Is Gluten Ruining Your Life?
Gluten intolerance is something that has received a lot of press over the last decade or so. It's often compared to a milder form of celiac disease as many of the symptoms are the same. But there is a big difference between the two.
Celiac disease affects the autoimmune system and can cause serious damage to your digestive tract. Gluten sensitivity can cause havoc with your digestive system, but it doesn’t cause lasting damage.
In fact, with some lifestyle changes, you can stop gluten intolerance in its tracks. You can read more about those lifestyle changes in the infographic below, but for now, we’re going to concentrate on the symptoms of this form of food sensitivity.
The Main Symptoms
Like with other conditions, not everyone will suffer with the same symptoms. We’ll go through the main ones below and if you suffer with a few of them, there’s a good chance that gluten may be at the root of your health issues.
To be absolutely sure, we recommend that you keep a food diary for the next two weeks. Record what you ate in the diary, and then also note any symptoms that you experience. If you find that there’s a link between the food that you eat, and the negative symptoms that your body experiences, it's time to head off to your doctor.
Your doctor won't be able to tell whether or not you are sensitive to gluten, but they will be able to test for more serious ailments like celiac disease. These must be ruled out as soon as humanly possible. From there, the only real way to know for sure is to start cutting gluten out of your diet. If you feel better on a gluten-free diet, then you'll have your answer.
Let's move on to the actual symptoms.
Constipation and Diarrhea
Everyone has a digestive upset every now and again. The occasional bout of constipation or diarrhea is perfectly natural. It's when these issues occur repeatedly on a regular basis that there is definitely an issue.
Bloating
This is most likely to be experienced fairly soon after a meal, but does go beyond the occasional bloat. It's caused by the buildup of gas as the system tries to digest the gluten and will typically be triggered even after eating a small meal.
Abdominal Pain
If you feel as though your intestines are tied up in knots, or you experience cramping, or even just a dull ache, this could be a sign that there is an issue.
Fatigue
Being tired all the time without good reason is a good indication that there is something wrong with your diet. If you're getting enough nutritious food, and still finding it hard to maintain your energy levels, it's time to start cutting out gluten-rich foods and seeing if that helps.
Nausea
In this instance, the nausea is related directly to what you’ve eaten. So, if you feel like you want to throw up after your meals, get checked out.
Joint and Muscle Pain
It’s not something that you would normally associate with your diet, but this is a good indication that the inflammation in your body is out of control. The body’s attempt to get rid of what it deems to be harmful compounds increases inflammatory markers in your system.
These are the major signs to look out for. As you’ll see in the infographic provided by MedAlertHelp.org, there are also others. If you’re experiencing a few of these see your doctor to get a definitive diagnosis. Your next step should be to try cutting back on the gluten-rich foods that you eat. If you’re truly gluten-sensitive, you should start seeing an improvement immediately.
Infographic URL: https://medalerthelp.org/gluten-free-life-infographic/
