What is all this "gluten-free" shit?
- Thread starter Famm
- Start date
Neither is salt for the vast majority of people. Hell, for that matter... your body isn't really as fussy as we like to pretend it is. As long as the calories are inline with expenditures and you have enough protein, the rest pretty much takes care of itself. There are many, many possible ways of feeding yourself well and yes, that does include eating processed foods and meat.
We like to believe that things we enjoy are bad for us and things that do not taste good must be good for us. It is absurd of course but our brains really like this sort of 'logic'. We suck at correlation.
Celiac disease is serious and actually underdiagnosed, especially in this country. There's no harm in avoiding gluten or getting tested if you really want a definitive answer.
There is harm in self diagnosis actually. There is a test for it. Take the test. If the test is negative you don't have celiac's.
The thing is that a lot of these gluten-free products have worse stuff than gluten in it.
I said a person should get tested if he wants a definitive answer. Unfortunately, blood testing can be quite expensive and provide false negatives (a biopsy is the most accurate way of testing) so there's a lot of downsides to getting an official diagnosis. I'm not advocating self-diagnoses but if avoiding gluten makes you feel better then just do it.
Also, the best gluten-free diet is just meat and produce. Most gluten-free analogues are downright nasty.
Pancreas
Vyemm Raider
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For me personally, I tend to stick to whole foods. (pre-processed food, not the store) Or if I do buy something that has been prepared ahead of time, I simply read the ingredients, the simpler the better.
The issue I have with just about all processed foods is the need to use artificial preservatives or large amounts of salt or some other preserving agent. This process of preservation exists only to aid distribution and manufacture of food on a large scale. It's not there for my nutritional benefit, only my convenience. So I choose to invest a little time into food preparation in order to avoid the ingestion of a lot of chemical agents. I don't count calories or do in depth analysis of how much of each vital nutrient I am consuming. I just try to process my food myself and buy local when possible.
I have cut out dairy however and tend to eat red meat and pork sparingly. I consider those to be treats. I eat lots of vegetables, and a few pieces of fruit a day. I don't drink soda or eat candy bars or fast food. I drink mostly water. I basically just try to eat the same way my great grandfather did, with lots of whole foods that haven't traveled farther around the world than I have.
As for the whole gluten thing, gluten itself really isn't a problem if ingested in moderation. Just like salt, fat, protein ect. All of those things are fine when balanced, but can cause issues in excess amounts. Most breads are currently baked in large factory settings using machines that work fast and beat the crap out of the bread dough in the process (much more than if the bread were to be made by hand). Gluten is added to the dough to give it more elasticity to make it suitable for the machines to handle, and also to make it fluffier and less dense when baked. Gluten content in most bread you buy at the store now has many times the gluten content of traditionally baked bread. This larger dose of gluten can cause some digestion discomfort in some people, usually nothing major. Unless, like has been stated, the person has additional digestive issues.
Really it's not worth trying to cut out completely in my opinion, unless the person has an extreme allergy to it. But being aware of how much you are eating probably isn't a bad thing.
The issue I have with just about all processed foods is the need to use artificial preservatives or large amounts of salt or some other preserving agent. This process of preservation exists only to aid distribution and manufacture of food on a large scale. It's not there for my nutritional benefit, only my convenience. So I choose to invest a little time into food preparation in order to avoid the ingestion of a lot of chemical agents. I don't count calories or do in depth analysis of how much of each vital nutrient I am consuming. I just try to process my food myself and buy local when possible.
I have cut out dairy however and tend to eat red meat and pork sparingly. I consider those to be treats. I eat lots of vegetables, and a few pieces of fruit a day. I don't drink soda or eat candy bars or fast food. I drink mostly water. I basically just try to eat the same way my great grandfather did, with lots of whole foods that haven't traveled farther around the world than I have.
As for the whole gluten thing, gluten itself really isn't a problem if ingested in moderation. Just like salt, fat, protein ect. All of those things are fine when balanced, but can cause issues in excess amounts. Most breads are currently baked in large factory settings using machines that work fast and beat the crap out of the bread dough in the process (much more than if the bread were to be made by hand). Gluten is added to the dough to give it more elasticity to make it suitable for the machines to handle, and also to make it fluffier and less dense when baked. Gluten content in most bread you buy at the store now has many times the gluten content of traditionally baked bread. This larger dose of gluten can cause some digestion discomfort in some people, usually nothing major. Unless, like has been stated, the person has additional digestive issues.
Really it's not worth trying to cut out completely in my opinion, unless the person has an extreme allergy to it. But being aware of how much you are eating probably isn't a bad thing.
Cybsled
Avatar of War Slayer
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Lol. Kind of like how you have to roll your eyes when you buy Orange Juice and it says something like "CHOLESTEROL FREE!". I sure as fuck would hope what is supposed to be a 100% fruit drink doesn't have any animal-produced substances in it.
Kefir is good stuff, especially strawberry flavored.
ZyyzYzzy
RIP USA
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Those damn vaccinations completely wiping out terrible debilitating disease. Yep they are horrible. They may have even been the vector for introducing SIV into human's to make HIV.
If you really think the health of the general population is worse off since the advent of vaccines, you need to die of polio.
Maybe I've just had bad kefir, but it tasted like chunky, vomit-flavored semen.
Baek
Golden Knight of the Realm
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my problem is only with the schedule at which we currently receive vaccinations. dont' get me wrong, vaccines are by far the greatest accomplishment of modern medicine. I would just like to see them spread out more, maybe 1 virus course at a time, at least 2 weeks apart. the chances of my newborn daughter contracting Hep B by unprotected sex or sharing needles within 12 hours after being born seem slim.
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I was born in Poland and had many of those diseases that were commonly vaccinated for here in the US. The shit is horrible and I almost died because of Measles. I had mumps (sp?) as well. My jaw and neck swelled up with pain. Shit was awful. Vaccinate your kids folks, don't be dummies.
And don't forget the babies dying of whooping cough.Babies are dying from a disease that should be eradicated.
Oh, and Polio is making a come-back. Wonderful.
Oh, and Polio is making a come-back. Wonderful.
ZyyzYzzy
RIP USA
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Yes because a baby can't get Hep B from a being in a hospital. Where did you go to med school?
edit - or you know when the baby is born during delivery, it couldn't possibly contract it if the mother has it.
