Talk to me about gluten page

[jammies]

I'm embarrassed to admit this. I've been primal for over a year and half and have had great success. But I still eat wheat probably once per week.

I'm looking to improve my health and energy even more and I'm wondering if the once a week wheat is a real problem. I do have autoimmune arthritis and lots of things provoke it, but I've never noticed a direct correlation between wheat and inflammation in the joint. I like my laid back version of primal, but I'm wondering if there is any truth to all the hype about wheat causing inflammation for weeks at time?

Anyone have any experiences to share or convincing data?

Thanks!!!

[dbalch]

Probably not going to kill you. My problem with gluten is not that it's a non optimal food, just that it's SO addictive. As a personal thing, the "every now and then" approach doesn't work. Like sugar and coffee, if you go cold turkey, you will lose the taste for it. Other things will start tasting better. That's because sugar, coffee and gluten have been crowding them out. That's why they are addictive. Remember, gluten in the the form of bread is just another form of sugar. So, when you want bread or cake, it's the sugar talking, not you. Eliminate it completely and you eliminate the desire. That's been my experience.

But if that's not a problem for you and you can eat these foods infrequently, I doubt it's going to have severe ramifications on your health.

[RitaRose]

In my experience, gluten didn't seem to be a big deal until I stopped eating it. I had probably gone 3 or 4 weeks without it and figured I had been good, so why not. Swelled up like a balloon and suddenly had a huge pack of barking spiders sleeping with me all night. Didn't make me real popular with The Boyfriend.

The longer I go without eating it, the less the more obvious side effects are, but they still sneak up on me if I have it for more than one or two meals. I get kind of emotional, almost like PMS, and I have trouble resisting other crap I shouldn't be eating.

I would definitely try to go completely without gluten. It also inhibits absorption of certain nutrients (I think calcium is one), so some of what it does isn't even obvious.

[jammies]

I suddenly had a huge pack of barking spiders sleeping with me all night.

Even with my highly overactive imagination, I can't quite picture what this means

[lssanjose]

I thought I could go with wheat, via the holy bread, at church. Sooner, or later, I found out otherwise: my skin issues would creep up. I thought I was talking out of my arse, telling my sister I was gluten sensitive, until I found out one of the owners of a coffee shop would get rashes all over his skin whenever he ate it.

[fiercehunter]

I've cheated with wheat semi regularly since 2008, it's bad news. You want to reduce it to monthly at most or even try to eliminate it altogether. Wheat is addictive and you will always want it if you keep eating it.

[jammies]

I don't really crave wheat - I don't think. I do crave sugar. I just eat wheat because it is fricking everywhere and once a week or so I want to eat without worrying about it. Or because I really want to try some new food.....peking duck in buns, Kouign-Amann, a famous bakery. I like to be relaxed.

Maybe it's time to get strict.

[RitaRose]

Even with my highly overactive imagination, I can't quite picture what this means

Barking spiders are farts.

Except for my boyfriend. He gets followed around by quacking ducks.

[marcadav]

Jammies,
I have severe, bone on bone osteoarthritis and hypothyroidism. I also have issues with diarrhea that I always thought were due to not having a gallbladder.

After giving up wheat for a few weeks in 2009 I saw huge improvement in not only the pain but the swelling in my knee and fingers. A few months later I noticed my bouts of diarrhea had lessened.

However I love pizza and while I'll eat zucchini crust pizza most of the time, I still want the real thing every so often. The problem is, eating the real thing brings back swollen/painful joints and diarrhea. Those symptoms last for 3-7 days.

A few weeks ago I deliberately ate sourdough bread 2 days in a row to see if I would have a reaction--I never eat bread. I did not leave my house for 4 days as I needed to be close to the bathroom. The swollen nodules are still noticeable on my fingers.

[jammies]

Jammies,
I have severe, bone on bone osteoarthritis and hypothyroidism. I also have issues with diarrhea that I always thought were due to not having a gallbladder.

After giving up wheat for a few weeks in 2009 I saw huge improvement in not only the pain but the swelling in my knee and fingers. A few months later I noticed my bouts of diarrhea had lessened.

However I love pizza and while I'll eat zucchini crust pizza most of the time, I still want the real thing every so often. The problem is, eating the real thing brings back swollen/painful joints and diarrhea. Those symptoms last for 3-7 days.

A few weeks ago I deliberately ate sourdough bread 2 days in a row to see if I would have a reaction--I never eat bread. I did not leave my house for 4 days as I needed to be close to the bathroom. The swollen nodules are still noticeable on my fingers.

Thanks for sharing this. So if your symptoms last 3-7 days and I am eating it 1-2 times per week then I would pretty much never have the inflammation completely gone Damn.