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  #46   ^
Old Fri, Nov-01-19, 06:41
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cotonpal cotonpal is offline
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Plan: very low carb real food
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Calianna

But when I told our hairstylist that I had stopped eating starches and sugars, she said "That sounds a lot like Atkins - no bread, that's brutal!!" Never mind the lack of potatoes, popcorn, chips, and cookies, etc, she simply couldn't imagine living without bread, and the truth of the matter is, most people can't imagine it.



Before going low carb about 15 years ago, if you had asked me what my favorite food was I probably would have said fresh homemade bread warm from the over slathered with butter. It still sounds really good to me but I haven't had any in all these years of low carb and I survive just fine. I am so glad I figured out how to prioritize my health and have adjusted my diet accordingly. I wish that everyone could make this discovery for themselves.
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  #47   ^
Old Fri, Nov-01-19, 07:29
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Calianna Calianna is offline
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Plan: Atkins-ish (hypoglycemia)
Stats: 000/000/000 Female 63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cotonpal
Before going low carb about 15 years ago, if you had asked me what my favorite food was I probably would have said fresh homemade bread warm from the over slathered with butter. It still sounds really good to me but I haven't had any in all these years of low carb and I survive just fine. I am so glad I figured out how to prioritize my health and have adjusted my diet accordingly. I wish that everyone could make this discovery for themselves.



I baked bread of all kinds - white, whole wheat, multi-grain, sourdough, pumpernickel, sally lunn, even an all-rye flour bread (very little gluten in rye, and I didn't add any gluten flour to that recipe, which means it didn't rise much at all, so it was very, very dense, but extremely hearty). I loved it all fresh from the oven, drenched in margarine (which the anti-cholesterol propaganda led me to believe was far "healthier" than real butter ), or made into sandwiches with thick slices of bread, and tiny bits of meat or cheese (because meat and cheese were BAD for you, and bread was GOOD for you). What I loved most about it though was the smell of the fresh baked bread.


A friend gave me a recipe for soft pretzels that tasted very much like Auntie Anne's, and I still feel much nostalgia for that smell when I pass by an Auntie Anne's. When it comes to the smell of those pretzels though, the wheat flour has little to do with it - it's primarily the scent combination of yeast, salt, brown sugar, and baking soda that sparks that nostalgia.



As with nearly all flour based products, the flour itself is nearly flavorless (except for a vague, bland, might-as-well-be-cardboard taste). It's all the things we add to the flour to make the finished product that give breads and other flour based products their distinctive scent and flavor. Combine that with the fact that our olfactory senses are as much involved with how we perceive taste as our taste buds are - well, no wonder the smell of Auntie Anne's can still make my mouth water. Sometimes I'm slightly tempted to stop and buy a pretzel... then I remember it's really not the flavor that was so good, it's mostly the scent of it (which I'm already enjoying), and walk on by.
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  #48   ^
Old Fri, Nov-01-19, 07:33
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Dodger Dodger is offline
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Plan: Paleoish/Keto
Stats: 225/167/175 Male 71.5 inches
BF:18%
Progress: 116%
Location: Longmont, Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cotonpal
Before going low carb about 15 years ago, if you had asked me what my favorite food was I probably would have said fresh homemade bread warm from the over slathered with butter. It still sounds really good to me but I haven't had any in all these years of low carb and I survive just fine. I am so glad I figured out how to prioritize my health and have adjusted my diet accordingly. I wish that everyone could make this discovery for themselves.
When I was young and foolish, I could eat a whole loaf of homemade bread (fresh from the oven) covered in butter. It's been about 18 years since I last ate bread and I no longer miss it or the high starch snacks that I used to gorge on.
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  #49   ^
Old Fri, Nov-01-19, 07:43
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Bob-a-rama Bob-a-rama is offline
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Posts: 1,953
 
Plan: Keto (Atkins Induction)
Stats: 235/175/185 Male 5' 11"
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Fresh baked bread smells very good, but really, it's just a vehicle for the fat (butter, cheese, lunch-meat, mayo, bacon, or whatever).

"Give us this day our daily bread" is an example of how much humankind has depended on it ever since the day we became agrarian. But that doesn't mean it's good for us.

There are some zero or one carb bread substitutes out there, and I admit I occasionally will enjoy a serving, but it's definitely not a daily staple.

And when people used to ask me how I lost 50 pounds, or more recently when the subject of diet comes up, most people can't imagine a life without bread, macaroni, rice, spuds, fruit and other sugars or starches.

I am a musician, I play a lot of private parties. I admit the cakes that offer me look delicious, but I don't indulge. I say "No thank you." If they insist, I simply reply that I'm not allowed to eat sugar. That satisfies the person offering me the cake. After all, offering food is offering love, and I don't want to insult them.

They will also often ask us if we would like dinner. Since we don't take breaks and play straight through, we ask them to box up a dinner for us. If the food is verboten for our diet, we bring it to our neighbors the next day who are usually delighted with the gift (remember, offering food is giving love).

More often than not, unless it's a buffet and we get to box our own, the neighbors get the food. The leftover food at condominium parties can't be given to charity (health laws) so it ends up getting thrown away. We'd rather give some away than let the seagulls eat it at the dump (oops! landfill).

On the side of the masses (including ourselves). With so much conflicting opinions out there, some with good intentions or some with a profit motive, it's really difficult to know what to believe.

Eggs are good, eggs are bad, eggs are good again, eggs are bad again, eat less fat, sugar is bad, meat is bad, grains are good, and on and on and on.

It's no wonder the general population is confused. We're betting on low carb, think we are right, and I hope we are right.

I found what works for me. I'm 73, on zero prescriptions, other than catching a mild cold every 15-20 years, I don't get sick. My doc says inside I'm over 20 years younger than my chronological age.

Why? I listen to my body. It will tell me what works and what harms. I just have to pay close attention. For me low-carb combined with the anti-inflammatory arthritis-bursitis diet works. It should work for many others but perhaps not for everybody.

On helmets: Yes I definitely believe in helmets for bikes, and anything else where you might accidentally impact your head. But I don't believe in putting a helmet on to intentionally play football or any other activity where you are sure to get your brain bounced around in your skull.

To me there is a big difference between protecting yourself the best you can for something unexpected, than deliberately putting yourself in harms way and using something to lessen the damage.

Of course, we are all different. My risk : pleasure ratio is mine personally, and not necessarily yours.

Bob
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  #50   ^
Old Fri, Nov-01-19, 09:02
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Little Me Little Me is offline
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Plan: LC/GF
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I have been gluten free for so long that Bread no longer registers as food to me. That goes for cookies and crackers, too.
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  #51   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 07:12
Bob-a-rama's Avatar
Bob-a-rama Bob-a-rama is offline
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Plan: Keto (Atkins Induction)
Stats: 235/175/185 Male 5' 11"
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Progress: 120%
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Like over 99% of the population, I've never had a problem with gluten. I do have a problem with the carbs that come with bread though.

Funny, I bought some new toothpaste and on the label it says "gluten free". I never knew a toothpaste that had gluten in it. I think gluten free is great for those with the sensitivity, but I also think it's a bit of a fad right now. If I'm wrong, please enlighten me.

Bob
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  #52   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 07:34
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cotonpal cotonpal is offline
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Plan: very low carb real food
Stats: 245/125/135 Female 62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob-a-rama
Like over 99% of the population, I've never had a problem with gluten. I do have a problem with the carbs that come with bread though.

Funny, I bought some new toothpaste and on the label it says "gluten free". I never knew a toothpaste that had gluten in it. I think gluten free is great for those with the sensitivity, but I also think it's a bit of a fad right now. If I'm wrong, please enlighten me.

Bob


"Gluten is used as a binder, thickening agent and stabilizer in toothpaste, and most people ingest some toothpaste every time they brush their teeth even when careful not to swallow it. This is a problem for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity because it can trigger an immune response and damage the small intestine."

Where did you get your information about over 99% of the population not being sensitive to gluten? As a person who is sensitive to gluten but does not have celiac disease, I suspect that the percentage of people for whom gluten is a problem is much higher. It wasn't too long ago that non-celiac gluten sensitivity was considered false. Today's so-called fad may turn out to be tomorrow's truth.
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  #53   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 08:13
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Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline
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Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
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Bob, worth reading WHEAT BELLY by Dr Davis , if Im remembering author correctly. A shocking read. My library had two copies. Ive never looked at grains the same since diving into that book.

Last edited by Ms Arielle : Sat, Nov-02-19 at 08:34.
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  #54   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 08:40
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cotonpal cotonpal is offline
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Plan: very low carb real food
Stats: 245/125/135 Female 62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ms Arielle
Bob, worth reading WHEAT BELLY by Dr Davis , if Im remembering author correctly. A shocking read. My library had two copies. Ive never looked at grains the same since diving into that book.


I second this suggestion: Read "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis. You might find yourself changing your mind about wheat and other grains and especially about gluten.
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  #55   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 10:23
Bonnie OFS Bonnie OFS is offline
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Plan: Dr. Bernstein
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I have no idea if I have a problem with gluten, but any wheat product will set me off on a binge - which, besides the carbs, is why I stay away from it.

My homemade breads tasted wonderful (especially with butter) but they didn't do me any good. Giving them up was difficult, but it's been enough years that I don't crave them. Still have the recipes, tho.

PS - it was both the Wheat Belly book & Grain Brain that convinced my husband to go easy on wheat. He still eats it, but not near as often - maybe once a week on average. He never binged like I did, but wheat products were an every-day part of his life.
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  #56   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 12:46
Zei Zei is offline
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I used to love home-made bread (couldn't care too much less about the store stuff) as a vehicle for butter. I quit making it for others not on low carb so as not to have that tempting smell around. A telling discovery for me about its possible addictive properties (?) was when years ago I tried one of those diets where you eat low carb all day except for one daily "cheat" meal with carbs. I could hardly wait for that meal each day and couldn't bring myself to eat the relatively small portion recommended. Needed a huge piece. Now with no bread and no baking bread reminder smell filling the house, no problem.
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  #57   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 17:53
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Calianna Calianna is offline
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Plan: Atkins-ish (hypoglycemia)
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I should probably read Wheat Belly before expressing my opinion on gluten, but I do agree with Bob in that I think there's a bit of a fad concerning gluten free - I suspect the number of people who are so sensitive to gluten that they can't even handle any possibility of cross contamination with gluten containing products is relatively small.


However, I believe there's an awful lot of people who would benefit greatly from not eating gluten, at least from the aspect of it limiting their carb choices, and quite possibly limiting their overall carb intake, since such a large part of the carbs consumed these days are from gluten containing sources.


In addition, it seems that there's simply more gluten out there today than ever before too. In part, it's because of the increased gluten content of modern wheat. But then I also compare the results of home bread baking to what's available ready made. That 100% rye bread I talked about earlier was so dense, and would only rise ever so slightly because it had so little gluten in it. Those loaves were as heavy as bricks, even heavier and more dense than the solid, heavy, commercially made breads that I've seen from time to time(german ryes and pumpernickels, with just a few thin slices sold in a little cellophane packet, shaped like little rectangular bricks). If I were to go in search of a typical commercial or bakery made loaf of rye bread, what I'd find would be almost as light and fluffy as a loaf of white bread, because they add so much gluten to it to make it more attractive and palatable to modern bread expectations. There was also a huge difference between the whole wheat breads I made, and the whole wheat bread available commercially - mine was a lot more dense, just not nearly to the extent of that rye bread.

Anyhow, my point is that even with bread products that were traditionally (centuries ago) made only with the gluten that happened to exist in the particular grain used to make that type of bread, there wasn't nearly as much gluten in it as there is now. If you're the least bit sensitive to gluten (gluten is a protein, most allergens are proteins, hence gluten is very suspect as an allergen), your body is taking quite a gluten hit every time you eat any kind of gluten containing product these days. Depending on your reaction to it, and the severity of your reaction, you could very possibly find that going gluten free eliminates all kinds of problems, many of which the typical individual might not think could be related to diet.

So despite my belief that gluten free is a bit of a fad, considering how much gluten is out there in so many things, I think it's probably a good fad, and will likely help a lot of people, assuming they can stick to it long enough to see benefits, and don't go overboard replacing standard gluten containing products with the ever growing selection of gluten free substitutes out there.
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  #58   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-19, 19:10
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cotonpal cotonpal is offline
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Plan: very low carb real food
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I decided to look up the meaning of the word "fad"

an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze.

So calling going gluten free a fad has the effect of minimizing its importance. Lots of people consider low carb or keto to be fads. Calling something a fad is a way of demeaning it. For many people, myself included, going gluten free is necessary if they are to maintain their health. I would prefer that the word "fad" not be used to describe gluten free eating just as I don't like seeing it used to describe low carb eating.
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  #59   ^
Old Sun, Nov-03-19, 02:30
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Ambulo Ambulo is offline
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Plan: LerC, TRE, IF
Stats: 150/120/120 Female 64 inches
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cotonpal
I decided to look up the meaning of the word "fad"

an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze.

So calling going gluten free a fad has the effect of minimizing its importance. Lots of people consider low carb or keto to be fads. Calling something a fad is a way of demeaning it. For many people, myself included, going gluten free is necessary if they are to maintain their health. I would prefer that the word "fad" not be used to describe gluten free eating just as I don't like seeing it used to describe low carb eating.


I agree. Unfortunately I am so crabby at my age that I regard anything promoted or endorsed by a "celebrity" as a fad, regardless of their intrinsic merits. I wish they would stop going on about intermittent fasting😁
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  #60   ^
Old Sun, Nov-03-19, 08:27
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Calianna Calianna is offline
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Plan: Atkins-ish (hypoglycemia)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cotonpal
I decided to look up the meaning of the word "fad"

an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze.

So calling going gluten free a fad has the effect of minimizing its importance. Lots of people consider low carb or keto to be fads. Calling something a fad is a way of demeaning it. For many people, myself included, going gluten free is necessary if they are to maintain their health. I would prefer that the word "fad" not be used to describe gluten free eating just as I don't like seeing it used to describe low carb eating.


I think of a fad as being something considered extremely fashionable (and in my mind, refers primarily to short lived clothing fashions), but only for a very short period of time - a lot of people jump on it, because everyone else is doing it. But they have no real commitment to it, and if they tire of it, they'll be off of it as soon as the next big thing comes along.

The second part of the section I bolded is my main reason. I've seen a lot of people jump on the gluten free bandwagon, thinking that going gluten free will be THE answer to all their problems, whether it's weight, digestive issues, mental fog, skin problems, or a dozen other issues. They may initially see a significant improvement in any or all of those areas, because even though the only thing they're concerned about eliminating from their diet is gluten, when they're just starting it, they're not only eliminating gluten, they've also eliminated a tremendous amount of junk (which just happens to contain gluten, or is not labeled gluten free) from their diets. Not surprisingly, they decide that they've found the answer. And if they'd stick to the basics - a whole foods, non-gluten diet of meat, cheese, eggs, produce - they'd continue to do very well, because any time you get away from so much junky food, you're going to see a great improvement.

But then the ones who only tried gluten free as yet another diet craze to come down the pike (meaning it's not a lifestyle change), will soon start craving their old favorite foods.

Meanwhile, the food industry has noticed the gluten free trend, so they see the potential for lots of $$$ to be made from people craving gluten free products to replace the junk they miss eating... So now there's entire sections of the grocery store devoted to gluten free products, with lots and lots of items available which are gluten free, but just as junky (and likely to cause many of the same problems) as the gluten containing products they used to eat. Those are not remotely whole, nutritious foods - they're all chemical laden concoctions with every bit as much of a junk factor as the gluten containing foods they used to eat.

The same thing is happening with a lot of people who jumped on the keto bandwagon. They start to crave the junk they used to eat, and the food manufacturers are only too happy to make big bucks from people who are willing to eat anything that they claim will meet the criteria of the diet, no matter how junky of a chemical stew it really is.

THOSE are the types who turn a perfectly viable and valuable way of eating into a short lived craze or fad - and by calling it a fad, what I really mean is that it's a fad for the type of person who jumps on every new diet trend, because they've junked up a perfectly good diet so much that it's not long before they're in just as bad shape as they were before. WE can easily see why it's not helping - it's because they end up eating just as much junk as they ate before going gluten free (or keto), but all they see is that their diet is not working any more, so they go back to SAD, or skip to the next diet trend.

So just as LC has come and gone as a popular diet multiple times over the last few decades (due to manufactured LC junk foods), I think gluten free will also fall from favor before long too. Again, it's not because it's not important, not because it's not a viable or valuable way of eating - it's because most people who are doing it aren't paying attention to the the "basis of the object's qualities" - that in order for it to truly work, you need to stick to whole, nutritious foods. If they continue to put junk into their bodies (albeit gluten free junk), it will end up being a gluten free SAD, which will not be effective, and will inevitably lead to it falling out of fashion for the bulk of those who tried it.

That's what makes it into what I'd consider a fad, and still, I really only consider it to be "a bit of a fad", because I realize it's valuable and sustainable - but that most people doing gluten free aren't going to stick to it very long for the exact reasons mentioned above. I know it's frustrating to think about it like that, but that's what I already see happening, as so many people jump on LC/keto or gluten free, do well for a while, then start adding every manufactured food they can find that claims to fit the diet... and then they give up because it's not working any more.
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