Do you consider wheat/gluten to be dangerous to even the average person?

[melissel]

Since I've started struggling with my gluten/carb issues, I've begun to develop this mindset that wheat is dangerous overall. However, I'm having a hard time eliminating it entirely from my kids' diets. Do you think the equivalent of two slices of bread a day is really horrible? It's the one thing I can't seem to get on the ball to make myself, and because bread itself is not too much of a loss to me, I just buy a loaf every few weeks for the girls, and my parents take them out for pancakes occasionally, etc.

 

How hard would you crack down on this if your kids didn't really seem to be affected by it? I can't decide if I'm overreacting or just newly awakened!

 

TIA :001_smile:

[regentrude]

If the kids are not affected by it, I would not feel the need to restrict wheat at all.

Wheat has been eaten by humans for many thousand years and was, in fact, one of the most reliable sources of protein. While there are some people who have trouble with it, the majority of people can eat wheat and be healthy. In most cultures, cereal based products are the basic staple of their diets which would hardly have evolved this way if wheat had been universally harmful.

My personal opinion.

regentrude

[Parrothead]

If the kids are not affected by it, I would not feel the need to restrict wheat at all.

Wheat has been eaten by humans for many thousand years and was, in fact, one of the most reliable sources of protein. While there are some people who have trouble with it, the majority of people can eat wheat and be healthy. In most cultures, cereal based products are the basic staple of their diets which would hardly have evolved this way if wheat had been universally harmful.

My personal opinion.

regentrude

:iagree:I also think that instead of treating only the symptoms we must find what causes this disease. I don't know much about gluten intolerance, but isn't it an autoimmune disease?

 

Like so many autoimmune diseases, the symptoms are treated but so very little is done to find a cause or cure.

[melissel]

If the kids are not affected by it, I would not feel the need to restrict wheat at all.

Wheat has been eaten by humans for many thousand years and was, in fact, one of the most reliable sources of protein. While there are some people who have trouble with it, the majority of people can eat wheat and be healthy. In most cultures, cereal based products are the basic staple of their diets which would hardly have evolved this way if wheat had been universally harmful.

My personal opinion.

regentrude

 

Well, actually, this is not quite true. And the vast, vast majority of the wheat we consume today has been genetically modified over many years to have a much higher gluten content than traditional varieties, because gluten makes baked goods light and fluffy, and that's much more desirable to most people than "dense and chewy." It's kind of scary, actually.

[Food4Thought]

Two people in my family (myself & DS) react strongly to gluten. DH and DD show no ill effects. While my cooking is gluten-free, I do not really limit the diets of DH and DD - a little bit is fine for them. I don't think wheat is dangerous to everyone, but I do think it is incredibly harmful to the 1/80 people who can't digest it.

 

The reason so many people have trouble with it these days is that they started cross-breeding and genetically modifying wheat back in the '50s. It may be that wheat was safe 60 years ago, but in order to create a hardier crop, the gluten content has increased tenfold. It is no longer that gentle grain it used to be, and it can be deadly to people who don't realize it. If you want to read more, I recommend The Gluten Connection. It's a great book on how many different symptoms arise from an overdose of gluten in the standard diet.

[Food4Thought]

:iagree:I also think that instead of treating only the symptoms we must find what causes this disease. I don't know much about gluten intolerance, but isn't it an autoimmune disease?

 

Like so many autoimmune diseases, the symptoms are treated but so very little is done to find a cause or cure.

 

It's an autoimmune disease because the gluten attaches to your small intestines and then your body attacks it - and your intestines - at the same time. Autoimmune means your body attacks itself, and that's exactly what happens. Gluten is the cause. Eliminating gluten is the cure.

[melissel]

If you want to read more, I recommend The Gluten Connection. It's a great book on how many different symptoms arise from an overdose of gluten in the standard diet.

 

I don't want to read more!!! I'm scared already :lol:

 

I guess I wonder, how did I get here if not through eating too much gluten? I certainly did not have any of these symptoms as a child, or even a young adult. Did eating gluten get me here, and if I restrict my kids' gluten consumption, can I help them avoid developing this sensitivity? I guess I'm arguing with myself over, "If a lot is really bad, then is a little still a little bad?" Wouldn't it be better to eliminate it entirely?

 

Ugh, so much to worry about as I contemplate giving them PB&J for lunch :D

[Lolosoli]

I'm in your shoes right now as well....I don't have any answers...but, I thought I'd let you know that you are not alone.

 

For me it is carbohydrates...mainly pasta and potatoes. My children do not have issues and I didn't as a child.

 

I too have begun to eat drastically different then I did six months ago. I can now make pancakes and sandwiches and such for my kids and not eat it myself. I still have difficulty with that though when it comes to pasta and potatoes.

 

It would be easier for me to just keep all of that stuff out of my home. My kids LOVE those things though.

 

I'm not sure what to do either.....

[melissel]

I'm in your shoes right now as well....I don't have any answers...but, I thought I'd let you know that you are not alone.

 

For me it is carbohydrates...mainly pasta and potatoes. My children do not have issues and I didn't as a child.

 

I too have begun to eat drastically different then I did six months ago. I can now make pancakes and sandwiches and such for my kids and not eat it myself. I still have difficulty with that though when it comes to pasta and potatoes.

 

It would be easier for me to just keep all of that stuff out of my home. My kids LOVE those things though.

 

I'm not sure what to do either.....

 

Oh, I hear you. I just posted almost the same exact thing on Jean's thread. Gluten-containing foods and oats are the worst offenders for me--instant, raging heartburn and upset stomach for days. But I've come to realize that carbs in general affect me the same way, though not on the same scale. *sigh* It's so hard being an adult, isn't it? I'm thinking I have to head toward the paleo way of eating. I never felt better in my life than when I was actively avoiding carbs. I know it's not for everyone, but it helped me in many ways.

[Mama Geek]

I haven't read the Gluten Connection and this was the first I have heard of it.

 

My dh who is super sensitive has had problems since he was 15 and possibly since he was a baby. His mom mentioned that he had some pretty bad digestive problems when he was less than a year old. He has only known that wheat has been the source of most of his problems for the last 5 or 6 years.

 

I don't know if it is really caused by getting to much of it in our diet, I haven't heard that theory before now. I would not restrict anyone from wheat if they don't have any problems with it.

[2cents]

In my own family we are sensitive to it so that colors my opinion. What I've read though makes me think that in society in general gets too much wheat and flour in their diet.

[elegantlion]

I have wheat/gluten sensitivities. I can tolerate some, in small amounts. If I go for a week without it I feel great. Then I eat something and feel horrid. I'm trying to eliminate gluten completely. I'm 43, this sensitivity only showed up in the last 5 years. Or at least I only recognized it in the last five years.

 

I've always eaten a lot of bread, lots of processed food as a child. I ended up with cancer at age 26, Hodgkin's Disease, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system. Of course they couldn't tell me the cause of my cancer, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were caused by diet.

 

I'm also very concerned about additives in food and we're trying to eat as close to actual food as possible.

 

I read Primal Blueprint this spring and have been slowly working toward eating a more "primal" diet.

[Audrey]

In my own family we are sensitive to it so that colors my opinion. What I've read though makes me think that in society in general gets too much wheat and flour in their diet.

 

 

I would agree, but caveat that "too much" are the key words here. The OP said something about 2 slices of bread a day. To someone sensitive to it, that's too much. To someone who doesn't have a problem (either sensitivity or addiction) 2 slices of bread is probably fine. Better if those slices are whole grain, and even better if you made them (and can control the additives then).

 

To the OP: certainly be concerned about an overdose of gluten, but if your children are not sensitive to it or addicted to it, don't obssess over 2 slices a day.

[Food4Thought]

I would agree, but caveat that "too much" are the key words here. The OP said something about 2 slices of bread a day. To someone sensitive to it, that's too much. To someone who doesn't have a problem (either sensitivity or addiction) 2 slices of bread is probably fine. Better if those slices are whole grain, and even better if you made them (and can control the additives then).

 

To the OP: certainly be concerned about an overdose of gluten, but if your children are not sensitive to it or addicted to it, don't obsess over 2 slices a day.

 

:iagree: I italicized "sensitivity or addiction" because that was a big red flag in my house. DS and I were bread addicts. Literally. It was all we would eat, all we wanted, and we always wanted it. Sandwiches, toast, flour tortillas, cookies - we were out of control with anything wheat-based. Eliminating gluten was like quitting some terrible drug - we both got sick, angry, spat at each other, cried for hours, etc.

 

For DH and DD, they didn't exhibit that same behavior. They don't crave wheat-based stuff. They're perfectly happy with a well-rounded diet. So if that's also the case with your littles, I don't imagine a sandwich a day is going to push them into full-blown celiac disease. :) If they start exhibiting addiction symptoms, that's when I'd worry. If they eat lots of other stuff, then I'd say they are lucky people who don't have an issue with it.

[Audrey]

:iagree: I italicized "sensitivity or addiction" because that was a big red flag in my house. DS and I were bread addicts. Literally. It was all we would eat, all we wanted, and we always wanted it. Sandwiches, toast, flour tortillas, cookies - we were out of control with anything wheat-based. Eliminating gluten was like quitting some terrible drug - we both got sick, angry, spat at each other, cried for hours, etc.

 

For DH and DD, they didn't exhibit that same behavior. They don't crave wheat-based stuff. They're perfectly happy with a well-rounded diet. So if that's also the case with your littles, I don't imagine a sandwich a day is going to push them into full-blown celiac disease. :) If they start exhibiting addiction symptoms, that's when I'd worry. If they eat lots of other stuff, then I'd say they are lucky people who don't have an issue with it.

 

 

I think I would put myself in the addicted category. I quit gluten in April. I also cut back on dairy, but that wasn't so hard because mostly the wheat and dairy went together. I've lost 50 pounds, yet changed NOTHING else about my diet or activity levels.

[Greta]

I've lost 50 pounds, yet changed NOTHING else about my diet or activity levels.

 

Wow, Audrey, that's amazing! When I'm gluten-free I'm about 5 pounds lighter than when I'm not, even if nothing else is different. But 50! I guess that's a real testament to just how bad that stuff is . . . for some of us.

 

To the OP, I was going to tell you that even though I have gluten issues, I don't restrict my daughter, and that's true. But I'm not sure that in good conscience I can say that's a great decision. I just don't know! I feel conflicted because I do not feel that modern wheat is a healthy, natural food. But I also feel that it's so ubiquitous that it's really a burden to avoid it if you don't have to. And since my dd doesn't have any obvious reaction to it, I kind of see it as "don't have to". So all I can tell you is that I let her eat it because it's the easiest thing to do, I can't really say that it's the healthiest thing. :001_unsure:

[Jean in Newcastle]

I buy Ezekiel bread which is made of sprouted grains. I also bake with spelt. Since spelt isn't made of the hybridized wheat do you think it has less added gluten?

[Peela]

I have teens. I try to limit the amount of wheat we eat. I agree that modern hybridized wheat is probably not a generally healthy food. Since dh and his brother and both gluten intolerant, the chances of the kids becoming so are pretty high....but there is only so much I can do.

When my kids were babies, I also understood that any foods they ate a lot of- in those first few years- were likely to be foods they might develop sensitivities to later. So I limited wheat and dairy way back.

However, as the years have passed, it gets so hard to restrict their diets. I can set an example. I can educate them. I cannot force them, at this age.

My dd16 is sensible and likes to take care of her diet, but she is already restricted and so although she doesn't eat a lot of wheat, she does eat some. Ds14...the one most likely to develop wheat intolerance...is a wheat pig. He knows wheat bix upsets his stomach. So does milk. So does soy milk. He craves them all. At the moment, he is on corn flakes with rice milk...which is barely even food in my book, but it makes him happy to be eating cereal. He makes himself wheat pasta virtually daily because he is so food fussy, he frequently needs to make his own meals. He eats white bread- I buckled and bought him some- he probably only goes through a loaf a month..but still, its not ideal to me.

I dont know what to do about it. I put non wheat, healthy food on the table. They are teens- they want to fill up on starches. They want some autonomy over their own diets- and I feel that is reasonable.

So...all I can say is that I empathise. And...food is food. The poor food is not evil. It's just the way our systems are designed to respond.

I have heard that in Asia many kids get intolerant to rice. It makes sense. Wheat is our main grain- rice is theirs.

My son will almost certainly become gluten intolerant within a couple of years- but I cannot stop him eating hamburgers and junk food when he goes out. There is a point at which you really do not have control any more.

Meanwhile..when they are younger..no, I dont think some healthy bread here or there is going to do much harm. Anyway, by the time they are older, if they become symptomatic, the range of gluten free foods will be enormous :)

[texasmama]

Well, actually, this is not quite true. And the vast, vast majority of the wheat we consume today has been genetically modified over many years to have a much higher gluten content than traditional varieties, because gluten makes baked goods light and fluffy, and that's much more desirable to most people than "dense and chewy." It's kind of scary, actually.

 

:iagree: The wheat we are eating today is quite different from the wheat that people ate 1,000 years ago. If you are looking for a lower gluten alternative which is "wheat like", try spelt bread. It does contain gluten, but it is an older grain.

[Rivka]

I have no concerns about wheat or gluten in moderation, unless someone has celiac disease. I am in favor of a balanced diet including a variety of foods.

 

I am dubious about most diet theories, because from what I've seen they are usually based in pop science without a firm foundation.

[Wheres Toto]

I have no concerns about wheat or gluten in moderation, unless someone has celiac disease. I am in favor of a balanced diet including a variety of foods.

 

I am dubious about most diet theories, because from what I've seen they are usually based in pop science without a firm foundation.

:iagree:

I wish there was more information on ways to modify your diet to allow moderate amounts of a variety of foods. Everything seems to be "elimination" diets lately. That doesn't seem the healthiest way (especially since no one seems to agree on what to eliminate). Of course, this is assuming no specific health problems.

[Lolly]

No. In fact, I have read articles stating that non-celiac persons are possibly harmed by eating a gluten free diet. I know for certain that my ds, who doctors were trying desperately to prove had celiac despite all testing showing that he did not, was far worse off when following a gluten free diet. He does best when he is on a diet heavy on the wheat. (The more processed the better. Whole grains are not good in his system.)

[Parrothead]

It's an autoimmune disease because the gluten attaches to your small intestines and then your body attacks it - and your intestines - at the same time. Autoimmune means your body attacks itself, and that's exactly what happens. Gluten is the cause. Eliminating gluten is the cure.

But see the gluten isn't supposed to attach to the small intestine. What is causing the the attachment? Cure that, and you'll have a cure to gluten intolerance. Eliminating gluten is only treating the symptoms.

 

In my own case, I'm told there is no known reason for my auto immune disease. So very little is being done to find the trigger. The answer I get is "to treat the symptoms and learn to live with it because you'll deal with it or its side effects for the rest of you life."

[texasmama]

But see the gluten isn't supposed to attach to the small intestine. What is causing the the attachment? Cure that, and you'll have a cure to gluten intolerance. Eliminating gluten is only treating the symptoms.

 

In my own case, I'm told there is no known reason for my auto immune disease. So very little is being done to find the trigger. The answer I get is "to treat the symptoms and learn to live with it because you'll deal with it or its side effects for the rest of you life."

 

Celiac disease is the only autoimmune disease for which a cause is known. It is caused by genetics, and there is no known "cure". Eating gluten free can be a lot of trouble at times, but it is a small price to pay for good health. Celiac disease is in a category unlike any other autoimmune disorder because the trigger can be eliminated and medications are not generally necessary as long as one stays free of gluten.

[texasmama]

No. In fact, I have read articles stating that non-celiac persons are possibly harmed by eating a gluten free diet. I know for certain that my ds, who doctors were trying desperately to prove had celiac despite all testing showing that he did not, was far worse off when following a gluten free diet. He does best when he is on a diet heavy on the wheat. (The more processed the better. Whole grains are not good in his system.)

 

Gluten is just a protein in wheat, rye and barley. How could anyone be harmed by not eating it? I would like to see links to these articles.

[Snickerdoodle]

No. In fact, I have read articles stating that non-celiac persons are possibly harmed by eating a gluten free diet.

 

Do you have any links?

[melissel]

Gluten is just a protein in wheat, rye and barley. How could anyone be harmed by not eating it? I would like to see links to these articles.

 

My experience with these kinds of articles is that they assume that people aren't eating a healthful diet in general--that all they're doing is cutting gluten-containing products from their diet but not replacing the nutrients/fiber/protein via healthful alternatives. They also consider the wheat products these people are eating to be a primary source of vitamins because conventional bread products are fortified with vitamins. However, if you're already eating all natural/organic wheat products, you're not getting that "fortification" anyway.

 

This is what I found when my aunt expressed similar concerns to me about gluten-free diets being dangerous. There could be more to it than that, but not that I saw. The general idea seems to be that GF is a new, trendy "diet craze." IMO, yes, among people who only focus on the "dieting" part, most of them are probably not paying attention to the healthful nature of what they eat.

[Snickerdoodle]

Neither one of those articles say anything conclusive as to whether gluten free diets are harmful.

 

The first one doesn't even list the source article that she mentions in the first sentence.

 

The second lists these as the downsides:

 

But there are downsides:

 

• Some people diagnosing themselves with gluten intolerance really have it — but, by going on an unsupervised gluten-free diet, are masking the signs that would allow a doctor to get an exact diagnosis and look for related problems, such as fragile bones, says Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York.

 

• Gluten avoiders may end up short on vitamins.

 

• Gluten-free specialty foods are expensive.

 

• A poorly planned gluten-free diet also can be fattening. Manufacturers aiming for a yummy wheat-free bagel or bread often rely on fat to replace gluten, Sandquist says.

 

Dietitians increasingly advise true sufferers to limit such substitutes and instead follow a "naturally gluten-free diet," Kupper says.

 

I don't really see where she is proposing how a gluten free diet causes any specific kind of health problem.