Celiac Disease and Wheat Intolerance

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SeaBreeze

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Information about Celiac Disease and its relationship to wheat intolerance in our diets. Full article here.

In this article I have proposed that celiac disease be viewed not as a rare "genetically-determined" disorder, but as an extreme example of our body communicating to us a once universal, species-specific affliction: severe intolerance to wheat.

Celiac disease reflects back to us how profoundly our diet has diverged from what was, until only recently a grain free diet, and even more recently, a wheat free one. We are so profoundly distanced from that dramatic Neolithic transition in cultural time that "missing is any sense that anything is missing." The body, on the other hand, cannot help but remember a time when cereal grains were alien to the diet, because in biological time it was only moments ago.


Eliminating wheat, if not all of the members of the cereal grass family, and returning to dicotyledons or pseudo-grains like quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth, may help us roll back the hands of biological and cultural time, to a time of clarity, health and vitality that many of us have never known before.

When one eliminates wheat and fills the void left by its absence with fruits, vegetables, high quality meats and foods consistent with our biological needs we may begin to feel a sense of vitality that many would find hard to imagine. If wheat really is more like a drug than a food, anesthetizing us to its ill effects on our body, it will be difficult for us to understand its grasp upon us unless and until we eliminate it from our diet.

I encourage everyone to see celiac disease not as a condition alien to our own. Rather, the celiac gives us a glimpse of how profoundly wheat may distort and disfigure our health if we continue to expose ourselves to its ill effects. I hope this article will provide inspiration for non-celiacs to try a wheat free diet and judge for themselves if it is really worth eliminating.
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This is a very good article on celiac disease & wheat/gluten intolerance.
Celiac disease use to be considered a rare disease but not only is wheat different than it used to be, it’s also overused as cheap fillers in others foods. It’s the over exposure to wheat that’s causing problems not just a genetic factor.

The great news is that there are so many gluten free good tasting alternatives today that are available at regular supermarkets at responsible prices. A quarter of a century ago anything made gluten free tasted and felt like cardboard.
 
I had a friend with celiac disease. Once when they had a picnic, I made a mac salad with gluten free pasta. It was not at all bad tasting. Everyone liked it, and some did not know the pasta was gluten free until they saw my friend eating it.
 

I don't have Celiac but have buying ONLY gluten free crackers now for a couple yrs. I love them and can't imagine going back to the gluten wheat thins etc. I have not brought bread into my house for about 10 yrs -- eat no bread at all, use romaine lettuce leaves for a sandwich wrap. I need to keep weight down and bread doesn't help the waist.

Thank goodness so so many foods are now gluten free..people are "catching on". J
 
Marie5656 said:
I had a friend with celiac disease. Once when they had a picnic, I made a mac salad with gluten free pasta. It was not at all bad tasting. Everyone liked it, and some did not know the pasta was gluten free until they saw my friend eating it.
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There are so many great gluten free noodles on the market now that taste great. Most people can’t tell the difference any more which is great.

jaminhealth said:
I don't have Celiac but have buying ONLY gluten free crackers now for a couple yrs. I love them and can't imagine going back to the gluten wheat thins etc. I have not brought bread into my house for about 10 yrs -- eat no bread at all, us romaine lettuce leaves for a sandwich wrap. I need to keep weight down and bread doesn't help the waist.

Thank goodness so so many foods are now gluten free..people are "catching on". J
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Me too. I try and avoid grains but if I eat them I eat gluten free. No bread for me either but I have to admit I do miss the taste & texture of freshly baked crusty loaf bread fresh out of the oven but I agree lettuce leaves make great sandwich wraps.
Bread really is hard for the body to digest and does seem to be a cause of weight gain.
I definitely know that when I don’t eat any grains I loose weight fast. Eating grains or high carb foods seems to slow my metabolism right down.
 
jaminhealth said:
There are two books out there the Grain Brain by Perlmutter and Wheat Belly by Davis and I've not read them but "get it".. Perlmutter is big on oils.
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I have read these books from our online library, and they are both definitely worth the time to read them. I still use some whole wheat, but I also use almond meal, coconut flour, flax meal and quinoa for just about anything that I bake nowdays. Plus, since I am now on a plant-based diet, I am eating a lot more veggies, and less of any kind of grains for the most part.
Even people who do not have celiac disease can be grain intolerant, according to what I read, so the problem is probably a lot more widespread than just the ones who have been found to have celiac disease.
 
Happyflowerlady said:
I have read these books from our online library, and they are both definitely worth the time to read them. I still use some whole wheat, but I also use almond meal, coconut flour, flax meal and quinoa for just about anything that I bake nowdays. Plus, since I am now on a plant-based diet, I am eating a lot more veggies, and less of any kind of grains for the most part.
Even people who do not have celiac disease can be grain intolerant, according to what I read, so the problem is probably a lot more widespread than just the ones who have been found to have celiac disease.
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Very well informed post. Even rotating the types of foods eaten helps greatly from food allergies from happening and the variety of different nutrients from new foods helps ensure a more balanced diet. It’s a win win.

I use almond and coconut flours a lot as well and it is MOST CERTAINLY true that you don’t have to be celiac to be grain intolerant. Good point Happyflowerlady.
I’m now discovering all the people here who are seriously into healthy living.
 
My barber has this disease. I have tasted some of his snacks that he has offered me while I'm waiting my turn, or if I am early for my appointment. Most of what I tasted, didn't really taste any, or very little different.
 

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