69 replies to this topic

[admin]

I just wanted to alert those interested here that there are some excellent responses from the original author of the Slate article, along with more replies from Ron Hoggan at:
http://www.celiac.co...late/Page1.html

Take care,
Scott

[ravenwoodglass]

I just wanted to alert those interested here that there are some excellent responses from the original author of the Slate article, along with more replies from Ron Hoggan at:
http://www.celiac.co...late/Page1.html

Take care,
Scott

Thanks for posting the link. It was appretiated.

[JNBunnie1]

I suppose my biggest issue with this article is that it is nutritionally inaccurate.

Humans do not need grains for nutrition. Period. I have heard of no medical condition in which a grain free diet would be detrimental. There is no nutrient you can't get from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat/fish. So it can't hurt you to be grain free. So why write an article suggesting that the new 'fad' is in any way detrimental to people's health? I suppose it hit me the same way it hit another poster- advertising. They need to sell more grain, and less people are eating it. Uh-oh.

Yes, the author was off-base when claiming non-Celiac gluten intolerance is not clinically diagnosable. But it annoys me more that people are still pushing the food pyramid '5 servings a day' crap.

[nasalady]

I suppose my biggest issue with this article is that it is nutritionally inaccurate.

Humans do not need grains for nutrition. Period. I have heard of no medical condition in which a grain free diet would be detrimental. There is no nutrient you can't get from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat/fish. So it can't hurt you to be grain free. So why write an article suggesting that the new 'fad' is in any way detrimental to people's health? I suppose it hit me the same way it hit another poster- advertising. They need to sell more grain, and less people are eating it. Uh-oh.

Yes, the author was off-base when claiming non-Celiac gluten intolerance is not clinically diagnosable. But it annoys me more that people are still pushing the food pyramid '5 servings a day' crap.

Amen!

You go, girl!

[Garnet_Jule]

I'm new to this Forum, but have been been receiving regular updates from Celiac.coom for over a year now. I don't want to step on toes or start another word war, but there is definitley something called Gluten Sensitivity, and it is very real. I know. I have it.

I have been sick since the birth of my daughter nine years ago. Each time another new malady comes up, the conventional doctor wants to put me on another drug. Up until Aug 2008, I was on 12 prescription meds at the age of 40 years. Yep. Before I moved to where I now live 12 years ago, I never took a prescription med 24/7 in my life. That in itself is enough to make me see boiling red. But that's another article. I have managed to get myself off 7 of those RX meds, and am still working on the other 5 meds.

My route to a normal, healthy life has been my own responsibility. Naively, I thought my conventional doctor and even my Integration Doctor would actually want to help me get better. Nope. It's all me. Next, I'm going to look for a Naturopathic doctor. They seem to be the only ones who are really and truly interested in helping one heal. But that's also another story for another time.

Any one who stands in my face and says I'm not Gluten Intolerant, I'll flat out call them a liar. The first two tests my Integration Doctor made me take was one for heavy metal toxicity (VERY TOXIC!) and the SIgA test. I am severely intolerant to soy and Gliadin (my score was 81; anything over 15 U/ml is positive), and I have an allergy to milk casein protein. I have since learned that many people with Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease also test positive for soy intolerance and casein allergy--or at least lactose intolerance.

I went on a gluten-free diet for five months, then off so I could do a Gluten Challenge. After all the endoscopies were done, no Celiac. Took the genetic test; highly doubtful I'll ever have Celiac. Yay me! But boy, was I sicker than a dog after I finally was done with all this testing and could go back to eating a gluten-free diet again. I'm still trying to get my body back since I did that challenge, and it ended the first part of June. Now I am having problems with my liver enzymes/tests going high, and my cholesterol going high, and all these "areas" that are linked with problems with gluten/giadin, going way up.

And am I getting help from my two doctors? No. My Integration Doctor, who has special naturopathic training AFTER her 4 year medical degree, just told me that I probably am getting fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. That's it. That's all. No, try this supplement or do this (well, other than to cut all grains out and just eat meat, veges, and fruit). In fact, she didn't seem concerned at all that I might be in the process of developing diabetes--or trying to help me stay clear of getting diabetes.

Okay. That one, of course, clearly shocked me. I thought an Integration Doctor went into being an Integration Doctor specifically because she wanted to help me help myself get better. Or maybe that's only for those who have a lot of money and can come see her all the time. Hmm.

All I know is, ever since I've discovered I'm intolerant to soy, gliadin, have a casein allergy, and also have 21 other food intolerances, according to my Lame Advertisement test, I don't really trust anyone anymore. Just myself, my body, and what I'm finding on my own to help cure myself. My daughter also needs help, although she didn't test positive for any of the IgA test, but I also haven't had a chance to get her tested for other food intolerances through Lame Advertisement (I have to pay these lab tests myself). We both, though, are horribly, horribly depleted in nutritional elements.

Sorry to rant so long, but those of us with gluten intolerance are just as sick as those of you with celiac disease. The only difference is, my gluten intolerance won't eat away at my villi. But I suffer from all the other maladies associated with celiac disease/gluten intolerance/gliadin as the rest of you. So let's not divide the camp, but rather, work together to help people understand this disease.

Thank you.

[FMcGee]

I don't think anyone's arguing - or at least, I am CERTAINLY not arguing - that there's no such thing as gluten intolerance. Not at all. All I'm saying is, asking why some people go on a gluten-free diet with no medical indication isn't a bad thing to do. You were very sick while eating gluten, and going on a gluten-free diet makes total sense for you, and I'm very glad you did and that you feel better. But there are people out there for whom going gluten-free makes no health difference. It's a way to limit their food intake, to be trendy, to get attention, because they mistakenly think it's healthier in general. I know people like that. They don't worry about cross-contamination, they cheat when they want, they don't read labels, they're not sick. I wonder why they're doing this, and I'm glad someone's asking why. And if we all say, "We're doing it because it makes us feel better," that's a good thing, and can lead to more research. I do have diagnosed celiac disease, but I don't think one has to be to feel better on a gluten-free diet. Not at all.

[GFgirly]

I'm going to duck down behind my couch and ask this question: Isn't there something of value in this article? Can we assume that EVERYONE on a gluten-free diet who isn't a celiac is doing it for the "right" reasons? Isn't there some worth in asking why gluten-free diets are on the rise, without jumping to the conclusion that it's just better for everyone to avoid gluten? I'm not saying no one who isn't a diagnosed celiac should keep on eating gluten. People can eat whatever they want, and more gluten-free food is better for those who want or need to eat it. I'm also not saying that only celiacs benefit from a gluten-free diet. I'm only saying that I like asking questions (which is why I'm in academics). I wouldn't shout down this writer. It's worth the conversation. E-mail him, sure, but I, personally, am not going to gather the torches and the pitchforks.

Gluten free food is higher in calories though because it has a higher carb concentration. It doesn't seem logical to switch to a gluten-free diet unless you have proven or suspected insensitivity. His article is very misleading. Look at the debate: http://www.celiac.co...late/Page1.html

[FMcGee]

Gluten free food is higher in calories though because it has a higher carb concentration. It doesn't seem logical to switch to a gluten-free diet unless you have proven or suspected insensitivity. His article is very misleading. Look at the debate: http://www.celiac.co...late/Page1.html

I'm not sure I see your point. I accept your premise that gluten-free food is higher in calories. Your argument, then, is that it is not logical to switch to a gluten-free diet unless you have a problem with gluten. Okay; so then, why are you saying his argument is misleading? And why is that a response to my point? I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand.

[tarnalberry]

Gluten free food is higher in calories though because it has a higher carb concentration. It doesn't seem logical to switch to a gluten-free diet unless you have proven or suspected insensitivity. His article is very misleading. Look at the debate: http://www.celiac.co...late/Page1.html

That's only if you eat lots of expensive, processed substitutes. A potato eaten before you go gluten free has no fewer calories than the one you eat after going gluten free. The cup of rice eaten before going gluten free has no fewer calories than the cup of rice after going gluten free. Hot cereals (outside of cream of rice) have *fewer* simple carbohydrates than most packaged cereals. And beans have fewer simple carbohydrates than pastas and grains that might otherwise take their place as, say, a side dish.

It doesn't seem illogical to eliminate something that isn't needed in a diet. Whether or not you add in unhealthy things is entirely up to you, and true whether you go gluten free or not.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

The words of this article totally undermine those who have severe, even life-threatening "gluten intolerance" or undiagnosed celiac. There are plenty of people--many here on this board--who for various reasons were not diagnosed with celiac, yet were either later diagnosed with celiac, or who were diagnosed with severe gluten intolerance. They need to avoid gluten every bit as much as those with an official celiac diagnosis.

For that matter, who is able to judge the merits of those who "feel better" on the gluten-free diet? If someone's diarrhea and tummy aches go away on a gluten-free diet, it's certainly possible, maybe even likely, that they may be far less likely to develop an autoimmune disorder if they stay on a gluten-free diet.

I noticed that there were only 2 comments posted under that article. I would have been happy to add mine, but the Slate website added 9 cookies to my computer, and made me sit through an advertisement before I could read the article. I couldn't leave the site fast enough!