The Importance of a Gluten Free Diet

Gluten sensitivity and allergy has become one of the most commonly undiagnosed sources of health problems. You may not know that you have a sensitivity to gluten, but by removing it from your diet for a few weeks, you may notice a big difference in how you feel!

Gluten containing foods including wheat (white or wheat flour), rye, barley, and oats. Here is a detailed list of ingredients which contain gluten and that you should avoid. The most common gluten containing foods include bread, pasta, cookies, crackers, and cereals. There are delicious gluten-free versions (made with rice flour or quinoa) of all these foods available online from various sites:

Here are our Gluten Free protein bars and protein powders

Where can I find Gluten and Casein Free Foods?
www.SafelyGlutenFree.com  www.EnjoyLifeFoods.com   www.MissRoben.com   www.Kinnikinnick.com

Eating gluten can cause health problems?
When you eat gluten containing foods, damage to the villi in your digestive system occurs.  This includes shortening and flattening of the villi in the lamina propria and crypt regions of the intestines. There are also toxic amino acid sequences found in wheat, rye, and barley which have negative health implications. Once your villi are damaged, it becomes much easier for food to "leak" out of the intestines ("leaky gut") and into the blood stream causing a number of symptoms ranging from headache, fatigue, depression, stomach ache, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn, joint and/or muscle aches (arthritis, fibromyalgia), irritability, nervousness, and inflammation.

Do I have a sensitivity to gluten?
The only way to know for sure if your body is tolerating gluten well or not, is to eliminate it for 2-4 weeks and see if symptoms improve. The blood test for Celiac gluten sensitivity only works for less than 10% of those who are in fact gluten allergic. Thus doing the test is almost worthless. You must simply eliminate all gluten for weeks and see how you feel. Most likely, you will notice a big difference!

If you have Celiac Disease, epilepsy, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cystic Fibrosis, you must eliminate every trace of gluten from your diet since these conditions are greatly improved by a gluten free diet. In addition, those who have any pain and inflammation in your body and/or fatigue are very likely to have a gluten sensitivity.

Health Concerns with Inflammation:
Asthma
Celiac Disease
Chronic backaches
Chronic Fatigue
Crohn's Disease
Cystic Fibrosis
Depression
Eczema
Epilepsy
Gastroenteritis (acute)
Headaches
IBS and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Insomnia & Anxiety
Malaise
Menopause Symptoms
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscle aches and pains
Pancreatic Dysfunction
PMS & Irritability
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Schizophrenia
Ulcerative Colitis
Weakness

Intolerance Versus Allergy
Food intolerances are more common than allergies. They happen when food irritates the digestive system or offers substances that the digestive tract cannot break down. A food intolerance, however, does not provoke the immune system into an attack. The most common foods that cause intolerance are wheat, rye and barley; they all contain gluten. Figuring out an intolerance requires eliminating foods to gauge your response. Signs can include fatigue after meal, nausea, stomach pain, gas, cramps, bloating, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches and irritability or nervousness.

If you suspect you have a food intolerance, keep a food diary-recording what you eat and how you feel afterwards. In addition, an elimination diet, wherein you avoid certain foods and track your responses, can help determine food intolerances. After you have dropped certain foods from your diet, reintroduce them, one at a time, until you eat a food that causes a return of your problems. These foods should then be permanently avoided.

Food Sensitivities Resources:
www.GFCFdiet.com - Books, videos, and resources on the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet.
www.Celiac.com - Gluten and wheat-free diet resources.
www.LivingWithout.com - Health magazine for those with food allergies or intolerance to wheat, gluten, dairy, etc.
www.GlutenFreeLiving.com - Magazine for Gluten-Free living.
www.Gluten.net - Gluten Intolerance Group.
www.FoodAllergy.org - Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network with cookbooks, videos, etc.