I’ve been gluten light for about three years. I may or may not have celiac - when I was a small child, I was diagnosed with celiac, but my mother can’t remember if I was tested or not. The doctor did say I’d outgrow it, and I ate wheat most of my life with few bad side effects (kids with severe celiac are obviously malnourished - that wasn’t me.)
In my 20s I was diagnosed with IBS. In my 30s I was treated repeatedly for suspected ulcers. I was constantly gassy, crampy and uncomfortable. I also had migraines. Finally, what sent me over the edge was random vomiting. I wasn’t sick, I’d just suddenly need to throw up.
I gave up wheat in a “it must be something I’m eating” - and wheat was logical having given it up as a toddler.
I don’t run to the bathroom after every meal in an urgent fashion. I don’t feel bloated or crampy (except at that time of the month). And surprisingly, I get far fewer headaches. And the random vomiting disappeared.
I can eat a little gluten - a bite of my husband’s dessert now and then. But a whole piece of pizza or a sandwich on real bread will send me and my “irritated bowel” to the bathroom posthaste. And a few days of a little bit will put me back in crampville. My internist doesn’t feel its worth testing, since the end result is the same or not - avoid wheat.
And yeah, when I eat wheat, I may be increasing my risk for certain kinds of cancer and arthritis. But I ate it for almost 40 years, I figure the damage is done there and that the occasional taste of bread pudding won’t be what puts me into chemo.
I will say - its a pain in the butt. I wouldn’t do it unless you needed to. A lot of gluten free people DON’T loose weight on a GF diet - they do replace the wheat with rice or potatoes. Its also expensive - the Udi’s bread is great - and goes on sale for around $5 for a small loaf here! If it makes you feel better (or if you have an autistic kid and you believe you see an improvement) it might be worth it. But there are a ton of things I’d give up first if you were just looking to get rid of “evil foods.” (sugar, caffeine, processed grains, high fat meats.)