Gluten Free Diet

[Julia]

Just how common is this?

[Liz]

Coeliacs have to follow a gluten free diet.

[Julia]

Are you on a gluten free diet Liz?

[Liz]

Not now Julia.

I have tried it in the past to see whether it would help my Crohns but it didn't.

I do try not to eat too much wheat though and when I do I eat organic and get bread from Village Bakery which is yeast free.

[pat]

Have noticed with B&B many more folk are gluten or lactose intolerant than previously. People are becoming more aware of what does upset them - many were told it was irritable bowel problems they had - which cleared up after excluding gluten or lactose from their diets.

I have quite a few guests who regularly come who have both intolerances, they know I will cater for them and will not toast their bread in the same toaster as normal bread, have gluten free biscuits or cake in their rooms, have gluten free cereals, rice or soya milk and dairy free yogurts.

Supermarkets usually have a specialized section for gluten/lactose free goods but many foods are now marked gluten free or lactose free.

[Fran]

I think it is a good thing that supermarkets have different sections for gluten free, organic, vegetarian, polish food etc, but none for sugar free or fat free, and there are a large number of diabetics who need sugar free food.

[Liz]

This is a really good place to get foods for special diets. www.goodnessdirect.co.uk

[Kodiak]

If you have a Sweet Tooth then this is the site for you :-

http://www.sugarfreesuperstore.co.uk/

Great if you are Diabetic as all sweets and Chocolate are Sugar Free. Also great if you are on a Sugar Free Diet.

[Tristan]

For those who need a gluten free diet what are the effects of eating gluten?

[Metalattakk]

and there are a large number of diabetics who need sugar free food.

Name me one sugar-laden foodstuff that a diabetic needs to have a sugar-free version of?

[Kodiak]

Name me one sugar-laden foodstuff that a diabetic needs to have a sugar-free version of?

You will be surprised what contains sugar. I am a Diabetic and check everything.

As an example Ham, check almost any pack of Ham and usually the 2nd ingrediant is Sugar. Corned Beef has Sugar, Breakfast Cereals have Sugar. All Low Fat Health Food Bars contain Sugar. Baked Beans contain Sugar. Sausages contain Sugar, Basicly all processed or prepared foods contain sugar, even some Breads contain Sugar.

And those foods and drinks that claim to be sugar free, well they might not contain Sugar but they will more than likely contain Aspartame, which is even more dangerous, see :-

http://dorway.com/dorwblog/?page_id=1225

Being a Diabetic is not just about eating food that is sugar free. The reason for this is that all food turns to sugar once eaten and being Diabetic means that your body can not produce enough Insulin to process the sugar from all food, not just food containing sugar. So if you are Diabetic and can get a treat, like Chocolate, that contains No Sugar and with a suitable alternative for sweetening, like Maltitol, then fantastic.

Oh and to answer you question, most diabetics would pay a fortune for a piece of sugar free Fruit. But there is no such thing.

[Metalattakk]

You will be surprised what contains sugar. I am a Diabetic and check everything.

As an example Ham, check almost any pack of Ham and usually the 2nd ingrediant is Sugar. Corned Beef has Sugar, Breakfast Cereals have Sugar. All Low Fat Health Food Bars contain Sugar. Baked Beans contain Sugar. Sausages contain Sugar, Basicly all processed or prepared foods contain sugar, even some Breads contain Sugar.

I think you're making the huge error of mistaking sugar for carbohydrates. For instance, for all the huge amount of sugar that is in corned beef, the 200g tin in my larder contains only 1 gram of carbohydrate. Some breads may indeed contain sugar, but all - yes ALL - breads contain carbohydrates.

It's worthwhile remembering that the carbohydrate is both the diabetic's worst enemy, and yet his best friend also. The trick is to limit the bad carbs and use the good ones wisely.

And those foods and drinks that claim to be sugar free, well they might not contain Sugar but they will more than likely contain Aspartame, which is even more dangerous, see :-

http://dorway.com/dorwblog/?page_id=1225

I'll prefer to trust our regulators above some reactionary conspiracy site, thanks very much. Although it's worthwhile keeping in mind the diabetic's mantra - "everything in moderation".

The reason for this is that all food turns to sugar once eaten and being Diabetic means that your body can not produce enough Insulin to process the sugar from all food, not just food containing sugar.

No it doesn't. Foods that contain no carbohydrates cannot suddenly create them once digested. It's a physical impossibility. Again, I think you're confusing sugar with carbohydrates.

So if you are Diabetic and can get a treat, like Chocolate, that contains No Sugar and with a suitable alternative for sweetening, like Maltitol, then fantastic.

No, I disagree. As an insulin-dependant diabetic for the last 32 years, I would no more wish for 'diabetic-friendly' chocolate as I would for the real stuff. Having diabetes is not about having the need for things like that - it's about modifying your lifestyle - eating the right foods in the right quantities, plenty of your low glycaemic index (GI) stuff like pasta and basmati rice, even though they are high in carbohydrates, and less of your high GI stuff like chocolate and shortbread.

(Low GI foods digest much more slowly, and thus release their carbohydrate contents into the bloodstream over a much longer period - meaning that your blood sugar levels don't spike dangerously. I would have thought your dietician would have explained all this to you by now.)

Oh and to answer you question, most diabetics would pay a fortune for a piece of sugar free Fruit. But there is no such thing.

Fructose (the sugar that fruit contains) is classed as a 'good' sugar for diabetics - in moderation of course. There is no reason at all to preclude fruit from your diet.

And that takes me back to my original point - What foods does a diabetic need to have sugar-free versions of?

The answer is - None.

[Fran]

Name me one sugar-laden foodstuff that a diabetic needs to have a sugar-free version of?

It would be nice to find anything sugar free if it could be found.
Diabetics try to avoid ALL sugar, but it is not easy.

[Metalattakk]

It would be nice to find anything sugar free if it could be found.

Again, you are classing sugar alongside carbohydrates. The two are different.

Lettuce (along with almost all vegetables) is sugar free, as well as being carbohydrate free.

Diabetics try to avoid ALL sugar, but it is not easy.

I've done it for years and years and years. It is not difficult.

And anyway, diabetics do not try to avoid all "sugar". Carbohydrates are vital to a diabetic. What else is converted by the injected insulin into energy?

Man (never mind the diabetic) cannot live without carbohydrates.

[Tristan]

I believe sugar is a carbohydrate, albeit a simple one. Complex carbohydrates are good to eat because they are slow to break down and slow to release their energy. The process to release energy breaks down complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates (ie sugars).

[Bad Manners]

It would be nice to find anything sugar free if it could be found.
Diabetics try to avoid ALL sugar, but it is not easy.

I have a close family member that is diabetic and they have been told to avoid all the so called sugar free products aimed at diabetics as they are not required. He has to control the amount of sugar intake and keep an eye on his blood sugar but otherwise he eats normal food not this so called diabetic food.
when you have the background to what is good or bad to eat maintaining a normal diet is quite easy .
like Metalattak if you look at the contents of all your food you will find that Very few foods are either sugar or salt free as anything prossesed requires either or both in order to make the prosses work and for the food to keep longer.

[Metalattakk]

I believe sugar is a carbohydrate, albeit a simple one. Complex carbohydrates are good to eat because they are slow to break down and slow to release their energy. The process to release energy breaks down complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates (ie sugars).

Correct. I alluded to this mechanism in a post above - Glycaemic Index (GI). Low GI = Good, high GI = Bad.

The terminology being used by many is wrong. People are classing all carbohydrates as sugars.

[rockchick]

I'm not on a gluten free diet, but I do avoid anything that contains processed white flour (bread, cakes, rolls, etc.) as I find I get mood swings if I eat these products.

[macc]

Just to pick up on this thread. Everybody seems to be assuming diabetics cannot have sugar. My husband and son are both diabetic. My son has an alarming amount of food intolerances also, but I do not stop him having sugar on his cereal if he wants it. It is all in the magic word moderation. Being diabetic does not mean allergic or intolerant to sugar but you have to monitor your diet closely, and test your blood regularly. The dieticians all advise no more than a healthy diet. Buying these expensive sugar free alternatives is going to have the same effect on sugar levels as buying the ordinary chocolate bar or sweetie etc... I have bought them in the past and my husband always says he would prefer to have the tastier sweet, the galaxy or dairy milk as the alternatives are tasteless or sweeter. If a diabetic has a major hypo what do you feed them? Sugar or glucose.

[Lolabelle]

Just how common is this?

I have ceoliacs and can't have gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley and the jury is apparently still out on oats. My 2 sisters are the same and I'm pretty sure if my parents & brother, would admit it they shouldn't be eating gluten either!

For those who need a gluten free diet what are the effects of eating gluten?

I have a huge variety of reactions to gluten, bloating, tummy upset, headaches, foggy thinking, depression, joint pain, fluid retention & asthma to name a few!!!!!!! It is weird but I get different reactions to different types of gluten, wheat protein causes me to feel like I have the worst kind of hangover!