Post: #1

I'm 100% against fad diets but at some point you have to see the benefit of certain trends...such as high protein, low carb diets. However, I believe it's important to understand the science behind the results, and I'm also against making blanket statements like "carbs are bad" and "gluten is bad".

Yes, people that cut gluten out of their diet get results. But why? The research is still inconclusive. Why have humans been able to process wheat products just fine, and thrive off of them, but all of a sudden in the past 50 years we have a drastic rise in "gluten sensitivity"? A term which I find complete bullshit.

In my reading online and in magazines, I came across an article in the New Yorker of all places that shined some light on FODMAPs.

FODMAP stands for: Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols. FODMAPs are carbohydrates that pull water into the intestinal tract, may not be easily digested, and may be fermented in the intestinal tract when eaten in excess. A low FODMAP diet is commonly prescribed to those suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom) and a diet high in FODMAPs has been shown to increase bloating, gas, cramps, etc.

Here's a couple links: http://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/da...apdiet.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP

My interest in this is not as another fad diet, even though I have a feeling that's what this will turn into once it becomes more mainstream. My personal goal would be to cut out 100% of the above foods for a period of about two weeks. I experience regular bloating and intestinal discomfort and my goal is to eliminate this. I also believe that this has an effect on the appearance of my gut; when I go for a period of several days eating very clean, my abdomen has a noticeably slimmer appearance.

After a period of 2 weeks, I would slowly re-introduce certain foods to see which ones make me feel excessively bloated so I can know what to avoid in the future. Obviously I have no intention of permanently cutting broccoli, mushrooms, and fennel out of my diet, but for the purpose of noting specific changes in my body I'll be cutting them out temporarily. I'm going to use this thread to track progress, and I'd be interested in anyone else's results as well.

Post: #2

(12-01-2014 06:58 PM)Veloce Wrote:  Yes, people that cut gluten out of their diet get results. But why? The research is still inconclusive. Why have humans been able to process wheat products just fine, and thrive off of them, but all of a sudden in the past 50 years we have a drastic rise in "gluten sensitivity"? A term which I find complete bullshit.

Because wheat has changed significantly in the past 50 years in the West due to selective breeding practices to make it more resistant to pathogens. Specifically, amalyse-trypsin inhibitor (ATI), a chemical pesticide that blocks proper digestion, has drastically increased in wheat over this time. Poor digestion and other health issues related to modern wheat is primarily induced by ATI and spreads to gluten as well. Modern wheat is simply not like ancient wheat.

See here for full explanation by retired Harvard biochemist Art Ayers.

n.b. I'm not a fad diet person either, and still eat wheat and other gluten-containing foods.

Post: #3

Quote:My interest in this is not as another fad diet, even though I have a feeling that's what this will turn into once it becomes more mainstream.

I don't understand, as this is something backed by scientific proof - how can it transform into a fad diet based on adoption by the mainstream.

Post: #4

FODMAPs the mention in the Digestion Sessions from Underground Wellness. There is also the Specific Carb Diet (SCD) which is great for colitis based problems and uses simple sugars. And of course GAPS which is somehow based on the SCD but I'm not sure of the limitations.

The problem with modern dwarf version of wheat is that is also has 4 times the gluten as the slower growing tall variety that we ate for 10,000 years. The protein itself is very hard to digest and there are a host of other complex proteins which make it sub par food. I'm thinking corn might be similar especially due to possessing BT Toxin.

Post: #5

(12-01-2014 07:31 PM)Soma Wrote:  

(12-01-2014 06:58 PM)Veloce Wrote:  Yes, people that cut gluten out of their diet get results. But why? The research is still inconclusive. Why have humans been able to process wheat products just fine, and thrive off of them, but all of a sudden in the past 50 years we have a drastic rise in "gluten sensitivity"? A term which I find complete bullshit.

Because wheat has changed significantly in the past 50 years in the West due to selective breeding practices to make it more resistant to pathogens. Specifically, amalyse-trypsin inhibitor (ATI), a chemical pesticide that blocks proper digestion, has drastically increased in wheat over this time. Poor digestion and other health issues related to modern wheat is primarily induced by ATI and spreads to gluten as well. Modern wheat is simply not like ancient wheat.

See here for full explanation by retired Harvard biochemist Art Ayers.

n.b. I'm not a fad diet person either, and still eat wheat and other gluten-containing foods.

I've read a lot of back-and-forth regarding how much wheat has changed in the past 50 years. What I really hate about what I call "health gurus", you know the type I'm talking about, is their insistence on spreading rhetoric and inability to provide scientific literature. They're no better than USDA agents that still try to force the classic food pyramid down our throat.

You read a lot of rhetoric about how ancient wheat was so much better for us, but a lot of that just sounds like over-romanticized crap.

That said, I would be interested where Art Ayers is coming up with the assertion that ATI in modern wheat has increased by 50-fold. There is some good information on his blog but also some wacky bullshit like:

Quote:Gliadin is a protein component of gluten that contains long stretches of glutamine residues, i.e. it is a polyglutamine protein similar to the protein that causes Huntington's disease.

This is exactly the type of wackjob statement that discredits "health gurus", especially when they provide zero literature or studies to back up their assertions. Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid...where does its association with Huntington's disease come from?

It would not surprise me to learn that modern wheat contains increased levels of substances that compromise the body's ability to digest gluten, there seem to be no definitive studies that prove this, so we're left with all these health wackjobs and their hypotheses which they present as fact. On the other side we have government agencies telling us that everything is fine. It's rather frustrating.

Post: #6

(12-01-2014 09:47 PM)dasher Wrote:  

Quote:My interest in this is not as another fad diet, even though I have a feeling that's what this will turn into once it becomes more mainstream.

I don't understand, as this is something backed by scientific proof - how can it transform into a fad diet based on adoption by the mainstream.

Easily. What the mainstream does is cherrypick very convenient bits of information from scientific literature and re-package them into a collection of bullshit assertions whose sole purpose is to make money off of the ignorant masses.

Wait a minute...maybe I'm onto something...

...I'm gonna invent the first FODMAP protein bar haha

Post: #7

(12-01-2014 10:10 PM)Veloce Wrote:  There is some good information on his blog but also some wacky bullshit like:

Quote:Gliadin is a protein component of gluten that contains long stretches of glutamine residues, i.e. it is a polyglutamine protein similar to the protein that causes Huntington's disease.

This is exactly the type of wackjob statement that discredits "health gurus", especially when they provide zero literature or studies to back up their assertions. Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid...where does its association with Huntington's disease come from?

What about that particular statement do you find "wackjob"? He is factually pointing out the molecular similarity between gliadin and huntingin protein, both of which contain multiple glutamine residues, not implying that glutamine (alone) or gliadin is associated to Huntington's disease. From Wikipedia:

Wikipedia Wrote:[The huntingtin gene] is variable in its structure, as the many polymorphisms of the gene can lead to variable numbers of glutamine residues present in the protein. In its wild-type (normal) form, it contains 6-35 glutamine residues. However, in individuals affected by Huntington's disease (an autosomal dominant genetic disorder), it contains more than 36 glutamine residues (highest reported repeat length is about 250).

Post: #8

A FODMAP protein bar could be a good seller. You would have to make a big deal about it being GMO-free and hormone-free since that's the type of customers you want to attract. They are the ones that know what FODMAPs even is.

Post: #9

(12-01-2014 10:30 PM)Soma Wrote:  

(12-01-2014 10:10 PM)Veloce Wrote:  There is some good information on his blog but also some wacky bullshit like:

Quote:Gliadin is a protein component of gluten that contains long stretches of glutamine residues, i.e. it is a polyglutamine protein similar to the protein that causes Huntington's disease.

This is exactly the type of wackjob statement that discredits "health gurus", especially when they provide zero literature or studies to back up their assertions. Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid...where does its association with Huntington's disease come from?

What about that particular statement do you find "wackjob"? He is factually pointing out the molecular similarity between gliadin and huntingin protein, both of which contain multiple glutamine residues, not implying that glutamine (alone) or gliadin is associated to Huntington's disease. From Wikipedia:

Wikipedia Wrote:[The huntingtin gene] is variable in its structure, as the many polymorphisms of the gene can lead to variable numbers of glutamine residues present in the protein. In its wild-type (normal) form, it contains 6-35 glutamine residues. However, in individuals affected by Huntington's disease (an autosomal dominant genetic disorder), it contains more than 36 glutamine residues (highest reported repeat length is about 250).

It sounds an awful lot like he is implicating that gliadin consumption is somehow associated with Huntington's disease, but I guess that's just me.