The gluten witch hunt. page

[Zach]

The Gluten-Free Diet Craze – 180 Degree Health

Gluten Intolerance Part 1 - YouTube

Lets say that you cant comment unless you read the article and watch the series. Should take 20 minutes. Afterwords, lets hear what you think.

[WeldingHank]

I have come to the point that I don't care what ANYONE else says. Wheat/Gluten makes me feel like utter garbage if I have some now.

I can't stand it, and I will happily live without it. Gluten is EVERYWHERE, it sneaks in. And when it sneaks in on me, I can always tell from the gas/bloat/nasty burping immediately after consuming.

So, it may be safe, great. I don't want any, thanks.

[cori93437]

[Dirlot]

Even putting gluten aside wheat bran has been know to prevent iron absorption for over 40 years, and iron is essential for the body esp the blood, brain and heart.
Wheat fiber, phytates and iron a... [Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl. 1987] - PubMed - NCBI
Iron Absorption from Wheat Bread

[Kochin]

So his main points against gluten/grain free are:
1: "You're only losing weight because everything is so unappetizing, you're eating less kcals!"
-I sometimes eat less kcals than before, sometimes more. Now it's Winter I often to up to 3000kcal/day, FAR more than ever before and, shock and horror, I'm not putting on weight! Also, my favourite foods pre-Paleo were: blood sausage, lentils, spinach, bananas, chocolate and caffeinated drinks.

2: "It's hard to eat Paleo, because other people don't agree with you and won't accommodate your needs!"
-Hard? Yes. Impossible? No. Some may cave in to the odd pressure, some may be able to plan beforehand and avoid having to EVER touch SAD foods. Falling off the wagon doesn't mean leaving it forever. Also, peer-pressure is a stupid reason to tell people not to try something. "The bullies will just be awkward if you stand up to them, and everyone will take the bullies' side. Don't even bother!"

3: "If something is toxic to your body, then LEARN to eat it!"
-Considering how apparently "gluten tolerant" people DEVELOP coeliacs later in life, I'd be hesitant to suggest I could do something not even nature has a handle of.

4: "Gluteny foods are YUMMY! Who has the self-control to look after their health anyway?"
-You could say the same thing about exercise, kcal restriction, studying... "Even if exercising increases your life expectancy, it's so PAINFUL to exercise efficiently and so DULL once you're used to it. Besides, watching TV FEELS better!"

5: "Correlation equals causation! Doesn't matter that the people who eat grain and are healthy ingest fewer kcals in general, eat more fat and whole veg, exercise more, drink more water and eat less processed foods than in obesity-prone nations! The GRAIN is doing it and there's NO WAY someone doing the same thing WITHOUT grain can be healthy and there is NO WAY any of these people could be HEALTHIER! They're the pinnacle of humanity and it's down to GRAIN!"
-Need I explain the flaw?

His assumptions:
-People are gluten-tolerant, even when they show signs of inflammation, it's better to make them APPEAR to be gluten-tolerant by removing obvious symptoms. If the signs are few, it isn't hurting you!
-People have NO willpower or ability to plan ahead.
-EVERYBODY loves grain and can't go off it or stop craving it EVER.
-"Healthy" is the same as "full potential".
-Humans are made to eat EVERYTHING! If eating arsenic hurts you, OVERCOME IT! Arsenic isn't the problem, it's your pesky body!
-If people are healthy eating grains:
A, then ALL people are healthy eating grains.
and B, these grain-eaters couldn't POSSIBLY be healthier!

"One example would be the strong negative correlation between grain-based breakfast cereal consumption and obesity and diabetes. Breakfast cereal is indeed a strong protector against obesity, gluten and all." WTF?

[Graycat]

So, let's just say gluten is not at all harmful ....
Then back when I was eating my "healthy grains" those 35 extra fatty and flabby pounds sitting on my body, I was carrying around constantly must have existed only in my imagination. I'm not even going to bother mentioning the health issues I was having back then...

[Louisa655]

I've been primal for 6 months, or so, but 12 months prior to that, I stopped eating wheat and grains. I noticed that I would have terrible stomach cramps and bloating to the point where I looked as though I was 8 months pregnant -- it was embarrassing. So around December 2011, I went off all wheat and once in a while I'd break down and have a piece of bread with my white wine mussels and EVERY TIME, I would regret it -- deeply.

Since starting Primal, I've been quite strict with a 90/5% (estimation). Yesterday, I went to our Italian bakery to purchase some consumables for Christmas gifts for my non-paleo friends (I don't have one paleo friend yet). In any event, I got home, and I was putting these gift bags together, and I thought that I would have this 4-5 of these little twisted, dough things (they are hard and crunchy and great with soup or as an appetizer). Anyway, -- bam --- within :20 minutes, I couldn't stand up due to the cramping --- followed by extreme bloating (the pregnancy looks on a 49 year old -- attractive!).

And the sad thing is that I've likely had this bloating and cramping my whole life, but I just didn't equate that with wheat and grains. Sad? Yeah! Next week, my hubster and I leave on a wonderful, 8-day beach vacation and there's no way in hell one grain of wheat will pass through these lips --- I've worked hard to get this body bikini ready and I'm not about to let wheat ruin my look. Sounds like a vanity thing --- and it is! I don't know whether I would call this an "intolerance" or "allergy" or anything else. I just know that if I eat any type of wheat or grain (pasta etc), that I will turn into a pregnant looking buddah in about :20 minutes.

I'll also add that I do not crave breads nor pastas or wheat products at all. If I do decide to have a slice of pizza (which I haven't had in a year+, I'd have to be prepared to wear a moo moo (similar to the one that Bart Simpson's dad wore when he gained weight).

I love the primal lifestyle and my cooking and preparation of foods is very simple. I don't try to re-create breaded meats or pasta or make desserts. I cook some protein (fish/meat/eggs), and I pair that with 3 veggies and voila --- day to day, simple, healthy, tastefully prepared foods. If I'm feeling like a snack, I have 1/2 an avocado, some olives, and a slice or two of salami. I've given up dairy (except for a small amount of cream in my morning coffee). Lots of water, herbal teas and more water. Life is simple -- there's no boredom --- and there's no cravings. I think everything is going well and there's no way in hell you could pay me enough money to resume the SAD lifestyle -- EVER.

[Terry H]

No one is biting? Pun intended.

An open mind is like an open mouth

Made to be closed on something solid

(paraphrase) G.K. Chesterton

[cori93437]

No one is biting? Pun intended.

An open mind is like an open mouth

Made to be closed on something solid

(paraphrase) G.K. Chesterton

I read the article and watched part of the video... and found it to be a waste of my time, and not worth any real response.

Did you read that article?
The level it is written on is like High School newspaper Gangnam style.... "but cake so tastes good"
Seriously.

Nothing there to bite at all.

Except this:

"this isn’t going to be a technical post about immunoglobulins or whatever they call those things. Not even going to mention Th1 and Th2 responses. No antibodies, no autoimmunity, not even leaky gut. Rather, this is about looking at the big picture when it comes to the global “wheat hunt.” "

Which is what we AREN'T supposed to be talking about?!

IMO "the big picture when it comes to wheat" are all of those really shitty things he just listed.

I lived with serious autoimmune disease for 15 years, and my body became so wrecked form the continued ingestion of wheat that it developed a second autoimmune disease, before learning that being GF could solve my problems... so yeah, it's a bit of a sore subject.

[fiercehunter]

Some people must continue to represent....... you know, for things like mental illness..... which you invariably will eventually get from the pro-inflammatory effects of wheat. People with $ call it having a "bad day" or being a jerk..... and the have nots, well.....boo hoo for them.

We at some point must face the fact that there is no respect in this country for truth and almost no compassion either. Wheat is a poison; anyone with half a brain can figure that out for themselves.

Oh and also, duh, Matt Stone gained weight.