tHave You Gone Gluten - Free?

My daughter is gluten free. I do not have a gluten allergy or intolerance and i do notice a difference when i remove gluten. My moods are more stable and even. I have less aches and pains. Overall feel better. I make my own glutdn free bread and tortillas.

My son and I have Celiac disease and cannot eat anything containing gluten. Believe me it is not a diet anyone would want to be on unless they have to be.
It not lower calorie as many believe. Many of the gluten free flours and grains used as a substitution for wheat have a higher carb and calorie content.

The food is not as good.

Many people with Celiac disease have to take supplements because you are not getting the same nutrition that wheat products provide. It is not healthy to go on a gluten free diet without advise from a doctor or nutritionist.

Gluten free is much much more expensive

You are better of just cutting down the amount of fat, carbs and sugar intake. Everything in moderation is the key to being healthy and loosing weight.

Unless you have Celiac disease there is no reason to avoid gluten.
Sure, you will feel better and probably lose some weight if you cut out the breads and pastas, but that doesn't have anything to do with gluten itself, that's just a matter of cutting out excess calories and carbs.
And a lot of the "gluten free" products that are out there are highly processed and expensive, due to the fact that it's so trendy, food manufacturers are again, fooling the consumer. Gluten free, organic, all natural, there are plenty of foods that make these claims on the package, but then you read the ingredients and a lot of them are high in sugar, salt, fat, whatever.
Ignore those trendy terms and READ THE LABEL, that's the only way to know for sure exactly what you are getting!

No.
We have no sensitivities to it so it makes no sense to avoid it.
I found this:
"About one in 133 Americans suffers from the autoimmune disorder celiac disease: a severe gluten intolerance; it impedes the absorption of important nutrients like calcium and iron and can lead to abdominal pain, decreased appetite, and digestive tract cancers. The plethora of gluten-free products that are available — from pizza crust to bagels and pasta — is a lifesaver for those who have celiac disease. However, buying gluten-free products when you're nonceliac is a waste of money, according to an opinion paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Going gluten-free has become trendy for many reasons, two of the biggest beliefs being it can help you lose weight and that it's generally healthier, which unfortunately isn't always true. While ditching gluten-containing foods can reduce your caloric intake, replacing these items with their gluten-free substitutes simply replaces the same amount of carbs and calories. Add to that, many gluten-free products are processed and full of fats and sugar. The bottom line, say the paper's authors, is that if you don't need to eat a gluten-free diet because of an allergy, skip it and save your money. Most gluten-free products are expensive and just not worth it, they say.".

I've been gluten free for a few months now, on advice from my doctor. It's been pretty easy because I'm used to cooking wheat and milk free for my daughter who has severe food allergies.

Gluten free is not "life without grains". We eat alot of rice and I've learned to cook it in many variations: Sushi rice, spanish rice, biryani. Plus there are some good rice noodles and rice pastas available, rice waffles, pancakes, brownies. I bake using rice flour and my boys, who can eat wheat ,don't notice: cakes, muffins and cookies. So it hasn't been a huge change for us.

The other thing we eat more of is potatoes, as a starch with dinner. And although there is a little gluten in oats, I eat oatmeal or homemade granola for breakfast every morning. There are commercial breakfast cereals without wheat, too. Some brands of Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Rice Chex. And you can have corn tortillas instead of wheat. The rice tortillas I've tried have been pitiful.

Frankly, I haven't noticed an improvement in my health from going gluten free. But it was worth a try because of my many allergies and auto-immune issues. And now I'm so accustomed to eating this way that I don't miss having wheat.

You sound just like me! I moved to a much healthier diet about six years ago and now eat mostly vegetables, fruits, legumes, and alternative grains (like quinoa, barley, etc.). No GMOs or processed food. I love it. Last year I cut out all wheat products for six months, and you know what? It didn't make a difference to how I felt, slept, acted, etc. And it didn't change my husband or kids either. So we switched back to including wheat in our diet.

I do think that going gluten free can help a lot of people, but not everyone. If you do decide to cut out wheat, you can rely on brown rice, quinoa, oats, and a few others.

What are you claiming are the "dangers of wheat"? Wheat products, in moderation, are good for you unless you have an intolerance to gluten.

If you try to go gluten-free, you do miss out on the aspect that many wheat products are fortified with various vitamins, like the folate vitamins. These can be very crucial GF items are not usually fortified. It sounds like you are eating a lot of healthy items, but be sure to watch the crucial vitamins.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/nut...

My sons doctor suggested trying gluten and dairy free to see if it affected his behavior, etc. He has been gluten free since mid-april. So, some of your questions I can't answer but I do want to mention that most stores have MANY GF options. You can substitute nearly everything you ate before. We love tacos - great, corn tortillas/shells; we love pizza - there are a number of mixes or pre-made crusts available. LOTS of cereal choices. Glutino and Snyders make great GF pretzels. Lots of GF pasta options.

Before we started out I went to the local stores to get an idea of what they had; I then made a list of foods we love and eat regularly; then jumped in trying recipes on the internet, etc. I'm still working on it but it's going pretty well and getting to be second nature.

EDIT: my son has calmed down a little bit - we have gotten a few compliments, from people who do not know anything about the diet, wondering what we have been doing as he seems so much more calm. We used to have to give my son stool softeners nearly everyday - we do not have to do that anymore. Not all four of us have gone completely gluten free as when I am at work I eat oatmeal or maybe pretzels for a snack or something.

Someone questioned your comment about the 'dangers of wheat'. While I do not know about dangers I do know that Gluten is a sticky substance and can find a home in someone's gut and not clear out - that can then cause yeast overgrowth and other issues (the reason why the diet is tried for diet because when you feel well your behavior is better). Not everying has 'bought' this but I have to say I've read a few books and, for our specific situation, thought 'if it can't hurt and possibly only help I am going to try!'

We are gf because of my sons . . . my husband dropped his bad cholesterol 30 points without doing anything differently. My IBS symptoms all but disappeared. My 18 yr old's face cleared up completely, and my younger son's focus improved alot (and he stopped getting sick constantly - though we have done MANY things with him).

That being said, I like your focus on whole, unprocessed foods. Certain GF foods can be highly processed and filled with sugar.

You could always try it a couple of weeks and see if you notice a difference.

My formula for dinner is a protein, a potato or rice, and veggies/salad. Basically how my grandma cooked.

Good luck and way to go.

I went gluten free for a couplr months to see if it would help w/my migraines. It did improve frequency/severity of my headaches & migraines. I've since discovered gluten is a delayed migraine trigger for me, so for me it is easy to stay gluten free. I do have a family history of celiac, and those replatives had GI troubles until they went gf/were diagnosed.

I can still eat other grains like corn amaranth & quinoa. Biggest change is cooking from scratch more, less pre processed food & eating out. No more fast food restaurants, which I'm sure is a healthy change overall.

Nope, however IF I can find something GF that is equal in taste I choose that over the gluten included item. Honestly, I have not found much, and I simply chose to cut back instead of cut out all together.

You've got some good information here. I'm not totally gluten free, though I have been and should be. I sometimes will eat bread (tortilla, sugar cookie, hot dog, hamburger, pizza with thin crust), but I have to steer clear of oats. Also, whole wheat is a big no-no for me. There's nothing wrong for a person without alleriges to go gluten free, but it's important that you substitute appropriately. It's bad if you just cut out the gluten without replacing it with what nutrients you'd be getting from the gluten products. I eat gluten-free bread as opposed to no bread at all. Just like a person who chooses to be meat free, you have to balance your diet by substituting with foods that offer the same as what you would be getting from the meat.

As others have said, getting rid of gluten when you don't have an allergy or sensitivity/reaction is like giving up peanuts. Makes no difference.

Yep. I've lived in parts of Asia where wheat just isnt, or is very rarely eaten. For many years. And then had baguettes and pasta and all things wheatable. For me, I have no issue with wheat or gluten. I can eat it, or not, and I'm just me'self same as ever.

The HEALTHIEST I've ever been diet wise was in Rome. Supercheap food, killed that day (I'm fairly radical in that I believe plants to be alive ;), for the most part, excluding flour based products like pasta & gnocchi, and aged products like prosciutto.

The thing is... There ARE magic wands for some people. A celiac cutting out wheat, a lactose intolerant cutting out dairy, a diverticulitis sufferer cutting out seeds/whole grains., an alcoholic cutting out alcohol... But that doesn't translate to everyone. People's nutritional needs are different. Like Tx versus the Andes... Or an athlete versus a non athlete, or an allergy vs nonallergy. But there are simply not magic wands for everyone.

I have a friend who is grain free, and she uses almond and coconut flour. It's not processed, but simply a ground version of the whole with nothing added. (Obviously, it has no gluten or grains.) Perhaps, you could research that.

Can I ask, what farmers market do you buy from? Is the bread you buy sold in any stores? We don't really buy bread, but I would definitely buy bread like that!!