Health: What’s Up with the Gluten-Free Diet?

 Law Wanxi a lot of it is because of all the synthetic stuff they are putting into the food. but me i was diagnosed with a milk allergy when i was 2 weeks old. i literally fainted. as i got older i developed skin issues then later certain vitamin deficiencies associated with celiac's. i also think a lot of the allergies were misdiagnosed. its common.

 Shulamit 

It's not that common.  You're an exception.  You were diagnosed, probably through dietary input exclusion, properly at 2 weeks of age.  I'm fairly certain that, at 14 days, you didn't read an article in the esteemed peer-reviewed medical journal 'Cosmopolitan' or the equally valid 'Elle' about lactose intolerance and decide, without the evidence-based protocols you had when you were a newborn, that you were lactose-intolerant.  You're the real thing.  

 Law Wanxi Tis true however I did read a lot of health journals and information with the help of a few naturalist friends i was able to diagnose my gluten allergy which the doctor later confirmed. Then again I am smart as a whip, I was in the medical field ten years I was able to diagnose things even when the doctors couldn't. Don't discount self evaluation. Many times it saves the person's life. As for Elle and Cosmo, umm yeah. never read them.

 Law Wanxi and I am a stylist, image consultant, fashion blogger, go figure

 Law Wanxi  ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!  Law I do not care if Sirloin sees this.  I am totally in love with you. {Wiping tears from eyes}

 Brenda55 If you're interested in tDCS, I wouldn't mind sharing information.

 Law Wanxi Love this so much, I'm printing it out for future reference.  I'd like to be able to quote you verbatim.

 Law Wanxi ROTFLMAO - back 50 years ago, eating at a Chinese restaurant and using chopsticks was sorta/kinda Pinko-Communistic - couldn't even date a black or Asian girl - defacto segregation - it 'just wasn't done' - a cause for being Disowned-And-Disinherited, a distressingly common theme in my ultraconservative-San-Diego-California-in-the-50s upbringing.

BTW, Law, on an off-topic comment - I was surfing on a wilderness survival thread, and observed that, ont in camp, the narrator used chopsticks to fish live coals out of a fire, plopping them into his Swiss Volcano Stove - am I forgiven?

 Law Wanxi Then, after the BYOF dinner, there comes the delicate matter of thye upset stomach and intestinal troubles - this being Southern California and the Space Age, might I suggest a dose of the INTERGALATIC LAXITIVE ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SExx1LqgNZM

 Law Wanxi "Back some 30-odd [very odd] years ago, I didn't know a single child in my school who had food issues.  Now they all do, every child I encounter can't eat something fairly ordinary."

Having elementary school aged children, I encounter this every year.  It seems like in every class, there is at least one kid (or several) who have some type of allergy.  When I was a kid, food allergies were practically unheard of.  I can't remember anyone in my entire elementary school (which was K-8) that had an allergy. 

 The Working Home Keeper  Law Wanxi My BFF and I were just talking about this because our church asked us to provide snacks for the upcoming Vacation Bible School.  The list of "don'ts" was so long... no nuts, gluten, milk, peanut butter, cheese, etc.  Our church also provides an allergy-free Host for communion because of all the children who have food allergies in our congregation.  Back in the day, my mom, who is and has been lactose-intolerant her entire life, was considered a freak.  Nowadays, she can even drink milk if she wants to.

 The Working Home Keeper I've read that the problem is that today's children and the environment that they are kept in are way too clean. This in turn causes their immune system not to develop  as it should hence all the allergies. Another theory floating around that it is that parents are unnecessarily eliminating certain foods from their children's diet as a result of misreporting of scientific studies in the media. Personally I hate it when people say that they are allergic to something when in actuality they just dislike it. It makes life hell for people like me who have real allergies like be taken seriously. I've had people lie to me saying that the food they are supplying are nut free to try to test if I was telling the truth. Some pretty unpleasant trips to the hospitals have resulted in the past as result of those actions.    

 Islandgirl That's terrible Islandgirl!  I never disbelieve any of the parents who say their children have allergies.  If it was my child, I would certainly want the other parents and teachers to take it seriously.  Most parents do and follow the school's guideline of only sending in nut free snacks and store bought items which have the ingredients listed.

We've never limited foods with our children - with the exception of no honey before age 1yo.  And while cleanliness and hygiene are important, I don't bathe my kids in sanitizer!  Thankfully, we haven't had to deal with allergies.  My clever little 9yo has tried to convince me on many occasions that she's allergic to onions.  Momma's not buying it LOL!    

 Islandgirl Are you kidding me???  Doing stuff like that can kill somebody.....I hope you gave them a piece of your mind and a foot up the backside, once you got out of the hospital.

I do agree that people are too worried about germs.  Germs help your immune system.  It's like weight lifting, you break down in hopes that when it rebuilds, it will be stronger.  Does that mean don't bathe or brush your teeth? No.  But taking antibiotics for a cold is just a waste.  When you have a cold, you cough, the body is trying to fight it off.  It may be unpleasant to hear and be around, but the body is doing what it is meant to do.

 ChristieRJohnson Once I got out of the hospital everything resolved itself as it should. I stopped talking to the idiots who played the dangerous stunts. I now don't eat out very much to avoid such situations. I do miss the ability to eat nutella though :s

 Above Ground Pools I agree! If you eat fresh fruit and veggies, nuts, and beans you will get your daily intake of all that you need..

 Shulamit It's amazing how many of the vitamins and minerals we need are found in beans alone. But for vitamin A and C you need to include at minimum some greens and potatoes. I've become a fan of dandelion greens, I think they taste really good with potatoes. Sweet potatoes, diced small, actually cook in a pan in about 5 minutes, I just throw in some spinach and dandelion greens and have a quick little hash. Red potatoes and white potatoes tend to take a minimum of 15 minutes to prepare. I find it interesting the concept of eating for your nationality and there's a recent trendy diet called the primal diet which is about eating whole foods, and not eating grains, but interestingly enough also excludes beans. I, myself, am a mutt (japanese, mexican, irish, scottish, english). Eating for my ancestry would be complicated.

My latest conversation: Help make Brandon Christison's first album

 Above Ground Pools Good lawd and I thought my Irish, Black, Native American and Spanish was a mess but those peoples tend to have similar diets and I am 80% african ancestry so I am good. Beans is a staple in an black diet or it should be. My green of choice is Kale. I absolutely love it. High in Iron, Fiber and Vit B. Its fabulous.. I also love brocolli and mustard greens. Choctah is fabulous as well. I have been eating pretty good for two months and I am about to up my game..I want this lifestyle choice to stick. I have lost 15lbs already and I am already less bloated looking. I actually told my doctor I had celiacs because of some seriously high symptoms and was recently tested. so here goes nothing.

 Shulamit I actually almost bought Kale the other day. I've never tried it. I'm actually a pretty even mix 1/4 Japanese, 1/4 Scottish, 1/4 Mexican, 1/8 English, 1/8 Irish. I'm glad this diet is working for you. I've been hearing a lot about the school systems and their idea of a healthy diet and that some are taking away kids lunches and making them eat theirs because they don't feel like they're eating correctly, but that it's not necessarily being used for kids bringing candy bars and such, but kids who have a more vegetarian lunch or something like that. It's interesting how the government is wanting to police what we eat.

My latest conversation: Help make Brandon Christison's first album

 Shulamit So true even though I'm not really a bean girl but fresh fruits and vegetable is the way to go

 Above Ground Pools 

You read my mind -- posted what I did.

Are you gluten-free? :)

 AleeL  I actually am not gluten-free, but I ate a gluten-free diet for Lent because I decided to eat a kinda 3rd world diet of just staple foods: beans, rice, potatoes and corn. I logged my diet to see how many vitamins, protein, calories, carbs, etc. I was eating. I ended up having to add some greens into the diet so I could eat the recommended Vitamin A and C intake, but found that with this extremely restrictive gluten-free diet I was able to get the nutrition I needed.

My latest conversation: Help make Brandon Christison's first album

 TanishaShulamitEverett The a good point. I've heard this too. I'm really interested in the concept of eating for your ancestry.

 Christelyn  I've been doing a lot of research about it. For instance, pork is not native to Africa and nor are cows. But goats and fowl are so it is best to stick with those meat /milk sources. I eat goat cheese and drink almond mild. Sweet Potatoes/Yams are native to Africa so I refrain from eating white potatoes as much as possible --I have a thing for french fries-- And I am learning to eat veggies and fruits when they are in season to steer clear of preservatives and pesticides

@Christelyn @TanishaShulamitEverett I'm Swedish and german. does thay mean i have to live on swedish meatballs and wienerschnitzel?

 dasdbobb  Christelyn  TanishaShulamitEverett oh dear.. lol..have fun with that :-)

 dasdbobb  Christelyn  TanishaShulamitEverett 

OMG the visuals.

 Christelyn Ah, eating for my ancestry.  A noble concept.  A significant part of my ancestry is Celtic (Scots-Irish) and Native-American, so it looks like it's corn, beans and squash for me ... plus oatmeal, beef, mutton and haggis (well, scrapple) ... plus rabbit, deer, shellfish & dog ... plus plenty of beer & whiskey.

 SirLoinDeBeef AHAHAHAHAHA! mmm. Beer. Tried whiskey recently---whew! Can't do it, cap'n.

 Christelyn Ah, whiskey - DIY - start with a liter of EverClear (95% proof) - dump it into a container with a screw-top lid - fill the empty bottle with water and pour it in, too (cuts it 50%).

Get an old OAK stair tread - wash it well - shave off a couple of handfuls of scrapings with a plane - put these in a glass/wood bowl and set it on fire (dryer lint works real well) - when about half burnt, clap on a cover - fire goes out - when cool, take two handfuls and plop them into the container - screw on the lid - put it aside for 4 weeks (slosh it now and then).

After a month, pour the glop into an old t-shirt over a bowl - squeeze out the liquid - throw out the t-shirt - then take the brown liquid and pour it into a couple of glass liter bottles, with a coffee filter in the funnel.

Let it sit for a while ... now you've got whiskey.

And here ya think men couldn't do food ...

Remind me to tell ya how to do 'popcorn' chicken!