Do You Buy into the Gluten Free Food Trend?

I went gluten free for a long time because I was doing it with my son who "needed" to go gluten free. (long story). Anyway, loved it. At the same time I dropped dairy and MOST sugar. Felt a lot better and dropped weight. win win.

My sister cut out all gluten and dairy and got rid of her seasonal pollen allergies which were really bad. She read that eating these things can cause inflammation in the body and so she tried it. It worked really well for her. It has been over a year now. She used to be a sniffly sinus pain mess all the time. So one reason someone might cut it out of their diet is inflammation. Another reason I think a huge majority of people do it is to lose weight. If you cut out all wheat/gluten then you are eating protein, fruit, veggies, gluten free whole grains, dairy, and not much else. I guess then many people lose weight. It sounds pretty healthy to me to eat things like millet, quinoa, brown rice, oats, etc. These grains are definitely not empty carbs! I have not tried going gluten free myself. Google how modern wheat is different than it used to be. I think a lot of people read this info and decided to give it up. Here is an interesting website: www.grainstorm.com/pages/modern-wheat

No, it's a fad. My late grandfather, who actually had celiac disease, would think it was crazy how people are jumping on this bandwagon. This is all in line with Atkins/no carbs, cleansing, MLM shake products and other fads. Five years from now it won't be a thing, just the medical approach people with celiac disease take.

Gluten IS a protein, that's why it "has protein" in it. One doesn't actually consume gluten as a standalone food...that's like quoting the nutritional value of casein, which is one of the proteins in milk. Yes it's high in protein, that's what it is...that doesn't make it healthy.

Gluten-free foods are not inherently unhealthy...fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, dairy - all free of gluten, naturally! And in bread-like foods where substitute flours have been introduced, those flours, such as chickpea, nut and coconut flours, often have decent amounts of protein and are dense in other nutrients. Gluten-free foods don't "strip out" protein. Now is a gluten-free cookie healthy? No, it's still a cookie and full of sugar, but making it with wheat flour wouldn't make it a health food either.

Why avoid gluten? There are lots of reasons, which I'm sure that if you were actually interested in learning about, you could look up and avail yourself of the excellent research available on some of the health issues that many people suffer from due to gluten consumption. If you really want to become educated, the link below to a quick on-page overview by Dr. Sara Gottfried is a good place to start:

http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/should-you-dump-gluten-how...

I think that for those with Celiac's or a true gluten sensitivity, switching to a GF diet is crucial. For the rest of us, there's no reason to do it. Eating gluten-free bread is no "healthier" than eating regular bread. And junk food (cookies, cakes, etc) is junk food no matter what category it's in.

I think people who go gluten-free, even if they don't have to, pay more attention to what they're putting in their mouths and become more conscious overall of their diets, and THAT'S why they lose weight, get more energy, etc. I would bet that they'd get similar results by simply eating in a healthier way (cutting out sugar, processed foods, and eating more whole foods, etc).

Gluten-free processed food tends to be more expensive. So now maybe instead of spending $$ on a box of gluten-free cookies, you spend it on that less expensive container of strawberries (naturally gluten-free). Keep doing this, and you've basically overhauled your diet to include more whole foods (many, MANY of which are naturally gluten-free). That's just a more healthy way to eat.

In my opinion, it's not really about cutting out gluten, it's about cutting out processed foods (many of which contain gluten) and sugar. But for someone with a true gluten allergy or sensitivity, it's nice to know that gluten-free cookies and bread and pasta are available if that craving hits (we're human after all...who doesn't want a carb-y things now and then?).

Obviously, we're taking Celiac off the table. And Celiac is often found in people who are also diabetic, so there's a whole lot of food consumption to deal with.

A lot of the GF foods are unhealthy because they are heavily processed and have a whole lot of junk in them, just no gluten. But I also agree that people who go GF aren't buying those, they are just eating more whole foods. Once they start reading labels to see if there is gluten in the product, they often read what other junk is in it - if you have to read through 20 or 30 ingredients to check for gluten, you're pretty much guaranteeing that you're considering a highly processed food - so you put it back on the shelf.

Beyond that, yes, a lot of people stop it because of inflammation. But there are a lot of things that cause inflammation, and there are a number of ways to deal with it. A lot of the things listed below (allergy symptoms, high blood pressure, and so on) can be dealt with in other ways. I had all of those things and more, including headaches and digestive issues, and I got rid of them by ADDING, not deleting one particular category such as gluten.

Almost always, there's an imbalance in the diet, and it's usually one that's very troublesome to eradicate. Our foods just aren't what they used to be - even the natural ones. They are rushed to harvest to save money, they are treated with gas to prevent rotting as they are shipped across the country (or the world) to people who want out-of-season foods year round, and so on. The American Medical Association published a study over a dozen years ago that said nobody can really get what they need from food alone, and everyone must supplement. So unless and until the food and agriculture industry makes major changes (don't hold your breath), there's always going to be a deficiency somewhere - and all it takes is a few nutrients, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, etc. to be out of whack, and BOOM, you have a problem.

There is fantastic research going on in epigenetics, which is a change in the way our DNA works, how different genes are turned on and off. Every cell in your body has the same DNA, but those cells look and perform very differently depending on their specialty. So what makes them different from each other? Epigenetics. But so many things disrupt the epigenome, from toxins to diseases to deficiencies to stress and trauma. So, by using dietary agents that repair the epigenome (right now there's only one that's proven, but that may change), those cells can go back to proper and complete functioning. Which in turn can get rid of the inflammation, the allergic response, and so on. So there are very few true food allergies - most people just have an imbalance in the epigenome and can work their way back to that trigger food. Is the person getting a reaction to the food? Sure. Is it a true "allergy" that they have to live with? Not usually. I do this work all the time and have so many people who are now able to eat nuts, dairy, gluten and pretty much everything else. So many colleagues have these issues in their families; one, for example, has a daughter with Celiac. So while the daughter doesn't eat gluten, because of the things she has added, she no longer has any serious reaction when exposed to gluten. She can be near people who eat it, she can eat in restaurants or other people's houses now, and so on. Same thing for another colleague whose child had major issues at one time with egg, soy and peanuts - she can now eat egg and soy, and while she doesn't eat peanuts, people no longer have to wash their hands when they enter the house (they had a sink in the front hall, it was so severe), and the child no longer faces anaphylaxis and can now go to birthday parties and so forth.

So while I don't call it a trend necessarily, I do think it's one more thing that "the industry" saw as a way to make a small need (for Celiacs, for example, and those with true anaphylactic reactions) into a huge marketing effort that increases profits. If they can switch you from one processed food to another, they make more money. So whatever "diet" you want, you can find it on supermarket shelves.

So, while people may feel better going off gluten, that doesn't mean it was the only way to get rid of the symptoms. And it's definitely much more difficult to do.

Thanks to JB for a more balanced answer!

I don't know that we have to posit this as 'buying into' or not. I'm all for expecting people to eat in a way which helps them to feel good and healthier, however it is. If someone has found that gluten-free *feels* better for them, even if they don't have celiac disease, who is it hurting? Diane D says it helped her to change her habits. That's a good thing, in my opinion.

Personally, I do not like the gluten free trend. I respect the diagnosis of Celiac Disease, and I understand that there are other diseases and conditions where avoiding gluten (or other foods) might be helpful in symptom management.

However, I feel that many of the "celebrities" who declare that wheat is evil and gluten is akin to poison and that simply avoiding gluten will be a weight-loss miracle are misleading many people and have no basic understanding of nutrition. When a food that is truly a danger to some people gets made into a fad for perfectly healthy people, it's a problem.

Due to my daughter's medical issues, we have done extensive, rigorous trials involving eliminating certain foods (dairy, corn, gluten, sugar, etc, all done one at a time with medical supervision). The gluten-free trial actually made things worse for her, and we subsequently found out (through extensive medical testing) that she is severely allergic to quinoa and amaranth and spinach. Many commercial gluten-free foods contain these two ingredients. And even after eliminating those, the gluten-free trial made no difference at all, even after a lengthy trial consisting of several months. We did, however, find out that avoiding dairy provided her with some symptom relief.

I see no problem with healthy people consuming gluten and/or wheat, rye, barley, oats, etc.

My problem and complaint is with the additives, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, and multiple forms of sugar that are routinely added to processed foods. When I see a celebrity proudly tweeting about being gluten-free because "it's healthier" and then see that same celebrity drinking a diet soda, that just drives me crazy. Spaghetti sauce doesn't need sugar. Salad dressings don't need sugar. Products are labeled "sugar free" but they include artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame and sorbitol.

In our home, we enjoy breads baked with wheat - usually the Ezekiel brand sprouted grain breads, and homemade breads, pizza dough and muffins.. We do not use canned foods other than the occasional canned vegetable (only if the vegetable is the only ingredient, and only if, say, we need some black beans and don't have time to soak and cook them; also good quality canned tomatoes are ok). We do not use any of those seasoning mixes or packets (taco seasoning, dry ranch dressing, etc) due to the sugars and artificial ingredients (I make my own). We don't buy foods with artificial colors, and we do not purchase anything with carageenan or xanthan gums, due to our daughter's digestive issues. No bottled salad dressings or commercially prepared almond milks.

I wish that instead of avoiding one food (gluten), people would pay attention to the labels and understand the ingredients. Just look at the name-brand ranch dry seasoning packet that the tv ads suggest that we add to burgers and chicken. Sugar is prominently listed a couple of times, but mostly in terms that make it seem less like sugar (dextrose, for example). Look at the canned soup ingredients. Compare pure sour cream to the "diet" or light sour cream ingredients. One has milk, and one has a lengthy list of fake stuff.

So I guess my answer is "no" if it's a trendy fad, yes if it's medically necessary, but I wish that people would focus less on wheat and more on sugars and food colors and junk ingredients. I wish people would buy foods that are pure and real. Instead of loading on the diet sour cream, just use the single ingredient type and use less. Eat smarter, not trendier.

One benefit of being gluten free is that you don't eat highly processed foods like bread, cereal, cake and cookies. Sounds pretty healthy to me.

You've left out the millions of people who are not celiac but just don't tolerate wheat well. There are lots of possible reasons for this, the short answer is our food supply is totally screwed up.

Nothing wrong with the occasional cookie but I've long abandoned the heavy on grains nutritional guidelines of the past. Keep up that research, you might learn that for many it isn't a trend but a realization that what we've been told (and sold) is not what's best for our bodies.

Nope.
I like bread.
I like a good sourdough, and rye, and pumpernickel.
I like biscuits, and dinner rolls, croissants and other baked goods.
Sure I don't eat a ton of them but a good bread is a simple pleasure in life.
Fresh baked bread smells divine - it's a gift from the Gods!
Some people NEED to not eat it - but if you're not sensitive to it - why not enjoy it?
I feel the same way about peanuts.
Some people can't have them - but I can - so I do.
In moderation (like everything else).

My youngest son has Celiac, so we eat a lot of gluten free. He is strictly GF. The other 4 people in our house are a mix. Dinner is always GF--that way I only have to make 1 dinner. If you eat foods that are naturally GF (fruits/veggies/meat), it's a very healthy diet. It's easy to substitute small things to make a recipe GF--I make the same meatballs, but use GF breadcrumbs. For sweet stuff, it's all GF---cookies, brownies, cakes. I don't think it's any more or less healthy. We get plenty of protein from other places.

My other children take regular stuff for school lunch (regular bread for sandwiches, goldfish, etc).

I hate that it's a 'trend' because I feel people roll their eyes every time I say "gluten free".

I think it's just a trend. As with all the other food trends that have come about in the last 20 years, I don't think that removing a particular food/ingredient from your diet is the answer to better health. I think eating a balanced diet and paying attention to what you eat is most important. Obviously, fruits and veggies, meats and other non-processed foods are better, but that doesn't mean that eating a product with gluten is automatically bad. It just isn't as healthy and shouldn't be the primary staple of your diet.

For those who truly have Celiac Disease or other genuine problems processing gluten, I would say the trend probably has a mixed feeling of whether it's good or not. On the negative side, people don't really understand those that HAVE to be gluten free, and often think they are just being trendy or dieting. However, on the positive side, the trend has led to grocery stores and restaurants having a LOT more gluten-free products available. So at least the trend is helping to provide more options for those who truly cannot eat gluten.

On a personal note, I have found the gluten free trend to be very frustrating. My son has other food allergies (with dairy being the hardest to manage) and as soon as I start to talk to a waiter about allergies, they start telling me all about their gluten free menu. They don't even give me a chance sometimes to tell what allergies my son actually has. So the trend has made people blind to other allergies in some cases. So many times they try to give my son their gluten free hamburger bun when the regular bun would be just fine, and honestly, the gluten free buns just don't taste as good most of the time, so then he doesn't end up liking his food.

I did gluten free for a while because I found that by cutting out gluten it made me rethink what I was eating. So easy to reach for bread, crackers, etc instead of cut up veggies or a container of yogurt. It really helped me get back on track to healthy eating. I've since added back in gluten (because I didn't see a health reason not to) but I still find myself not reaching for crackers or cookies for quick snacks because I got out of that habit.

I do not have GI issues, so I see no reason to take out a foods that can be a major source of nutrition.

I have heard of people who have not been diagnosed with celiac, but who have ongoing GI issues who have been helped by eliminating gluten. Some hypothesize that it might not be the gluten per se, but something that is often present with gluten (eg, the pesticides that are used on wheat before harvest). I do not discount anything that makes someone feel better. But since I'm not in their shoes, I don't feel compelled to take it out of my diet.

IMO unless you have Celiacs there is no reason to go gluten free unless you are just trying to be trendy.

An in-law of my sisters has Celiac disease. She takes it very seriously. In her case, she's been doing it long before the fad. It made a world of difference to her of course. She is very knowledgeable about it. She is also a nurse. Now she prepares regular food for the rest of her family. So I would think if it was something that would benefit the others, she would serve it to them.

I do believe some do have Celiac disease. For all others, it's just a fad. Just my opinion.

I have a niece with Celiac. My husband and I make just about everything we eat, grow it if possible. So when I was bringing pasta as a side for Christmas I did the research to find good, healthy, great tasting, doesn't fall apart in the water fresh gluten free pasta and brought that for her.

I have one of those sister in laws. Ya know, the self centered look at me, aren't I wonderful, everything about me people? She decided to sort of, when it suits her, go gluten free. She took my niece's dinner!! She is like, just half. Huh? no, none! You don't need it. Thankfully I made tons so if she liked it she had it frozen for when her family makes pasta. She loved it by the way. :) Anyway, that sister in law is now the face of the person who chooses to go gluten free so yeah, it feels like a fad to me.

Having said all this our country eats way too many carbs. Just cutting out the excess will make you feel better. It isn't the gluten, it is the everything.

My brother went gluten free although he had no known allergy to gluten. After about 10 years of being on blood pressure meds he was able to go off the BP meds with his doctor's approval. His BP is now completely normal. Who knew your BP could be effected by gluten.

the gluten-free craze is very strange to me. some people actually do have celiac, and for them it's great that gluten-free is suddenly everywhere, but judging from the hype you'd think we have a sudden epidemic of celiac disease.
i've asked a few folks who were talking about it and it seems as if there are a lot of misinformed folks who actually think that going gluten-free will help them lose weight.
it's a puzzling world.
ETA, well, whaddya know!? thanks, JB!
awfully glad posts haven't been pulled for 'redundancy'. i learned something valuable today!
:)
khairete
S.

No. I do believe that there are people who have issues with gluten but regular people should eat a well balanced meal of all food groups. I think that focusing on one or two groups isn't healthy for anyone.

I don't get rid of carbs very easily. If I eat a meal high in carbs I still feel full hours and hours later, maybe even the rest of the day. If I eat a meal with minimal carbs I process it fine and get hungry again that day.

So if I eat less carbs I feel better. I don't propose everyone eat lower carbs but I do think if others feel better after not eating them then they need to eat what makes them feel better.

I know that there are people who absolutely must avoid it for medical reasons. I, however, don't have any medical reasons to do so, so I don't avoid it. I have tried some gluten-free products just because I couldn't find the regular version (not gluten-free). It tasted like cardboard (it was oatmeal). Suffice it to say, I won't be going gluten-free anytime soon.

It does seem like so many people are doing it and they say there are a lot of benefits, like some of the other moms listed below. I can't do it - I LOVE a good bread, potatoes, etc. I don't have celiac disease, so there is no reason for me to avoid it.

We do try to eat less processed food at home, but sometimes it is what it is. This is like any other diet, craze, way to eat, etc. If it works for you, great, if not, cool.

My husband's ex insisted that their daughter eat gluten free because it helped with her autism. It didn't. So, no.

Gluten doesn't contain a protein, it IS a protein.
And unless you have celiac disease, there is no reason to avoid it.