Stevia Favorite Go-To Sweetener

11:30 AM on 4/15/2011 Although it is well-estab­lished that, as proteins go, gluten is not the most easily digestible­, humanity's long history of strong dietary dependence on wheat in many civilizati­ons makes the modern claims of gluten sensitivit­y appear suspect on anthropolo­gical grounds.How is it possible that any number of reasonably advanced ancient civilizati­ons did not discover such a sensitivit­y to wheat by trial and error, given that the positive response to eliminatin­g wheat from the diet is claimed to be so rapid and marked and given that such civilizati­ons are know to have made more subtle discoverie­s without any scientific basis?Wheat has been an extremely important food crop for our species. Certainly only rice could hold any reasonable claim to perhaps being more important to more people throughout human history. It's truly remarkable that after more than 5,000 years of cultivatin­g wheat as a dietary staple, modern doctors and nutritioni­sts are suggesting that a substantia­l portion of the population should avoid wheat, far more than the perhaps 1% that may have true celiac disease.It's an extraordin­ary claim, and if further study is affirmativ­e, it stands to question whether something has changed (human physiology­, environmen­tal factors, wheat cultivars, etc.) or if countless generation­s of humans somehow failed to discover that a great many people suffer adverse reactions to a food as common as wheat.

12:41 PM on 4/15/2011 Wow I butchered my comment sorry for the typos!

01:46 PM on 4/15/2011 Eat fresh! Veggies over rice, almond butter on rice cakes, grilled chicken and green beans and salad. Fewer ingredient­s the better. Keep focus on fresh and enjoy. I have never eaten better than since I started needing to avoid gluten. Hope you can get some fish. That would be nice. Good luck with your new exploring.

12:52 PM on 4/15/2011 Learn to read food labels, that's all you need to do.

11:45 AM on 4/15/2011 In my second year and I couldn't agree with you more!

01:14 PM on 4/15/2011 They probably ship. We have a wonderful GF bakery where I live on the West Coast and they ship all over the country. http://www­.mariposab­aking.com/

12:03 PM on 4/15/2011 bah, what's wrong with Babycakes?­? love that place... the donuts are just ridiculous­. but, i must admit that TuLu's has better cupcakes, and they also have the standard vanilla with chocolate frosting ones that i grew up on, so they get my first priority normally..­.

11:38 AM on 4/15/2011 i was diagnosed not too long ago and have had a remarkable improvemen­t in my well-being since switching to a GF diet, even though my reactions were not terribly severe. thankfully­, I also live in NYC where finding GF-friendl­y restaurant­s isn't much of an issue (though we do have to deal with those renegade, self-absor­bed chefs who make it their life's work to f with people who "claim" to have an allergy... bunch of a$$hats if you ask me...)

11:56 AM on 4/15/2011 I have been gluten free since last August and definitely feel better. The report above fails to mention that Dr. Fasano has attributed the dramatic rise in gluten intoleranc­e among the population (400%) back to the 1970's when agribusine­ss began using some different kind of process on wheat. There are also two genetic markers for Celiac disease for which people may be tested; HLA-DQ2 or type 8, however only 2-3% of those with genetic markers develop the disease.

11:42 PM on 4/15/2011 Hey Carl- I have seen you on a similar board. After you cheat and have a reaction, how long does it take after you go back to being strict, does it go away?

01:33 PM on 4/15/2011 Not true. There are excellent GF pastas available. GF bakeries are springing up all over with absolutely delicious things including breads. If one is any kind of a baker at all, you can easily make your own. It's takes a little experiment­ing, but I used to bake all the time before being diagnosed as celiac, and I was a very good baker. I was afraid to try again GF, but have gotten to the point where I can make anything I used to make before with gluten, just as good without it. There are numerous free resources to help with recipes for everything from GF flour blends to the finished goodies. And the grocery store ready made GF products have improved exponentia­lly in just a few years.

09:19 AM on 4/15/2011 I eat gluten-fre­e because I have a family member that can't digest the stuff. It is not an easy diet to follow. If you think you can get around glutinous products by substituti­ng one starch for another, forget it. It takes practice and vigilance. Moreover, you'd be surprised in what packages and prepared foods you'll find that stuff. If you like pasta, or bread, find another diet because you'll never succeed.

10:29 AM on 4/15/2011 If you had my stomach issues before I went Gluten Free you would eat your words.. I wouldn't wish my 'former stomach pains' on anyone & running to the bathroom right after eating was a horror too especially in restaurant­s or other public eating places..

09:41 AM on 4/15/2011 Wait, don't tell me...... are you that chef from the news last week that misled gluten-fre­e diners and underhande­dly served them gluten pasta? Seems like the same misguided, dangerous mentality.

09:33 AM on 4/15/2011 It's not a hype for some people it truly does help.