Tim called and asked me to a meeting
for a few of us. When I arrived, it was just four of us: Brenda,
Sue, Tim, and myself. Tim said this is an exploratory discussion
about gluten-free foods. I asked what had prompted this and Sue said
that a couple of friends of hers and her husband's were strongly
advising eating gluten-free foods for weight loss. Brenda said that
she remembered I had blogged about the problems gluten-free foods can
cause.
I agreed and asked Tim to do a search
on my blogs using the words 'gluten-free' and when he had the short
list I suggested this one to start and Brenda agreed that was the
one. Sue read it and said it fits with what the friends were
promoting.
I asked Tim to keep the search results
and open an Internet search for “Gluten-Free is Not a Weight Loss
Diet.” There were several in the list, but this article was the
one I was looking for and had him open it. Tim skimmed it and then
let Sue and Brenda read the article. Sue said this answered her
concerns and let her know that she was right in ignoring them and
asked Tim to send her the link.
I said I will have a blog about this
and I am happy that the issue is back and we could use this for a
meeting. Tim said he would like to have this presentation and if
Brenda and Jason did not mind, he would do this on February 20.
Brenda told him to go ahead as she and Jason were working on
additional material and having their presentation in March would work
for them.
Brenda thanked me for having the
information as she had looked and did not find my blogs and did not
know of the latest article on gluten-free. She said that it
definitely is one of the biggest diet fads and she doesn't believe a
gluten-free diet will help people lose weight. Brenda said she has
seen this in magazines at checkouts and sees some foods claiming to
be gluten-free.
The article says that gluten-free is
not a weight loss diet. It is an elimination diet specifically
intended for the one percent of Americans who have the autoimmune
disorder, celiac disease. Celiac disease is one of the most commonly
misdiagnosed diseases by doctors. The diet will also help people
with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Most people don’t even know what
gluten is yet they believe it’s as detrimental to their waistline
as Twinkies. Gluten is a protein found in many grains like wheat,
rye, barley, oats, and triticale. Examples of foods with gluten
include pastas, breads and cereals. Gluten has a glue-like effect
that holds foods together and helps maintain their shape.
Gluten isn’t bad for you unless you
have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, where gluten
acts an irritant so a gluten-free diet would actually provide relief
to the body. A doctor should monitor the diet in order to prevent
complications.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity, more
commonly called gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, doesn’t
cause an immune response towards gluten or damage the intestinal
lining. However, people with gluten intolerance have similar
symptoms to those with celiac disease, including bloating, abdominal
pain and diarrhea. Symptoms can set in a few hours or even days after
consuming gluten. Some additional symptoms of this intolerance
include non-intestinal symptoms such as headaches, difficulty
thinking clearly, joint pain, and numbness in the legs, arms or
fingers. Headaches and fatigue are the most common symptoms.
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