Is Gluten free worth it?
Unless you have an allergy to gluten or a reaction of some kind, no it's not worth it. It's an expensive fad. A fad that actually isn't good for you.
I'm in my mid-50s and I can tell you that my joints feel much better and I'm far less bloated when I avoid gluten. There's excellent gluten free pasta now (barilla make a very good one that most grocery stores carry) but so far I haven't found any bread that comes close. It's the gluten in wheat that makes bread so yummy.
For celiacs, and those with a true gluten allergy, I would assume so.
If you have a choice, you're lucky. A friend's husband has celiac and he was very gravely ill before being diagnosed some years back (it took a long time to diagnose him right, because this was before gluten-free was trendy and before doctors were looking as hard for celiac as they do now). He now realizes that many decades ago, when he was a kid, his mother's death was probably caused by undiagnosed and untreated celiac disease, because now he knows the symptoms..
Gluten free for weight loss etc. is just fine but for people with celiac, it's a matter not just of health but possibly of life and death. So yeah for them it's beyond "worth it."
Sorry, I know the question is probably related to going gluten-free when one does not have celiac and is just wondering if it's healthier. If you have issues with gluten or sensitivities, or if it keeps you from overeating carbs and means you eat more veg and protein, I'm sure it works. If you have no issue with gluten per se, I would think that tossing it out of your daily diet might or might not help.
If you are allergic to it then yes.
If you are not allergic to it then no.
I don't think it's a bad thing to reduce gluten intake but to go completely gluten free is rather difficult. I would only do it if medically necessary.
All things in moderation!
well, not for me.
but i don't have celiac disease.
it seems to be gaining a wide and puzzling popularity as simply a healthy, or even more puzzling, weight-loss diet.
khairete
S.
Gluten is made from wheat and wheat has been modified over the years to be resistant to pests and other crop destroyers. It is no surprise that our bodies have difficulty digesting wheat. I believe that wheat produced 75 years ago would not cause the issues that it causes today. All these genetic modifications to make produce more productive and resistant to drought, pests, hail, etc. have an effect on how our bodies digest it.
The reason it seems like a fad is because we hear about it more and more and no one remembers these issues when we were kids. That is because it continues to get worse as we continue ue to make these modifications. It's not a fad. It's science.
With all of that I will answer the original question and state that I feel better now that I have cut gluten out of my diet. I wasn't all that sensitive before but I was becoming increasingly more sluggish and gaining weight. Now that I am eating cleaner I feel better. (Shocker, right?) I have cut out processed foods and sugars. So if you plan to cut out gluten and processed foods I would tell you to go for it. If you have no current issues with gluten, even replacing your bread with spouted grain bread and your pasta with brown rice pasta is a health step in the right direction.
Good luck and hope you find the answer that works for you.
Since I am not a celiac, I love my gluten. In fact, my whole families loves their carbs of various sorts, and as a vegetarian, I couldn't imagine my life without gluten. So no, it wouldn't be worth it to me. Grains are a very important part of my diet, as are beans,veggies, fruit and dairy.
I have a friend that gets sick for days if one of her kids even kisses her after eating gluten however.
I honestly don't follow fads, especially concerning my diet. Remember when they said fat was bad for you? As it turns out, there is no evidence supporting this!! Everything in a gluttonous manner is bad for you, but our bodies need lots of different sources of nutrition. I don't believe in cutting any out unless there is an allergy.
Unless you have an intolerance for gluten, a moderate amount of naturally occurring gluten in healthy, organic, whole grain food is not harmful at all. It IS not good to eat more grains than veggies and fruit though. Most people are suffering from excessive unhealthy carbs, not just gluten. I would focus on limiting gluten by sticking to a healthy diet that is not primarily carbs, and take it from there. A great ratio is 75% raw, fresh vegetables and fruit with 25 % combining proteins, carbs, and cooked veggies. With this ratio, all your systems will improve, and you will not be getting excessive gluten.
Yes! I am mostly grain free now, although I eat the occasional helping of rice. I feel tons better and have been able to get rid of the sugar highs and lows, brain fog, cravings for sweets and the nausea I started to feel after eating carbs. My energy is much better too. If I do eat grain, I feel sluggish and slow for a few days. I'm currently trying to get the whole family on this eating plan and so far so good. The kids don't seem to mind cutting back on wheat and other grains. We eat a ton more veggies now too. We bake our own goodies with almond flour and coconut flour, so we don't have to pay for the pricy gluten-free baked goods that don't taste very good anyway. I've been baking a batch of muffins and cookies each weekend to put in their lunches and make them feel like they are getting "bread". Anyway, I feel better than ever physically and mentally. My food bill is the same as before.
It is if gluten makes you incredibly sick, like my son's girlfriend, she has a true intolerance.
yes - not for weight loss but for quality of life.
Depends on why you aren't eating gluten. I stopped because I found that I was grabbing unhealthy things like crackers and cookies all the time. I decided to go gluten free which made me rethink what I was eating. Instead of grabbing crackers I grab an apple. Instead of cooking it's carrot sticks. I don't eat bread or pasta at all and I don't miss it. Add in that healthier eating equaled less calories so I've lost a bit of weight in the process.
That would depend on the cost. When I eat it, I experience sharp pains, achy joints, lethargy, constipation, bloating, painful sex, weight gain, depression.... NO fun at all. When I go for months without gluten, only then can I enjoy a piece of cake or a cookie or a slice of pizza on thin crust or a glorious donut, with no obvious problems. I cannot eat my favorite--oat bran muffins--at all. I have to use gluten-free oats because regular oats make me bleed, but there is no gluten-free bran. OMG, I simply cannot resist the occasional hot buttered bread/biscuit.
Some gluten products affect me worse than others. Whole wheat flour is worse for me than bleached flour. Go figure.
Whether or not you have any level of sensitivity, only YOU can determine what it's worth to you to research and steer clear of it. I grew up with other dietary restrictions, so I am no stranger to asking specifics about the menu or providing my own dishes. For some people, inquiring about the menu feels rude and uncomfortable, or they are conscientious about taking "too long" to place an order. Yeah, I don't care about any of that. The way I see it--even with NO restrictions, I have a right to know what I'm consuming.
To answer your question, it is to me.
If it stops your constantly achy stomach and stomach issues then yes. If you have Crones then yes for sure!!
If you start cutting it out and you can think clearer and better...then yes.
If you cut it out and see no difference whatsoever then...no.
For many people who aren't even celiac it seems to be. People can be gluton intolerant vs allergic. I know many people who cut it out and feel better, lost weight, skin cleared up, headaches stopped etc. But of course many people can eat it no problem. So no one answer except for people with celiac.
Unless you have been specifically diagnosed with an allergy to gluten or have a specific related medical condition, I think it is just another "trend" for people to jump on and follow. I think we have become conditioned to believe every new trend that comes out. I think you should definitely adjust your diet appropriately in discussion with your doctor, based on your health situation, but you have alot of people jumping on the band wagon because it's trendy to say, "I only eat Gluten-Free."
Is it for medical reason? Then yes. For better health, well then really look into it. I limit gluten, but I didn't eliminate it all together. There are 2 sides to this, you have to look at what you want for you and your future and go with it.
Do some more research, learn some gluten free recipes and give it a try. You may find you like it just because you like it. Have fun!
Absolutely NOT!!! Unless, you are sick, throwing up all the time, and the doctor tells you to. I am GF because it was the only thing that we hadn't tried yet, and the gastroenterologist told me to try it. I did. I feel great. But, if I wasn't Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerant (look it up, its a real thing) then I would be eating my bread, crackers, whole wheat stuff. It is not healthy for you if you can tolerate the wheat. So many of our foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals that are no longer available to those of us that are GF that we have to make sure we get enough of everything else. It needs to be done under a doctor's supervision, with blood tests and nutrition tests, etc. There are a lot of long term risks and side effects that can go with being GF. But, for those of us who truly cannot tolerate it, or who are actually allergic, then it is a necessity.
Talk to your doctor if you are thinking of going GF so that they can do the appropriate tests to make sure it is what is best for you. I have lost weight, and do feel a whole lot better, but a lot of that is because I am no longer poisoning my body with something it can't digest.
