Gluten-Free Diet: a Cure for Some, a Fad for Most

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My sister in law has suddenly decided that her her entire family of four is allerfic to gluten. She is 32, her husband is 41, her son is 12 and they have a daughter nearly 6. They have not been diagnosed by a doctor. She bases her self diagnosis on symptoms of upset stomach, gas etc. Personally, I believe part of their problem is that they have very erraitc sleep and meal schedules. There are times her children come to visit at noon and tell their grandparents they haven't eaten yet. This is normally because they have been up until 2 am the night before.I have tried to support her in this gluten diet to a point, I invite them to dinner and try to make gluten free meals they can eat. I always tell her if something contains gluten. My huge problem with her is that she treats her children diffferntly. At grandmas birthday her 6 yr old daughter can have a small slice of regular cake, but she tells her 12 year old he is not allowed. She tells the 6 year old its okay to sneak a gluten snack "Just don't let your brother know." If neither of them has been diagnosed why treat them so unfairly?
She recently asked me if my nephew could spend the night (as they were leaving our house, after a birthday party) I of course said yes but then asked her what I could give him for breakfast. I had made some gluten free snackmix for them that day and she said "Just give him some of that" SERIOUSLY???? He got bacon and eggs for breakfast and took half a slice of toast. I did not offer it to him and told him it was regular bread when he took it, but I was not going to tell him no, esp. when she says his only symptom is a little bit of D'. We were with him the rest of the day and he had no syptoms whatsoever. Now I hear that she grilled him on what he ate at our house and he honestly told her he had the bread. She is very upset with me. I figured if she was that worried about it she'd send gluten free food with him or not have him stay at the last minute. She wants our entire extended family to go gluten free because they are and I think that is wrong. Again, I try to serve gluten free things for them and do all I can to support her, but I am not going to change what serve my own family because they aren't eating it.

S.S. of MS 1:19AM June 01, 2012

i have 3 grandchildren who are on agluten free diet imposed on them by their farther..he as seizures, and thinks this is helping him so he has put them on this diet too...i feel this is not good ages 9, 7 ,5..what do you think????

joan pate of AL 10:43AM April 09, 2012

Using A Gluten Free Diet For Weight Loss: Can You Really Lose The Weight? www.aboutgrain.com/using-a-gluten-free-diet-for-weight-loss-can-you-really-lose-the-weight/

charles rothschild of MD 12:10PM March 29, 2012

i read an article at www.youngagain.org called Celiac Disease Myth.
the author convincingly said the whole thing is a scam for money.
"celiac" is actually just common IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
which many people suffer from.

ivey schnierer of NC 4:13PM January 07, 2012

i read an article at www.youngagain.org called Celiac Disease Myth.
the author convincingly said the whole thing is a scam for money.
"celiac" is actually just common IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
which many people suffer from.

ivey schnierer of NC 4:09PM January 07, 2012

In recent years, the term “gluten-free” has spread like wildfire. In the United States, celiac disease affects about 1 percent of the population. Gluten sensitivity, a more mild condition, affects 5 to 10 times as many. And increasingly, people with no intolerance to gluten at all are eliminating it from their diet in efforts to be healthier or lose weight. But what accounts for this rise population that is gluten sensitive, and is it really a healthy diet mechanism for those without any health issues with gluten?
To read more about my take on gluten-free: http://blog.w8lessnutrition.com/

Stella of CA 11:43AM August 03, 2011

Not only Celiac disease patients have to avoid gluten in their diet. Some people are gluten intolerant but not Celiac. 1 in 133 Americans are thought to have
Celiac Disease, they used to think that it was rarer than that, and some have found that gluten and casein free diets help people with autism. Considering that a new study has shown that environment plays a very big role in the development of autism; that it isn't merely genetic, I would say that gluten awareness should become prevalent in our society. The reason why doctors don't diagnose Celiac for 11 years on average is because they think it's the unicorn of medical science, and plus, it's easier to just get a bonus from pharmaceuticals for prescription drugs for 11 years than it is to tell a patient to simply avoid gluten. So, like with all diets, gluten free can be a "fad" but the more it catches on, the easier it will be for Celiacs and people with gluten intolerance to find gluten free items in their grocery stores and in restaurants. Think of it this way; if people didn't choose veganism or didn't have lactose intolerance would non dairy coconut or soy milk ice cream exist? Were these products available in the 50s for people who couldn't enjoy the real thing? So, instead of bashing the "fad" side of this particular diet, maybe it's a good thing it's catching on? It wouldn't hurt some of us to skip our croutons in salads, flour in soup, batter fried chicken every once in a while.

Gale N of NJ 11:03PM July 09, 2011

My daughters have Celiac disease and I have Crohn's disease and have discovered following the diet has not only helped me feel better but also has I feel made it possible to put my Crohns in complete remission. When we go out to eat I make sure to tell the waiter that the girls have Celiac disease and it is of utmost importance to not have any cross contamination.
Cindy

Cindy of NH 2:10PM June 07, 2011

Obesity is not the fault of the overweight person or animal In fact, it is almost impossible to lose weight in the USA due to Food Chemicals.
The food has been legally poisoned with chemicals and this is proven by a European filmmaker
A filmmaker has shown how to reverse weight gain with a diabetes diet for NON diabetics in 10 countries and the DRUG MAKERS HID THE STORY
The diet reverses the damage from Food chemicals and causes weight loss
If you cannot lose weight it is not your fault
just google SPIRIT HAPPY DIET

amylynn of CA 8:20AM June 07, 2011