If you have Celiac Disease, Going Gluten-Free is essential to your health. But, being on a gluten free diet is not one of the healthier diets out there.
In addition to this, a gluten free diet is not easy to follow.
For some people, a gluten free diet can have nutritional drawbacks.
So, who really needs to go on a gluten-free diet?
People with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which an individual can not tolerate
gluten (a protein in wheat, rye, and barley). Also, people with a gluten sensitivity need to go
on this diet too.
Why do these people need to go on this diet?
Well, people with celiac disease who eat gluten will damage the lining of their small intestine.
Eating gluten causes the lining of the small intestine to become inflamed and damaged, if you
have celiac disease. Some of the symptoms that individuals with celiacs may suffer are diarrhea,
upset stomach, bloating, and abdominal pain. In some cases, people with severe celiac disease
have other symptoms such as: skin rashes, loss of hair, and itchy skin.
How do you know if you have Celiac disease?
Celiac disease is often misdiagnosed for years. It can often be mistaken for irritable bowel syndrome.
Often, individuals will suffer from chronic poor heath. While these individuals are being misdiagnosed,
their lining of their small intestine is being damaged. This often causes other problems. Many times the
lining will not allow for certain necessary things to be absorbed into the system (for example: poor calcium absorption). Your doctor can do a blood test and/or an intestinal biopsy that will show damage to the villi, to find out if you have Celiac disease. Doctors will need to rely on the patients past experiences and side effects to gluten to say weather or not the patient has a gluten sensitivity.
What has gluten in it?
Gluten shows up in lots of things. The most obvious is breads and pastas. But, it can be found in
other things such as crackers, cookies, cold cut meats, salad dressings, ketchups, soy, beer, licorice, lip stick, toothpaste, lotions, shampoos, bubble wrap, and glue (to name a few).
The gluten debate.
Many people say that if you have Celiac disease you only have to worry about gluten in the items
that you put into your body, not onto it. However, many individuals who have a severe reaction to
gluten have reported that this is not so. There is a large population of celia patients that report needing
to go 100% gluten free in their life. This includes what goes on their bodies. Some patients reported hair loss, rashes, and skin itching/irritations. After using gluten free products, these individuals reported that
their hair grew back, skin cleared up, and itching stopped. The debate seems to continue, so the best
answer is to do what works for you.
Best Gluten Lifestyle Tips:
*Watch for hidden gluten in foods.
*Know that foods can be cross contaminated if they are manufactured in a facility that makes
other items that contain gluten.
*Know that gluten free foods often try to "mimic" the gluten counterparts and this causes these
gluten free items to be high in carbohydrates, fat, and sodium. They also lack the fiber and/or
protein that you need.
*Look for products that are certified as being uncontaminated and gluten-free.
*Play it safe and go natural. Eat more fruits and vegetables (many try the raw diet).
*Know what you are putting in your body and on your body.
*Stay away from frozen and processed foods (if you use them check the additives that most likely
will contain gluten).
*When going out to eat, don't be shy, speak up.
*Learn to read labels and know the hidden culprits (such as malt and hydrolyzed vegetable protein,
to name a few).
*Watch items that contain oats.
***Find small reliable companies that will help you on your journey.
Such as, No Gluten Natural Girl Products, LLC is a small company that has products for women,
men, and children. They will help you answer any questions that you may have and guide you to
where you need to go, if they don't have the item you need. Check them out at:
