Rock Center
The gluten free diet has become a massive food trend, bolstered by numerous celebrity endorsements, and a public desire to find a “magic bullet” to losing weight.
Mark Sisson is a former marathoner and Ironman triathlete. At 59, he looks and says he feels much younger. He credits his health to living a gluten-free lifestyle.
Editor's Note: Josh Mankiewicz’s full report on the growing popularity of the gluten-free lifestyle airs Thursday, Oct. 4 at 10pm/9c on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams.
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Celiacs and the gluten intolerant don't live longer than anyone else!
A gluten free diet won't help you lose weight.
But if you're gluten intolerant it's a godsend.
Besides, this guy is talking about a Paleo diet!
This guy meaning Mark Sisson is the author of the Primal Blueprint, Primal is different from Paleo. A wheat free diet does make you lose weight, just try it yourself for 30 days and then post your next comment.
becoming gluten free made me lose weight.... a lot... the paleo diet elliminates all grains/gluten... so, it's a gluten free diet.... there are many who don't register as intolerant and celiacs who have other issues (include stubborn weight) who benefit from this diet... i know from experience, and as a wellness coach... =)
everyone needs to see the food documentary Forks Over Knives
While I am always eager to listen to additional information regarding Gluten Free, our family comes from a different approach to the Gluten Free diet and that is health. Intolerance of wheat and wheat products cause miserable to severe symptoms. I have a brother and daughter and myself who are all gluten intolerant and the health factor of consuming gluten is the reason we avoid/have cut it out of our diets. It is not simply a choice of being healthier, we went through the testing due to moderate to severe symptoms and with the diagnosis the diet benefits us physically and in the long term. Gluten is extremely destructive to the GI system when one is intolerant of it, and I think that perspective was not portrayed accurately, but again, enjoyed the focus of the Gluten Intolerant perspective. The diet has become increasingly expanded and we greatly enjoy that.
Denise Minger wrote a great piece on Forks Over Knives and the China Study which is where quite a bit of the information for FOK came from.
A grain free diet, which is gluten free, will help to lose weight. However, in the end, calories do play a role. The removal of these empty calories and the insulin spike they produce, and replacing them with vegetables, fruits, nuts and meats, will provide better nutrients, weight loss and weight maintenance.
Yes, he is talking about Paleo/Primal which is gluten free, and in some cases dairy free.
@Terry
Just judging by your picture, I'd say you don't appear to be someone I'd take weight loss advice from...let alone health advice.
It's not about just avoiding grains, but avoiding sugar, industrially processed foods and industrial veggie oils.
Paleo/Primal aims to replace nutrient-void, but calorically-dense foods with things that are nutritionally-dense, and not full of empty calories. It's also a total lifestyle change, not just a diet. It focuses on getting more movement in your life, getting better sleep, reducing stress, and being healthy for life. It's a complete overhaul of the modern lifestyle.
I haven't lost weight on the diet, but I have lost fat and gained a great amount of lean muscle mass. I also cured a host of skin problems like eczema, eliminated GERD (as soon as I touch any grains my heartburn immediately flares up), fixed my sleeping problems, and have boundless energy throughout the entire day. I don't pass out at my desk after lunch like I used to. I also don't get strange cramps/GI pains/issues like I did back in the day. I am not celiac by the way. I used to get sick all the time, at least once a month. My immune system was taking a beating from the inflammation that grains and other crap-foods cause. I have not been sick in more than 2 years.
Oh yah, I've been doing this for 2 years +. Like I said, it's a lifestyle change, not a "fad diet". It's the original human diet.
I trust the doctors far more than others. According to the doctors the gluten free diets are nothing but the wool being pulled over the eyes.
Celiac disease is a serious thing, but just 'deciding' that gluten in your diet is causing your physical symptoms is nonsense. Those, like the man surfing in the video, who I think looks his age, who give up something in their diet and then believe that particular change is changing their health have no proof of what has changed it-could be a new toothpaste they tried or their neighbour's cat that was giving them the symptoms in the first place, not gluten. Gluten is just one of many ingredients in grains, and other than causing Celiac disease, there is NO proof it causes illness.
Thank goodness I don't go to YOUR doctor! YOUR doctor is wrong. While a GF diet isn't necessary or important for everyone, it is for those of us with wheat allergies and those with celiac disease.
Once you suffer from undiagnosed Celiac's for 30 years like I did, and then go Gluten Free, and see the changes it made in my life, I will listen to you and your 'doctors'.
icepuck, you couldn't be more wrong. Most doctors have no business talking about nutrition, since most studied it for maybe 5 minutes in med school, if that. Most doctors treat symptoms, and most use drugs to do it, which opens a pandora's box of new symptoms with more drugs to treat them. I don't know you and don't want to offend you, but you need to look a little deeper into how dangerous grains and sugar are for all of us. It's not just celiac sufferers, it's everyone. I was one of them, but no longer.
I don't think most doctors know much of anything when it comes to nutrition considering they recommend the food pyramid {or it's latest evolution MyPlate}. The FDA/USDA have former employees of big agra businesses {like Monsanto} running them. There is absolutely nothing in grains that I can't get elsewhere from a more nutritious source without anti-nutrients.
I lost 60 pounds in 6 months; my asthma is almost gone, I rarely have any issues with my arthritis, mood swings gone, IBS gone, lower back pain gone, mental fatigue gone, chronic headaches gone, this is also the first year that I am not battling depression, my anemia gone, brittle nails are strong, body acne gone, the afternoon "slump' gone...and I've discovered a new found love for bacon :P
Grippoish, I only read your first sentence. By insulting the person's physical appearance you lost credibility. I can't imagine anything that followed the insult having any substance.
I'm disappointed that you failed to dig deeper into why gluten intolerance has become an issue. Why don't you look into what part GMO wheat plays in the need to avoid gluten. We don't have to avoid gluten when we travel abroad, same with peanuts, soy and the like....
Please, this was just a propaganda piece, mandated by higher ups to keep the bread (etc.) sales from dropping. It was utterly ill-informed, slanted to make those who don't know any better see this as a fad.
GF can help many with Auti-Immune diseases, not just Celiac and diseases that manifest in the gut (Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis). Some with AI disease won't see a difference, many will.
Now why would NBC not report it in a fair way? Cuz some one told them not to. Be a good consumer and eat your bread -- if you get sick it's not our fault.
Wendy,
I came on here to post the exact same comment. I found this piece incredibly misleading, superficial and condescending. I do not have celiac disease. I do have other symptoms that have led me to experiment with GF. I did not do it for weight loss. But more importantly I am increasingly concerned with GMO and its impact on our health, weight and overall well-being. I am concerned about what I put into my body for nutrition, and what big manufacturers are sneaking in. And I know plenty of GF people who do not eat processed foods (yes that is part of the problem too) and eat a very well-rounded, nutritious diet of food. I am now eating healthier in general because of GF (lots more fresh fruits and vegetable and lean meats).
This was an amazing opportunity to talk about bigger issues and instead it was a commercial for all us stupid Americans who want a 'silver bullet' of weight loss. I wouldn't eat regular tasty cakes, let alone GF Tasty Cakes. Let's take a really complex multi-layered concept and break it down into a 'fad'. Awesome reporting.
I was disappointed by the story too. 5 or 6 years ago I went into anaphylactic shock while riding my bike. It took me a year to figure out that it was from gluten. I had never heard of gluten. I used to live on bread and cheese. Why is gluten free everywhere now? I don't think it's a fad. I was hoping they'd discuss processing of food that might cause allergies. I really miss sourdough and flour tortillas. I'm curious if eating a sandwich abroad will ruin me the way it does here in the US.
AS a woman of almost 60, I would say Mark Sissons looks like a 60 year old man obsessed with exercise, certainly his face looks age appropriate. Those of us with a family history of bowel cancer would definitely disagree with his assessment of grains as brown muck or whatever he dissed them as. If he really wanted good health, wouldn't he be a vegetarian, rather than eating meat? Just because some of his aches and pains went away because he changed his diet does not prove at all that the diet was the cause.
The spot did not do justice to what Mark Sisson advocates. And he is not exercise-obsessed -- giving up that obsession was what put him on the course toward developing the Primal lifestyle and publishing a number of great books, starting with the Primal Blueprint.
Visit his website to see testimonial after testimonial from people who have followed his FREE advice and seen their health problems resolve or improve.
Vegetarianism is not the road to good health. Some nutrients are not available from plants -- Vitamin B12 and the full array of essential fatty acids to name just two -- so clearly humans evolved to eat animal-source foods.
Last May a blood test helped to diagnose me with Celiac Disease. Giving up gluten was extremely challenging but I am thankful for the products that are available now. Had I known to give up gluten years ago, I might not have Rheumatoid Arthritis now. I am in my forties and suddenly on multiple medications to treat arthritis that may very well have resulted from not giving up gluten that my body had been rejecting. Vitamins were not being absorbed and arthritis pain increased. This gluten free lifestyle may just be a "fad" for some, but it is a necessity for those of us who can accidently ingest it through cross-contamination and be sick for hours and even days. I hope others recognize the seriousness of gluten free and don't dismiss its importance because they think it's a fad.
For many people, myself included, it is not just the gluten that our bodies reject, but the wheat grain itself. Three years ago, at 50, I started to notice painful joints after eating wheat, and also corn. I had never had this issue earlier in my life. This was classified as an autoimmune issue by medical doctors who consider all these symptoms a mystery. For some reason, my body can't tolerate wheat or corn anymore. Without these products, I would have a very difficult time finding anything I can eat. It's not just gluten free products I look for, but wheat free and corn free. If I don't follow this restriction, I end up with lots of pain. I know others who are recognizing how bad they feel when they eat a meal containing a large load of wheat and gluten, and are deciding it's not worth it. I feel that the wheat grain we are consuming has become so genetically modified that our bodies react to it now. I think this is what has happened to me, and thank goodness for companies who try to offer some alternatives.
what a shame your reporter never really explained what gluten is or what affect it has on your intestinal wall and brain. i was diagnosed with gluten intolerance a few months ago and after clearing it from my body, i feel like a different person. losing weight was not my goal, but i have lost 20 lbs because finally my body is getting the nutrients it hasn't absorbed for years because of the gluten lining my gut. the trend researcher you featured is incorrect that this is a fad. i see it continuing to grow as we all become better educated about all the garbage we eat. no wonder americans are so obese. the medical group i go to have gotten me off all my meds. too bad for the pharmaceutical companies, huh. i've been taught how to eat clean, whole, non-preservative food that we should all be eating anyway. sure, companies who are producing gf products are making money. why? because they are smart enough to provide alternatives to those of us who simply throw up, have diarrhea, and more if we eat food with gluten in it. doesn't sound like a fad to me.
Why the CONDESCENSION??? Why lump everyone, but 1%, together as lot of a money-wasting idiots? I discovered that I feel FAR better without gluten quite by accident. It has reduced gastrointestinal distress, bloating and malaise. I feel much better without it. You are welcome to do a story on any fad, including this one, but the insulting tone was nauseating. I thought I liked your show because it appeals to my intelligence perhaps. However, you have informed me that I am a mindless lemming. I will still watch your show, but please check your attitude! Thank you~~~
As someone with Celiac, I found the segment very disapointing. Moving off Gluten was a Major life changing benefit. Yes Gluten issues impact a small percentage of people but when you add in Gluten intolerance it is estimated at 5 - 10% or about 15M to 30M Americans. So its benefits should not be downplayed by the show. Also, Rock Center emphasized upside of Gluten free prodcuts from the food industry that basically want to sell you cheap processed junk ( Gluten free or not ) and the pessimistic view from medical field that can not make money off of the cure ( no pills !) The take away line was from the athlete who said "don't substitute junk food with gluten free junk food". As someone who has been through it, if you have a gluten issue, stop eating gluten and start eating non processed gluten free foods and you will feel great. Everyone should at least try it and see if it helps.
Having Celiac's also, I found myself yelling at the TV :o? for the exact same reasons! Promoting food like substances, wether GF or not, is still promoting junk.
Wheat was one of the early GMO crops in America. It contains a genetically engineered pesticide which is in most mainstream processed foods. Avoiding gluten helps a consumer to avoid some exposure to this pesticide, which cannot be washed away. The FDA did minimal testing on this before approving it for human consumption. I am gluten free in an effort to avoid the cancers which this will likely lead to. Another crop to avoid for the same reason is soy, also an early GMO crop. The dairy industry is feeding GMO crops to the cows producing milk for the industry. In California there is a very large movement calling for GMO labeling and I strongly support this. Unless you are also dairy free and fully organic, you are eating these crops at levels not even tested for safety. This is a dirty little secret in the mass marketing of processed foods in America. France is GMO free. It's not a secret there. Why are we being sold/fed this garbage? GREED! Wake up America and don't let the media brainwash you into illness. That supports the pharmaceutical industry profits in a very big way.
Last May I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This also came with a diagnosis for Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had gone to many different doctors over the years to combat headaches, stomach upset, chest pains, and joint pain and not one doctor tested me for gluten intollerance until I sought the help of a rheumatologist. With a simple blood test I knew that I needed to give up gluten. I could have changed my diet and felt better. If only I had known earlier, I might not have developed RA. I'm in my early forties and I'm in pain daily due to arthritis. I am glad to hear that others are giving up gluten, whether it's because it's a "fad diet" or because it seems healthier because it gives those of us with Celiac more choices when shopping and trying to eat out. Cross contamination is still a huge problem so just having a gluten free menu doesn't mean the food will be absolutely gluten free. Please take this seriously because for some of us in that "1 percent", cross contamination means hours (or even days) of pain.
As someone with Celiac, I found the show disappointing. Celiac / Gluten Intolerance impacts about 5 - 10% of Americans or 15 to 30 million people. Getting off gluten can be a major postive life changing event for these people. Rock Center emphasized the upside of gluten free from the big food companies that will benefit from selling you garbage processed food - gluten free or not. They then took the cautious view from the medical community that hasn't figured out a way to profit from the cure. ( no pills! - ever notice the hot dogs and donuts at hospitals?) The take away line was from the athlete - don't substitute gluten free junk food for junk food. Bottom line is if you are not feeling well it doesn't hurt to move off gluten ( and all other processed cheap food) and substitute a mainly plant based whole food diet. Too bad the show couldn't diss its sponsors with that simple advice.
I'm very happy that Mark Sisson eats a gluten free diet out of choice not necessity.
I was unfortunately the lucky recipient of inheriting Celiac Sprue Disease and Intestinal Malabsorbion to Vitamin D (which means you cannot absorb C or Calcium) from my family. I was diagnosed at the age of 46 years old.
What comes with demanding a gluten free diet is that Celiac Sprue Disease affects every organ of the body, per Peter Greene of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center.
Initially you loose weight since you're unable to eat and if you do you loose it normally within 20 minutes or so. You do not loss weigh on the GF diet but when diagnosed later in life you are just so lucky to also have additional autoimmune diseases as a direct result of the Celiac Sprue Disease like Osteoporosis, Inflammatory Osteoarthritis, Degenerative Bone, Disc and Joint Disease, Gluten Ataxia (gluten causes the autoimmune disease to begin killing cells in the cerebellum.) Cells in the cerebellum die and do not regenerate causing severe neurological problems. Celiac Sprue Disease also leaves the patient with a good chance of getting cancer of the small intestines.
For me this disease has totally destroyed my body and bones and on several different medications.
Also the biggest problem is that the government has not demanded the FDA enforcement of correct labeling since gluten can be hiding in another product.
For a person with Celiac Sprue eating gluten free is not a choice it's a lifestyle, and a very costly one at that since product is smaller and more expensive. Like a very small loaf of gluten free bread normally runs about $4.99 a 20 ounce loaf and never goes on sale. Going out to eat with my wife is a challenge because of the Celiac's, even though the restaurant might offer Gluten Free meals you have to trust that the Chef or Cook has not cross contaminated the meal by using a pan, strainer or kitchen tool that has been in contact with gluten.
For me something as simple as a host at church is enough gluten to send my gastrointestinal into a mess for about 3 weeks.
If people really want to be on a gluten-free diet they also need to watch for the hidden gluten in foods, such as cola flavored pops, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, medications and even vegtables. Being diagnosed with Celiacs Disease 9 years ago it has been a challenge to find foods to eat. Even some of the Gluten free foods still have effects on my system. I do believe that eating gluten free foods are much healthier for people and over the years the manufactorers of these products have made great improvements in making these products have the same flavor as the regular brands. My first gluten free bread tasted like cardboard. Thanks to all the grocery stores for providing more gluten free foods so that we have a better selection to choose from. To be on a gluten free diet you must be totally gluten free!
To be on a Gluten free diet you have to watch out for the hidden gluten in foods such as: cola flavored pops, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, medications and even candy. It is a hard diet to follow than was talked about. Being diagnosed with Celiacs Disease 9 years it has been a challenge to find gluten free foods. Only in the past few years have these products really come available. And only lately have these products been upgraded to have better flavor and taste. Even being called gluten free does not really mean that it is really that. If gluten free foods are processed in a a factory where wheat products are being made there is a higher chance for cross-contamination and than the product is really not "gluten free" Is gluten free foods healthier for a person - I would say so.
I am so disappointed and surprised at the very obvious lack of knowledge and understanding that you have of Celiac (pronounced see-lee-ac) disease. 1st and foremost it is a very serious disease which is just recently becoming understood, with multiple serious complications, such as arthritis and colon cancer, amomg other issues. It is passed genetically only, with a whole variety of symptoms, and those afflicted with it actually should never ingest any foods with gluten in it if they want to avoid or prevent these very, often life-threatening complications. The U of Chicago has an expansive Celiac program, and is one of the leaders in the information, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition. Those afflicted have to watch their food intake similarly to the way diabetics do. It is estimated that 1-11/2 million Americans of European descent carry or have this gene and or illness. I have watched NBC for the last 40 years and I have never been aware of you missing the boat so completely on a given issue; please do a LOT of research on this very prevalent health threat in our country, and revisit this condition with the extreme importance it carries.
Thanks for running a story on the Gluten free trend... however I think you missed a key point, 1 in 133 americans on average have Celiacs and only a fraction of those people are actually diagnosed. Having been diagnosed with Celiacs in the past 5 years I think the reason for the splurge is that Celiacs has been very under-diagnosed and overlooked within the medical community until recently. Its symptoms are so vague and broad that a diagnosis of Celiacs can be easily overlooked. I’m thankful for companies that cater to my special diet like Udi’s, Pamelas, and General Mills that you spoke of. But it’s important to still be cautious when dining out and eating claimed “GF” products from restaurants and bakeries, I think this trend of restaurants offering GF can actually be worse for true celiacs, especially where most restaurants don't have separate GF kitchens or workspaces and there is always a risk for contamination, leaving the true Celiac usually suffering after eating out. Is GF healthier... only if you eat healthy... I made a pretty kick-a cheesecake, among other baked goods that are definitely just as tasty which makes them just as unhealthy as the original :)
In March of this year during my physical I checked out the weight chart and had just hit the obese range. I am 52 and had 50 pounds extra on me that I gained since menopause. My hubby went on The Primal Blue Print diet and lost 15 pounds in two weeks. So I decided to give it a try. I went on the diet on March 23, 2012 and by June 24th I had lost 50 pounds. We gave up ALL grains and would only eat fresh veggies/fruit, nuts and any kind of meat we wished to have. We were eating pure organic butter, eggs, bacon, sausage, fish, lobster.....you name it, if it was low in carbs we ate it. We then went on to make sure NOTHING we ate had any high Fructose corn syrup. The next step we started watching our meat and veggies to make sure they were GMO free. We have both hit our goal weights and our bodies have hit their set points. We do still have a little sugar now and then (like in pickles or maybe in our favorite coffee drink, but we make sure it is raw organic sugars. We are now looking into going gluten free..... since we are both Celtic, we are going to see how our bodies react. We have never felt better then right now (Not even in our 20's) with lots of energy, we are able to really sleep well at night and actually want to get out and exercise just for fun, hiking, golfing etc. I am SOO glad Betty Crocker has begun to produce gluten free alternatives to wheat. Wheat seemed to weigh us down. Now if we have any bread on occasion, we make sure it is low in wheat. It is going to be nice to see a few extra products on the market. We both work and sometimes we do not feel like preparing in depth meals every night. I have noticed I eat to live and don't live to eat. As for the woman that spoke of Colon Cancer, our eliminations has NEVER been better. If you think of it, this type of eating is FULL of fat but with nothing that makes it stick to the colon. I have NEVER felt better, my energy, looks, joints, and mental wellbeing ALL make me feel like I am on top of the world. THANK YOU MARK.....your ideas ROCK!!!
this is the very mindset that is disturbing to people who have Celiac disease. They must make a choice to go gluten free because of a MEDICAL necessity, not a voluntary one. This news program did not emphasize that a "gluten free" diet alone will NOT cause weight loss. Most commercially-produced gluten free products contain a LOT of fat, because the gluten that is removed must be replaced by something else, which is usually fat. Please do not promote a "gluten free" diet as a weight loss tool!
Actually there are healthy fats that are needed by your body and making sure you get enough healthy fats in your diet is one of the best things you can do. If you take the time to research dietary recommendations from say the 1950's compared to now you will notice the change in going to low-fat & more grains and then also look at the drastic change in obesity rates and related diseases such as diabetes and heart attacks for example.
It is dis-heartening to listen to people discuss Gluten free diets as a fad especially without the knowledge of knowing how detrimental it can be to those of us who need it to be healthy and survive! I am one of five people in my family diagnosed with Celiacs disease. It is necessary for me to be gluten free to survive. It upsets me to know that the producers of gluten free foods only produce this for the 98-99 percent of he population who dont need it while those of us who do are paying a hefty price. A hefty price to buy those foods that keep us alive and a hefty price to live with the disease. if in fact, you do yourresearch, you would know that a gluten free diet for those who dont need it really isnt healthy. Due to the nature ofthe food, alot of impotant nutrients are lost so you deplete the necessary things you need to be healthy. For that matter, as a celiac I supplement my diet with vitamins to help with the loss of nutrients which I also have to check for gluten. It's not just food, it's everything you ingest! If you want to do a story on gluten free, maybe you should talk to the people who have to do it not those who just choose to do it. And provide facts about te disease and he struggles not just how much we are getting screwed by General Mills and other producers of Gluten free products. It's hard enough to live with the disease and harder knowing we are being taken to the cleaners by people and their lack of knowledge.
actually by increasing the demand for gluten-free products will help bring down the cost of those products.
Also there is nothing in grains that you can't get elsewhere; most of the nutrients you get out of it are added into the product.
I was very disappointed that the story only seemed to be about the profits that these companies are making by making gluten free foods. It would have also been nice to have an actual explanation about what Gluten is and the harm it has on our bodies.
I really would have loved to see more on Mark Sisson as well and you could have at least mentioned his book "The Primal Blueprint" so your audience
can educate themselves. I was anxious to see the expanded interview and was
again very disappointed at the lack of content. If anyone out there has any
doubts that eating a better diet and excluding grains, sugar and just eating
real unprocessed food they should read some of the success stories from Mark's site (marksdailyapple.com). There are countless stories of people who have changed their life for the better and eliminated their medical problems and the need for pills.
Dr. William Davis, the author of "Wheat Belly" would have also been a
great source of information to your story and would have been able to bring a
lot of scientific study and research information. (wheatbellyblog.com)
Could not agree more. Many people in my family (none with celiac disease) have seen weight loss and dramatic health benefits from adopting a grain-free lifestyle. Gary Taubes, Mark Sisson and William Davis have all been invaluable sources of information and guidance.
It is dis-heartening to listen to people discuss Gluten free diets as a fad especially without the knowledge of knowing how detrimental it can be to those of us who need it to be healthy and survive! I am one of five people in my family diagnosed with Celiacs disease. It is necessary for me to be gluten free to survive. It upsets me to know that the producers of gluten free foods only produce this for the 98-99 percent of he population who dont need it while those of us who do are paying a hefty price. A hefty price to buy those foods that keep us alive and a hefty price to live with the disease. if in fact, you do yourresearch, you would know that a gluten free diet for those who dont need it really isnt healthy. Due to the nature ofthe food, alot of impotant nutrients are lost so you deplete the necessary things you need to be healthy. For that matter, as a celiac I supplement my diet with vitamins to help with the loss of nutrients which I also have to check for gluten. It's not just food, it's everything you ingest! If you want to do a story on gluten free, maybe you should talk to the people who have to do it not those who just choose to do it. And provide facts about te disease and he struggles not just how much we are getting screwed by General Mills and other producers of Gluten free products. It's hard enough to live with the disease and harder knowing we are being taken to the cleaners by people and their lack of knowledge.
I had sinus infections for four years straight before I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy. I was about to go through sinus surgery when the surgeon suggested that I have an allergy test. I went to an environmental allergist who did a blood test. I also have an allergy to chicken and turkey. When I went off gluten, I lost 20 pounds within six weeks, mostly due to loss of inflammation. My severe constipation stopped, my vision improved, my face went from round to oval, I stopped having chronic fatigue, my stomach pain stopped, my sinus infections, ear infections, and congestion stopped, and my asthma improved. I no longer have chronic fatigue and sleepiness and my thinking became sharper. I also had joint pain that went away. They neglected to say that 20% of Europeans have gluten allergies, so if you are of European descent, you have a higher likelihood of having a gluten allergy.
I'm one of the people who is happy to be able to find more gluten free products in the market. It is making my life easier. I'm not so sure what good it will do for people who do not have a gluten allergy though. My suspicion is that people who are benefitting the most are people who do not know that they have gluten allergies.