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In reply to the discussion: Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," doctor says [View all]pnwmom
(108,974 posts)Last edited Thu Oct 11, 2012, 04:38 AM - Edit history (2)
You say now you are "dismissive of the explanation, not the fact that gluten sensitivity exists."
But this is what you first said that sounds very dismissive to me. You said gluten-free is a fad; and you compared immune reactions to gluten-containing foods to the gassiness people get when they eat legumes. For people who have immune reactions to gluten, there is no safe level of exposure and moderation is not a healthy option. Up to 20 million Americans may have immune-mediated gluten sensitivity, which means that it is not "actually quite rare."
This was what you said in your first post in this thread:
"Gluten free should be seen for what it is - a fad. As with most food fads, there is a kernel of truth in the fad claims. Yes, a few people need to go gluten free, and yes, probably everybody has some level of intolerance to gluten, just as nearly everyone has some intolerance to the trisaccharides in legumes (they give you gas). But does that mean we don't eat legumes? No, they have too many healthy benefits - so we learn how to cook them properly, we avoid the ones we seem to have the most problems with, and we eat them in MODERATION mixed with other foods, thus diluting the ill effects. Each person has to find for themselves what the right mix is. One size definitely does not fit all and it is actually quite rare that someone is totally intolerant of a particular food. Celiac disease and peanut allergies are exceptions which prove the rule.
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