Anyone else live a gluten free life?

United States
July 4, 2011 9:37am CST
I have been gluten free for about a year and a half now. While it can be frustrating to have to read label after label I am truly much healthier. No more bathroom issues, no more bloating, no more headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, double vision etc etc. The list can and does go on and on. I am curious... are any of you gluten free and what benefits have you had from this diet. What is your favorite gluten free product? Is it hard for you to find gluten free items?
4 responses
• Philippines
22 Jul 11
I am gluten free for four months now. I had terrible acid reflux, and the symptoms of my GERD slowly disappeared when I adopted the diet. Here in the Philippines, gluten free items are very expensive so they are really ruining my budget. I haven't found a support group here that could help me sustain the lifestyle. There is only a handful of gluten intolerant people here. Good thing, we do have a lot of Filipino dishes and delicacies that are gluten free. I just scout the internet for gluten free recipes.
• Philippines
25 Jul 11
I don't really have an official diagnosis, I just eliminated gluten from my diet and discovered that my GERD was responding well. When I do eat gluten, I feel a lot of digestive and neurological symptoms. Gluten intolerance is not widely known in the Philippines, so I find it embarrasing to see a doctor and tell him/her I suspect I have gluten intolerance. THey might think it is all just in my head. It's really weird coz when I tell my friends I avoid gluten, they give me that look.
• United States
25 Jul 11
That is the key! Learning to cook gluten free will help your budget. Buying premade gluten free items is very expensive and I have gotten to where I don't do it. One tip is to look at items that are naturally gluten free. You just have to learn how to read labels. Good luck and if you have any questions send me a message.
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
4 Jul 11
I haven't jumped on the gluten free bandwagon. I just think that it is another fad thing. Eventually there will be studies saying that being totally gluten free is bad for you in some way too. I think cutting back is good, but I'm sure there is some need for it too. I have seen now that they have some gluten free cereals, so maybe I'll try them to cut back.
• United States
5 Jul 11
Being an individual who must be gluten free due to health reasons I am sad to see the "fad" that is going around. I feel it severely limits my creditability as an individual who MUST have gluten free to remain out of the hospital and the "fad" really puts this on a level of casualness especially as far as restaurants go.
@lizardgod (443)
• United States
31 Jan 12
I know this topic is kinda old but I was seeing a ton of stuff about gluten being a needed part of human diet. As far as I understood it gluten is actually the grains natural evolution as a minor toxin developed by the grain over thousands if not millions of years to deter animals from eating it before it had grown its seed to full size. Just thought it would be an interesting addition to the topic :) My mother has a major gluten intolerance and to support her I went on this diet as well. I found it not to difficult as I just replaced bread in most instances with either rice or corn chips. It worked very well for me. It also makes staying hydrated much easier. Now me and my fiance are doing it again, for her to lose some wieght before she joins the military and I am again supporting her as I know it can be hard for some people.
@petersum (4522)
• United States
4 Jul 11
Another dangerous health craze! You need gluten because it promotes the creation of enzymes that help to digest milk and dairy products. Going totally gluten free is very dangerous. A few people are having problems with gluten but there is no need to stop all gluten intake. With a well balanced diet, there would be hardly any cases of gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance. By all means cut down your intake but don't stop it completely.
• United States
5 Jul 11
I agree that it can be a dangerous diet. However, there are more cases of gluten intolerance than are actually reported. I am HIGHLY allergic to gluten so much so that I spent the last year and a half in and out of the hospital and finally have had my colon removed from all the damage related to the gluten intolerance. I eat rather healthy now, most nothing processed, and have no problems digesting my milk or dairy.