For all those who are beginners, like me, let me start by explaining what Gluten Intolerance is and the symptoms. (Remember, I am not a medical professional. This just comes from my own research.)
Gluten Intolerance is a lesser version of Celiac disease. You can test negative for Celiac disease and still be gluten intolerant. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which a person can’t tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten shows up in bread and pasta, but may also hide in many other foods, such as cold cuts, salad dressings, beer, and even licorice.
Some symptoms are as follows (list copied from here)
- Abdominal Distention
- Abdominal Pain and Cramping
- Alternating Bouts of Diarrhea and Constipation
- Anemia
- Arthritis
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Autism
- Bloating
- Bone Density Loss
- Borborygmi (stomach rumbling)
- Constipation
- Stunted Growth and Failure to Thrive
- Depression, Anxiety and Irritability
- Dermatitis Herpetiformis (skin rash)
- Diabetes
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Malodorous Flatulence
- Malodorous Stools
- Gluten Ataxia
- Grayish Stools
- Hair Loss (Alopecia)
- Headaches and Migraines
- Hypoglycemia
- Infertility
- Joint pain
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- Lactose intolerance
- Mouth sores or mouth ulcers
- Nausea
- Numbness or tingling in the patient’s hands and feet
- Osteoporosis
- Peripheral Neuropathy (including either a tingling or sensation of swelling your toes and fingers)
- Sjogren’s Disease
- Steatorrhea (high lipids in the stool, which may cause the stool to float)
- Teeth and Gum Problems
- Turner Syndrome
- Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies
- Vomiting
- Unexplained Weight loss
- Urticaria
WebMD lists these as common symptoms:
Gas, abdominal swelling, and bloating. These symptoms result from a failure of the small intestine camera to absorb nutrients from food. You may also have mild stomach pain, but it is usually not severe.
Abnormal stools. Diarrhea or bulky, loose (or watery), pale, frothy, and foul-smelling stools often occur. The stools may contain a large amount of fat and may stick to the sides of the toilet bowl, making them hard to flush. Although children and adults often experience the same types of symptoms, intestinal problems, such as constipation, are more likely to occur in children.
Weight loss. Adults and children may have unexplained weight loss despite having a normal appetite. Younger children may fail to gain weight and grow as expected, a condition known as failure to thrive.
Fatigue and weakness. Celiac disease can result in a general lack of energy and strength. Sometimes poor nutrient absorption causes fatigue and weakness.
Vomiting. Some people may get sick after eating gluten. Children are more likely than adults to have this reaction.
Celiac disease may also lead to:
- Osteoporosis and other bone problems related to a lack of calcium absorption.
- Anemia caused by iron deficiency and/or folic acid deficiency.
- Infertility or having more than one miscarriage.
- Delayed onset of puberty.
- Frequent respiratory infections.
- Problems with memory and concentration.
- Irritability in children. And adults may show signs of depression.
My symptoms are digestive. As far as I know, I do not have any mental symptoms. (My fatigue could be Gluten related or not. I have a thyroid condition that could be contributing to it.) I have experienced abdominal pain and discomfort, bloating, gas, frequent infections, nausea and constipation. Symptoms can be very different depending on the person. My sister-in-law experienced more mental things like migraines and foggy head.
Because these symptoms are so common, they are often dismissed or diagnosed wrong. Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease is much more common than people realize. It's estimated that for every person that is diagnosed as being gluten intolerant, there are 89 people who haven't been diagnosed. That's pretty high.
Once you've started a gluten free (gf) diet you will basically be getting rid of or replacing wheat, rye, and barely with things like rice and corn. Here is a link to a list of some things that you can eat from your grocery. Make sure to check your labels carefully. Some companies show right under the ingredients if it has gluten or not, some don't. There are gluten ingredients that won't say "wheat" some of the "bad" ingredients are:
- Wheat, wheat berries, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheatgrass, or any form of the word wheat (other than buckwheat, which is an unrelated plant)
- Barley, barley malt, barley flour, or any form of the word barley.
- Rye, rye flour, pumpernickel flour, or any form of the word rye.
- Oats, oatmeal, oat flour, oat groats, or any form of the word oats, if your doctor has advised you to avoid oats. If your doctor permits oats on your gluten-free diet, look for gluten-free oats.
-Flour, including instant, bread, cake, enriched, graham, and all-purpose flours. Flours made from safe grains (such as corn flour, millet flour, and rice flour) are safe.
- Triticale
- Einkorn
- Spelt
- Semolina
- Durum
- Bulgar or Bulghar
- Kamut
- Cracker meal
- Couscous
- Tabbouleh
- Tempura crumbs
- Malt, unless specified as being made from a non-gluten source (such as corn).
For continued list of bad ingredients follow this link.
At first it will be very overwhelming and it will seem like there's nothing you can eat. Just start by taking out the breads and pastas and adding more fruits and vegges. Once your craving for wheat and carbs has gone down a little, start trying some GF products. Breads and prepacked GF foods are expensive. A lot of people make their own breads but flour is also expensive, although cheaper than buying the already made bread. GF foods have a different taste so it will take some time getting used to. Most people toast their bread, even for sandwiches. They say it makes it taste more like regular bread. If you are craving carbs, nachos are great. Many tortilla chips are GF. I throw some on a cookie sheet, add cheese, refried beans and taco meat (some taco meat seasonings have wheat) and put it in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. YUM! They are very filling so start will a small amount. It's easy to make too much.
I hope this has been of some help. Next I will talk a little about juicing, and I don't mean the illegal kind.
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