gluten free-ers

The following is just my take on gluten and what I noticed after elimination:

I can eat gluten freely without any bowel problems, but I choose not to because of what the current science says about modern wheat. I will, however, get headaches after attempting to eat wheat again these days.

Of course, this doesn't mean I'll omit the occasional pizza or hamburger. Mr.T would certainly be pissed if I didn't indulge in the half-pepperoni, half sausage pizza he ordered for the second half of the game.

I do get better mental clarity and am able to perform tasks more efficiency by eliminating it. That's good enough reason to keep it out of my regular diet.

I suspect it has something to do with the gluteomorphin peptides in gliadin. I do think it's something we get "addicted" to and have to wean off.

Best.

I don't believe that gluten is bad for everyone, including healthy people or UC people. I don't doubt that certain people probably do need to go gluten free. I think you are probably correct that in you going gluten free has possibly helped in some areas but has not helped with your UC at all. People shouldn't think or expect or be convinced by others that going gluten free is the end all cure for everything. Many can eat gluten with no problems. I actually find it quite amusing that there is this cult who believe that eating something which is actually healthy is actually unhealthy. I can understand burgers and fries and other junk foods and even pesticide laced fruits and vegetables but I could never truly understand the anti-gluten craze.

If I ate a roll at a restaurant I'd have diarrhea for 2-3 days following. It was quite a shock the first time that happened to me (accidental exposure).

"I actually find it quite amusing that there is this cult who believe that eating something which is actually healthy is actually unhealthy. "


I don't have time to research it right now gary, but could you explain the health benefits of gluten please ?

I went gluten-free in the early nineties. I was very very strict about my diet until 2009.
Since childhood, I'd lived with eczema, year round hayfever, asthma, allergies, canker sores, distended belly, very skinny, dark circles under my eyes. At age 14 I started exercising a LOT and some of my symptoms got better but I developed painful varicose veins.

When I went GF, it was for a different reason that ended up not being related to GF. BUT all those childhood symptoms, including the varicose veins, cleared up after about 3 years of being GF. My skin got very clear and overall, my health improved. I credited being GF for my youthful appearance.

Before going GF, I would eat anything I wanted and wheat never seemed to bother me. I never correlated all my miserable childhood symptoms to wheat or any other food. Also, I never knew that I had UC, as far as I could tell.

Fast forward to 2009...

I started eating barbecued pork from a nearby deli. I forgot to read the label and ASSUMED that meat was wheat free. It wasn't. It had soy sauce, which is made with wheat. I ate very small amounts, approximately twice a week. Initially, I got a sore throat. It was canker sores. Then I got fatter, started getting gassy. A bit of dandruff, then eczema on my hands and behind one knee. Then during the spring, eczema all over. At some point I got blood in my stool. But during this whole time, it never occurred to me that wheat was the problem because I didn't know I was eating wheat.

Finally I read the label. By this time, quitting wheat was not enough. Cheese had to go too. Getting rid of dairy got rid of some of my rashes but the damage to my intestine was done.

BUT, since there was no pain, or change in my bowel movements, I didn't mind the fact that there was a bit of blood in the toilet each time. I just ignored it for about 2 more years, then I went into a flare. I got better, but a few months later, I flared again and ended up in the hospital where I was diagnosed with UC.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that wheat is not a very straight forward process. It takes a long time for the gut to heal as well as the immune system to stop "acting up". During that time, you will have reactions to other peptides which would otherwise, not really bother you. Your flora will also have changed.

I would recommend that people go GLUTEN and CASEIN free for a few years. Yogurt seems to be okay and even milk, but cheese is a problem. After a few years, try gluten again and see if there is a reaction. You'll know then.

Guardian7 said...
Hey CoastalChris -

Dr.Alessio Fasano is actually affiliated with MassGeneral Children's Hospital In Massachusetts...

Ha!!

No one can accuse me of letting facts get in the way of me telling my own version of the truth!!!

I know I've said this before a couple of times but some just refuse to listen to the facts. It has been proven that many UC'rs are low on the digestive enzyme Diamine Oxidase, which helps neutralize excess dietary histamines. If you eat foods high in histamine you will in effect suffer a histamine overdose which will dramatically increase UC symptoms. I didn't make that up. There's multiple sources of proof readily available (i'm not going to post any links because the information is easily found for whoever really wants to find it, it's not hidden). In any event, many foods that contain gluten are actually high is histamines so many who want to blame the gluten may actually be blaming the wrong thing. Rolls in restaurants have both gluten and yeast in them. Yeast is high in histamine and high yeast products would do me in too if I didn't take the digestive enzyme DAO before meals. Same thing with Pizza. I do believe that some need to go gluten free but many others, even if eliminating gluten has helped them, are actually blaming the gluten when it was the histamine that was really the problem. By eliminating the glutens they have actually also eliminated the histamines at the same time, giving them the false belief of what was actually the problem. Unless you have celiac there is absolutely no proof that gluten is bad for anyone but there is proof everywhere that many UC'rs have a DAO and histamine intolerance problem.

The data and studies on gluten already exist and have existed for quite some time now. The emerging studies now also apply to those without celiac disease, making the case that modern wheat should not be in the food pyramid. I receive updates from those running the trials and every single month there's a new study out on modern wheat. Whether it's the lectins or the gluten is another matter to discuss, but I think we'll find out in the next 4-5 years. I'd be happy to post some of those studies if people want me to.

I think it's pretty clear cut now, IMO and the studies show that gluten elimination or switching to the ancient einkorn variety reduces the common inflammatory markers - CRP, IL6, etc. It also alleviates IBS symptoms, which everyone now knows is a major component of IBD. It's a no brainer that someone with gastrointesntinal distress should eliminate it. It's probably the first thing our GIs should suggest, but people would rather take sleeping pills and anti-depressants.

I defended wheat for the longest time on these forums, but I can't make the case for it now. It's only viable when someone is seriously ill or deficient in copper.

Guardian7 said...
I think it's pretty clear cut now, IMO

That's exactly my point. It is just your "IMO". The only evidence available is just for those who are already opinionated. No real proof except to those who want to form their own conclusions. I have nothing wrong with people forming their own opinions on facts just as long as they don't present this as evidence for everyone.

how long did you try gluten free, journey?

q

Gluten is a bad boy. You have to know THIS:

Scientist crossed several varieties of wheat to obtain one that is productive, resistant, and tasty. So this crossing mixed different wheat genes, BUT it also creates NEW genes, which scientists were not expecting...

Scientists themselves don't know what troubles can cause those new created genes ! (what a fabulous world the agro industry is..)

So the best thing to do is avoid (stop) gluten based food, or at least try to find old varieties of wheat to cook your own foods (good luck).

EVEN worse, scientist are now trying to do the same crossings with RICE to obtain a new crapty rice !!
But it's a different story because genetics of rice is more complex than wheat ones (hopefully).
Let's hope they didn't achieve their goal.

The science is already in grain brain and wheat belly. All the clinical trials and studies are provided.

1) This recent one changed my position on modern wheat. If one goes through my post history last year, I did not believe in non-celiac gluten sensitivity and told people not to avoid wheat products.

Note the low p-value. It is not a fluke.

Interestingly, the inflammatory profile showed a significant reduction in the circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-17, interferon-γ, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor after the intervention period with ancient wheat products, but not after the control period. In conclusion, significant improvements in both IBS symptoms and the inflammatory profile were reported after the ingestion of ancient wheat products.

2) This one about gluten causing depression via gut permeability was in the press recently.

Such findings might explain why patients with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity feel better on a gluten-free diet despite the continuation of gastrointestinal symptoms.