Gluten is a protein found in barley, rye, wheat and other whole grain foods and it is associated with more than 55 diseases. Almost 99% of people who are gluten intolerant or suffer from celiac disease are never diagnosed.
Moreover, almost 15% of American population has gluten intolerance. Are you one of them?
If you have any of the following symptoms it could be a sign that you have gluten intolerance:
1.Problems with digestion, including gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. The last one is particularly present in children after consuming foods gluten.
2. Keratosis Pilaris, (also known as ‘chicken skin’ on the back of your arms). Gluten can damage the gut leading to fat-malabsorption, which further leads to vitamin A and fatty acid deficiency.
3. Weariness, mental fog or tiredness after a meal with gluten.
4. Incidence of autoimmune disease, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, or Multiple sclerosis.
5. Neurologic problems like nausea or feeling of lack of balance.
6. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, PCOS or unexplained infertility.
7. Severe headaches such as migraines.
8. Persistent fatigue or fibromyalgia, usually without clear reasons.
9. Swelling, inflammation, or pain in your joints, fingers, knees or hips.
10. Mood swings, anxiety, depression and attention deficit disorder (ADD).
Wheat: The UNhealthy Whole Grain
A video by Dr. William Davis, author of the book Wheat Belly
How to test for gluten intolerance?
According to Dr. Amy Myers, a renowned leader in Functional Medicine and New York Times Bestselling author of The Autoimmune Solution:
″I have found the single best ways to determine if you have an issue with gluten is to do an elimination diet and take it out of your diet for at least 2 to 3 weeks and then reintroduce it. Please note that gluten is a very large protein and it can take months and even years to clear from your system so the longer you can eliminate it from your diet before reintroducing it, the better.
The best advice that I share with my patients is that if they feel significantly better off of gluten or feel worse when they reintroduce it, then gluten is likely a problem for them. In order to get accurate results from this testing method you must elimination 100% of the gluten from your diet.″
How to treat gluten intolerance?
″Eliminating gluten 100% from your diet means 100%. Even trace amounts of gluten from cross contamination or medications or supplements can be enough to cause an immune reaction in your body.
The 80/20 rule or “we don’t eat it in our house, just when we eat out” is a complete misconception. An article published in 2001 states that for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity eating gluten just once a month increased the relative risk of death by 600%.″ explains Dr. Mayers.