I can eat a decent amount of bread and pasta and feel alright, but the actual 'mock meat' wheat gluten stuff makes me feel like I got kicked in the stomach. I can see the benefits of not eating that stuff.The self-diagnosed 'celiacs' crowd though? Crap, and insufferable to be around. No, I don't want to try the gluten free pizza place on the other side of the city, can't you just eat a salad or something?

Angus Jung wrote:154 wrote: No, I don't want to try the gluten free pizza place on the other side of the city, can't you just eat a salad or something?Other people - so inconvenient.For someone's made up illness? Hell no. We had a GF guest like this. I would have happily gone and bought her some greek yogurt and berries at the corner store, probably healthier than that corn-based 'pasta' crap.

I don't know half the science, but I'll still say CRAP for the weirdo faddishness nature of the diet. I feel for people that actually are sensitive to gluten, but most complaining of the effect of real whole grains are those that have fucked their systems with processed foods for years. My wife has an aunt that is freaky about gluten, for no other reason than that she hears it's "baaaad for you, man". Mind you, this is a woman that was raised in the Lutheran church who decided she was really a Jew when she was 55, so you gotta take her shit with some salt.is this even a thing in NW Europe or Scandinavia or the Mediterranean nations? This feels like more American Exceptionalism than anything else to me. I've never seen worry about gluten free in Japan, and I don't remember any specific shit about it in the Low Countries, two areas I've been that are serious about their food...

madmanmunt wrote:Beer: Gluten-free?You can get sorghum beers that are. Others may be but you'd have to do some research. Hard ciders are gluten-free, so there's always that. Wine is, and spirits, even those made from grains, are generally thought to be.

John W. wrote:Is this just a fad diet?Yes, it's a fad. For a long time it's been a therapy for people with Celiac Disease, an auto-immune disorder that prevents gluten from certain grains from being properly broken down in the small intestine. Celiacs can have severe reactions to gluten and often will have a separate toaster for their own gluten-free breads as even the smallest contamination can lead to incredible pain, the smelliest of diarrhea, and other symptoms. The fad dieters think they will lose weight and be healthier by going gluten free, however, likely it's the simultaneous cutting of complex, overly-manufactured carbs, if anything, that may produce this effect. There is some research that shows that people with Crohn's also benefit from gluten-free diets. Ten years ago when my son was diagnosed with Crohn's people looked at us like we were insane for going gluten-free. Now the phrase is practically inescapable.So, it's not crap, but it's unnecessary, and doesn't do any good, for 99% of us.

Yeah, if I had to be GF I'd stick with wine, cider, and spirits. I'd probably miss beer a little but then I'd get drunk and forget all about it.

djimbe wrote:is this even a thing in NW Europe or Scandinavia or the Mediterranean nations? This feels like more American Exceptionalism than anything else to me. I've never seen worry about gluten free in JapanActual Celiac Disease is a white people problem, generally, and there's about the same % afflicted in Europe as America. Hardly any in Asia or Africa. The fad is probably American though mostly.

I like some gluten-free food but it's too expensive generally. As a diet it's Crap

I eats glutens. My sister and sister-in-law don't. crap