<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Almost all of the 25 responders said that they too have found that using
unprocessed foods is easier and more healthy than using gluten-free
imitations. Enthusiastic endorsements.
A couple said it would be hard for busy people and families.
No one else said they had changed their lifestyle to reduce their
cardiovascular risk. Some wanted to know more. For evidence-based
information on preventing heart disease:
www.CX.org/dropdowns/doctor/CADprevent.htm
For a description of the 3 approaches to eating
gluten-free: www.CX.org/dropdowns/doctor/CeliacDiet.htm
Here are 7 excerpts from the most interesting responses.
------------
Most of the mail on this list is concerning eating rich foods in
restaurants, fast foods in chains, ice cream treats and processed grocery
items. I have been diagnosed 15 years and have seen such changes in the
celiac population. Years ago the celiacs attending conferences were thin,
today they are mostly obese as is the rest of America. I do believe all
the manufacturers of celiac cakes, cookies, etc. have not really done us
any favors in the long run.
Maybe our population, celiac and general will wake up and realize
what it is doing to itself. Our diagnosis can be a gift of health but not
if we abuse our diets even though perhaps gluten free. steeple
My first experience with CD and gf eating was over 8 years ago at
a huge gf support group. I went to this meeting thinking that I was going
to find a large group of health-conscious people looking for healthy
nutritious foods. WRONG!!! What I encountered was shocking: about l50
celiacs looking for unhealthy substitutions for unhealthy gluten-containing
foods and recipes! Nothing at all has changed since then... I wish the
celiac community as a whole would wake up to what you have written, for the
sake of their health and well-being.
--------------------
Carl is so right that this is not only a healthier way to live but
also easier. When I first went GF, I spent hours & hours running from
store to store reading hundreds of tiny printed ingredient lists trying to
find GF this & GF that. I can remember one week visiting FIVE different
grocery stores..... I got sicker & sicker all the while I was working so
hard to follow this darned GF diet.... my GI specialist sent me to see a
naturopath....He had me prepare everything I ate from scratch using only
whole naturalingredients and to avoid sugar & all processed foods as if
they were rat poison!
It worked! I've recovered all the lost weight, my tummy is
happy..... My diet is simple to prepare and simple to shop for. I do 99%
of my shopping down the produce & meat
aisle of one grocery store. No more reading lenghty ingredient lists or
running from store to store.... I only buy foods with ONE ingredient... I
grill, bake or crock pot my meat & poultry and simply steam my veggies or
eat them in salads. My snacks are fruits & nuts. It's so EASY. The
principles of this diet are found in two wonderful books BREAKING THE
VICOUS CYCLE by Elaine Gottshall and NOURISHING TRADITIONS by Sally Fallon.
-------------------
We have 3 out 4 family members that are Celiacs. We have recently
given up on finding the "perfect GF bread" and quit eating bread
altogether. The same goes for cookies, cakes, etc.... I think we are ALL
better off for it.
----------------
Finally someone who feels as I do. About seven months ago it
dawned on me. Instead of searching endlessly for gluten free foods that
were like what I used to eat, I cut almost everything baked out of my diet
and went mostly to "fresh foods." Since then, with exercise, I have lost
25 pounds – but mostly I just feel better. And I don’t miss the other stuff.
-------------------
Good post! I usually delete 95% of the posts because they're just
not relevant to a diet based on fresh, simple ingredients. I think most
celiacs become so obsessed with trying to be 'normal' that they waste a lot
of energy and don't necessarily get good nutrition.
I'd also add that by insisting on substituting refined GF baked
goods for conventional ones, most also eat a diet even richer in saturated
and trans fats and sugars than the fatty and sugary American diet. I mean,
when I started out GF, I ate all kinds of prepared GF foods, and gained 15
pounds! Ack! Finally, I stopped with the batters, cookies, and
cakes, and went to fresh meat, veggies, fruits, rice and potatoes. Never
felt better.
-------------
Although I agree with you that non-processed foods are better,
most of us are working folk, and need the convenience. Thebes
---------------
Unfortunately, unless you enjoy plain veggies and plain meat, it
is not as simple as you describe it. The other things we worry about are
whether things as simple as raw chicken breasts bought at a store contain
gluten, whether lean turkey has been injected with a gluten containing
broth, and whether tomato paste has gluten in it (some brands of each of
these do), to name a few. Seasonings used on poultry and fish, yogurts,
rice milks, are all things that are not laden with fat, are considered okay
on a healthy diet, and yet can contain gluten.
Plus, when I try to inquire at the local butcher shop about
whether their meats, fish, and poultry are pure, and free of gluten, they
get defensive like I am saying they somehow make them impure. And, I still
don't get a straight, accurate answer.
I am not trying to be mean, I just don't think it is as simple
as you make it sound. Plus children do miss the high fat goodies and
breads and pizza, because that is what their peers eat and they don't want
to be so different. I always restricted sugar, artificial colorings,
artificial sweeteners, msg, etc. before I found out my daughter had
CD. That was hard enough. Now I have to make everything totally from
scratch (no more casseroles made with Chicken, broccoli and Campbell's
Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup). It is time consuming and very
difficult to cook and make all of the necessary checks on the ingredients.
So, I am sorry but I don't agree with you.
I guess for an adult with no children at home, who eats only
fruit and veggies, your suggestion could be true.
------------------------------------------------------
Original Post:
>You may want to consider a healthier, easier gluten-free diet than that
>followed by most of the people on this news group.
>
>Your greatest health risk statistically is cardiovascular disease. You are
>much more likely to be disabled and die from that than celiac disease (or
>cancer or......)
>
>You can reduce your risk of heart disease (and even reverse or prevent the
>disease) by eating low-fat and heart-healthy foods (with exercise,
>stress-reduction and social support.)
>
>By happy coincidence, most foods that are good for you are also gluten-free.
>
>By another happy coincidence, the hidden gluten this news group is so
>worried about is just about always in processed foods. Those foods
>generally are high-fat and not heart-healthy. If you eliminate them, you
>don't have to worry about hidden gluten.
>
>My experience is that you won't feel at all deprived if you focus not on
>depriving yourself of dangerous foods, but on the pleasure of eating all
>the fresh foods that are really good for you (and just happen to be
>gluten-free, low-fat, complex carbohydrates and sugars.)
>
>Solid clinical research shows that people are able to maintain an
>extremely-low fat diet as easily as less restrictive diets.
>
>I just thought I'd offer this unusual perspective, because I see so many
>people on this list frustrated looking for gluten-free versions of high-fat
>foods are needlessly hurting their health.
>
>I welcome you questions and comments.
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