Anyone not going gluten free?

[Liz CA]

nm

[fraidycat]

We're not going GF here, either.

 

I don't think it's GLUTEN (or peanuts, food allergy du jour, etc.), so much as Monsanto that is the problem. GMO. Scientists should stay the heck away from food, IMO.

[Laurel]

We don't have any plans any time soon to go gluten-free. Wheat-meat is served in our house at least once a week as we are vegetarians. I would be very interested in learning where to purchase heritage grains and non-GMO wheat along with how to grind it ourselves. But that would be for later when we are living on the farm. My current kitchen is not conducive to excessive preparation techniques. So I'll stick to buying KAF.

 

Aurora Mills Farm sells organic (thus nonGMO) wheat berries and flours.

http://auroramillsandfarm.net/

 

Wood Prairie Farm http://www.woodprairie.com/category/23

They're also certified organic, so all their grains are non-GMO.

They do a mail order business, but if you live anywhere near them (you live in ME right?) I'm sure you could do a farm pick up.

[fraidycat]

Oh good, I am not the only one not deciding to go glutton free....and don't plan too, but it looks like many of the moms in our AHG troop are :)....

 

Hmmmm....there are undoubtedly people who are glutton sensitive or alergic to glutton, but to be honest it's becoming a diet hype / fad now, like many others....remember when everyone was doing Atkins / South Beach....or the Metabolife days....the fat free / low fat fad of the 90's and eat more bread....I am only 28, so that's just what I remember, but....no.....not going gluton free endless we need to for legitimate health reasons.

 

Typo? I love it!!!

 

I sure can make a glutton of myself around bread and pasta! :laugh:

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We are gluten-free by necessity. My son was diagnosed with Celiac about a year ago, and our baby is having some medical issues which might be related, so she and I (the milk maker) are GF for now. The rest of the family still eats gluten.

 

There is some evidence to suggest that traditional leavening methods (true sour dough leavening) pre-digest gluten in a way that makes it much more tolerable to humans. In fact, one study has shown that even people with Celiac are able to eat traditionally soured wheat bread. This may be why there is the sudden "outbreak" of Celiac. Another possibility is that people just weren't diagnosed in the past, and fell into the category of people who were just not that healthy, as many people were.

 

From what I have read, gluten causes an inflammatory reaction in everyone. Most people's systems can handle this, but for some, this might be the straw the broke the camel's back. Eliminating gluten may calm the system enough for other illnesses to then be addressed, and gluten can be reintroduced.

 

There is nothing to fear in terms of nutritional deficiencies in a gf diet. The only thing missing is the "fortified" vitamins found in processed bread items, and those are only in there because people aren't teating enough real food with real vitamins. If you are eating a mostly whole foods based diet, the gf is not an issue.

[momofkhm]

We're staying with gluten here! I saw something in runner's world a few years back that going GF without needing to was bad for you. Maybe it was the nutritional deficiencies others are talking about? I dont remember except that it's bad if it's not necessary.

[Aspasia]

I refuse to get on the gluten-free train without a compelling reason. I'm Italian. That means I'm all about bread and pasta. If it was good enough for my ancestors for hundreds of years, it's good enough for me. I honestly can't fathom life without wheat flour.

[Lady Florida.]

Typo? I love it!!!

 

I sure can make a glutton of myself around bread and pasta! :laugh:

 

 

 

Me too. I'm a glutton for gluten. :D

[catz]

 

 

One of my best friends is always doing the latest foodie fashion du jour. She's been gluten free for several years now, and she explained it to me (once; long ago; I may be rusty, and I wasn't paying super great attention) that they've changed how they've processed or made our wheat products. I want to guess in the last 40-50 years or so? She says that it's not gluten per se, it's whatever-they've-done-to-it that's causing more problems now than ever before. She also went off on a tangent about environmental exposure that is somehow related, but she lost me. I'm way too simple to get into that kind of meaty argument. I like my gluten, and my head in the sand.

 

 

Interesting. I have done a gf trial. I've found that my body has a problem with overly processed foods and not gluten. So I eat whole grains and as close to a whole foods kind of diet as I can. Any pre prepared stuff I buy usually has a minimal ingredient list. But I otherwise bring on the gluten containing foods. :-)

[butterflymommy]

I have a theory that 'some' folks feel better when they go GF because they're forced to make something other than grains the base of their diet. Let's face it, plain rice just isn't as delicious as plain bread, so people naturally eat more meats and veggies. I imagine that akone could make someone 'feel better.'

 

Just a theory . . . NOT giving up bread. I feel fine. BTW, I LOVED the video.

 

I find it annoying when people talk about miraculously losing weight when going GF. The main sources of calories in the american diet, apart from soda, are grain based products. And flour is very calorie dense. So it's no miracle if you remove the top source of calories, which happens to be a calorie dense product, from a person's diet, and you see them lose weight.

 

The FDA published a list of the top 25 food sources of calories for americans. Fruits, veggies, and beans don't even make the list (unless you count french fries and potato chips). "Fruit drinks" is on the list but that probably includes non-100% fruit juice. The top sources of calories for all americans are grain based desserts, yeasted breads, and pizza. So if you eliminate easy access to those foods a person will lose weight because they'll be forced to create a GF alternative, or find some other way to eat.

 

The document is here and the list is on page 12. Very interesting reading!

 

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/publications/dietaryguidelines/2010/policydoc/policydoc.pdf

[kewb]

No one in our family suffers from a gluten problem/celiac/autoimmune disease so we have no plans to go gluten free. If someone did develop an issue I would ditch the wheat and not look back. I also stay away from GMO wheat when purchasing my wheat berries.

[Parrothead]

Aurora Mills Farm sells organic (thus nonGMO) wheat berries and flours.

http://auroramillsandfarm.net/

 

Wood Prairie Farm http://www.woodprairie.com/category/23

They're also certified organic, so all their grains are non-GMO.

They do a mail order business, but if you live anywhere near them (you live in ME right?) I'm sure you could do a farm pick up.

 

Thanks a bunch. I'll look into them very soon.

[Chava_Raizel]

I've been gluten free since last fall. For years and years I had terrible digestive issues. I even had a colonoscopy and endoscopy when I was 23 because it was so bad. My doctor told me I just had a sensitive stomach and to stock up on immodium. :glare: It wasn't until dh and I were doing South Beach Diet phase 1 and I hadn't had any wheat products for 2 weeks that I realized I felt tons better. I went gluten free and my stomach problems are gone.

 

My youngest dd had a host of issues at birth as well as feeding problems. When she turned 2 she started having extreme constipation all the time. It was so bad she wouldn't eat and kept vomiting from straining so hard. Her ped told me to just give her a daily dose of miralax. I decided to have her go gluten free along with me to see if it would help. Two weeks in her constipation was gone - but even more amazing was that her speech delay and motor delays disappeared. She went from having 2-3 words at age 2.5 to a vocabulary of over 100 words in a matter of weeks.

 

All that to say - I HATE having to be gluten free. I miss being able to cook and eat whatever I want. I miss being able to grab fast food while we're out or being able to just go to any restaurant without having to double check that they offer gf options. I miss being able to go to potlucks and parties without having to bring my own food. I hate that all the gluten free options have to cost 2-3 times as much as the regular food and they usually don't taste as good. It stinks. If I could go back to my regular eating habits, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But it's not worth feeling sick all the time.

 

I cannot understand why anyone would go gluten free that didn't have a seriously good reason.

[BigMamaBird]

We're not. I have no compelling reason to.

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm on a gluten-free diet by necessity -- have been for many years -- and can't imagine why anyone would restrict their lifestyle this way without a compelling reason. If there were any way I could go back to eating gluten, I would.

 

Same here. If I could eat gluten I would happily do so. I was awesome at baking bread.

 

 

I think when people jump on the latest food fashion, they cause problems for those who really do have a condition that requires them to give up whatever everyone is giving up. People don't see their disease/condition as real.

 

This. It really irks me that people think I'm following the latest fad diet because I don't eat gluten. When my dad found out I had celiac his response was, "So, I guess you're going to stop eating meat now too. Isn't that the other 'magical' diet to make you all better?" Really ticked me off.

 

 

I don't think it's GLUTEN (or peanuts, food allergy du jour, etc.), so much as Monsanto that is the problem. GMO. Scientists should stay the heck away from food, IMO.

 

While I agree about GMO, for me the problem is the gluten. Celiac disease has been around for a long long time. Either you have the genes or you don't. I would have a problem with wheat, barley, or rye even if it was 1,000 years ago. Celiac disease was known about and recognized as a disease, but it wasn't until the 20th century that doctors figured out the gluten connection.

 

I refuse to get on the gluten-free train without a compelling reason. I'm Italian. That means I'm all about bread and pasta. If it was good enough for my ancestors for hundreds of years, it's good enough for me. I honestly can't fathom life without wheat flour.

 

Italy has among the highest rates for celiac disease. The leading expert on celiac happens to be an Italian doctor. He came to the States and brought his knowledge about the disease here and has brought awareness and education to American doctors.

[Nestof3]

I've never met anyone who just views it as a diet, but I do know its difficult to test for celiac and gluten intolerance. Antibodies blood tests are not definitive, and few people want to spend the out-of-pocket money to have their intestines biopsied.

 

My mom didn't know she had it until her intestines were biopsied, but that was due to her extreme anemia after most of her lungs were removed.

 

Many think that autoimmune disorders are triggered by gluten. So, add that to how difficult it is to diagnose, and some just think its worth eliminating from the diet and seeing how they feel.

 

I suffer from Hashimoto's (an autoimmune thyroid disease). I have had the antibodies test which was negative. But, I wonder if my mom's would have been negative in her early 40's. My endocrinologist, unfortunately, swears by the test, so she doesn't think I have gluten issues. I'm not sure I'm willing to risk more damage to my body waiting for the antibodies test to turn positive.

 

I also just underwent adrenal testing, and though I have my test results, my doctor hasn't called to discuss them. It is possible I have another autoimmune disorder to deal with now.

 

And it is true that many people have lost weight removing gluten items from their diet. The insulin required to deal with wheat causes weight issues for many people. One thing is for certain, being gluten-free and not spending money on lots of gluten-free processed foods (they are so much more expensive) forces a person to be much choosier about what he eats. Think of how many aisles and shelves in a grocery store are devoted to items containing wheat. It's almost like finding an item without high-fructose corn syrup. Ha ha

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/iagree.gif My dd has celiac disease and I get really pissed with the number of people who treat gf as if it's just the lastest hot new diet trend to lose weight! I work at the circ desk at the library and check out a lot of materials to people who just "want to lose a few pounds" and tell me that "gluten is so bad for your system" when they then tell me that they have no known issues w/gluten.It reminds me of the low carb trend a few years ago. So many people I know jumped onto that bandwagon when carbs weren't their issue at all if they'd done a little research.

[Nestof3]

On the flip side, it's frustrating explaining to someone why you aren't eating gluten when you don't have celiac. My son (married one who doesn't live with us) asked me if I was not eating gluten for diet reasons or allergy. He knew I was tested negatively for the antibodies. It's almost like you have to have a good enough reason, and it just takes too long to explain to people. Perhaps I'll just tell people I have Celiac. :)

[twoxcell]

If you don't need to go GF then don't do it. It is a real pain in the neck trust me on this. :sleep: If you have celiacs or gluten intolerance you really don't have much choice, and I'm glad there are more options at the grocery store now. I used to get annoyed with people I knew that were jumping on the GF bandwagon for no real reason and I imagined they were just trying to be trendy. I'm not a trend follower by nature at all. When I went GF this past spring for health reason I had to eat my own words. :lol:

[twoxcell]

 

And it is true that many people have lost weight removing gluten items from their diet. The insulin required to deal with wheat causes weight issues for many people. One thing is for certain, being gluten-free and not spending money on lots of gluten-free processed foods (they are so much more expensive) forces a person to be much choosier about what he eats. Think of how many aisles and shelves in a grocery store are devoted to items containing wheat. It's almost like finding an item without high-fructose corn syrup. Ha ha

Um, yeah I lost 50 lbs. I don't think most people really get it until they have to go GF. Gluten and Dairy are in so many things it is insane.

[NASDAQ]

It's a fad. We're all increasingly symptomatic (we pay more attention to our aches and pains and bowels) and these kinds of vague apply-to-everyone diet mandates become the latest donkey to pin the tail onto.

 

A minority of people actually have difficulty digesting gluten. Those people shouldn't eat gluten. A much larger number of people can't digest lactose easily. Those people should avoid drinking milk.

[Mom-ninja.]

I would not be gf if I didn't have to be.

[Mom0012]

I haven't read all the other posts, but my son has been gluten free since he was 3 years old and is going to be 14 in a couple of months.  For him, it was life changing and we only tried the gluten free diet because we were absolutely desperate.  I did keep my younger daughter gluten free until she was 2 or 3 to make sure that all was well with her.  I feel like the lds my son has are a result of malnourishment during some of the most important developmental years of his life and I didn't want to take any chances with my dd.  However, once we introduced gluten and she showed no signs of problems, she stayed on gluten.  My husband and I are not gluten free either and have no plans to become so.

 

I do prepare gluten free dinners so that we can all share the same meal and so that I don't have to be a short order cook, but, except for my son, we all eat gluten.  I don't really buy into it being beneficial for everyone.  I think there are some important nutrients in grains that my son misses out on and I wouldn't choose that diet unless I was having symptoms.

[Luanne]

I wish I didn't have to go gluten free, but my body just doesn't tolerate it.  I miss pizza.  :sad:

[twoxcell]

 

I wish I didn't have to go gluten free, but my body just doesn't tolerate it.  I miss pizza.

I feel you. I miss Chinese Take out.

[DawnM]

I have just gotten a blood test TODAY for Celiac.  I have thought for a long time my gut issues were IBS, but in the past year or two I have been thinking more and more that it is from wheat/gluten.

 

I guess I will see what the test results show.

But the rest of the family will not be going gluten free.

 

Dawn

[kiwik]

Youngest DD has non-celiac gluten intolerance. She was off-the-charts small until I switched her and then had a rapid "catch-up" weight and height gain. She is GF. The other kids and I tried it for 6 months but then for budget reasons we needed to stop. None of us noticed any particular difference. We do eat quite a bit less gluten than before but only youngest DD is GF.

We all went gf for a year and I baked bread every night. Then ds6 went to school and I bought him more "normal" looking bread and ds4 and I went back to normal bread. We do only have gf cereals and baking though so we are low gluten. Ds6 has encropesis and his bowel seems to be irritated by gluten or wheat. There are other people in the family who are similar. I think i am better with minimal gluten - a balanced diet works though - you don't need a major wheat based food in every meal.

[Hikin' Mama]

Just gonna add my 2 cents. Not everyone who is gluten free is on the latest bandwagon. I had more diarrhea over 14 years than probably 100 "normal" people put together will ever have in their lives. I had horrible, unexplained anemia, bone loss, nasty rashes, bloating, and would sometimes wake up in the morning with mega hives and swollen lips. Turned out I have celiac. All the above issues went away when I quit eating gluten. I am religious about not letting it pass my lips. I don't miss it that much, because I was never a huge bread or pasta fan. It does, however, make eating out more difficult. But when you feel crappy enough, that really doesn't matter. I didn't lose any weight when I stopped eating gluten, but I wasn't overweight to begin with. The comments I hate the most are, "Can't you just have a little?" And "I wish I couldn't eat gluten, because then I would be thin like you." Ummm, I can consume just as many calories of gluten free yummies as I could glutened goodies. For me, it's a combo of genetics, self discipline, and exercise.

 

And I don't know why anyone would cut out gluten just to lose weight. But if it affects you negatively, I don't know why you would eat it.

[MyThreeSons]

We are not doing it. I see no reason to go GF if we don't have any issues.

 

We try to eat sensible, healthy foods. Not perfectly, but we do okay.

[Sparkle]

No, we are not gluten-free either.

 

1) We have thousands of dollars worth of free bread, which everyone here loves, and helps out our food budget tremendously.

2) As an Orthodox, I abstain from meat, fish, eggs, dairy, etc. for chunks of the year. If bread was off the list, I'd be down to just beans, fruits, and vegetables. Not doable for me.

3) I tried gluten-free pasta once. Ick.

[Catwoman]

I feel you. I miss Chinese Take out.

I'm right there with you, except that I miss Chinese takeout because I have issues with MSG, and many of the restaurants that claim to be totally MSG-free, aren't. (Ask me how I know. :glare:)

 

Avoiding MSG is a nuisance, but it's nothing compared with going gluten-free, so I consider myself pretty lucky in that regard.

[Luanne]

:iagree: My dd has celiac disease and I get really pissed with the number of people who treat gf as if it's just the lastest hot new diet trend to lose weight! I work at the circ desk at the library and check out a lot of materials to people who just "want to lose a few pounds" and tell me that "gluten is so bad for your system" when they then tell me that they have no known issues w/gluten.It reminds me of the low carb trend a few years ago. So many people I know jumped onto that bandwagon when carbs weren't their issue at all if they'd done a little research.

 

I totally agree with what you said.  I can't eat gluten at all.  I have an aunt who wanted to lose weight and the diet she was on was an allergy diet, not a weight-loss diet.  I didn't bother telling her that.  I am not that close to her anyway.  I just found it odd when she has no allergies.

[Luanne]

I'm right there with you, except that I miss Chinese takeout because I have issues with MSG, and many of the restaurants that claim to be totally MSG-free, aren't. (Ask me how I know. :glare:)

 

Avoiding MSG is a nuisance, but it's nothing compared with going gluten-free, so I consider myself pretty lucky in that regard.

 

I understand you there... MSG gives me migraines.

[El...]

Not me!  I'm making bread right now. 

 

I do feel for people with Celiacs disease.

[mamaraby]

We're not gf (or grain free, or primal, or low carb). The four of them often seem to go hand in hand outside of those with actual celiac.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

 

I find it annoying when people talk about miraculously losing weight when going GF. The main sources of calories in the american diet, apart from soda, are grain based products. And flour is very calorie dense. So it's no miracle if you remove the top source of calories, which happens to be a calorie dense product, from a person's diet, and you see them lose weight.

 

The FDA published a list of the top 25 food sources of calories for americans. Fruits, veggies, and beans don't even make the list (unless you count french fries and potato chips). "Fruit drinks" is on the list but that probably includes non-100% fruit juice. The top sources of calories for all americans are grain based desserts, yeasted breads, and pizza. So if you eliminate easy access to those foods a person will lose weight because they'll be forced to create a GF alternative, or find some other way to eat.

 

The document is here and the list is on page 12. Very interesting reading!

 

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/publications/dietaryguidelines/2010/policydoc/policydoc.pdf

I realize that this thread and post are old... But I'm replying anyway.

 

Gluten free breads usually have more calories.

 

I can cut gluten, but ADD sweet tea, eat MORE non gluten grain stuff, and lose weight (least of my problems).

 

I've tried it multiple times, because apparently the pain of eating gluten fades away and I get stupid. I'll eat gf pizza, homemade Chinese, tons of bread, and still continue to lose weight and feel better.

 

I was fine until 5 years ago. *Something* happened and I had a lot of problems popping up. The only thing that cutting gluten has not fixed is my sleep apnea (not weight related!).

[LucyStoner]

I went GF, sugar and DF at the request of my naturopathic doctor (ND). My c-reactive protein test results were a bit troubling and I was having some other issues.  I challenged each back into my diet and found that gluten is not a problem for me but that dairy in any large amount is. Sugar needs to be minimal too to keep that number low.  So now I try to eat almost no dairy and I seriously limit sugar (though I should limit it more) as compared to before I made these changes.  I don't eat nearly as much gluten as I used to but that is mostly a carb/grain reduction thing and not a gluten is bad thing.  Most people can tolerate gluten just fine but are getting way too much sugar and wheat in their diets.  I don't doubt that most Americans have higher than ideal c-reactive protein test results because of eating too much of this stuff.  

 

ETA:  Braaaaaaaainnnnnnsssss.  Fracking frackety frack.  I fell into a zombie thread.  Oh well, I will leave my response.  

[Nestof3]

Over the last few months, my IBS symptoms grew worse. I would bloat so terribly that I truly looked 8 months pregnant. Often, it was even in the morning prior to eating. Between my thyroid, my ovarian cyst ultrasounds, and my son's braces, I just don't want to spend money on a gastroenterologist right now.

 

Given my thyroid condition, my mom's celiac, and the several other red-heads on my mom's side of the family with celiac, I am starting there. It helps that I am aiming for low carbs anyway because I do want to lose weight. I am so used to my mom being gluten-free, that I don't find it too difficult. Adding grain-free and dairy-free to my plate is very difficult (I haven't cut them out completely, but I eat very little).

 

I actually prefer some of the gluten-free items. My pancake mix is fantastic! I love garbanzo bean chocolate cake, flourless peanut butter cookies and brown rice flour ginger snaps. i just avoid them because I'm trying to lose weight. I avoid pre-packaged foods with hidden wheat anyway though the boys eat canned soups sometimes.

 

I have not made anyone else go GF in my family, but my husband bloats up when he eats pasta, so he prefers it when I don't make it. The night we had meatballs, spaghetti and salad, I just ate the meatballs and salad. It wasn't a big deal.

 

Tonight, I had almond-coconut crusted chicken, a half baked sweet potato with pecans and cinnamon, and a tossed salad. I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I made one of those Boboli pizzas for the boys, but they didn't like it. I'm not sure why because they've had them before. So, Ben ended up eating celery with peanut butter and a huge smoothie I made him. My husband is on a motorcycle trip for the day.

 

I have just gotten a blood test TODAY for Celiac. I have thought for a long time my gut issues were IBS, but in the past year or two I have been thinking more and more that it is from wheat/gluten.

 

I guess I will see what the test results show.

But the rest of the family will not be going gluten free.

 

Dawn

[J-rap]

I've always the the philosophy of everything in moderation, and that works well for my husband and me. I don't have any significant medical issues so haven't been motivated to try GF. However, we do try and eat a healthy, balanced diet.

 

On the other hand, only one of my five children is not GF. The other four are. They do not have celiac and will cheat now and then, but they've all connected various symptoms to gluten. My son is much more sensitive to allergies when he is on gluten, and no longer has fatigue issues when he is on GF. One of my daughters gets a rapid heartbeat after she eats a gluten-heavy meal. Another daughter will start wheezing after she eats gluten. Another is just now starting GF to see if it will improve her acne.

 

It gets harder and harder to cook dinner for everyone when they are here!

[wintermom]

It seems quite a lot of people are starting to go GF.

No one in my family is celiac diseased or gluten sensitive. So is it OK we just live as we alway have lived? Are there any compelling reasons or incentives for us to change to GF?

I experimented with reducing wheat flour and subbing with rice, millet, sorghum flour as well as tapioca starch. Although it is not hard to eat, I just would like to have the freedom to eat my old way. I read that it is beneficial to go GF even if one is not allergic to wheat. Sometimes one who does have celiac disease doesn't show any symptoms. I know I shouldn't worry about this, but I just can't put it out of my mind. Anyone else feel this way?

 

Where did you read this, and what was the source? I've never heard of this, and my family doctor didn't recommend it.

 

We have no reason to go GF, and we won't unless some compelling reasons come to light. Our federal food regulations are very different in Canada to the US, though, so perhaps some of the information you have read is specific it the States.

[kroe1]

I do not get enough insoluble fiber from other sources. I need my gluten products like whole wheat so I can keep my colon happy kWIM

[MissKNG]

We have no intentions of going gluten free. The only reason I would go GF is if someone develops an allergy to gluten.

[msjones]

I am not a diet-trend kind of person.

So I would absolutely not eliminate gluten without a medical need to do so.

 

My guess is that in about another year the trend will fade and the only GF people left will be those who eliminate it due to medical necessity.

 

We'll see.

 

 

[Nestof3]

Where did you read this, and what was the source? I've never heard of this, and my family doctor didn't recommend it.

 

We have no reason to go GF, and we won't unless some compelling reasons come to light. Our federal food regulations are very different in Canada to the US, though, so perhaps some of the information you have read is specific it the States.

Regarding doctors, most are still pushing a food guide pyramid, and few know anything about food nutrition beyond the basics. You'll hear many different opinions from different doctors too. My sons' pediatrician gets on my case because my boys use whole milk rather than skim, for example. It is true that people everywhere are seeking answers and many disagree. I appreciate that there are studies and people really seeking answers. You can read a lot about the indictments regarding gluten and also grains just by Googling, Or you could read a tome like Good Calories, Bad Calories.

 

The thing about gluten is, it's not too traumatic removing it from one's diet for a month. Many do so just to see if issues they considered minor clear up. Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, etc. I've met families where children with Asperger's and behavioral issues have seen improvement going gluten-free. It's truly not all about celiac. There are also studies indicting gluten for being a trigger in autoimmune disorders like Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's, etc.

 

My aunt's friend gained over 200 pounds. She had intestinal issues too. She consulted her doctor who did a myriad of tests. He found nothing wrong with her. She went on the Internet and read on her own. Slowly, she has excluded gluten, dairy and all meat unless it's wild game (she can only tolerate wild). She has lost 100 pounds so far, and intestinal trouble is gone. Her doctor, though, was of no help in the matter. They see clinical tests and numbers -- not so much experience, and few are spending their free time reading up in recent findings (or so it seems).

 

Many people live with bloating, constipation, etc. and treat it like something normal. For constipation, most doctors will recommend more fiber and water. This actually harms some people because the increase in grains just makes it worse. My FIL had to actually assist himself to go to the bathroom, and my MIL is at the point of relying on daily enemas to go. They also relied on senna. Their doctors never once looked into celiac or recommended altering their diets. They just prescribed the senna.