I'm so glad you're writing about this, Christina! I've heard from so many people who stopped eating gluten without ever getting any celiac testing, and are *still* trying to piece together what's going on when they react to something that isn't gluten.
Interesting! This confirms my own unscientific observations. I followed FODMAP for a while and go back to it when I have IBS flare ups and learned I have a fructan sensitivity that can sometimes be exacerbated by pastas and some breads. I have tried to tell this to people who claim to have gluten issues, but they often don’t want to hear about it. As a mom to two kids who have severe food allergies, I do worry that the prevalence of people who claim an allergy to wheat when they have never been diagnosed with one has a negative impact on taking my kids’ very real and very serious nut allergies into account.
Honestly in the U.S. I really think better access to healthcare, increased testing and better insurance coverage for dietician services would help so many people identify what's going on in their bodies and find real relief. Great coverage of this issue I bet you'll help readers who never considered this before!
I totally agree with you! I understand why people would feel like they need to self-diagnose given how difficult it is to access healthcare in the US. It cost me so much money to see a dietitian that I stopped going after a couple of appointments!
Thank you for writing this. I have had a multiple years long journey with navigating digestion issues and trying to pinpoint what they stemmed from. I don’t have celiac disease but wheat/gluten based products do appear to be a trigger for me among a couple other things. I followed a low FODMAP diet managed by my doctor to figure this out. I’m so happy to hear people are researching this because it has been challenging and frustrating to go fully gluten free when maybe there is a possibility that I could be eating smaller amounts of it.
Thank you for reading! I'm glad you were able to work with a doctor and pinpoint what was bothering you. I definitely wouldn't want to give up gluten if I didn't totally have to!
This is SO helpful and clear. I am sensitive to what I believe are the FODMAPs in wheat products, and I worked with an RD to help suss out which ingredients worsen my symptoms and which don't seem to. (I so agree with the advice not to just try to navigate this stuff on your own!) Thank you for this piece and for helping those of us who do NOT have celiac understand the importance of speaking about these things with accuracy so that we don't inadvertently cause harm to our celiac friends! Always so grateful for your work, Christina!
Thank you so much for reading and I appreciate your comment! I’m glad you’ve been able to get answers. I definitely want to do a follow up piece on FODMAPs specifically since they’re clearly an issue for so many people.
Understanding the issue as FODMAP-specific versus gluten-specific has also been helpful! I am luckily not on a totally low-FODMAP diet (I would miss garlic and onions sooo much), but there are certain high-FODMAP foods that really irritate me, and I wouldn't be able to pinpoint that if I was distracted by gluten.
But yes, if anyone is reading this and knows they aren't celiac but have something going on, please do not do an elimination diet on your own! Work with a great, knowledgeable, preferably anti-diet RD if you can.
I'm so glad you're writing about this, Christina! I've heard from so many people who stopped eating gluten without ever getting any celiac testing, and are *still* trying to piece together what's going on when they react to something that isn't gluten.
Interesting! This confirms my own unscientific observations. I followed FODMAP for a while and go back to it when I have IBS flare ups and learned I have a fructan sensitivity that can sometimes be exacerbated by pastas and some breads. I have tried to tell this to people who claim to have gluten issues, but they often don’t want to hear about it. As a mom to two kids who have severe food allergies, I do worry that the prevalence of people who claim an allergy to wheat when they have never been diagnosed with one has a negative impact on taking my kids’ very real and very serious nut allergies into account.
Honestly in the U.S. I really think better access to healthcare, increased testing and better insurance coverage for dietician services would help so many people identify what's going on in their bodies and find real relief. Great coverage of this issue I bet you'll help readers who never considered this before!
I totally agree with you! I understand why people would feel like they need to self-diagnose given how difficult it is to access healthcare in the US. It cost me so much money to see a dietitian that I stopped going after a couple of appointments!
I know way too many people who have delayed healthcare until it is dire 😬
Thank you for writing this. I have had a multiple years long journey with navigating digestion issues and trying to pinpoint what they stemmed from. I don’t have celiac disease but wheat/gluten based products do appear to be a trigger for me among a couple other things. I followed a low FODMAP diet managed by my doctor to figure this out. I’m so happy to hear people are researching this because it has been challenging and frustrating to go fully gluten free when maybe there is a possibility that I could be eating smaller amounts of it.
Thank you for reading! I'm glad you were able to work with a doctor and pinpoint what was bothering you. I definitely wouldn't want to give up gluten if I didn't totally have to!
This is SO helpful and clear. I am sensitive to what I believe are the FODMAPs in wheat products, and I worked with an RD to help suss out which ingredients worsen my symptoms and which don't seem to. (I so agree with the advice not to just try to navigate this stuff on your own!) Thank you for this piece and for helping those of us who do NOT have celiac understand the importance of speaking about these things with accuracy so that we don't inadvertently cause harm to our celiac friends! Always so grateful for your work, Christina!
Thank you so much for reading and I appreciate your comment! I’m glad you’ve been able to get answers. I definitely want to do a follow up piece on FODMAPs specifically since they’re clearly an issue for so many people.
Understanding the issue as FODMAP-specific versus gluten-specific has also been helpful! I am luckily not on a totally low-FODMAP diet (I would miss garlic and onions sooo much), but there are certain high-FODMAP foods that really irritate me, and I wouldn't be able to pinpoint that if I was distracted by gluten.
But yes, if anyone is reading this and knows they aren't celiac but have something going on, please do not do an elimination diet on your own! Work with a great, knowledgeable, preferably anti-diet RD if you can.
100% agreed!