains he ends up with migraine, digestion problems and joint pain - even if he didn't know what he ate (I was amazed how many products are bulked up with flour... even meat!). He enquired about tests but he was told that he'd need to consume various gluten foods for 7 or 10 days before they can measure his reaction and he just cannot bring himself to do it because he would really suffer, even a day of symptoms is quite hard.
It's not as simple as it sounds sometimes.

Risteard

Chromosphere wrote: »

No, Coeliac disorder can be largely symptom free until it starts to do damage. It basically is an evolutionary leftover from an era when we didn't have wheat in our diets, rather than a disease.

A Coeliac's immune system misinterprets gluten as a dangerous pathogen and attacks it vigorously where it's in contact with the surface of the intestines. In the process it damages the surfaces of the intestines, particularly the villi (the hair/carpet like protrusions that increase the surface area or your intestine and basically allow it to absorb food).

The risk for a Coeliac is if they keep triggering that response it can damage your intestines badly enough that it can make it impossible to absorb nutrients and you'll end up with dangerous deficiencies, it can cause the intestines to fail to digest due to being swollen or damaged which can lead to painful or unpleasant side effects as bacteria ends up working on the undigested food or it can even cause bad damage like perforations and even cancer.

So for a Coeliac this stuff is very, very serious - it's not just an upset stomach or an allergy.

Also Ireland has a fairly high prevalence of this because some people have ancestry that comes from areas of Europe that didn't have access to modern wheats - parts of Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia etc

Wow. I've been a coeliac since birth and never got as detailed explanation as that.

I've find myself getting more sensitive to it as I get older.

CMOTDibbler

mhge wrote: »

My OH has intolerance of some sort, he's not a coeliac thanks heavens but if he consumes flour/grains he ends up with migraine, digestion problems and joint pain - even if he didn't know what he ate (I was amazed how many products are bulked up with flour... even meat!). He enquired about tests but he was told that he'd need to consume various gluten foods for 7 or 10 days before they can measure his reaction and he just cannot bring himself to do it because he would really suffer, even a day of symptoms is quite hard.
It's not as simple as it sounds sometimes.

Apparently the full diagnostic system is as you outline above followed by tests, followed by a period of gluten free diet followe by more tests and then followed up with a second gluten based diet period and further tests. Many diagnosticians omit the second round of gluten consumption and often misdiagnose coeliac when it's actually gluten intolerance. A friend of mine in Italy was diagnosed as coeliac many years ago and only relatively recently was she properly diagnosed as gluten intolerant. It's made a huge difference obviously as it's much more easily dealt with.

jackboy

hungoverbunny wrote: »

If she has beer or bread or pizza over next few day she will experience extreme sadness and depression to the point of waking up in tears. eventually it will go away after a couple of days.

Gluten causes depression now. That's a new one.

A sibling's girlfriend was diagnosed as coeliac disease recently and it's incredible just how tough can be; it's not just having to avoid eating certain products, it's being unbelievably careful about where you eat.

It's incredible how many places advertise being gluten intolerance friendly and yet cook on the same surfaces as they would normally, thus essentially negating the entire purpose.

However there are people that lump on the bandwagon and for them it is a fad.

CMOTDibbler

jackboy wrote: »

Gluten causes depression now. That's a new one.

Free education courtesy of boards.ie

Adults may also have digestive symptoms if they have celiac disease. However, adults are more likely to experience symptoms such as:

• fatigue
• anemia
• depression and anxiety
• osteoporosis
• joint pain
• headaches
• canker sores inside the mouth
• infertility or frequent miscarriages
• missed menstrual periods
• tingling in the hands and feet

Staph

It's a big effort to correctly follow a coeliac diet. We grew up with altering recipes for my sister and being careful not to contaminate.

SlipperyPeople

jackboy wrote: »

Gluten causes depression now. That's a new one.

Yeah sneer all ya want.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'm thankful for all those people going through a gluten free 'phase' as it means there is now a huge amount of GF foods available. My 4yr old was diagnosed with coeliac disease 2 years ago and as any parents reading this knows, trying to feed a 2yr old is hard at the best of times without having to restrict foods containing gluten (which is a huge amount of regular foods and confectionary) we are now able to feed her pretty much the same type foods as ourselves such is the range of foods available.

Long live the GF fad!!

jackboy

hungoverbunny wrote: »

Yeah sneer all ya want.

Sorry, I had toast for breakfast. I'm sure the gluten in that has put me in a bad mood.
Look, if your SO is experiencing health issues take her to the GP to find out what is going on. Self diagnosing is dangerous.

cbyrd

My OH is celiac, I can't eat dairy.
I know how to make wheat/gluten dairy free chocolate cake, Christmas cake, buns, pastry, chocolate, deep pan pizza...
Our daughter gets eczema from dairy and wheat, bananas, pears, tomatoes, cashew nuts and wearing wool next to her skin.
I have 4 other children who get very little wheat or dairy in my house (it wouldn't be completely restricted) but when they go to their dads house it's a free for all. My 6 year old comes home tired cranky and emotional and very pale. Keeping him off both dairy and wheat for a couple of days and he's grand again.
My eldest daughter (17) decided a few weeks ago to go vegetarian and dairy free .. she used to get migraines and her skin was quite bad.. after about 3 weeks of this she had some cheese and ended up with a 2 day migraine.
Some people have food intolerances that are not diagnosed. I went through the testing about 9 years ago. It showed nothing but I can tell you the extreme pain I get if I eat dairy is not worth a spoon of ice cream or a piece of chocolate. I was hospitalized with suspected appendicitis 3 times in my life.. turns out it was dairy.

On the marketing issue, I do have a problem with products that wouldn't contain gluten wheat or dairy being flagged as free from and charging extra for it.. like tomato and basil sauce .. check out Tesco free from one .. then read the ordinary one.. no wheat..but the free from one is twice the price.
It's not only wheat or gluten but malt barley and the like. Some products are labelled wheat free but still contain gluten. It's a minefield. But a fad.. Not if you suffer.
A lot of the gluten free 'breads' contain so much gunk that if you're not intolerant/allergic the ordinary stuff is better for you.