A Word to the Wise

More and more, I'm hearing stories of people going gluten-free, celiac or not, diagnosed or not; people are claiming they feel better removing gluten from their diets, if only the macro items, like whole wheat breads. It must be quite the trend, given that the Grain Foods Foundation recently argued that only people with a medical need -- that is, celiac disease, gluten intolerance and wheat allergy -- should go gluten-free. I disagree. One example to the contrary: People with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders also respond quite well to following gluten- and casein-free diets; eliminating those proteins helps manage their symptoms. I suppose you could argue that those are medical needs, too, yet they were overlooked. Quite frankly, I don't think gluten is good for anyone, but I admit my bias. And while I absolutely commend those taking control of their diets and health by going gluten-free, I do have a word of caution.

For those of you who think you might have celiac disease but haven't been tested yet, removing gluten from your diets prior to getting diagnosed actually can make getting a conclusive diagnosis more difficult. Even if you have eliminated only obvious things like breads, cereals and beer without worrying about hidden glutens, you still may have a problem getting an accurate diagnosis. A blood test tends to be the first method used to diagnose sprue; if the results come back borderline, beware. An endoscopic biopsy may be the only way to determine whether or not you have it. A case in point: after my mom and brother were diagnosed, I began limiting the amount of gluten I consumed, but did not completely remove it from my diet until I was tested. Lo and behold, my blood test came back borderline, but the biopsy confirmed that yes, indeed, I had celiac disease.

It makes sense: People with celiac disease go and stay gluten-free to heal their guts, which do start repairing themselves a short while after gluten is eliminated from their systems. If you have stopped eating gluten because you're concerned you might be celiac, but have yet to be tested, at the very least, I strongly recommend you tell your doctor prior to undergoing the diagnosis process.

That said, if you stopped eating gluten-based foods simply because you think it's healthier, good for you. Just make sure your diet is balanced.