View Full Version : Gluten Free Fad
Pedaling Fool
11-14-2013, 09:34
Interesting articles on the Gluten Free fad http://www.science20.com/science_20/blog/glutenfree_fad_dangerous_so_backlash-124085
http://www.science20.com/science_20/celiac_trendy_disease_rich_white_people-93422
Old Hiker
11-14-2013, 09:37
Wait, wait, wait !!!! According to the article: Heck, some studies even show that if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Say it ain't so, Joe !
Who knew ?
I shuttled quite a few hikers this year trying to eat gluten free which was pretty surprising. I actually had to pick one hiker up north of Roan Mt. who was fairly incapacitated due to a Celiac flareup.
atmilkman
11-14-2013, 09:50
Great article. I love it. A disease for rich white people.
hikerboy57
11-14-2013, 09:59
so i guess i really dont have to buy gluten free water?
I'm looking for organic water... :)
Thirty years ago, I owned an exercise studio and was teaching exercise classes at least four hours a day. It was the other time in my life, beside thru-hiking, when I could eat everything I could get my hands on and just feel better for it.
Anyway, I went to a yoga instructor's weekend in the TN mountains. The food provided was vegetarian, of course, and as healthful as caterers could possibly make it. But every single person at the table had some sort of "problem" that had them picking at the food, dissecting what was on the plate. My business partner and I hit on the happy strategy of asking the other ladies (they were all ladies, of course) for the rejected food. It was awesome!
Seriously, though, for a normal, sedentary American, especially a woman who needs even fewer calories than most men, ANY strategy which reduces the consumption of food can help you keep your weight down, and will be seen as helpful.
Pedaling Fool
11-14-2013, 10:13
Wait, wait, wait !!!! According to the article: Heck, some studies even show that if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Say it ain't so, Joe !
Who knew ?
That's groundbreaking news in some quarters
:D
WingedMonkey
11-14-2013, 10:30
Claims of the diagnosis are up 2500% over a decade ago, though actual diagnoses are not.
Sounds like the ATC thru hiker statistics.
Sailing_Faith
11-14-2013, 10:41
There are some folks who do not tolerate some kinds of GMO wheat well, I suspect that may be why gluten free diets help some folks.
i agree that there is a certain part of all the gluten free hype that is over the top (I actually bought a package of paper plates in SNP that were labeled "gluten free")!
The fact remains though, different folks learn their bodies react differently to differing foods.
Many people who cut carbs and processed flours from their diet find they feel better.... Certainly nothing wrong with that is there?
Hike Your Own Hike, and EYOD (eat your own diet).....
Old Hiker
11-14-2013, 10:49
That's groundbreaking news in some quarters
:D
Mostly............. hind-quarters?? :p
Over-diagnosed and falsely claimed? Yes. However, "real" diagnoses are up too. For the real Celiacs and gluten-insensitive, figuring this out and modifying diet is life-changing. For others, avoiding gluten tends to reduce carb-intake, which compared to the typical American diet has definite health benefits (insulin, etc.). And please stop asserting that it is as simple as calories in and calories burned. That completely ignores the body's metabolic processes.
For most, moderate intake of grains and gluten are fine. Ironically, I know people who were fine with moderate amounts, went completely grain free for a long period (6 months or more), and after that could not tolerate them without serious gastric distress.
I try to limit grains, but I am very partial to the fermented ones in liquid form. :)
perdidochas
11-14-2013, 11:09
so i guess i really dont have to buy gluten free water?
My aspiring salesman son wants to market fat free water.
perdidochas
11-14-2013, 11:10
I'm looking for organic water... :)
We use water filters to try to stop from having organic water;)
There are some folks who do not tolerate some kinds of GMO wheat well, I suspect that may be why gluten free diets help some folks.
For what it's worth, there is no commercially grown GMO Wheat. Yet. (I was on a wheat farm over the summer and asked about it. It surprised me that it's not a thing.)
There are, or course, still wide varieties of wheat.
All I know is when I eat wheat, I get heartburn, 100% of the time. When I don't eat wheat, I get heartburn maybe 10% of the time.
Tuckahoe
11-14-2013, 11:40
We use water filters to try to stop from having organic water;)
Ummm don't some filters use charcoal/carbon?
Sailing_Faith
11-14-2013, 11:45
When i was a kid, we lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Every kid I knew did, if you were a child in my neighborhood with peanut allergies Darwin would have pretty much taken you out of the pool very quickly.
Today kids can not even take peanut butter sandwiches to school, some children (a fair number) can get violently ill by just smelling peanuts. Sure, society coddles children more, and some of these "allergies" may be overblown...,
but a lot of them are not. Kids go to the emergency room with blocked airways from peanut allergies every day.
Something has changed in our food. Maybe gluten free is overblown, but SOMETHING has changed in our food.
moongoddess
11-14-2013, 12:43
Something has changed in our food. Maybe gluten free is overblown, but SOMETHING has changed in our food.
Something has changed, but it may not be the food, but rather our overall environment. There's some evidence that we've (inadvertently) made things a bit too clean in our modern world - and with not enough to do, some people's immune systems respond by going out and looking for trouble. Hence the rise in various forms of allergies. Trouble is, I don't see us being willing to go back to having worms and eating dirt in order to avoid allergies. So we're kind of stuck.
As for gluten: celiac disease is a lot more common than most people realize, and is often misdiagnosed. And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some people who haven't progressed to full-blown celiac disease may still be sensitive to gluten. Since grain is not an essential part of anyone's diet, I don't see any harm in going gluten-free (apart form the expense and the inconvenience, which are both substantial).
I'm looking for organic water... :)
You'll find that more easily than dehydrated water, which could be the next great development in ultra-light hiking.
For what it's worth, there is no commercially grown GMO Wheat. Yet. (I was on a wheat farm over the summer and asked about it. It surprised me that it's not a thing.)
There are, or course, still wide varieties of wheat.
Cytenogenic hybridization produced the semi dwarf varieties now grown almost exclusively commercially. This hybridization, while not directly modifying genes, did create a new combination of genes that many people find cause serious digestive problems for them. These problems typically disappear on a wheat exclusive diet for this cohort. Yay!:)There is also a new commercial process for leavening bread which does not require the yeast to have time to ferment much prior to baking. The combination of semi dwarf wheat and the new process for creating "factory" bread, coincide with a dramatic rise in Alzheimer's and cancer in the general population, in addition to the increase in chronic gastric distress in many.Boo!:(
Pedaling Fool
11-14-2013, 16:50
I love these fads, never ceases to amaze me how they come and go. That's not to say there is nothing to it, but for the vast majority of people they self-diagnose themselves based on the slightest symptom and erroneously conclude they have the lastest disease. And that is why gluten free industry is a $4.2 billion dollar market http://www.cnbc.com/id/100987975 .
It's all a result of a population that are emotionally unstable and use their emotions (in this case Fear) in lieu of reason.
And for the bulk of people reducing calories reduces body fat, it is that simple. Yeah, metabolism is a complicated thing, but losing weight for most is very easy. In the same way your computer is a complicated piece of equipment, but all it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and you're given the power of information.
If you just eat real food from the edge of the store, and skip all the grains, you go gluten free without paying extra for it.
I'm looking for organic water... :)
I'm looking for new water. All the water I can find is a few billion years old.
ams212001
11-14-2013, 18:37
If you just eat real food from the edge of the store, and skip all the grains, you go gluten free without paying extra for it.
+1
Michael Pollan wrote a book called In Defense of Food that advocates that exact same concept. Once you hit the middle aisles it can quickly go downhill from there. Common sense, whole foods, exercise.
The grain industry doesn't even try to fight the gluten allergy fad, because the profits on gluten free substitutes are huge compared to the origional item.
And some of the substitutes for the gluten have higher glycemic indices than the stuff they are replacing.
I found it appalling when I found out that white bread has a higher glycemic index than sugar. lol
"still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....hmmmm....mm...mm.mm..mm.....mm...mmm." Simon & Garfunkel
Cookerhiker
11-15-2013, 09:51
If this is possible,
... (I actually bought a package of paper plates in SNP that were labeled "gluten free")!.....
then so is this.
My aspiring salesman son wants to market fat free water.
Feral Bill
11-15-2013, 12:05
Cytenogenic hybridization produced the semi dwarf varieties now grown almost exclusively commercially. This hybridization, while not directly modifying genes, did create a new combination of genes that many people find cause serious digestive problems for them. These problems typically disappear on a wheat exclusive diet for this cohort. Yay!:)There is also a new commercial process for leavening bread which does not require the yeast to have time to ferment much prior to baking. The combination of semi dwarf wheat and the new process for creating "factory" bread, coincide with a dramatic rise in Alzheimer's and cancer in the general population, in addition to the increase in chronic gastric distress in many.Boo!:(
Coincidence is not causation. There are numerous possible explanations for our current health situation.
Feral Bill
11-15-2013, 12:06
I'm looking for new water. All the water I can find is a few billion years old. Burn some hydrogen.
the best way to figure it out is to go without wheat or wheat products for 30 days, and if you feel better, keep doing it.
Pedaling Fool
11-15-2013, 15:14
The grain industry doesn't even try to fight the gluten allergy fad, because the profits on gluten free substitutes are huge compared to the origional item.
Yes they are still making money, despite certain sections losing money over this irrational fear; they also have learned not to fight it, just weather it.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-12/grain-giants-go-gluten-free-to-plump-profits-on-fad-diet.html
Excerpts:
As the stretchy protein found in wheat and other grains has become the latest dietary bogeyman, sales at companies like General Mills Inc. (http://www.whiteblaze.net/quote/GIS:US), Kellogg Co. (http://www.whiteblaze.net/quote/K:US) and Britain’s Warburtons Ltd. have come under pressure. Yet instead of fighting back against what many dietitians contend lacks scientific grounding, they’re boosting output of pricier gluten-free foods while leaving industry groups to defend their traditional products.
Less than 1 percent of Americans have the disorder that requires a gluten-free diet, yet almost one in three now eschews gluten, according to trend watchers NPD Group, influenced by bestselling anti-gluten books and celebrity endorsements. The U.S. market for gluten-free foods will climb from $4.2 billion in 2012 to $6.6 billion by 2017, according to researcher Packaged Facts, as bread bakers, craft-beer makers and eateries from Hooters (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/%5Cwww.hooters.com%5C_images%5Cmenu%5CMenus%5CGlut en_Free_Menu.pdf) to Michelin-starred Hakkasan embrace the trend.
“Consumers, rightly or wrongly, have made a connection between gluten-free and healthy,” said Nicholas Fereday, an analyst at Rabobank. “Grain companies are hoping this trend crashes and burns sooner rather than later. But any trend is a marketing opportunity.”
Flash Trends
Mark Lang, a food marketing professor at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, says grain producers won’t criticize the anti-gluten authors for fear of fueling sales of their books or offending those with celiac disease who really must avoid gluten. Celiac sufferers produce antibodies to attack gluten, causing damage to the intestines and illness, according to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.
“Large companies have learned not to overreact to these flash trends,” Lang said. “There is nothing to gain, and you have everything to lose.”
Grain companies are making the most of the dietary shift. On Amazon.com, gluten-free Rice Krispies cost (http://www.amazon.com/Kelloggs-Rice-Krispies-Gluten-12-Ounce/dp/B004XAPIOQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1384165991&sr=1-1&keywords=gluten-free%20rice%20krispies) 29 cents per ounce, versus 17 cents for the original kind. Warburtons’ gluten-free bread is about 5 pounds ($8) per kilogram, more than twice the price of its regular bread.
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Some previous fads:D There are so many more. I remember as a kid a fad which stated you had to chew your food ~80 times before swallowing; the idea being that it would turn into a liquid and liquids are not as fattening as solid food:rolleyes:
The Cookie Diet
The Slim-fast Diet
The Atkins Diet
The Lemonade Diet (AKA: The Master Cleanse Diet)
The South Beach Diet
The Caveman Diet
The Babyfood Diet
The Raw Food Diet
The Acai Berries Diet
The Tapeworm Diet
The Fast Diet (Modifying fasting)
perdidochas
11-15-2013, 16:22
When i was a kid, we lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Every kid I knew did, if you were a child in my neighborhood with peanut allergies Darwin would have pretty much taken you out of the pool very quickly.
Today kids can not even take peanut butter sandwiches to school, some children (a fair number) can get violently ill by just smelling peanuts. Sure, society coddles children more, and some of these "allergies" may be overblown...,
but a lot of them are not. Kids go to the emergency room with blocked airways from peanut allergies every day.
Something has changed in our food. Maybe gluten free is overblown, but SOMETHING has changed in our food.
Some think it's not that something has changed in our food, but that something has changed in our hygiene. There is a theory that the increase in allergies is related to an increase in cleanliness. Our immune system is designed to deal with fighting germs at all times. If you greatly lessen the amount of germs, your immune system is still raring to go. That's roughly speaking what an allergic response is. It's the immune system fighting things off and going crazy.
Also, to some degree, there are a lot of people, that due to modern medicine, are alive now, that wouldn't have survived in the good old days. Those people are bound to have more problems than the fit people who would have survived regardless.
perdidochas
11-15-2013, 16:28
I'm looking for new water. All the water I can find is a few billion years old.
Not really. While the atoms are billions of years old, the water itself is broken down into constituent parts and reformed all the time. Photosynthesis breaks down water into Hydrogen and oxygen, and then recombines it with CO2 to form Carbohydrates and Oxygen. In respiration, we are doing the opposite. Some water is old, but a good percentage isn't.
My doc told me that the incidence of hypothyroidism is way up over 75 years ago, and no one has figured out why...additives, radiation from dental x-rays when we were kids, lack of nutrients in our food, or what? He told me that we have very little minerals and vitamins in our produce because the soil has been farmed to exhaustion.
Ken.davidson
11-15-2013, 17:46
You'll find that more easily than dehydrated water, which could be the next great development in ultra-light hiking.
Hope to find some dehydrated water for my next section. Does REI stock it yet????
You can get a free sample here, Ken, or so they say.
http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/free.htm
http://www.bernardfoods.com/foodservice/beverages/images/dehydatedwater.gif
Not really. While the atoms are billions of years old, the water itself is broken down into constituent parts and reformed all the time. Photosynthesis breaks down water into Hydrogen and oxygen, and then recombines it with CO2 to form Carbohydrates and Oxygen. In respiration, we are doing the opposite. Some water is old, but a good percentage isn't.
The old water is mixed with the new water so it's all old water.
Tuckahoe
11-15-2013, 22:25
He told me that we have very little minerals and vitamins in our produce because the soil has been farmed to exhaustion.
Namtrag, you were fed a line of BS here.
Not so fast, Tuckahoe! Lol
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss)
by the way, William and Mary has a big game tomorrow, and may make the playoffs if they win....I am a 1983 grad.
Tuckahoe
11-15-2013, 22:50
I read article in your link and as a layman I really have some issues with it.
The premise is that soil depletion is reducing the nutrients available in the produce, yet the evidence stated within the article fails to support that premise
... They studied U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding “reliable declines” in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century. Davis and his colleagues chalk up this declining nutritional content to the preponderance of agricultural practices designed to improve traits (size, growth rate, pest resistance) other than nutrition.
“Efforts to breed new varieties of crops that provide greater yield, pest resistance and climate adaptability have allowed crops to grow bigger and more rapidly,” reported Davis, “but their ability to manufacture or uptake nutrients has not kept pace with their rapid growth.”
That last paragraph pretty much shoots holes in the soil depletion premise and places the cause on slective breeding for desired traits that are not able to fully uptake the available nutrients in the soil.
Agree with some of your criticism, but the end result is the same, whether it's the soil or the breeding causing it. In any case, we are totally off topic.
after some further reading, I am tending to agree with you, Tuckahoe...
Pedaling Fool
11-16-2013, 09:53
Not so fast, Tuckahoe! Lol
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss)
by the way, William and Mary has a big game tomorrow, and may make the playoffs if they win....I am a 1983 grad.Well if you notice the title is a question.
Although, I think there may be something to this, but as with many things it is way overstated and it's not clear how this relates to modern farming VS. how we breed plants, which we've been doing since the start of civilization. We do NOT breed plants for the nutrition, we do it for quantity and then once we mastered that it became all about taste, that's our primary goal, even the so-called nature lovers are NOT looking for nutrition in their natural foods, they want taste. This obsession with nutrition is a relatively new thing and part of their strategy for attacking modern farming.
There are some interesting articles on how our breeding for taste has greatly affected the nutritional value, but this whole issue of modern farming is what gets all the attention, because it's a political issue, not truly partisan, like other issues, rather an issue that gets a lot of air time from a very vocal minority. It's all about organic farming and anti-GMO interest groups vs. modern farming.
There are a lot of movements around the country (latest in Washington state) that are attempting to require labeling for GMO's, most people don't know about this and it's not something you'll hear too much about during national elections (again, not typical partisan issue), but these are the groups that are responsible for articles, like in your link.
RodentWhisperer
11-16-2013, 12:25
OK, here I go: one thing that nearly everybody in this country seems to forget is that what foods are healthy, invigorating, compatible, digestible, functional, needed, etc. etc. etc. for you aren't necessarily the same for everyone. Whenever I read any news about the "perfect diet solution" or what not, I skim it over and then throw out most of the claims because they are almost always far too broad, over-reaching, or just plain mis-reported.
I'm a middle-class white guy; guilty as charged. :)
Wise Old Owl
11-16-2013, 22:46
Great article. I love it. A disease for rich white people.
That's why I like you - you never fail or disappoint! It's always good to be a little out there.
Pedaling Fool
11-17-2013, 12:19
Kind of an interesting article on Paleo Diets, which are big on the Gluten free kick http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat
There are some links in the article, one of which is a Ted Talk about paleo diets; I'm not a big fan of Ted Talks, but some of the videos are fun to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMOjVYgYaG8
.