Gluten Free

[MsDarkstar]

My sister is trying to go gluten free & is trying to find restaurants that have some gluten free items on the menu. Forgive me if there's a thread already dedicated to this, I searched but couldn't find anything specific. She's tried the gluten free crust at Hideaway Pizza & liked it. Right now she's most interested in finding a place to have a burger with a gluten free bun. I told her if all else fails, have a place do a lettuce wrap burger.

Thanks!

[Urbanized]

Not to pry, but why is she trying to go gluten free? Because it's fashionable? The only reason a person would ever need to go gluten free is if they have Celiac disease, which affects less than 1% of the U.S. population, and possibly fewer than 0.1%.

Otherwise, there is no proven health benefit. Though there is some crossover, gluten-free is different from reducing simple carbohydrates, starches and refined foods, which DOES have health benefits for the 99+% of us who don't have Celiac.

The entire gluten-free "movement" is a food industry tactic designed to extract more money from upscale consumers, disguised as a healthy food movement. If she doesn't have the disorder that requires it, you would be doing her more of a favor - saving her tons of time, money and frustration - by getting her good info on how few people actually benefit from the gluten free fad (most of them food processors).

If she DOES have it, please disregard and wish her my best.

[Garin]

Not to pry, but why is she trying to go gluten free? Because it's fashionable? The only reason a person would ever need to go gluten free is if they have Celiac disease, which affects less than 1% of the U.S. population, and possibly fewer than 0.1%.

Otherwise, there is no proven health benefit. Though there is some crossover, gluten-free is different from reducing simple carbohydrates, starches and refined foods, which DOES have health benefits for the 99+% of us who don't have Celiac.

The entire gluten-free "movement" is a food industry tactic designed to extract more money from upscale consumers, disguised as a healthy food movement. If she doesn't have the disorder that requires it, you would be doing her more of a favor - saving her tons of time, money and frustration - by getting her good info on how few people actually benefit from the gluten free fad (most of them food processors).

If she DOES have it, please disregard and wish her my best.

It's recommended for arthritis also

[flintysooner]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...be-a-misnomer/

I totally eliminated wheat a few months ago expecting nothing but only to support my wife and a friend who both have serious reactions. I lost 25 lbs, reduced my blood pressure by 20 points, and generally felt much better. I personally know several other people who have had even better results. You couldn't pay me to get me back on wheat.

[mcca7596]

My girlfriend gets migraines from eating gluten; she doesn't avoid it to be trendy, but she also doesn't have Celiac disease.

[MsDarkstar]

She's trying to cut out gluten as an experiment of sorts. Here's the background: Several years ago she started having an allergic reaction to mushrooms. She's always had "environment" type allergies (dust, etc) but this was the first time she started having a reaction to any foods and she used to be able to eat mushrooms with no problem. Her reaction was uncontrollable sneezing followed by er...severe gastrointestinal distress (if you catch my drift). So, she cut mushrooms out of her diet altogether. About 2yrs ago, she had an emergency appendectomy & we have NO IDEA what the correlation is or if there is any, maybe it's just coincidence, but since that procedure her food allergies have expanded considerably. Now it's not just mushrooms, but unfortunately she's having trouble isolating all the items she's reacting to. For instance, she is having an allergic reaction to corn BUT can eat corn tortilla chips without issue. The mushroom reaction has gotten MUCH worse. She can't safely eat at places that aren't strict about using different utensils for handling mushrooms. For instance Chili's, she can't eat anything from there that comes in contact with their grill surface because they use cook mushrooms on it & it doesn't get cleaned before they cook other items on it. Same thing with their tongs; they sometimes use tongs on mushrooms, then on something else... even that little bit will cause a reaction. She's also reacting to other things but like I said, she can't isolate what they are. There's a burger place (I can't remember for sure which one...Tucker's maybe) that doesn't have mushrooms on their menu at all, but their hamburgers make her sick. All we can think is that maybe it's some kind of additive or seasoning in the meat.

Bottom line is, her food allergies are getting worse and she is experimenting with cutting out different things from her diet in order to hopefully determine what other things are causing these reactions. It was suggested to her by several people to try cutting out gluten, so she's trying that. She's not adhering to it 100% but she's trying. So far she's feeling better and has had fewer allergy attacks.

Trust me, this is NOT because gluten free is "fashionable" or any of that other stuff. She LOVES bread & pasta and all that other gluteny goodness and the thought of going without it forever makes her sad lol. She's just desperate to figure out what all is causing these reactions & is willing to cut out the gluten if it means she won't have a sneeze fit followed by severe stomach cramps & ahem, worse. Spending the night in the bathroom isn't a fun end to a nice meal.

[Rover]

Not to pry, but why is she trying to go gluten free? Because it's fashionable? The only reason a person would ever need to go gluten free is if they have Celiac disease, which affects less than 1% of the U.S. population, and possibly fewer than 0.1%.

Otherwise, there is no proven health benefit. Though there is some crossover, gluten-free is different from reducing simple carbohydrates, starches and refined foods, which DOES have health benefits for the 99+% of us who don't have Celiac.

The entire gluten-free "movement" is a food industry tactic designed to extract more money from upscale consumers, disguised as a healthy food movement. If she doesn't have the disorder that requires it, you would be doing her more of a favor - saving her tons of time, money and frustration - by getting her good info on how few people actually benefit from the gluten free fad (most of them food processors).

If she DOES have it, please disregard and wish her my best.

While some may do it as a fad, there are plenty of people who have sensitivities to gluten as there are sensitivities to other foods as well. Though you may be cynical, these sensitivities are real and not the result of some grand conspiracy.

And why would the food industry have a conspiracy to have you NOT eat something they produce and make good money doing it? LOL. Most eliminate the gluten and don't substitute for it anyway.

Btw, most alternatives like gluten free pasta, breads, pizza crusts, etc are high in calories, so be careful when substituting.

FYI, Moni's does a good job with gluten free pasta and pizza.

[betts]

Urbanized is basically right. There always seems to be a disease of the decade and currently it's celiac disease. Wheat can be a food allergen though so perhaps some of these people who say they have celiac disease are allergic to wheat. Skin testing can be done to prove wheat allergy. Technically you need a small bowel biopsy to make the diagnosis of celiac disease, although there are some specific supportive laboratory tests. Specific foods can trigger migraine, however, so products containing wheat could do so.

[betts]

She's trying to cut out gluten as an experiment of sorts. Here's the background: Several years ago she started having an allergic reaction to mushrooms. She's always had "environment" type allergies (dust, etc) but this was the first time she started having a reaction to any foods and she used to be able to eat mushrooms with no problem. Her reaction was uncontrollable sneezing followed by er...severe gastrointestinal distress (if you catch my drift). So, she cut mushrooms out of her diet altogether. About 2yrs ago, she had an emergency appendectomy & we have NO IDEA what the correlation is or if there is any, maybe it's just coincidence, but since that procedure her food allergies have expanded considerably. Now it's not just mushrooms, but unfortunately she's having trouble isolating all the items she's reacting to. For instance, she is having an allergic reaction to corn BUT can eat corn tortilla chips without issue. The mushroom reaction has gotten MUCH worse. She can't safely eat at places that aren't strict about using different utensils for handling mushrooms. For instance Chili's, she can't eat anything from there that comes in contact with their grill surface because they use cook mushrooms on it & it doesn't get cleaned before they cook other items on it. Same thing with their tongs; they sometimes use tongs on mushrooms, then on something else... even that little bit will cause a reaction. She's also reacting to other things but like I said, she can't isolate what they are. There's a burger place (I can't remember for sure which one...Tucker's maybe) that doesn't have mushrooms on their menu at all, but their hamburgers make her sick. All we can think is that maybe it's some kind of additive or seasoning in the meat.

Bottom line is, her food allergies are getting worse and she is experimenting with cutting out different things from her diet in order to hopefully determine what other things are causing these reactions. It was suggested to her by several people to try cutting out gluten, so she's trying that. She's not adhering to it 100% but she's trying. So far she's feeling better and has had fewer allergy attacks.

Trust me, this is NOT because gluten free is "fashionable" or any of that other stuff. She LOVES bread & pasta and all that other gluteny goodness and the thought of going without it forever makes her sad lol. She's just desperate to figure out what all is causing these reactions & is willing to cut out the gluten if it means she won't have a sneeze fit followed by severe stomach cramps & ahem, worse. Spending the night in the bathroom isn't a fun end to a nice meal.

Has she seen an allergist or gastroenterologist? It would be wise to learn precisely what she is allergic to. Also if she is having GI as opposed to respiratory side effects you probably need to make sure she doesn't have something like eosinophilic gastroenteritis, which is admittedly rare.

[Urbanized]

...And why would the food industry have a conspiracy to have you NOT eat something they produce and make good money doing it? LOL...

Because they can charge more, and people are buying. At the least it's largely unnecessary, at the worst it's profiteering, pure and simple. Regarding other posts, cutting out wheat and going gluten-free are NOT the same thing. I wholeheartedly agree that cutting out white flour and simple carbs is beneficial. But that is NOT the same as religiously avoiding gluten.

If you don't believe me believe the doctor posting in this thread.

Read this article from Psychology Today. Psychologists don't really have a dog in this fight: Gluten-Free: Fad, Friend, or Foe?" | Psychology Today

[MsDarkstar]

Has she seen an allergist or gastroenterologist? It would be wise to learn precisely what she is allergic to. Also if she is having GI as opposed to respiratory side effects you probably need to make sure she doesn't have something like eosinophilic gastroenteritis, which is admittedly rare.

She has gone in for allergy testing, yes. We always thought allergy testing was done via the pinpricks on the back, but her doctor sent her to an allergy clinic where they just drew blood & tested it. The tests were inconclusive for food allergies, including mushrooms, which she KNOWS is one of her triggers. She has asthma, but it's controlled & other than the uncontrollable sneezing that precedes the GI explosion she doesn't experience any other respiratory side effects. She hasn't seen a GI dr though, I don't think it's really occurred to any of us to go that route...duh! We've just been focusing on the allergy side of it! I'll discuss it with her. Ideally it would be nice if we had a family medical history to go off, but she was adopted so we have no way of knowing if any of this is hereditary.

[TAlan CB]

My sister is trying to go gluten free & is trying to find restaurants that have some gluten free items on the menu. Forgive me if there's a thread already dedicated to this, I searched but couldn't find anything specific. She's tried the gluten free crust at Hideaway Pizza & liked it. Right now she's most interested in finding a place to have a burger with a gluten free bun. I told her if all else fails, have a place do a lettuce wrap burger.

Thanks!

My son has Aspergers and we have witnessed a significant behavior improvement when gluten is elimanated from his diet. Since it is not an allergin for him, it is not a 'critical' criteria, but it does make a difference. We have a few options for burgers. One, the resturant chain RED ROBIN has gluten free options. Secondly, since it is the bread, we just cary gluten free buns (Udi's ) and replace the buns from burgers purchased at our favorite places - like 5 Guys. As a family we have began to go gluten free to support him and make it easier. When he is not around sometimes we will eat products that have gluten, surprising how bad it makes you fill.

[TAlan CB]

And how bad it 'feels' you up.

[flintysooner]

It isn't only gluten but wheat as discussed in the Scientific American article. I know several people who can ingest Einkorn wheat with no trouble at all but cannot tolerate any variety of modern wheat.

The MD community especially will be more adversary than friend. You'll end up in "the system" which is just a way of describing an endless round of doctors and tests and inconclusive results followed by dismissal of your symptoms as imaginary along with dismissal of you as a person. Might as well spare yourself and your loved ones some of that torture. And you have to be careful of allergy testing. I had my most violent Anaphylactic reaction at a clinic in Dallas and they were not exactly the best at dealing with it.

Best thing to do is try going wheat free and see if it helps. It usually does not take very long to find out. It really isn't as hard as some people think it is.

If it does help then the good news is that there really are a lot of options now that did not exist a few years ago. Back then everyone looked at you like you were nuts if you asked about Gluten Free choices which you then had to explain. Now an amazing number of places offer options.

Unfortunately those options only work for those who have some degree of tolerance. If you are very sensitive then the issue is cross contamination. And it is virtually impossible to escape in most places. In that case your best option is to find food at home you can prepare and then take it with you. If you can't then just don't eat as it just isn't worth the risk.

And be very careful of the plethora of Gluten Free foods coming on the scene. Many of them have so many other chemicals that they're actually worse for some people.

Also there is a large community of fellow sufferers now so you can find quite a few people who will give you some moral support. You'll still feel like a pariah but at least you'll know there are a large number of other pariahs in the same boat.

Best wishes.

Additional:
You can get certified gluten free oats now that was not available at all a few years ago. This is important because oats and wheat are often grown in close proximity and there is cross contamination at the harvest.

We like Orgran Buckwheat Pasta. There are a lot of other Buckwheat products, too.

If you can tolerate Xantham Gum and a certain amount of yeast there are some very good cornbread recipes. Even if you are dairy sensitive.

Braum's has an interesting assortment of gluten free products. Many of the people I know find products at Sprouts and Whole Foods.

Most Nestle and Mars candy is okay to 10 parts in one million but you have to check the ingredients.

[Dubya61]

Not to pry, but why is she trying to go gluten free? Because it's fashionable? The only reason a person would ever need to go gluten free is if they have Celiac disease, which affects less than 1% of the U.S. population, and possibly fewer than 0.1%.

Otherwise, there is no proven health benefit. Though there is some crossover, gluten-free is different from reducing simple carbohydrates, starches and refined foods, which DOES have health benefits for the 99+% of us who don't have Celiac.

The entire gluten-free "movement" is a food industry tactic designed to extract more money from upscale consumers, disguised as a healthy food movement. If she doesn't have the disorder that requires it, you would be doing her more of a favor - saving her tons of time, money and frustration - by getting her good info on how few people actually benefit from the gluten free fad (most of them food processors).

If she DOES have it, please disregard and wish her my best.

Urbanized is basically right. There always seems to be a disease of the decade and currently it's celiac disease. Wheat can be a food allergen though so perhaps some of these people who say they have celiac disease are allergic to wheat. Skin testing can be done to prove wheat allergy. Technically you need a small bowel biopsy to make the diagnosis of celiac disease, although there are some specific supportive laboratory tests. Specific foods can trigger migraine, however, so products containing wheat could do so.

Can a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet Help Relieve Arthritis Symptoms?

What does celiac disease have to do with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? Research shows that having an autoimmune disease (like RA) increases your change of getting another (like celiac disease or diabetes). Plus, there’s evidence to suggest that people with RA, but not celiac disease, have improved symptoms when they avoid gluten

There's a line of thinking that says the wheat we eat today has little in common with the original grain. Please pardon my tin-foil-ass-hattery, but I almost consider todays wheat to be a GMO and (tin-foil alert I think it's wreaking havoc on some people. I point to my wife as an example. She used to live a happy little life, but today, she's preoccupied with pain from endometriosis, fibromyalgia, restless-leg syndrome, and now, hemochromatosis and to combat some pretty extreme gastrointestinal distress, she's popping a Prilosec every day and hoping it'll work better today than it did yesterday. We're busy combating it all with more pills than you can imagine, but the go-to pills for some of these, she's found out she's allergic to. Ten years ago, we would have said she's not allergic to anything, but not today. To me, I don't think we're just finding a trendy disease and latching on to it like some hypochondriacs. I'm trying to find something that'll work and my little pea brain thinks it's a dietary thing that we might find some relief in.
Further, it may be fashionable, but until our doctors start to try to find out the cause on their own, we will continue to do our individual research and attempt to get some relief there, too. I don't see us as trying to follow a fad -- especially since we're really just going to be making substitutions that cost very little anyway (a corn tortilla in lieu of a piece of bread) -- unless the fad we're really following is trying to eat real food (something other than white bread or corn-syrup-sweetened food).

[betts]

There is research suggesting some, but not all, people on a vegan and gluten free diet may show clinical improvement scores for rheumatoid arthritis, but no evidence it changes disease activity from what I've found. There is some linkage between the two diseases. Otherwise all the research I'm finding is for actual celiac disease, which has supportive laboratory tests and requires a small bowel biopsy for true confirmation.

If people think a gluten free diet helps them feel better, who cares what they have or don't have? Go for it, I say.

On a side note, I'd be more worried about what's in your meat and sprayed on your fruits and veggies.

[Rover]

Because they can charge more, and people are buying. At the least it's largely unnecessary, at the worst it's profiteering, pure and simple. Regarding other posts, cutting out wheat and going gluten-free are NOT the same thing. I wholeheartedly agree that cutting out white flour and simple carbs is beneficial. But that is NOT the same as religiously avoiding gluten.

If you don't believe me believe the doctor posting in this thread.

Read this article from Psychology Today. Psychologists don't really have a dog in this fight: Gluten-Free: Fad, Friend, or Foe?" | Psychology Today

Most people don't merely replace, they eliminate. That Dr. you refer to also indicates that there are legitimate food allergies and that celiac isn't the only reason for dropping gluten products. My wife does so for migranes (after plenty of tests) and it has indeed been effective. Sorry it doesn't fit the boogeyman hypothesis.

[trousers]

I think Red Cup has gluten free items.