so i go gluten free?

[jojo18]

jumpin, im from western NY, the land of the buffalo wing. and real ones have no breading. just chicken and sauce

[maitrimama]

I read an interesting article on TIME.com that says that going gluten free should be for individuals that have a gluten intolerence, sensitivity or allergy. That for all others gluten free diets can actually have a negative effect. More and more info and research is coming out all the time.

[Sequoia]

Originally Posted by maitrimama

I read an interesting article on TIME.com that says that going gluten free should be for individuals that have a gluten intolerence, sensitivity or allergy. That for all others gluten free diets can actually have a negative effect. More and more info and research is coming out all the time.

This is the article you mentioned. It doesn't say anything about gluten free diets actually having a negative effect, other than that they could possibly lead to a deficiency in fiber (which is easily gotten around with gluten free grains, vegetables and fruits, etc.).

[url]http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/21/all-hype-gluten-free-diets-may-not-help-many/[/url]

Personally, I agree that many people who are currently going gluten free because of all the media coverage probably don't need to. But there is another category of individuals, beyond those with celiac disease or gluten allergies/sensitivity, who may benefit from eliminating gluten. That would be people with diseases--such as MS--in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body.

For more information on the protein mimicry theory, check out the Multiple Sclerosis Research Centre (UK) website:

[url]http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseaction/show/pageid/3310[/url]

or Direct-MS:

[url]http://www.direct-ms.org/recommendations.html[/url] (link also in [B]Tara[/B]'s Profile)

[maitrimama]

Sequoia - I agree that the fiber issue is relatively easy to get around. I guess the other issue I have is the glut of gluten free products that have flooded the market. Many of them are gf but loaded with everything but the kitchen sink, how can that be healthy? Half the things I can't pronounce and the other half are GMO. I just can't help thinking that people are being given false hope.

[Sequoia]

Originally Posted by maitrimama

Sequoia - I agree that the fiber issue is relatively easy to get around. I guess the other issue I have is the glut of gluten free products that have flooded the market. Many of them are gf but loaded with everything but the kitchen sink, how can that be healthy? Half the things I can't pronounce and the other half are GMO. I just can't help thinking that people are being given false hope.

Fortunately, it's quite possible to follow a gluten free diet without buying/using any processed GF items at all, or very few. I do it myself, with fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and a modest amount of legumes. If I weren't a committed vegan, I'd replace the legumes with chicken and fish.

[jumpinjiminy]

Originally Posted by maitrimama

Sequoia - I agree that the fiber issue is relatively easy to get around. I guess the other issue I have is the glut of gluten free products that have flooded the market. Many of them are gf but loaded with everything but the kitchen sink, how can that be healthy? Half the things I can't pronounce and the other half are GMO. I just can't help thinking that people are being given false hope.

There are definitely junk GF products out there. It gives a person an idea of which companies are in it for the money, and which companies are in it to promote better health. Just like with everything else on the grocery store shelves, learning how to read labels is essential. There are definitely players working to capitalize on uninformed and/or rushed consumers.

[maitrimama]

When my 15 yr old was diagnosed with Celiac's and IBD one of the best pieces of advice her treatment team gave us was that the fewer the number of ingredients in a product the better. Simple is good.

[Tinkerbell65]

maitrimama- I'm with you- if I can't pronounce it and/or don't recognize it, I don't eat it anymore :-) I do experiment with some gf free products- pasta, flour etc. to find the ones I like. While there is certainly a segment out there that takes advantage of people, there are also plenty of people who choose not to educate themselves.