Advice On Re-Glutening

[parmeisan]

What you guys are saying is true. But in my own defense, I said difficult, not impossible. I simply meant that you need to pay more attention to that stuff. I was getting a little carried away because there are a lot of people out there who advocate this diet to anybody and everybody, and I very much disagree with that school of thought. For normal people who do nothing but stop eating breads, they will be missing nutrients, and for normal people who eat gluten-free breads instead of regular breads, they will be getting more sugar. It's just one more thing to be careful of.

And regarding multiple issues - I just meant that if you think you have it figured out, you're going to stop looking.

[Oscar]

I was getting a little carried away because there are a lot of people out there who advocate this diet to anybody and everybody, and I very much disagree with that school of thought. For normal people who do nothing but stop eating breads, they will be missing nutrients, and for normal people who eat gluten-free breads instead of regular breads, they will be getting more sugar.

You are entitled to your opinion. I do not share it. I am not alone.

[parmeisan]

I don't mind if you try to convince me. I would like to hear the argument. But I'm not sure right now how this is even an opinion. Which "fact" is wrong?

FYI, I am not talking about me any more. I am curious about this point, and just want to discuss it separate from the rest.

If,

1. If you are not a celiac (because if you are a celiac, the benefits outweigh ANY other issues)

2. You had a mediocre diet to begin with - the average person, with eating out, pizzas, etc

3. You change NOTHING about your diet except removing the breads in some cases (no croutons on caesar salad) and eating gluten free versions on others (pizza crusts)

Then,

4. You are most likely be low on some nutrients, such as fibre

5. And the gluten-free bread can't be any BETTER than regular bread - I am assuming store-bought because we are talking about average people, as per point #2. I've heard it usually has more sugar.

Maybe you are talking in general, because to remove gluten you usually cut down on breads altogether and add more things like fruit? Or maybe you are thinking of the sort of person who bakes their own bread, and then uses the healthy flours? Maybe we are not really in disagreement at all, and we are just misunderstanding each other. Where is the disconnect?

Thanks!

[Oscar]

I'm not sure which "fact" to start with, but here goes.

1. If you are not a celiac (because if you are a celiac, the benefits outweigh ANY other issues)

Okay, that one is a given.

2. You had a mediocre diet to begin with - the average person, with eating out, pizzas, etc

A general assumption about everyone's diet. Valid for some people, not for everybody.

3. You change NOTHING about your diet except removing the breads in some cases (no croutons on caesar salad) and eating gluten free versions on others (pizza crusts)

I guess nobody replaces their breakfast toast with an apple or a banana. Again, valid for some people, not for everybody.

4. You are most likely be low on some nutrients, such as fibre

Another assumption. Bread is not the only source of fibre. Brown rice is a good source. Flax is another good source.

5. And the gluten-free bread can't be any BETTER than regular bread - I am assuming store-bought because we are talking about average people, as per point #2. I've heard it usually has more sugar

Oh, you've "heard" that it usually has more sugar. Well, that is a defintive source to quote. Sometimes it does, but not always. Gram for gram, a gluten-free baked product does tend to have more calories than an equivalent wheat-based one. It may, however, be made from whole brown rice, or corn, which are no less nutritious than wheat. Portions tend to be smaller due to the higher density. There are no nutrients in wheat that cannot be found in other foods.

If you are liking wheat flour because it is "enriched," that is only because the milling (which removes the bran) removes many of the nutrients--which are then artifically added back to "enrich" the product.

While it is just as possible to eat an unhealthy gluten-free diet as it is to eat one full of gluten, the mere fact that your diet is gluten-free does NOT make it unhealthy.

[parmeisan]

OK, we're totally not in disagreement then. All the points you questioned were things that I knew were only valid for some people - but I'm not thinking of everybody. I'm thinking of the people who match my 3 assumptions. Certainly not everybody, but enough people that I don't think the gluten-free is for everybody, either. I mean, there are GREAT gluten-free breads; like you said, brown rice and flax. Also teff. But the average person doesn't worry about that, they just grab bread.

Like I said, my original comment was getting very carried away. I was thinking about people who advocate gluten free for *everybody* and don't bother putting any qualifiers on it. I'm sorry if it sounded like I thought that it was a bad diet in general.

[IrishHeart]

I'm thinking of the people who match my 3 assumptions. Certainly not everybody, but enough people that I don't think the gluten-free is for everybody, either.

Like I said, my original comment was getting very carried away. I was thinking about people who advocate gluten free for *everybody* and don't bother putting any qualifiers on it. I'm sorry if it sounded like I thought that it was a bad diet in general.

You seem to have many misconceptions about the gluten-free diet. And I am "one of those people" who think everyone would really be healthier off gluten, although I do not "push it" because no one wants to give up their fattening packaged goodies. I also think it is a grain that is difficult to digest and that gluten intolerance is more common than the medical community believes.

But, I am a "live and let live" kinda girl and it's not my business to be the "gluten police".

FYI, the bread I eat is full of fiber --not sugar-- and I make it myself. I have a fiber -rich, nutrient- rich diet full of vegetables, fruit, nuts and various alternative grains.

I am lacking in nothing.

Post diagnosis, I eat far healthier than I ever have in my life. My husband (not a celiac), my best friend with MS (not a DXed celiac) and my Mom (never tested but had many symptoms) are all gluten-free --by choice--and are healthier than most people I know. They all work out at the gym several times a week and do not look (or act) their ages....they are all healthy and vibrant people.

Gluten- filled wheat bread is the not the holy grail of fiber and nutrients. Not at all.

You may wish to learn more about nutrition and what's involved in a healthy gluten free diet, as I suspect you are going to need it.

Best wishes--and we're here for you when you are ready!

[parmeisan]

I don't doubt it! I know that it is possible, even the most likely scenario, that a person will eat better off gluten than on it. Celiacs, for one thing, tend to learn everything they need to know to manage the diet - they need to in order to survive. People who know celiacs are likely to be well-versed as well. I imagine that when/if any of you suggests to a friend that they might give up gluten, you probably tell them which breads to eat, maybe give them some recipes, tell them where to shop, suggest what they might eat instead and explain why they will be healthier off of gluten. If not all those things, then at least some.

I'm clearly not explaining myself very well. My problem, the reason I was ranting to begin with, was with people who don't know anything about gluten getting excited about this gluten-free thing. Celebrities twittering to thousands of people at once that everyone should get off gluten. Or, one of my best friends who has been going on and on to me about the gluten-free diet and the primal diet and so forth (and was very "I-told-you-so" when I told her I might have Celiac; that was a little frustrating) and although she may understand some of the reasoning behind it, that's not what she talks to other people about. Word gets spread through third- and fourth-hand information and it's *dangerous* because if ALL you know is, "someone or other says gluten is bad" then you may end up doing it very, very wrong.

It's also dangerous because there's all these restaurants now that claim to be gluten-free when all they are is using gluten-free ingredients, but that's a different story. At least it seems to be raising awareness to the point where more shopping malls have gluten-free sections and new labelling laws are getting made in Canada which include gluten among many other allergens.

[Jestgar]

I'm clearly not explaining myself very well. My problem, the reason I was ranting to begin with, was with people who don't know anything about gluten getting excited about this gluten-free thing. Celebrities twittering to thousands of people at once that everyone should get off gluten. Or, one of my best friends who has been going on and on to me about the gluten-free diet and the primal diet and so forth (and was very "I-told-you-so" when I told her I might have Celiac; that was a little frustrating) and although she may understand some of the reasoning behind it, that's not what she talks to other people about. Word gets spread through third- and fourth-hand information and it's *dangerous* because if ALL you know is, "someone or other says gluten is bad" then you may end up doing it very, very wrong.

I totally get this. I had a sister-in-law who decided to be vegetarian - except she just stopped eating meat. Her diet consisted mainly of bread, french fries, and candy. Someone who isn't making good food choices before gluten-free, and doesn't bother to change those habits, is going to be far worse off in the long run.

[IrishHeart]

Someone who isn't making good food choices before gluten-free, and doesn't bother to change those habits, is going to be far worse off in the long run.

EGGS-actly.

[parmeisan]

I should probably update this before I go posting in other places on this board, in case people are curious about how I got where I am now from where I was.

Basically, I started feeling the difference. It wasn't sudden like I thought it would be, but gradually I began to notice how bad I felt all the time, and realized that I had forgotten how bad I was feeling just before the original diagnosis - the reason I'd asked to get tested. Off gluten, I didn't feel much different (like, definitively different) from the "usual", except that I was equating "usual" with a long-term average... and in a relatively short period, I was feeling just like I had been in the worst of the worst days. A reminder that I apparently needed.

(If you're wondering why I thought it would be sudden, it's because 1) I had heard horror stories, and 2) early on after going gluten-free, I had gotten suddenly and violently sick one evening, and I figured that was a glutening).

Anyway, so I went back off gluten and have stayed off since. My doctor gave me a "symptomatic diagnosis" or something like that. The GI still wants to do a biopsy and I'm going to let him, because a "gold standard" diagnosis would still be very nice, but I'm past needing it. The only reason left for having it is to make it easier to convince my family to get themselves tested. So I'll let him do it, but I'm only going back on gluten for a week or two, maybe three if I'm feeling daring, and I'm fully aware that this means the results will almost certainly be completely inconclusive, but I'm not letting that worry me.