Curious Question

[num1habsfan]

I have a question for everyone on this board:

If you were in a situation where you had no back-up gluten-free food, and had not eating for a long period of time...

Would you starve and be sick with increased nausea from hunger pains.....or would you eat something with gluten to fill the hunger, even though you know you'll pay for it later???

~lisa~

[Ursa Major]

Good question. I have done both, and found in the long run I was much happier being terribly hungry. Because you'll be okay once you eat. But if you eat something with gluten, you'll be sick for days or weeks afterwards!

A little fasting has never hurt anybody, as long as you drink enough.

[frenchiemama]

Define "a long period of time". One day? Several days? A week? I have been caught out without any gluten-free supplies, and I went 20+ hours without a single bite to eat. Not once did I even contemplate eating something gluteny. I was hungry, but I would have to be absolutely desperate before I resorted to gluten.

[ravenwoodglass]

I have a question for everyone on this board:

If you were in a situation where you had no back-up gluten-free food, and had not eating for a long period of time...

Would you starve and be sick with increased nausea from hunger pains.....or would you eat something with gluten to fill the hunger, even though you know you'll pay for it later???

~lisa~

I would starve, literally, before I knowingly ate gluten. But for me glutening now causes severe pain and bleeding that does not stop usually for hours. To be truthful since I get that reaction from even trace amounts I would be to afraid to deliberately eat it.

[Smunkeemom]

Define "a long time"... I would probably have to be near death to even think about touching gluten again, I am pretty sure that if I was really starving to death though, gluten would push me to death faster than not eating.

[Becky6]

I could not touch gluten again.

[ebrbetty]

I'd stay hungry, not worth the pain

[elye]

The answer for me is an easy one, being celiac and type one diabetic. I would HAVE to eat something eventually, and if all I had at my disposal was gluteny food, I'd be preparing for some pain later on. It's only happened a few times where I have had to eat quickly and there was no gluten-free choice. Such is another yucky thing about having these two diseases...

[penguin]

I'd have only one choice also - EAT! I'm hypoglycemic and I could either 1: not eat, throw up, get shakey, pass out, and deal with blood sugar problems all week or 2: get glutened

I'd rather get glutened, but is there coke available? If there's coke available, I drink that to keep my blood sugar afloat until I got to some food. Unless that made me more sick, then I'd have to eat!

[zip2play]

I would have to agree with Chelsea, being hypoglycemic I would have to eat something and if the low bloodsugar had already started, SUGAR would be necessary! But I would strive to find the coarse of least pain later!

Monica

[mmaccartney]

Eating gluten almost killed me. I would starve rather then eat that poison again.

There is always something one could eat...roots, berries, animals, etc.

[jerseyangel]

I've been thinking about this since I read your question earlier. I would not eat the gluten. If applicable, I would scrounge around for other things to stay alive (like Michael said) but I don't think I could bring myself to ever knowingly eat gluten after what it has done to me. Actually, if I really was half-starving and I ate gluten, the reaction would probably completely do me in!

[schuyler]

I honestly don't know; I think it would depend on how I was feeling at the time. Yesterday, I had a seizure after mistakenly ingesting a small amount of gluten. But, at the same time, I've had low blood sugar problems in the past (not diagnosed as hypoglycemic yet, but drs are considering it). So it's a catch-22 situation for me.

[elye]

This is slightly an aside, but something I always keep on hand for low blood sugars that is small and handy and VERY effective in a matter of seconds is glucose tablets. They are made up of 100% glucose, which gets into you bloodstream much faster than any other sugar source that is found in other I-need-to-grab-something-quick hypoglycemic choices like coke, fruit, candy, etc. I can't kid around, because my hypoglycemic reactions are caused by an overdose of insulin, so I have had to find the fastest thing to administer. They are gluten-free, too, of course. You can get them in the drug store, and while pricey, they are well worth it if you need your blood sugar up quickly.

[tarnalberry]

I would not eat the gluten, and I've never found myself in a sitaution where I couldn't find a piece of fruit or nuts, even if it meant a very inconvenient drive to a grocery store, and some barely paletable fruit.

[CarlaB]

I would not eat gluten. I have blood sugar issues, not as bad as some, but bad enough. I would leave wherever I was, and I mean wherever, and go find something to eat. I usually carry food with me. I remind myself of my son we adopted from Russia who would practically hoard food because of his past. I find myself buying bags of Ruffles at gas stations when I'm not hungry in case I'm hungry later. I'm slowly getting over my compulsive behavior! I would literally have to be in a foreign country where I wouldn't be able to eat for days before I'd consider eating it again.

Can you believe I talk like this, yet I'm still in denial over this whole thing, questioning it every day?? LOL

[corinne]

I almost had that decision to make on a snowshoe trip this winter. I accidentally left my lunch on the table in the morning DUH! and didn't realise it until we were was 7 miles up the trail. I skipped lunch but by 3 pm I was getting really weak and shaky. It was absolutely necessary to eat or I wouldn't be able to walk fast enough that we could make it back to the trailhead before dark. It was also minus 30 and with 40 mph I was having a hard time staying warm without food in my system. Fortunately, my snowshoe buddies dug through their packs and found a banana. I think I would have eaten a granola bar or something with gluten just to make it back safely even if I had to pay the consequences later.

[eleep]

I've thought about this one too -- partly because my brother is big on the "we'd all better learn to grown our own food" scenario (he's an ecological economist). All I can think is that -- should that actually be a necessity for me some day -- it's a whole lot easier to grow potatoes and beans in a home garden than it is to grow wheat!

I wouldn't eat the gluten -- not anymore.

[natalunia]

I wouldn't eat anything with gluten in that case, unless you put a big bowl of mac & cheese from Luby's in front of me. I'd cave in that case. I really miss their mac & cheese...

[lorka150]

assuming this is not a death situation, i would not touch anything. like tarnalberry mentioned, i really don't think that there would be NO possibilities... even if it's a rank one! i'd probably swallow gum if need be.

[Guest nini]

I would not willingly put that poison in my mouth... I'd rather starve than willingly be glutened! LOL! Seriously, I don't think I could do it. No matter how hungry I was.

[DingoGirl]

If I'm about to pass out from hunger or low blood sugar, I need PROTEIN, and in a big and satisfying amount.....but, I think I would go up to only 24 hours without food, and then would consume whatever was around, gluten or not. Nobody wants to see me when I'm starving....

[Rachel--24]

I would have to be pretty bad off to willingly put gluten into my mouth. I cant see that I'd ever be that desperate but thats pretty much the only way I could see myself doing it...if I had no choice.

[Guest Robbin]

I've thought about this one too -- partly because my brother is big on the "we'd all better learn to grown our own food" scenario (he's an ecological economist). All I can think is that -- should that actually be a necessity for me some day -- it's a whole lot easier to grow potatoes and beans in a home garden than it is to grow wheat!

I wouldn't eat the gluten -- not anymore.

Your brother sounds like me--I grew up hearing stories about the Depression from my Grandma and I think about this a lot--(pantry has a huge stockpile of dried beans and rice!!) I probably would cave and eat it if there were nothing else. I 'd resign myself to the idea that I lived through the sickness for 20 plus years, I can do it to survive a little longer. This would only be if there were no alternatives whatsoever, though, those were not pleasant times

[prinsessa]

I would probably eat the gluten if I was really, really hungry. I don't get many bad symptoms besides bloating and gas unless I eat gluten for a couple of days in a row (I did that about a month ago and had gas pains so bad I though I was going to die). I can handle small amounts of gluten as long as I don't eat any more for a long time. I still avoid gluten because I know it could cause damage without any symptoms....but I might cave if I was so hungry I felt weak. I try to remember to carry a Lara bar with me just in case that happens though.