Wheat - the new red meat

Las Vegas Mercury ^ | 11/18/04 | Newt Briggs

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Actually, my wife has gluten sensitivity and avoids it. She is much healthier staying away from it.

But that doesn't mean anyone should make a cause out of it for all the people who don't have that particular sensitivity. Lots of folk have lots of problems with particular foods -- that's as common as the cold. If you can't eat it, stay away from it. It's stupid to make a cause celebre out of it. But that's how people make money these days...

[wyattearp]

Beer? Beer! No Beer!

NO WAY!

[Jokelahoma]

Not only this, but you should only eat meat you've killed on your own, so you can be certain the government wasn't injecting it with gluten, just to keep you subservient.

And not only that, but it should only be killed with a spear or a club. There may be gluten in the gunpowder used to fire bullets, or in the strings used on a compound bow!

And not only that, your meat should be eaten raw, or lightly cooked over and open fire! Gluten is found is heating elements on ovens, and research shows it may be the main ingredient in microwaves as well!

And not only that, but you should only dress in clothing made of the animals you killed. Woolly Mammoth coats are IN this year!

And not only that, but... wait, where was I? Oh yeah! Not only that, but you should... uh... did I mention not cooking meat? I did? Dang.

I'm sorry her child has celiac disease. I'm just as sorry that she feels the need to tell me what to eat. Thanks, but not thanks. I've come to this amazing conclusion that no matter what I eat, I'm going to die someday anyway. Therefore, I'll risk checking out a year or two earlier just to be certain I die with a stomach full of food I enjoyed eating.

[MarMema]

I'm getting iron by IV infusion for the next few months.

[MarMema]

It's a breaking disease. They have only recently put up accurate testing. The average time prior to diagnosis in this country is ten years. A lot of people are misdiagnosed. It's a slippery one to catch.

It needs publicity. 1 in 100 is a lot of people, most of them walking around undiagnosed while their small intestine is being destroyed.

Also they like to call it a "pre-malignant" disease. Some cancers follow closely on the heels of it.

In Italy all children are routinely screened for it. Here, the physicians are just figuring it out.

[bluefish]

Insufficient sleep combined with incessant anxiety and no exercise.

Did somebody ring? That's me. Actually, I have a wheat intolerance. I've speculated that the reason many people feel so much better on an Atkins diet is not because they eliminated carbs, but because they eliminated wheat. They may react poorly to gluten. I figured this out when I discovered that I could eat potatos and still feel ok. Potatos are high glycemic. It was cutting out wheat that made me feel better.

Wheat is not food. Look at a stalk and tell me that it was meant to be eaten. You have to pulverize it, add butter, stick it in the oven, etc. to get it close tasting half way decent. You can do that to a rock and get the same results.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[lmr]

I guess the Atkins proponents will get richer due to this 'information'...

[CurlyDave]

The theory made the point that game animals and other "natural" food sources were humans' normal food supply...

I actually think that humans evolved as carrion eaters. This explains both why we like our meat cooked and our steaks aged.

True carnivores like their meat fresh & raw.

[jennyp]

I guess the Atkins proponents will get richer due to this 'information'...

Ah, go over to the alt.support.diet.low-carb newsgroup & say that. You'll get an earful from all the celiac sufferers there. :-)

[AmericaUnited]

Most smart people know the "food pyramid" is absurd! Does anyone wonder why so many people either get allergic reactions or have "worse" allergic reactions when consuming wheat?

Here are some more good links on this topic:

Severe Wheat Intolerance Fifty Times More Common Than Previously Thought

Wheat Can Cause Severe Headaches

Wheat Sensitivity (Subclinical Gluten Intolerance) Linked To Repeated Miscarriages

More Reasons to Avoid Wheat

Severe Wheat Intolerance Fifty Times More Common Than Previously Thought

Avoiding Wheat and Gluten May Reverse Liver Failure and Hepatitis

[Smokin' Joe]

Not crapola for the one in a hundred this affects. They are pretty miserable until they find out why and take steps to avoid it. Some folks have no reaction to poison ivy, but that does not mean it is not a problem for the rest of us.

[MarMema]

celiac

[MarMema]

Thanks for the links. In my recent discoveries I have been amazed to find gluten intolerance causing everything under the sun, including osteoporosis, epilepsy, and cerebral calcification.

[MarMema]

I was hoping you would ping it.

[Coldwater Creek]

It has absolutely nothing to do with the Atkins diet. You can have sugar and bread and potatoes as long as it is gluten free. The whole message in this article has been misunderstood.

[chilepepper]

wrong! the food pyramid was created at the instigation of George McGovern, Democratic Senator from South Dakota and much beholden to Archer-Daniels-Midland

[chilepepper]

yah, but thats because you were likely to be eaten by a saber tooth tiger...