A Guide to Gluten Free Living ... when medically necessary

I wish I could show this lady how wrong she is. I go out to restaurants with my non-paleo friends and family and easily find things on the menu that work for me. Would you argue that my avoidance of sugar will offend diabetics? Have you really done your research? Do you realize what wheat does to every person who eats it? I am not allergic to wheat but I have stopped eating it. My entire family which includes myself, my husband, and two children under 12 are not eating wheat. We are doing fine. I have been living wheat free since November It is now March of My eczema, dry skin, and allergies are gone.

My afternoon sleepiness is gone. My cholesterol, in spite of eating lots of meat and eggs,is normal. My triglycerides are lower than they were in November of My carpal tunnel symptoms in my hands are gone. My thyroid medicine synthroid has been lowered for the first time in 10 years. I have lost 20 lbs. I eat meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and nuts. In fact, I think I am a better cook now. You want more information? They will show you why wheat and other grains are not good for you. This way of eating wheat free, low carb is not going away.

For your health, try it. I shared your comments with a friend in trouble; I hope she can read your joy of healthy eating and wheat free lifestyle! Experience is based on the senses. Taste, touch, smell, sight, hear…What I see, smell, taste, touch and hear as well as my perceptive intuition is all I have. You know, that thing called the 6th sense. In fact my intuition tells me that this author should be banned from cyberspace and any other form of communication around this issue until or unless she has experienced the gluten free life.

Watch what you put out there. It is known to come back tenfold. The more I think about this article the more I think it has to be some kind of high brow satire piece about the current state of affairs in mainstream medicine and nutrition. I have a better idea. You keep your opinions to yourself. Cereal grains have no legitimate place in the human diet. What a silly theory. How about treating—perhaps curing—progressive neurological diseases like MS?

I am appalled at this article, as I am many other published opinions by medical doctors and registered dieticians who somehow imply that giving up gluten and grain products is dangerous. It does not have to cost more. Because of blood glucose excursions caused by the carbohydrates in grain products, people find they have to eat as often as every two hours to avoid gnawing hunger and hypoglycemia.

Off grains, blood glucose is stabilized, three meals of lower carbohydrate content are fully satisfying, and between meal hunger disappears. All it takes is a little self-experimentation. Eliminate grain products for one month. Do you hear me Ms. This is life changing for me and you are being dismissive. She seems completely oblivious to or ignorant of the effects of insulin on human metabolism. My experience, exactly, as well. On high-fat, no-grains, low-carbohydrate, I often go 12 hours without eating and never even think about food.

I have biked for 75 miles on no breakfast and had incredible energy and no hunger. I am saddened at the position the writer of this article has taken; it is simply, indefensible. Humans survive, not thrive, eating grains, as proven by the fossil record and by the rampant vitamin deficiencies and health issues experienced by agricultural people the world over.

I have been grain-free for over 2 years and specifically wheat free, no cheats, for the last year: I have an overall weight loss now of 70 lbs; my depression has lifted; my skin cleared up; no more gas or bloating; and every day I wake up energetic and happy, ready to face the day. I no longer binge eat, or eat compulsively, mindlessly. I eat only meats, veggies, nuts, seeds and healthy fats and have experienced first hand the benefit of eating as fits our genome as the organisms we are.

Dr Davis is a practicing medical doctor and scientist, who observed improvements in his patients when they quit wheat; curious, he investigated. Please do not let any outside lobbies influence how you conduct your science. To a layperson like me, this advice is logical, sensible, and based on my personal experience, WORKS. There ARE open-minded doctors, nurses, practitioners and knowledgeable dietitians around who know why wheat is poison and are taking their clients off it.

I started a wheat free diet having suffered from gastrointestinal problems most of my life. After a couple of weeks I noticed a difference. Now several months into it I know wheat has been my problem. Because the few times I slip and eat a piece of bread my gastro problems come back and with full force as a reminder of why I should not eat wheat.

Reasons People Follow A Gluten-Free Diet: 7 Types of Gluten Free Dieters - Amy Burkhart M.D., R.D

My exercise regiment has not changed at all. Going wheat free is not expensive. A poorly written article with a devastating conclusion with an agenda. I would like you to explain dear madam how I shed three meds BP,Cholesterol, pre Diabetes in 6 months all from one simple change in my lifestyle……. And, along the way lost 25 pounds.

As a lifetime athlete my Docs just kept shrugging their shoulders about my worsening condition……2 of them are Harvard grads. Wheat free is a liberation. It only makes you fat and sick. All the things you need are in other food. I tell it to everybody. Because everybody should know it. I suffered from severe bowel problems since childhood and saw many doctors but nothing they did helped. They told me their was nothing they could do and i had to live with it. In I got a computer and searched the internet with my symptoms. I found a discussion group where a man related the extreme symptoms he had when eating ice cream with a bit of cookie in it.

He attributed these symptoms to the wheat. I decided to try going wheat free as I had done everything suggested to me to alleviate my symptons except for ingesting wormwood.

Gluten-free diet

I just buy my own food and do my own cooking and consider it a delight and not a burden. Why would I consider it a burden? Gluten free is no fad. Thank you Doctor Davis, you are saving children from the years of misery I had to go through. I wish I had you for a doctor instead of the knuckleheads I had to go to.

Poorly researched article — Last expected from Harvard. If Harvard wants their reputation maintained, they should review such flippant drivel from some uninformed serf. The hundreds of comments above and thousands of experiences of real people will not substitute the poor advice offered. This article is a shame… Harvard! I have celiacs and have never been offend by people eating gluten free because they want too. I realize that it is their body and the food they choose to put into it is more then likely the diet that makes them feel good. I would never count others money or tell them to stop eating a certain way just because they do not have a diagnose as celiacs.

If it helps god bless and happy health, the real food will make sure of that. This article is so off base, and the warning for pregnant women is so sad.

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I am from New Zealand and have no axe to grind with you or anyone associated with Havard Medical School. I had a reason to stop eating wheat…. Over the years I came to realise I feel better when wheat free and I have fewer muscle and joint aches. In fact they disappear completely after a week free of wheat. I usually get severe stomach pain within hours of eating my first slice of bread after a period of abstinence.

I was sliding heavily into the morbidly obese group. Cutting out wheat dramatically reduced starches and I automatically began to feel better. The results speak for themselves.

Starting a Gluten-Free Diet: A Guide for Beginners

Without counting calories or practising any other dietary restriction I lost 60 pounds in 12 months and am maintaining it with ease. Three months into my wheat free lifestyle I read Dr. For the first time in my life, and I am now 74 years old, I understood why had felt so unwell mentally and physically for much of my adult life. Without wheat in my diet I no longer feel as though food rules my life.

I do not have food cravings, and I eat well. You say being gluten free is expensive and restrictive. I have found it to be the exact opposite. There is a huge variety of food I enjoy and can eat until I feel satisfied and I stay satisfied for hours on end. After seeing the change in me my husband is now wheat free.

We look at our children, all adults, and wonder how different their lives might have been had known some of the consequences of eating a grain based diet when they were small. This is not a stand alone book. There are many other advocates of living a wheat fee lifestyle and they have good scientific research backing them up. What would it take for Havard Medical School to take a lead and work on producing some research that is believable?

This is not a fad, Holly. Agribusiness better start thinking about what to do with all the wheat—maybe use it for fuel or building material? And stop giving corn to livestock. Eliminating wheat and dairy has turned my life around. Only one spot is left and very tiny. FBS was 87 now Wheat has many interesting properties that would be excellent in industrial applications. No reason at all that we have to eat this grass. The medical industry needs to get with the times, because the ignorance and desire to stay in the past is making them obsolete.

My mom reversed borderline high blood pressure and pre-diabetes by giving up gluten. I found that it makes me cramp and bloat so I avoid it too. Within three weeks felt amazing. But the reason such products are fortified is because processed wheat products are deficient without them! Meats and vegetables are a far better source. Holly Strawbridge and Dr. Leffler need to be educated regarding the benefits of a gluten-free lifestyle.

After perusing the numerous posts regarding this article, I can see that many people have benefited enormously from being gluten-free, including myself. Davidson has explained so well, there are numerous autoimmune conditions that arise with consumption of mutant wheat and gluten-containing grains. It has been chemically treated and so becomes immune reactive.

One does not need to buy expensive gluten-free foods, when regular food will suffice. Leffler suggesting that meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, fruit are somehow not as healthy a choice as wheat and grains? Harvard Publications…please educate yourselves before making statements that are misleading and untrue. Going gluten free is not a fad, it is a movement! Gluten free is not more expensive and is not less nutritious, collar greens, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, beet, carrots…what are you doctors from Harvard are talking about?

I had to go gluten free for medical reasons, then my whole family followed me after seeing the side effects of GF: I think you need to do some more research…. My family eats the same types of foods my mother fed our family and her mother fed hers. A typical dinner would be roast beef, roasted potatoes and green beans or carrots. Not expensive or restrictive but wholesome and delicious. I think that is where some folks steer themselves wrong. Cooked, boiled, drained, without salt will give you 5 grams of dietary fiber 21 percent RDA.

Many other leafy greens offer similar fiber amounts. I would say it is the exact opposite. Eliminate wheat and you have to go out of your way to NOT get fiber. A whopping 38 percent more than 2 slices of whole wheat bread. They need vitamin B9, more commonly known as folate or folic acid, to prevent birth defects.

Which do you think is more feasible and healthy? Overall the entire article is humorous. If this is the best rebuttal the wheat shills can provide they should just give up now while they are behind. You fail to mention that wheat has a nutrient blocker called phytic acid, which blocks minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc. People are dying out here and you are helping it happen. Do you know how many other sources of folate there are in the plant kingdom?

And vegetables are chock FULL of the fiber that you seem to insinuate is only available in whole grains. The wheat-laden junk sold to us as food is the real danger. This is a very disappointing article. It needs much fact checking. Your wheat addiction is showing. Elaine, Holly was saying people who are gluten-sensitive not intolerant should not brag about how wonderful they feel on a gluten-free diet to people who have celiac disease. The perspective of the person with celiac disease is much different than that of a person who is merely gluten-sensitive.

They are not trying to cure acne or eliminate bloating. They are trying to stay alive. Please do actual research before dismissing the health consequences of this GM castrophy to those of us who do not have Celiac dz. The myriad of proteins that did not exist in grains until lab experiments were involved have consequences. This is so misguided, and I am not surprised. Essentially what I just heard from the read was eat whole wheat because it will deliver to you essential vitamins, which the industry adds to your favorite wheat products i.

How about going right to the source instead? Essentially it makes real food more convenient to eat, especially with your hands. Read your article and sooo offended by not only the misinformation, but your level of incompetence. I only have one question for you and your Harvard colleagues: How much of a grant will you be getting from the big wheat producers of this country Kraft, BASF, etc to write such an unbelievabley misleading article? And, telling people to keep their dietary choices to themselves: Also, your point that going gluten free is a burden???

It really adds up to one word: And, I am personally offended by telling readers to keep what they eat to themselves and that it is a bother to go gluten free. Let me tell YOU what a bother really is: It is living with a disease for over 10 years and NOT one doctor during that time correctly diagnosed me. If someone has a serious bowel function problem, and nothing is helping, then what harm could there be in suggesting that they make an experiment of eliminating wheat and see if it helps?

So not only did you not research this well, you did not even bother to proofread. See stats form the National Institutes of Health and the Univ. This HAS to be the most incompetent person with a degree from Harvard! The of people in this country with the disease is NOT ,—apparently a degree from Harvard is useless.

I have celiac disease and have done my own research in this area. I have NO respect for the medical profession as I have suffered with this disease for over 14 years—being told all sorts of different things. Been wheat free for 28 days, have lost over 20 pounds, and feel amazing. What do you have to say about that, ignorant Ms. Lorie, I am so glad you finally found help. Its so much better now. Many of us commenting owe our well being to the book Wheat Belly by Dr.

I find Paleo cook books help too. All the best for your recovery. I am sooo happy for you too! So, we suffer for years. Stay wheat free and you will continue to have a blessed life! Too many people who have gone gluten free are saying the same things with regards to how they feel! And this after being told I would need to take this for the rest of my life, as I watched both the price and my dosage escalate for the past 9 years. How and why could a person doubt something so measurable and so clear?

Much better, much cheaper that way. Not one but two adults in my household have gone Wheat free since November We have each lost weight, shaped up, have more energy, rest really well, and have gotten rid of aches and pains, inflammation, and a long list of issues from digestive trouble to cholesterol. Is it a bother? Not in the least! We are eating a greater variety of healthy single ingredient foods than ever before!

We cook from Dr. Getting off the poisons of Agribusiness is not a problem, it is the solution! All you have to do is choose to eat something wonderful each time you are hungry! And by all means share this information! Share it with everyone you talk with, whenever you meet someone new who is struggling with the harm that is caused by wheat! What a loving thing to do! Modern wheat is addictive, just like sugar.

That being said, if the author did some serious research she would find plenty of evidence that going wheat and grain-free improves health in most people. Organic whole wheat may actually be good for you. Unfortunately, the genetically engineered wheat the American public is exposed to has been changed into a intestinal nightmare that leads to lack of absorption of nutrients, intestinal villi inflammation, increased cravings, obesity, diabetes and total body inflammation, possibly leading to many of the autoimmune disorders we are seeing on the rise.

Please do your research for , not A lot of changes have occurred since then. I advise my patients on diet so that we can get all their nutrients. Please revisit nutrition education. Based on years of careful research, I am convinced that having given up sugars, starches, and grains 14 years ago saved my life. I have tweaked my diet over the yeas, and have found that I do best on a very-low carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet. Many of my family members have had the same success with elimination of grains and sugar and we have collectively resolved issues with weight, ADHD, depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and staved off the Type II Diabetes that destroyed my father and grandfather.

We are not celiacs, but are, like the vast majority of people, very insulin-resistant and unable to process the heavy carbohydrate glut of the modern diet. I recommend the excellent work of Drs. Phinney and Volek, who have credentials I am sure you would admire. We deserve to hear the truth of how eliminating wheat, sugar, and all processed, packaged food will reverse most of the health problems plaguing our society and bankrupting our country. To close,I will celebrate my 60th birthday tomorrow, feeling better than I did at age 30 when I followed the USDA recommended high-grain diet.

This summer, I will put in over miles on my bicycle as I did last summer with energy to spare. Clearly, you have chosen to follow the very ignorant conventional dogma and thinking regarding grain especially wheat and disregard all of the scientific evidence that abounds. This is sadly the reason why our country is in an obesity and health crisis.

Not only did my cholesterol drop 30 points but the rest of my labs have also improved. So even though my personal testimonial is very persuasive in and of itself, the proof is in the lab work! Ill stay thin and healthy and you can keep your GMO grain. What a bunch of nonsense. It is misinformation like this that is the root-cause of many of our health problems. There is no such thing as a wheat deficiency.

But, by avoiding wheat, I can come off my asthma medications and breathe through my nose. I sleep through the night. I have much less arthritis pain in my hips and back. My digestion is normal. My elderly dad gave up wheat for a few weeks before his last doctor appointment and his cholesterol came down enough that he could go off statins. So, no, not going to shut up about it. My celiac friend, by the way, is happy that I am activist about finding restaurants where we can eat, and that increased demand for wheat free options is improving options for celiacs.

Celiac disease tests have documented false negative and it is impossible to really know how accurate these tests are. There is no valid scientific research that can truly determine how wide spread gluten intolerance, celiac, and many other diseases caused by other wheat proteins Gliadin. We can either wait 20 years for further research to be done that identifies how widespread wheat-caused diseases are while people are becoming extremely sick and dying from wheat, or we can tell people to go wheat free today and save lives.

Why does wheat have to be fortified with synthetic vitamins anyways? Is it because wheat is so deficient in vitamins that it cannot naturally come close to the levels of Vitamin B9 to Spinach, or other greens? It is rather unfortunate that you need to refer to the typical banter regarding the value of wheat. Strawbridge if you cannot connect the dots you deserve the heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, and diabesity that affects nearly every common person. The irony is that you are at Harvard. Please come into the 21st century! I am extremely disappointed that Harvard has backed such a poor article by someone who obviously has no idea what she is talking about!

I went gluten free just over a year ago and had over 30 symptoms completely disappear that were in my life for up to 25 years. Some of these symptoms included acid reflux, intense itchy inner ears, eczema which was later confirmed as dermatitis herpetiformis , chronic fatigue, knee pain, brain focus, etc.

It is sad the limited amount of nutritional training doctors receive, but what is worse is an article full of ignorance. Strawbridge, you have clearly missed the mark. As a health coach, I have seen first-hand the improvements of my clients health by taking gluten out of many of their diets.

Not everyone needs to go GF but for those that suffer from stomach issues, distended bellies, joint pain, etc — it has been key to getting them on the right track. I do believe that eating the gluten free, packaged foods is not a wise choice. They can be packed with sugar and higher in calories. My motto is to just keep the flour off the plate — with or without gluten. A well balanced meal of lean protein, whole grains gluten free for some and a plethora of fruits and vegetables is key to better health.

I hope Harvard does not stand behind your opinions… my biggest concern is your closing paragraph. A chicken breast, salad and a veggie can cost less than buying packaged foods! I gave up eating all forms of wheat last April and the symptoms that had been plaguing me for years IBS, heartburn, bad digestion, foggy head and quite a few more all disappeared within DAYS! My blood pressure has also dropped to normal and I have been able to halve my medication for same.

I lost 5 kgs and my bloated belly went right down. Was this commissioned, Holly? Because it certainly seems that way. Get your facts right, please. There is something wrong with our wheat. That is why so many people have quit eating it.

• Harpers Team: Behind the Scenes in the Conservative Rise to Power.
• El sueño de la serpiente (Spanish Edition).
• The Gluten-Free Diet.
• I Just Cant Wait To Be King.
• 100 Things Every Student, Athlete Should Know?
• Rhythm of Life.
• Celiac Disease Foundation.

Just too many good effects to ignore. The Gluten is not the problem, IMO. I am another one whose IBS went into full remission upon going gluten-free, and it only took a few days. When will nutritional science realize that gluten grains are not only unhealthy, they are definitely not a necessary part of the human diet?

I got off all grain except rice and my IBS went into remission, no hives and itchy skin during allergy season, my asthma is almost nonexistant. My fibromyalgia is so much better, I can do workouts on my treadmill I have never been able to handle before. Holly Strawbridge, Please do your research. No human should consume grain. My health problems, costing me thousands of dollars, were all resolved within weeks upon simply stopping grain. I think you should pay attention. Your career and health, is in grave jeopardy. This is a whole lot of bull crap! I went wheat free 8 months ago.

• Full Circle (The Women In Love Series Book 5).
• Wohlbefinden und Gesundheit durch Sport: Der Einfluss sportlicher Aktivität auf unsere psychische Gesundheit (German Edition);
• Gluten-free diet - Mayo Clinic!
• Fixture.
• The #1 Mistake People Make When Starting a Gluten-Free Diet.
• Intro to the Gluten-Free Diet | www.newyorkethnicfood.com.

I am going on 64, but feel more like And just to test this out I was invited out for a spaghetti feed just last night. I enjoyed the meal, but this morning I feel bloated, hungover, and I have a gut ache. Modern wheat is toxic to our bodies. How about removing the toxins from your food and being able to feel good about what you do? Instead of contributing to the increase of disease and death in our society.

This is one of the most unintelligent articles that I have ever read. Money is greater than the truth. I guess keeping people sick is a great moneymaker for these giants. Lets just give pills to people….. This just makes me so angry.

Reasons People Follow A Gluten-Free Diet: 7 Types of Gluten Free Dieters

Seek the truth and promote it. Courageous leadership is lacking everywhere. I feel the same way. I think of bread and grains as my garage floor now: When I see bread or grains, my dirty garage floor is what I see. Think I want to bite into that? I am nearly 65 and since going wheat free, I feel like Both Vitamin B and fiber are found in ample quantities in a myriad of fruits and vegetables, which should constitute a large portion of any sane Real Food gluten-free diet. I find this entire article displays a disappointing amount of ignorance, and it reads like propaganda to me.

Modern grains have to be nutritionally fortified because on their own, they are useless nutritionally. Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes. Surprisingly, it's similar to a traditionally healthy diet—few fancy foods required. Fill up your plate with naturally wholesome gluten-free foods, such as vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, fish and lean meat , says Begun.

And if you love your grains, you can still eat them. Rice, millet, quinoa and buckwheat are just a few examples. Today, you can easily find gluten-free pasta made from corn, quinoa or beans. If you eat this way, you likely won't have to worry about nutritional deficiencies, says Begun. Commonly, newly diagnosed celiac sufferers are deficient in fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin D and even protein, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

In that case Begun recommends speaking with a registered dietitian, who may recommend supplements or other necessary dietary changes. Dark Chocolate Trail Mix. If you don't plan out this new way of eating, it's easy to default to gluten-free packaged foods. You know—the gluten-free muffins or brownies or cereals or pizza.

These are often made with refined grains and heavy in sugar and often contain more calories than their traditional counterparts. So think of these as "on occasion" foods. It's just like with any diet. A candy bar is just a candy bar—gluten-free or not. So you're going to get used to playing food detective. Could it be causing your symptoms? What Is The Connection? Pesticides, Wheat and Gluten Sensitivity: What is the Connection? Is gluten really the culprit in gluten sensitivity? Clarifying the Gluten-Free Labeling Rule. No such thing as Mild Celiac Disease.

Six Reasons to test for celiac disease before starting a gluten-free diet. Why am I having migraines? What is fructose malabsorption? Educating doctors about celiac disease. Are supplements to digest gluten safe and useful? Top 5 reasons for persistent symptoms after Going Gluten Free. Amy Burkhart for several years. After visiting many doctors, all of whom were unable to help me, Dr. Burkhart took the time and patience to create a plan which brought me back to health. I still follow her plan to this day and have been living a normal healthy life.

Burkhart listened to my symptoms along with listening to me, she took her time in preparing a plan which led me to the road for recovery. I cannot thank Dr. Burkhart enough, and I would recommend her to anyone. Stone Brewing company Stone Brewing - Napa opened recently in Napa in an historic building adjacent to the river. A great venue to enjoy life! The gluten free menu options are coming per the manager but please visit and inquire about GF options. The more people who show interest and discuss cross contamination the more likely they are to get it right!

Maybe they will even consider a GF beer! See More See Less. A quick guide for anyone trying to understand the differences among gluten-free dieters. This is especially important to food service and health care workers, but also family and friends of anyone following a gluten-free diet. People with celiac disease should request food be cooked in a separate pan, use separate oil, cooking utensils and preparation surfaces. If foods are fried, a dedicated gluten-free fryer is needed.

While this may sound challenging to do, with proper training and instruction it can be done, and is successfully undertaken by many restaurants.