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Is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot of people allergic to gluten these days? I remember growing up and I can only think of one person when I was in HS that was allergic and we all thought it was weird and never heard of it.
Now years later seems like one out of every 5 people i talk to are allergic. One even told me should could die.
Technically most of the people with gluten problems have a sensitivity, not an allergy (my friend, who has Celiac, tells me they are different things). However I do think that a lot of the time it isn't diagnosed because the symptoms can vary. I had a co-worker who had nearly daily migraines for 30 years until she cut carbs for one of those special diets, and then when the pain stopped she determined it was the gluten.
For myself, I was foggy-headed for over ten years. I tried exercising, eating healthy, cutting sugar, regular sleep, and I would still be a bit foggy at times. I'd gotten used to it until I cut gluten out of my diet and suddenly I noticed a huge difference. I've tried gluten a few times since and it makes me tired and sleepy, like how I used to be.
My friend with the Celiac was told by her doctor that likely her other family members have sensitivities, too, but their symptoms aren't enough to make them switch their diet yet. I don't know if it would get worse over time or not.
It can be an allergy. Many people are allergic to milk products (glutten). It is estimated, in a story I read awhile back, that there are about 28 million people effected by glutten products in the US.
It has only been in recent years that doctors, allergists, ent's have discovered the effects of glutten in one's diet. It use to be everything was lumped into one category and they prescribed either a shot or drugs. Now they have discovered other remedies by changing your habits or diets.
I suffered with allergic problems for over 40 years, saw 8 different allergists, 3 ent's and all they did was the same thing, prick my back, find very few local plant allergies and give me a prescription of prednisone that did work for about 3 weeks and then back to the same old problems again.
Then a few years ago I was referred to a holistic allergist and he found that I was allergic to all milk products and suggested a glutten free diet. I immediately started on the diet and voila', within 5 days I was feeling 100% better. Now I buy only glutten free foods. No more medicines.
There is even glutten free beer if you so desire to imbibe. It's very good. I use to drink, on an occassion, regular beer and the doc said that the wheat in them was giving me allergenic problems and he reccomended the glutten free beer.
I have Celiac Disease and there is nothing "trendy" about it. It can be deadly and is often debilitating. It is an auto immune disease that can severely damage the lining of the small intestine resulting in mal-absorption of vitamins and minerals thus resulting in anemia, low thyroid, low bone density and all kinds of physical issues including a propensity for irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and certain kinds of cancers. The stomach lining will eventually heal (taking as long as 8 years to heal) once the ingestion of gluten stops. Even a couple bites of food containing wheat, rye or barley can result in damage that will take years to heal. Children with celiac are especially vulnerable to long lasting health and growth issues.
Some recent studies have surmised that all those with Celiac began as gluten sensitive and progressed (untreated for years) to Celiac Disease (which is not curable, only manageable) .
There is a very simple explanation for the boom in diagnosed wheat allergy, sensitivity and Celiac : More Doctors are finally recognizing the symptoms and are testing. The symptoms of wheat allergy, sensitivity and Celiac have been around for years but increased testing and recognition of symptoms by phyiscians is relatively new. I suffered for years with Celiac sypmtoms but went undiagnosed until 2 1/2 years ago.
My Harvard educated doctor could not figure out what was wrong with me and ordered a battery of tests over a 6 month period. She diagnosed me with shingles which I did not have. I was severely vitamin deficient and terribly anemic and had debilitating stomach pain. My vitamin D level was almost non-existent and my once perfect bone scans were borderline normal for 2 years in a row. Still she never suspected Celiac. She finally sent me to a gastro doctor whose nurse practitioner took my medical history and then declared that I had all the symptoms of Celiac. I was tested that day, retested by a differnt lab and eventually had a biopsy and more blood tests which confirmed the nurse's diagnosis.
I know someone with Hashimoto's that was tested and found to be allergic. She opted out of the invasive tissue removal type test and had blood tested only. She was found to be highly sensitive to gluten, corn and soy. *Strange how all three are huge genetically modified foods. Could be purely coincidental that these particular grains are now massively produced as genetically modified and contained in just about everything. GMO corn contains something called bt. The strain produces its own pesticide. Causes holes in the stomachs of bugs when eaten. How are some allergies caused? Leaky gut? I have read that not too many humans can completely digest gluten so I guess it just sits there and becomes putrid. Not sure. Anything that stays in your stomach, digestive tract, stomach LINING for too long is going to cause alot of inflammation. Inflammation that can one day start up cancer. You may feel fine, only a little bloated, or gassy for a time. But that inflammation is KILLER. To organs, tissues, arteries, etc. There is NO added nutritional value to items made with these questionable foods. Harm has never been disproved. I believe our dietary choices is what is basically attacking our immune systems any more. Why buy, cook real food when there is a window I can get a bag of something from so much easier? Your health won't last for long without something breaking down. It does have limits.
Last edited by hellothereIN; 10-29-2013 at 12:56 PM..
Some people say they're allergic because it's trendy...my mom told me she couldn't eat an ear of corn because she was allergic to gluten. When I told her gluten was a protein found in flour, and if she was allergic to it she shouldn't have cake or cookies, she said maybe she had heard her doctor wrong. When I was growing up, my mom was "allergic" to all kinds of things and it changed depending on what she wanted at the tiem.
I had somebody order a cake from me (legal home bakery) and wanted it sugar-free and gluten-free. I turned down the order because I couldn't guarantee that there would be no traces of gluten, because I use the same mixer to prepare my bread. (besides, I hate icing a cake with sugar-free icing) Then they said they were just asking for gluten-free because it seemed to be a popular thing right now.
I really dislike people who blindly follow nutrition trends without trying to figure out if they're relevant. When someone says they have an allergy because that's trendy, that makes people take the allergy less seriously and that can be dangerous for the people who really have the allergy.
Some people say they're allergic because it's trendy...my mom told me she couldn't eat an ear of corn because she was allergic to gluten. When I told her gluten was a protein found in flour, and if she was allergic to it she shouldn't have cake or cookies, she said maybe she had heard her doctor wrong. When I was growing up, my mom was "allergic" to all kinds of things and it changed depending on what she wanted at the tiem.
I had somebody order a cake from me (legal home bakery) and wanted it sugar-free and gluten-free. I turned down the order because I couldn't guarantee that there would be no traces of gluten, because I use the same mixer to prepare my bread. (besides, I hate icing a cake with sugar-free icing) Then they said they were just asking for gluten-free because it seemed to be a popular thing right now.
I really dislike people who blindly follow nutrition trends without trying to figure out if they're relevant. When someone says they have an allergy because that's trendy, that makes people take the allergy less seriously and that can be dangerous for the people who really have the allergy.
Yet there are two million people in the U.S. that have Celiac disease (and many that have it but have never been tested) and probably several million that have verifiable gluten allergies. Citing your experience with 2 silly people does not make gluten-free eating a "trend."
Yet there are two million people in the U.S. that have Celiac disease (and many that have it but have never been tested) and probably several million that have verifiable gluten allergies. Citing your experience with 2 silly people does not make gluten-free eating a "trend."
Gluten-free eating is a trend for a lot of people. Ten years ago, the only people who talked about eating gluten-free were people with Celiac disease and people hoping that eating gluten-free would cure their autistic children. Now everybody has heard about eating gluten-free.
I could post a bunch more, I have been reading about this for years because it is especially relevant to bakers. If you read the article in the first link, it says that one out of every four adults in the US is trying to cut back on gluten. According to the Center for Celiac Disease and Treatment, six percent of the population have an actual gluten sensitivity. Center for Celiac Research & Treatment If 25 percent is cutting back on gluten but only 6 percent has the sensitivity, then the others are just following the crowd. If you aren't sensitive to gluten, then cutting out grains, especially whole grains, may not be a healthy choice.
Americans are especially prone to diet fads...low carb, fat-free, sugar-free, etc. We're sheep...we hear about something that works for some people and we all decide to try it. Then later on, we find out that we were really hurting our weight-loss chances or our health by blindly following trends that are not relevant to us as individuals. Look at the way that fat-free eating was so popular, and now they're saying that having some fat in the diet is healthy and helps people feel full longer.
For some people, eating gluten-free is an absolute necessity and not a trend. But other people are just doing it because it sounds good, or are blaming every little ache and pain on gluten (my mother falls into that category). Those people make it seem like a frivolous trend instead of the medical necessity that it is for some people.
Read my first post. You are totally missing the point. More and more people are being tested now and doctors are finally recognizing the symptoms of gluten intolerance and allergy and having those very specific tests run on more people. Thus many more people are being diagnosed with Celiac, gluten sensitivity and gluten allergy. Some athletes are finding that they perform better when they stay away from glutinous. Some people are trying gluten free diets to see if they will lose weight, feel better, sleep better, have less digestive issues. There is little that is "trendy " about it. Use your common sense on this one and stop drawing illogical and nonsensical conclusions.
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