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Gluten/Wheat Kick (Read 1363 times)

    A little over a month ago, after months and months of going back and forth on the gluten debate: is it good/bad for runners?, i decided to make an attempt to cut all products containing gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye) out of my diet. This was sort of risky; i run college track/xc and it couldve been potentially disastrous to my training.

     

    it was ridiculously difficult for the first few days. but after i got over the hump (4-5 days into it), my training and workout results skyrocketed. our outdoor season hadn't started yet, so i couldnt measure just how much it had helped, but i got that intrinsic feeling that it was doing wonders. i also had a lot more energy.

     

    anyways, i am posting this to see if any runner (competitive or noncompetitive) has attempted to cut gluten out of their diet, and if so, how it has worked for you.

     

     

    so, feel free to post any questions, advice, or stories

     

    im curious to see other runner's perspectives on this issue


    Oh roo roooo!

      I went mostly grain free about 6 weeks ago.  Can't say I have noticed a lot of difference in my running so far, but I also have put running on the back burner for a while b/c of job changes and so on right now, so am not really in  a position to notice much in that area.  My reason for cutting out grains was for general health reasons and specifically for hypothyroidism (apparently most w/hypothyroidism have Hashimoto's, and apparently many w/Hashimoto's are also sensitive to wheat/gluten to a greater or lesser extent).  Very briefly, my dose of thyroid replacement has been steadily increasing over the past several years, my marathon times have NOT improved significantly over that same time, and I have really struggled to keep weight off.  Since dropping the grains, I find I am not constantly hungry like I used to be AND, for the first time in about 7 years, we are LOWERING my dose of thyroid replacement. 

       

      This all seems hopeful enough for me to press on, and as you say, once you start to form new habits, it's really not a hardship to avoid wheat/gluten or grains in general for the most part.  Hope this is of some use/interest to you altho it doesn't strictly relate to running performance (altho I sure HOPE it will once I get going again!).

      Christirei


        My family went gluten and casein free over a year ago and about six months ago I finally stopped "cheating" and went strictly gluten and casein free. We made the change for health reasons as well, I specifically went gluten free because of constant migraines and since I have been strict with my diet I have been migraine free and am weaning off of my medication.  I can't say whether or not I noticed a dramatic change in my running performance since I have elminated these proteins from my diet, but I can say that I do feel dramatically better and I think that overall my health has improved and I am sure that has made an impact on how well I run.  My first marathon is coming up in just a few weeks, so we will see how things shake out! 

         

        And for you guys just starting with the diet, keep at it! There are so many good replacements for food products now. I know it is hard at first, but eating gluten free these days is easier and easier! I found the easiest way to survive (and I am the mom of three gluten free little girls) is to try not to replace the hamburger bun with a gluten free hamburger bun...but to just switch the meal entirely instead! sloppy joes or chili in a baked potato is better for you and just as filling. We eat lots and lots of fruits and veggies and basically no grains. Good luck and keep at it!

          I realise that some people are gluten intolerant. But for the rest of us what is the point of avoiding gluten supposed to be? It's a perfectly normal part of plants that people have been eating for (at least) tens of thousands of years without apparent ill effect.

          Kerry1976


          Master of the Side Eye

            Like Honeypig, I went gluten free and soy free just a few weeks ago due being diagnosed with Hashimoto's (however, my hypothyroidism diagnosis was over 10 years ago). I found that I moved into the GF part fairly easily. I am working on the dairy free part - I tend to cheat a little - but I'll get there. 

             

            pr100, that is a really good question. It made me think of my experiences thus far with going GF. Some folks have asked me if I am just "following the trend," and kind of poo-poo it until I tell them I have a medical condition in which it is my best interest to eat this way and that my doctor recommended it. 

             

            Since I just started a few weeks ago, I can't say that I have felt dramatic effects yet, but I know that what I am eating right now doesn't seem to bother my GI nearly as much as it used to - and when my GI does get a little cranky, it is much easier to figure out what I ate that might have aggravated it. I am pretty sensitive to this as I had a bad attack of colitis six months ago and never want to go back to being that miserable again.

            TRUST THE PROCESS

             

             

             

            Slo


              I realise that some people are gluten intolerant. But for the rest of us what is the point of avoiding gluten supposed to be? It's a perfectly normal part of plants that people have been eating for (at least) tens of thousands of years without apparent ill effect.

               

              My question exactly.

               

              My Dad had Celiac, his diet I understood.

               

              An optometrist friend of mine told me he put his family on a gluten free diet but could not give a valid explanation as to why or what the benefits were.

              stadjak


              Interval Junkie --Nobby


                An optometrist friend of mine told me he put his family on a gluten free diet but could not give a valid explanation as to why or what the benefits were.

                 

                That wouldn't be Dr. Lemming, would it?

                2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                  to Slo_Hand and pr100

                   

                   

                  a major reason individuals have been showing intolerance to gluten/casein over the last 15 years can be attributed to how wheat has been genetically engineered.

                   

                  40 years ago, before genetic engineering was a business, people ate wheat with no issue. now, after years and years of scientifically altering the crop this nation survives most off of, people are slowing developing intolerances to it. i could go into more detail about how genetically and scientifically wheat has changed, but it wouldnt be necessary on a runningahead blog

                   

                   

                  if any of you out there are interested, i encourage you to read WheatBelly

                    Celiac has been around far longer than agro-biotech.  And I'm not aware that agro-biotech seeks to modify the gluten, but instead targets other aspects of the plant (e.g. herbicide-resistance, delayed-ripening, increased size).

                     

                    At any rate, gluten intolerance isn't a binary proposition.  Some people find they have low-grade symptoms that don't rise to the level of "gluten-intolerant" or produce a positive celiac diagnosis.  Nonetheless, they seek -- and sometimes find -- health improvement from diet modifications, including gluten reduction or avoidance.

                    "I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."

                    -- Dick LeBeau

                    xor


                      >> 40 years ago, before genetic engineering was a business, people ate wheat with no issue.

                       

                      Is this really true?

                       

                      (I mean, I realize that many people ate wheat with no issue.  But you are saying something else.)

                       

                      And before we get too wistful about '40 years ago', that was the heyday of Wonder Bread.  Not exactly the best stuff in the world either.

                       


                      Oh roo roooo!

                        Celiac has been around far longer than agro-biotech.  And I'm not aware that agro-biotech seeks to modify the gluten, but instead targets other aspects of the plant (e.g. herbicide-resistance, delayed-ripening, increased size).

                         

                        At any rate, gluten intolerance isn't a binary proposition.  Some people find they have low-grade symptoms that don't rise to the level of "gluten-intolerant" or produce a positive celiac diagnosis.  Nonetheless, they seek -- and sometimes find -- health improvement from diet modifications, including gluten reduction or avoidance.

                         

                        I think this is exactly it--if you have rip-roaring celiac disease, the symptoms are unmistakable and lab tests will show antibodies.  Not a lot of people have this condition (luckily).  However, a fair percentage of other folks have a lot of low-level aches and pains, fatigue, joint problems, thyroid issues, GI issues, that they have just kind of lived with as the problems are not severe.  At least some of these folks find help for these problems when they go gluten free.  It's an easy change to try, no extra costs, and if you try it and it DOESN'T help, no harm is done, you just go back to your previous way of eating.

                        Trent


                        Good Bad & The Monkey

                          At least some of these folks find help for these problems when they go gluten free.

                           

                          And what is to say that this is not just a placebo effect?  Where is the evidence in support of this intervention?

                          Slo


                            And what is to say that this is not just a placebo effect?  Where is the evidence in support of this intervention?

                             

                            This is exactly my point.

                             

                            Someone poses a good argument in favor of a gluten free diet and everybody jumps on board. Gluten is not a bad thing.

                             

                            I visited the Wheat Belly web site...There is nothing to back up his claims other than personal experiences.

                             

                            One thing a gluten free diet does for you is it drops out a majority of the junk food...is there a correlation there?

                            Trent


                            Good Bad & The Monkey

                              One thing a gluten free diet does for you is it drops out a majority of the junk food...is there a correlation there?

                               

                              This.


                              #artbydmcbride

                                And what's the problem if it is just a placebo effect, if the effect is a positive one on how you feel?

                                 

                                Runners run

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