Gluten-free seems to be all the rage. Restaurants have gluten-free options, grocery stores are chock full of gluten-free items, and friends are shunning gluten by the dozen. Despite the fad like nature of going gluten-free, for some it can be a life changer in terms of health. Should you ditch the gluten too? Here are some reasons to consider going gluten-free.
1) You experience chronic abdominal symptoms including: bloating, pain, diarrhea and/or constipation
2) You have joint and muscle pain
3) You feel fatigued and tired a good part of the day
4) Your mind seems foggy and you have an inability to concentrate
5) You suffer from depression
These are all symptoms one can have from non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This is not an autoimmune disease like celiac disease, although some symptoms can overlap. This is an immunologic reaction to gluten which can cause a variety of wide spread symptoms. Gluten can cause intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, where normally tight junctions between the cells lining our gut become loose and allow for partially digested food to leak through. Our body then becomes exposed to these foods that it normally doesn’t encounter, views them as foreign and attacks them. The immune system is put into action, causing systemic inflammation in the body, as well as the brain. This can lead to a laundry list of symptoms, including the symptoms involved in brain inflammation illnesses such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and schizophrenia.
Gluten is a group of proteins that can be found in grains such as wheat, rye, barely, spelt, semolina, and kamut. Oats are naturally gluten free, but can be processed in a facility that has gluten, so make sure they say gluten free oats. Gluten can also be found in many places we least expect it: alcohol, salad dressings, condiments, sushi, beauty products including toothpaste, medications and supplements, and even play-doh. Going gluten free takes some detective work at times, but is very doable. I would caution you not to continually sub in gluten free items. Once in a while is ok, but these products are often highly processed and should be kept out of our diet.
f you think going gluten free could make a difference in your health, take gluten out of your life for 4 weeks and see how you feel. Are your abdominal symptoms better? Do you have more energy? Are you feeling less anxious and depressed? Are you able to move around without pain in your joints and muscles? If so, you likely have a gluten intolerance. Not sure if it made a difference? Add gluten back in and see if your symptoms worsen. If so, there is likely a gluten issue going on.
Whether you should jump on the gluten-free bandwagon or not is a personal decision, but you may just have some great health results. You can always jump off if it is not working for you and follow up with your doctor.