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Is Being Gluten-Intolerant an American Problem?
Mother Earth News ^ | Summer 2013 | Carolyn Welch

Posted on 06/30/2019 12:46:36 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

I recently had a puzzling experience and wonder whether you might be able to shed some light on it. Over the past few years I’ve become increasingly unable to eat wheat without experiencing significant gastrointestinal distress, and I’ve been eating a gluten-free diet for about two years as a result.

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Hungary and succumbed to the temptation of eating some irresistibly fabulous, crusty European bread. I figured I’d pay the price but that it would be worth it. However, nothing happened. By the end of the trip I was feasting on croissants, thin-crust pizza, layer cake and giant pretzels, and though my clothes are tighter, my digestive system was completely unaffected. In fact, it felt better than it had in a long time.

A quick Google search turned up many similar stories of those in the United States who believed they were gluten-intolerant but had no trouble eating wheat in Europe.

Why are so many Americans gluten-intolerant now? Is something going on with our wheat supply? Is the problem even gluten, or is it the wheat itself? Could it be the varieties grown here, or the way it’s processed? Surely it’s not normal for so many people to develop this problem over such a short period of time.

(Excerpt) Read more at motherearthnews.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: agriculture; allergies; dairy; eliminatesoyproducts; fda; gluten; health; lactose; soy; soybeans
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To: BipolarBob

“No, it’s not. It’s even worse than stated here in fact. All of my children were born naked! It has to be the gluten.”

That is a consequence of bad DNA.

The Ancestor.com.’s new beta DNA tests tells us if our Ancestors were born naked.

I’m a Beta tester, and it appears that all of my ancestors were born naked.


61 posted on 06/30/2019 3:05:19 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (KAG! Keep America Great! Vote for President Trump in 2020! KAG! Keep America Great. Again!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
Did the author have celiac disease or was it some other problem with gluten and foods like bread? Was he diagnosed and monitored medically or is his account based solely on self-diagnosis?

There is a significant distinction between celiac disease and the broader categories of gluten intolerance and other food intolerances. These are all immune-mediated disorders and tend to be hard to diagnose and tricky to manage because they often have a now you see it, now you don't character.

In celiac disease, a toxic and immunological reaction to gluten damages the lining of the small intestine and results in the malabsorption of nutrients and development of other ailments based on the combination of nutritional deficiency and immunological reactions. If one stops eating wheat, rye, and barley and foods and beverages containing them early enough, the small intestine almost always heals, nutritional status improves, and secondary ailments diminish or disappear.

If a recovering celiac patient then starts again eating foods with gluten, things may seem fine for a while, with a sense of exhilaration as one feels free of the burden of constant dietary vigilance. Nevertheless, the small intestine and the body itself are gradually deteriorating as the inability to process gluten takes its toll. Bluntly put, there is no known basis for recovery from celiac disease except lifelong avoidance of gluten.

There is also a new and evolving category of non-celiac gluten intolerance in which it seems some patients may resume eating gluten after a period of avoidance. Perhaps the author had that instead of celiac disease. Or it may be that other factors were involved, such as the higher gluten fraction in newer wheat varieties that tend to be grown in the US, or maybe the author is more tolerant of the yeast varieties used by bakeries in Europe.

In sum, the author seems not to have a clear understanding of his own health issues and is an unreliable guide for anyone else.

62 posted on 06/30/2019 3:17:52 PM PDT by Rockingham
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To: econjack

It may be just in the head of some people, but for others the allergy is real. Our son has many food allergies, all diagnosed by a blood test. When he eats something to which he is allergic, his eczema flares significantly and he will have blood dripping down his arms and legs within an hour or two. Gluten is one his allergies.


63 posted on 06/30/2019 3:26:45 PM PDT by NorthstarMom
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To: TheWriterTX

TheWriterTX wrote:

“I have two, lactose intolerance and wheat. Gastroenterologist, internist, and dietician confirmed.

I’ve also been hypoglycemic since birth. Has nothing to do with the cool thing and everything to do with not throwing up food my system cannot process or being in pain when it tries.”

Same here, no gluten or dairy; gluten goes right thru & dairy causes sinus infections.


64 posted on 06/30/2019 3:39:42 PM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: NorthstarMom

NorthstarMom wrote:

“It may be just in the head of some people, but for others the allergy is real. Our son has many food allergies, all diagnosed by a blood test. When he eats something to which he is allergic, his eczema flares significantly and he will have blood dripping down his arms and legs within an hour or two. Gluten is one his allergies.”

Thank you for posting; there are some on this thread that are naysayers.

Did you ever run into a situation where neither he nor the person who prepared the food knew it had the allergen in it, and he had a reaction?


65 posted on 06/30/2019 3:50:08 PM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: LibWhacker

It’s all in zee head. imho
************************
I said the same thing a few years ago. Then saw the pain and transformation first hand. Don’t be ignorant, as I was. It can ruin a life literally and opinions of uneducated mouth-breathers never help any situation.


66 posted on 06/30/2019 3:58:45 PM PDT by Eagles Field
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To: econjack

My next door neighbor at the marina swears she is gluten intolerant. She’s never been diagnosed by a doctor, just decided she is. She is very susceptible to fads though.


67 posted on 06/30/2019 4:04:53 PM PDT by sheana
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To: JohnnyP
(I also ate as much gelato as possible on 4 occasions and each time came away feeling fine—not sick and not longing to drink 2 gallons of water—both feelings I experience at home if I have even 10% of that volume in ice cream, including “fancy” high-end ice cream.)

This man is aware that gelato is NOT ice cream but ice milk?

It is what would be labeled a "frozen dairy dessert" here.

Ice Cream has 10 percent butterfat and only 1.4% egg yokes. The high-end stuff has up to 19% butterfat.

Gelato is about 5% butterfat on average and has no egg yokes.

So while both contain milk, cream and sugar it is like saying that butter does not taste like cottage cheese. Both have milk, cream and salt but the proportions are different and the process is different.

68 posted on 06/30/2019 4:12:29 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Human beings don't behave rationally. We rationalize our behavior.)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

Not sure if Round-Up Ready wheat is a thing or not. Just asked Hubs, the farmer, and he was not sure if such varieties made it out of development.

However, wheat and yeast varieties here have been developed to give a faster-rising, stronger loaf for commercial bakeries.

Not all grains in bread have the same amount of gluten as modern commercial wheats.

You can find non-brominated unbleached organic flours here, you just have to look.

I’ve been baking a lot of sour-dough bread lately and needed to know this stuff. I made my own starter with whole wheat switched up with organic bread flour and it’s starting to turn out OK. Steep learning curve and lots of loaves that we could use for door stops.

Fun fact — after six months of clean eating, no problems with dairy any more. Maybe it had something to do with sour-dough.


69 posted on 06/30/2019 4:18:32 PM PDT by Cloverfarm (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem ...)
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To: Cloverfarm

In India they need to add gluten to the local flour to make decent bread. There is a big difference between a lot of the European flour and ours.


70 posted on 06/30/2019 4:22:46 PM PDT by Oldexpat (Jobs Not Mobs)
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To: BipolarBob

> No, it’s not. It’s even worse than stated here in fact. All of my children were born naked! It has to be the gluten.

Obviously it’s just not enough fiber in your diet.


71 posted on 06/30/2019 4:23:27 PM PDT by Do_Tar (Do I really need a /joke?)
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To: JohnnyP

Yup those were the conclusions I came up with during my time living in Europe as well.


72 posted on 06/30/2019 4:25:47 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: Caipirabob

The European Union produces close to five billion bushels of wheat each year, while the United States produces about two billion bushels [source: Brester]. Unless you’re a professional baker, you might think that all wheat is the same, but these two regions actually produce vastly different varieties of this crop.

Around 60 percent of U.S. wheat production is of the hard red wheat variety; just 23 percent consists of soft wheat [source: Brester]. In Europe, the principal strains of wheat are generally of the soft variety. So what’s the difference between the two? Part of the difference lies in gluten, a protein blend found in wheat and other grains. Hard wheat has more gluten than soft wheat, and the gluten it contains is stronger than gluten found in soft wheat. This tough gluten is ideal for baking soft, fluffy bread that people are used to consuming in the United States.


73 posted on 06/30/2019 4:26:59 PM PDT by tallyhoe
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To: DesertRhino

Yes the trendy Hollywood-ness of it all bugs me too. Group-think in any form bothers me...like when it comes to vaccines. I am somewhere in the middle. (I think they are good to a point, but we give too many, and to children far too young.)

And with gluten, it annoys me that people think there is something fundamentally wrong with God-given wheat...or meat or milk. It’s not the grains and foods themselves but what is added to them or how they are processed in this country. Merely villainizing cows and bread prevents the discussion we need to have about improving the US food supply as a whole.


74 posted on 06/30/2019 4:29:38 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: WildHighlander57; NorthstarMom

Allergies/eczema are also more common among children in the USA these days and no it is not just a matter of diagnosis. There are many theories about this including: what goes into our food supply and processing; our cosmeticsand chemical exposures in day to day life (many chemicals/preservatives we use here are banned elsewhere); along with over-vaccination compromising natural immunity in developing children; hyper-sterile environments; breast-feeding vs. formula; the list goes on.

Even something as ubiquitous yet simple as High Fructose Corn Syrup: illegal in Europe. Their Heinz ketchups and Coca-Colas contain cane sugar instead.


75 posted on 06/30/2019 4:36:20 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: JohnnyP

https://jovialfoods.com/einkorn/

Try Jovial food Einkorn wheat. It is an antique type of wheat that has not been hybridized. I have serious diagnosed health problems but can eat this ( in small quantities). Im hoping someday when we get to go to Italy I will be able to eat their bread and pasta!


76 posted on 06/30/2019 4:48:54 PM PDT by boxlunch (Pray for President Trump! Disband the Democrat Media Communist Complex!)
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To: WildHighlander57

Yes, that has happened more than once. He’s only 8 so isn’t super diligent about asking

It’s been several years since he’s been tested or to a doctor(it got too expensive), but we need to get things under control again so he’s seeing an allergist next month. Tree nuts were not on his allergen list, but a few months ago he would panic because his lips and tongue felt itchy and tingly whenever he would unknowingly eat something with tree nuts. I don’t want to mess around if he’s developing an anaphylactic allergic reaction to tree nuts.

Also not on his list was soy. Last summer we went to the county fair and he played in the soybean pit. Within minutes blood was running-not trickling-from the crooks of his elbows and behind his knees. Another course of prednisone to get him back under control.


77 posted on 06/30/2019 4:58:09 PM PDT by NorthstarMom
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
My experience is that I seem to be intolerant of something in wheat, but seemingly it is not gluten. I eat basically gluten free, but I ignore the “may contain wheat ingredients warning, seemingly without effect.

“Dosage makes the poison,” and apparently I’m not celiac because I couldn’t get away with that. It just seems to be a low-level sensitivity which can sometimes result in untoward urgency.

If it seems clear to you that your issue is specific to consumption of American wheat flour, you might want to consider finding a way online to import some flour (from Hungary specifically, perhaps) that you have the least reason to suspect. While you’re at it, go whole hog if you can and import all the ingredients for bread making. And use a bread machine, perhaps, and go crazy on good fresh bread for as long as it takes to validate or invalidate your hypothesis. Probably you could ask around and borrow a bread machine if you don’t have one, for a share of the product.

And if you find your hypothesis vindicated, let us all know!

For science!!


78 posted on 06/30/2019 5:14:04 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (Socialism is cynicism directed towards society and - correspondingly - naivete towards government.)
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To: econjack

Overheard a patron at a winery ask the owner—”are all of your wines gluten free?”

Burst out in uncontrollable laughter— and said, loudly “do you know what wine is MADE FROM? Have you ever stomped grapes for the juice— or do you think people’s pre-bleached feet have wheat flour attached to them?- Incredible, ignorance”.

Yes— it is a freaking FAD. People who have diagnosed celiac disease, or Crohn’s disease sure it’s important. The creation of “FAD” marketed diets or ingredients is a function of the idiotice extremes BIG FOOD goes to... frankly to raise prices. All the organo mumbo jumbo is just that.... created out of someone’s... uh, thin air. Call it their fatulence flatulence. There are simple genetic markers that can verify if one is susceptible. As for peanut allergies removing peanuts from aircraft— how absolutely TORT lawyer based class action “we care” crapola, about the micro percent of anyone child or adult having catastrophic allergic reaction to peanuts. The same people eating soyflour laced fake tomato sauce on their pizzas, soy powder produced in the same machinery that handle peanuts— and.... voila— zero reaction. What a mind game— linked to victimhood genes for certain. Please, drink clean water, don’t eat anything to excess. and try to LIVE.


79 posted on 06/30/2019 5:28:11 PM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: Varda

Strange undigestible proteins cause all kinds of problems...


80 posted on 06/30/2019 5:35:06 PM PDT by northislander
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