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20 Signs Of Gluten Intolerance

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You Feel Down A Lot Of The Time

20 Signs of Gluten Intolerance

Mood changes, or feeling an increase in depression and/or anxiety after eating gluten-containing foods is a symptom in those with NCGS, says De Latour.

In fact, one 2014 study published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, found that gluten-intolerant subjects reported increased depression after just three days of eating gluten.

Diarrhea Constipation And Smelly Feces

Individuals with celiac disease experience inflammation in the small intestine after eating gluten.

This damages the gut lining and leads to poor nutrient absorption, resulting in significant digestive discomfort and frequent diarrhea or constipation (

That suggests that gluten exposure on its own may induce feelings of depression, irrespective to digestive symptoms.

When Should I See The Doctor For Gluten Sensitivity

The treatment for gluten sensitivity is avoiding gluten in the food you choose to eat. It might be tempting to eliminate gluten from your diet and leave it at that. However, it is important to see your doctor if you experience the symptoms described above after consuming gluten.

Many of these symptoms overlap other disorders of gluten tolerance such as celiac disease or a true gluten allergy. Some of the symptoms can also be signs of other illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease. This makes seeing a physician and getting an accurate diagnosis very important, as treatment needs to be tailored to the specific diagnosis for the best long term results.

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How Do You Test For Gluten Intolerance

Your doctor might recommend trying a gluten-free diet to see if you do have a gluten intolerance. Keep in mind that other conditions, such as celiac disease and wheat allergies, can cause similar symptoms. If eliminating gluten from your diet eases your symptoms, this usually indicates gluten intolerance. Your doctor can test for wheat allergies or celiac disease if needed.

Foods To Help You Give Up Gluten For Good

Ask a Scientist: What Are the Symptoms of Gluten ...

Planning meals ahead, cooking your own meals at home, packing a lunch and planning your shopping list before going to the store, are all great ways to keep you on track.

Heres a list of 10 foods that helped keep me satisfied, while getting used to my new Gluten Free diet.

1. Nuts, seeds and dried fruit

Premixed fruit and nuts are an easy snack, for when you just need something right now.

Any kind chocolate as long as its Gluten free.

Oven baked sweet potato fries are perfect for those days you want something starchy.

Try using white vinegar and salt instead of butter for a lighter snack.

5. Fresh fruit and Yogurt

Satisfying, fast and easy.

6. Veggie Sticks with Dip

Pre-cut and left in the fridge for an easy snack.

Make yourself a fancy cheese plate. Add your favorite pickles and olives.

Hard boiled or deviled. Pre boil and leave in the fridge for the week.

9. Gluten Free Corn Flake Breaded Anything

Giving up breaded food was one of the hardest things for me. Being able to make my own chicken Fingers at home helped a lot.

10. Gluten Free Pasta

There are many brands of Gluten free pasta available. Find the one you like the best for pasta salads or spaghetti and meat sauce.

What are some of the things that helped keep you satisfied for the first month of going Gluten Free?

10 Foods To Help You Give Up Gluten For Good

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So What Is Gluten Intolerance

Its a newer condition but gluten intolerance is definitely a real thing.

Officially, its called: Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity .

The term gluten sensitivity also gets tossed around too.

But all three terms are different names for the same thing.

Gluten intolerance is a condition in which you have intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms after eating gluten.

What Is Gluten Intolerance

Gluten intolerance, which is sometimes also referred to as non-celiac gluten sensitivity , is a set of uncomfortable symptoms that you experience after consuming gluten.

The most severe form of gluten intolerance is an autoimmune condition called Celiac disease. It makes it difficult for your gut to absorb nutrients and is estimated to affect close to 1% of the population and about 1 in 141 Americans, though many cases are undiagnosed.

Unlike Celiac disease, gluten intolerance does not cause long-term damage to your gut lining. It is estimated to be much more common than Celiac disease, affecting an estimated 18 million Americans.

Common symptoms of gluten intolerance may include:

  • Constipation or diarrhea

  • Lack of ability to think clearly

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Signs Of Gluten Sensitivity Joint And Muscle Aches

Got joint and muscle aches? Or maybe you were told that you have Fibromyalgia .

Either way, gluten can exacerbate joint and muscle issues because of two very distinct reasons.

First, glutens damaging inflammation in susceptible individuals can cause flares and pain. WebMD states that, Joint pain and inflammation are common symptoms of gluten sensitivity. And research does show links between the two diseases.

The Arthritis Foundation has also published information regarding the link between gluten sensitivity, joint pain, and arthritis conditions.

Second, weve previously mentioned the connection of gluten to leaky gut. If your gut is no longer sealed tight so that foods and other proteins stay securely within the digestive tract, theyre going to cause trouble. When your body encounters these non-self proteins, it builds antibodies to help neutralize them .

Those antibodies can become mistaken and start attacking other tissue in your body and that is why gluten is so closely tied to autoimmune disorders.

The Poor Condition Of Teeth

Gluten Intolerance Symptoms (9 EARLY SIGNS You Are Gluten Intolerant!) *Non-Celiac*

In the case of gluten intolerance, the absorption of the necessary elements and minerals in the intestine is affected. This also applies to calcium.

The result may be problems with the teeth and the oral cavity: hypersensitivity of the enamel, caries, caries, and ulcers of the mucous cavity.

If you take good care of your teeth, but still notice some problems, the reason may be caused by your gluten consumption.

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How Is Gluten Intolerance Diagnosed

As mentioned in the last section, there are no specific labs or biomarkers to formally diagnose gluten intolerance, or NCGS. It can only be subjectively diagnosed by your self-reported information.

The process of diagnosis usually involves:

  • Ruling out a wheat allergy and Celiac disease, which may include blood and/or skin prick tests as well as an upper endoscopy procedure if needed .

  • Next, you follow an elimination diet or gluten challenge that removes gluten from your diet for a period of time. The healthcare provider assesses symptoms and then re-introduces gluten to monitor your reaction.

  • If a provider can make a clear correlation between gluten and your symptoms, then they can diagnose you with gluten intolerance or NCGS.

However, providers can have a hard time distinguishing between gluten intolerance and other gut-related disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, so they may order further testing and monitor symptoms.

Signs Of Gluten Intolerance

Gluten is a widespread name for the proteins that can be usually found in wheat products. Barley, rye, oats and other kinds of grains contain gluten too. People who eat gluten-loaded foods can feel a plethora of symptoms. These can be described as allergic reactions. They will feel the intolerance within the digestive tract and that can yield many intestinal inflammations. Small intestines can suffer as well. Problems like an unpleasant feeling in the stomach can easily become long-term damage. Since, for now, you cant be tested for gluten intolerance, there is not much that you can do. One thing that helps is doing the test to rule out celiac disease.

During normal digestion, enzymes are in charge of breaking down the long strands of protein. The amino acid that gluten contains is named peptide. It can be absorbed and transported within the body for later use. Sometimes, the body will treat peptides as foreign bodies. Because of this, it will alarm the immune system which will attack the body. This can be a big problem and creates all sorts of health problems and symptoms.

Image via Shutterstock

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You’re Losing Weight Without Trying

Involuntary weight loss is one of the primary symptoms of celiac disease, because when your intestines are damaged you aren’t properly absorbing the food you eat, says Megan Patrick, M.D., a family medicine physician at UCHealth.

While NCGS doesn’t damage a person’s intestines, it can still lead to eating less due to associating so many foods with pain, which in turn can cause weight loss, says De Latour.

Oxalates: A Silent Gut Health Killer

5 Signs You Have Gluten Intolerance
Some people will do everything they can to improve their gut health, including adapting a sensible diet. Theyre doing nothing health experts would deem as wrong. Yet, these people still experience severe gastrointestinal distress. Thats because even healthy foods can have an adverse impact on the body, such as foods rich in oxalates. Oxalates are anti-nutrients found in nutrient-dense plant-based foods. Lets take a closer look at this paradox and how it may impact your gut health.

Oxalate is a term to describe the chemical reaction between oxalic acid and other substances in our system. Oxalic acid is highly acidic and is used as natural bleach for clothing materials, such as straw hats .
Our bodies produce oxalic acid on its own. We also convert Vitamin C into this molecule when we metabolize the antioxidant . This transition happens when oxalates come into contact with cadmium found in zinc, lead and copper.
Typically, oxalates bind to other minerals, which then show it out the system. However, we re-introduce oxalates back into the fold by consuming foods with them. Thats where oxalates become a problem.

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Wheat Allergy Management And Treatment

  • Avoid foods and other products that trigger symptoms.
  • Control some symptoms with antihistamines and corticosteroids.
  • Use epinephrine , available by prescription, to reverse anaphylactic symptoms.

Take back control of your life.

An allergist is an expert who can review your symptoms to help you manage your wheat allergy.

Gluten Sensitivity: 50 Signs And Symptoms

1. Gas

49. Poor sleep

50. Night blindness

Be aware that this list is in no particular order and that having any of these signs does not necessarily mean that you are indeed gluten sensitive.

Sometimes you can react to other food proteins and think that youre getting glutened even though theres no gluten in your meal. Or you might discover that gluten is still hiding in spots in your kitchen and making its way into your mouth.

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Beware These Surprising Consequences Of Intolerance

While the symptoms mentioned above are what will most likely clue you in to your bodys negative response to gluten, they arent the only effects of intolerance to be aware of. In fact, a variety of chronic diseases may develop due to long-term CD or NCGS, including:

  • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD
  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS

In one study, researchers found a strong link between gluten sensitivity and neurological complicationsespecially those in which the cause was unknown. Research has even shown that, for some people with gluten sensitivity, the primary symptom they experience is a neurological dysfunction. The data suggests that nearly 60 percent of people with neurological dysfunction of unknown origin test positive for anti-gliadin antibodies.

Constipation Diarrhea And Gas

Celiac Disease Symptoms: Gluten Intolerance Causes Ataxia (or Unstable Gait)

These three symptoms are all very common with all types of food issues and intolerance problems. If you suspect a gluten intolerance, pay close attention to these signs and track when they occur. Keep a food journal that documents everything you eat and drink and how you feel during and afterward. It will help to determine if gluten is causing these problems.

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Joint And Muscle Pain

There are various reasons why individuals experience muscle pain and joint pain. There is a theory that individuals with celiac disease are genetically over-sensitive or have an over-excitable nervous system. Therefore it lowers their threshold to activate sensory neurons, which causes joint and muscle pain.

Exposure to gluten can also cause inflammation in individuals who are gluten sensitive. This inflammation also results in full-body pain, including muscles and joints.

Mental Health And Gluten

Are you not yourself when youâve had gluten? Youâre not the only one. Gluten can trigger an immune response that is linked to neurological and psychiatric symptoms. It has been linked to depression, anxiety, and psychosis. One study found that even short term gluten ingestion can cause feelings of depression, even without a change to GI symptoms!

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Managing A Severe Food Reaction With Epinephrine

A wheat allergy reaction can cause symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening the severity of each reaction is unpredictable. People who have previously experienced only mild symptoms may suddenly experience a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis. In the U.S., food allergy is the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside the hospital setting.

Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, which can occur within seconds or minutes, can worsen quickly and can be deadly. In this type of allergic reaction, exposure to the allergen causes the whole-body release of a flood of chemicals that can lead to lowered blood pressure and narrowed airways, among other serious symptoms.

Once youre diagnosed with a food allergy, your allergist will likely prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector and teach you how to use it. Check the expiration date of your auto-injector, note the expiration date on your calendar and ask your pharmacy about reminder services for prescription renewals.

If you are uncertain whether a reaction warrants epinephrine, use it right away, because the benefits of epinephrine far outweigh the risk that a dose may not have been necessary.

Your allergist will provide you with a written emergency treatment plan that outlines which medications should be administered and when . Be sure that you understand how to properly and promptly use an epinephrine auto-injector.

Maybe Youre Gluten Intolerant

20 Signs of Gluten Intolerance

Here are some of the signs that youre Gluten Intolerant

1. Digestive Problems You may have intense heart burn or acid reflux. You can have diarrhea, constipation or IBS . You can also feel nauseous.

2. Inflammation, Swelling and Joint Pain You might have swollen fingers and sore joints.

3. Migraine Headaches You may get bad headaches, especially after eating.

4. Mood Issues You may experience mood swings, irritability or depression.

5. Fatigue You may feel tired or have brain fog after eating.

6. Weight Gain You may have a layer of unexplained flab, or a pouch/spare tire that just wont leave. This one tends to be a sore subject. Some may disagree but for me personally, this was the case.

If you are experiencing some or all of these symptoms you should make an appointment with your doctor. You should also try going for a week or two without eating wheat. See how you feel. If you do feel better, you may want to consider switching to a Gluten Free diet.

For those who are Gluten Intolerant Are there any other symptoms that you had that arent listed here? Was weight gain an issue for you? Have you lost weight since going gluten free?

by officially gluten free

More and more Gluten Free Products are becoming available, all the time. Its nice to have the convenience but the vast selection can be overwhelming. Together we can narrow down the choices. Share which products you think should be in the next Top 5 Gluten Free Products, in the comments below.

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