For many, removing gluten from their diets has made huge headway in their health and fitness. Do you know how to identify gluten allergy symptoms?

Around every grocery corner, you’ll see GLUTEN-FREE labels. In every circle of healthy folks, you’ll have a few dedicated gluten-free dieters. Paleo dieters also say no to gluten.

For some people, this is less of a choice and more of a critical health requirement.

Gluten allergy is a serious thing. Today we’ll help you understand the ins and outs of gluten free dieting, celiac disease and more.

These days you might head to your favorite restaurant and see there’s now a gluten-free menu. It’s a concern of every health oriented grocery store these days as well.

Why are so many people making this switch?

According to budding research, gluten is a big problem for some of us. And we aren’t just talking about your weight.

For the roughly 35% of people who are intolerant, gluten can negatively impact numerous areas of your body and even mind.

Gluten has certainly been a buzz word in the health and fitness community. Meanwhile, there are others who have even said that gluten allergy is a hoax or a diet fad. We’ll explain why that’s complete nonsense, and what you need to know to protect your health.

Are you gluten sensitive? Do you know about gluten allergy symptoms?

Here’s what you need to know.

Gluten 101: What Is Gluten?

Gluten can be found in several different grains that we all consume on a daily basis. Celiac.org defines gluten as:

“Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (durum, emmer, spelt, farina, farro, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale.”

Basically, it’s a sticky combination of proteins that aids in binding things together–like food glue; ew.

In fact, it can even stop sauces from curdling and give things like canned meat, cheese spreads and various other types of condiments their silky texture. Needless to say, it’s in a lot of stuff that we eat.

Gluten is a pretty big part of today’s diet. You’ll find gluten in everything from bran to oats to cereal.

But what about some pretty surprising foods that have gluten in them?

• Soy sauce,
• Chewing gum,
• Ketchup,
• Even salad dressing.

So obviously, a lot of us consume gluten and we don’t even know it. Odds are, if it’s a processed food or grain, it probably has gluten in it. It’s yet another reason why people should limit their intake of processed foods.

Gluten free often gets lumped in with Low-Carb Diets, but there’s a bit more to it.

Gluten-free foods are quickly becoming the fastest growing sections in the nutritional world.

Why does gluten matter? Because if you have a sensitivity or gluten allergy, it’s likely negatively impacting some aspect of your health. And you might not even know it.

Gluten Allergy Symptoms vs Celiac Disease

While gluten allergy and sensitivity are terms that tend to be used pretty interchangeably. A lot of people think that Celiac Disease and having gluten sensitivity or gluten allergy symptoms are all one and the same–this is incorrect.

Think of Celiac disease as gluten sensitivity’s cousin. There are some key differences between the two, but they are also closely linked.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition, which affects several systems within the body. But it’s main area of focus? The digestive tract.

On the other hand, having gluten sensitivity suggests that there is some kind of immune reaction when gluten is consumed.

What it comes down to is this: intestinal damage.

Here’s a simple equation to break it down…

Gluten sensitive + Intestinal damage = Most Likely Celiac Disease

Gluten sensitive + No intestinal damage = Just Gluten Sensitivity or Gluten Allergy

Make sense?

Whether or not you see gluten allergy symptoms now, is really not the whole picture. The fact is the human body is pretty resilient and we can get used to a lot of bad habits. It doesn’t make them better that our bodies grow tolerant, it just means that the body is used to resisting.

So, how do you really know if you’re gluten sensitive? The short answer is an At-Home Gluten Sensitivity Test.

While you may think that gluten sensitivity only affects a small amount of the world’s population, much like Celiac Disease, you would in fact be misinformed.

In fact, it appears as much as 35% of the population may suffer from gluten sensitivity.

What does this mean for you? It’s important to keep an eye on gluten allergy symptoms, but remember, you may not exhibit any right now. Next, we’ll provide a summary of the seriously scary effects gluten can have on your body.

Gluten and Serious Risk Your Health

There are some pretty startling findings about celiac disease and what gluten can do.

Some data shows that women with severe gluten sensitivity and celiac may even have higher incidences of stillbirths, miscarriages, amenhorhea, early menopause, anemia, as well as a later onset of menarche.

Because gluten can have such a negative impact on women’s hormonal and reproductive systems, one study even recommended that celiac disease should be considered while screening for reproductive disorders.

And it doesn’t stop with your physical health either.

Did you know that gluten can also seriously affect your mental health. Both depression and schizophrenia have been linked to gluten sensitivity.

One study produced some pretty shocking, but promising results – it stated that there was a huge, if not complete, change of symptoms associated with schizophrenia once gluten was removed from the patient’s diet.

Did you catch that?

A recent study showed a link between removing gluten from the diet and reducing schizophrenia symptoms.

A recent study showed a link between removing gluten from the diet and reducing schizophrenia symptoms.
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How can this work? Well, gluten responds in a very specific way when it’s in our nervous system and because of this, it’s not considered a “gut” issue. Instead, the brain and nervous system manages moods and our perceptions of things.

Needless to say, when our nervous system is impacted, so are countless areas of our life.

And detailed research has shown a big connection between gluten sensitivity and ADHD, Alzheimer’s, MS, seizures, and even abnormal brain waves.

Another study concluded that having gluten sensitivity can sometimes be considered a neurological disease – it is that dangerous.

By now, you might be asking: Are Carbs Evil?

It doesn’t stop there. Gluten sensitivity has been shown to decrease the body’s absorption of important minerals, including zinc.

So why does this matter?

Zinc absorption happens in the small intestines, which is where you can find lesions created by Celiac disease. And zinc plays a huge role in our body.

Adding a zinc supplement to your day can be a healthy staple for any diet.

It covers everything from the digestive functions, hormone production, immune system, brain function, taste and smell. So it’s definitely an area you don’t want messed up.

Gluten Allergy Symptoms and Sensitivity

Did you know that Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have been linked to gluten?

A study showed that the highest reported popularity of Celiac disease was in Type 1 diabetes patients in Europe.

It can also mess with your bones, as various other studies have shown that there’s a possible connection between gluten sensitivity and bone loss.

As we’ve touched upon, gluten has also been shown to have an effect on your behavior and brain. Studies have shown that Celiac disease is commonly found in children with dyslexia.

Needless to say, there are endless amounts of studies that show the negative impacts gluten has in literally every aspect of your body and brain if you are sensitive to this protein.

So, if you’re concerned about gluten allergy symptoms, it may be time you consider a gluten sensitivity test.

Now we don’t mean that you should go running away from anything that has gluten in the ingredients list. You’ll hear us talk a lot about how to determine the Best Diet for YOUR body.

As mentioned, only about 35-40% of people actually suffer from true gluten sensitivity. So don’t go throwing out your entire pantry just yet.

The catch is a lot of people don’t know which category they fall under when it comes to gluten tolerance. Maybe they’re part of the smaller 35-40% of people who do have gluten sensitivity and don’t know it. Or maybe they’re in the 60-65% of people who can tolerate gluten. Basically, we just don’t know without testing.

Thankfully, there are several ways you can conduct a gluten test.

There are companies who will test saliva or stool samples. However, there might be an easier option to consider than going to the doctors’ office.

Did you know you can actually do a Gluten Sensitivity Test at home?

All you have to do is order a test kit, perform the actual tests in the comfort of your home, send it into the lab, and then you’ll get the results a quick couple of weeks later. It’s really that easy.

Okay, so you’ve got gluten sensitivity.

What does that mean? Of course the answer is getting rid of gluten in your diet, but that will leave some holes in the food roster.

Don’t worry. There are honestly gluten free options for everything these days. Pasta isn’t gone from your life. Quinoa pasta is honestly delicious and perfectly gluten free. If you haven’t yet, go ahead and try it. This is really just the start.

There are endless food options that fit within gluten free guidelines as well as many healthy replacements for foods you might have missed. 

Because gluten is so involved in our culture today, it really takes a pretty big effort to get it out of your life. But the options are there. Still, a lot of go-to comfort foods people turn to are full of gluten. So you’re going to have to tweak your perspective and approach to snacking a little bit, too.

Ask yourself: Is this bread worth the health of my brain and body?

It shouldn’t be, because if you’re sensitive to gluten, every time you ingest it, you’re hurting your body. It could be anywhere in your body – your brain, your joints, even your thyroid.

Any way you slice it, every time you eat gluten, you’re causing damage to your body.

And unf think this is something you can follow only once in a while. Studies show gluten can stay in your system for up to 8 months after you eat it.That means you’ve got to give it up for a while to clear your body.

Don’t forget that there are also healthy grains and starches outside the glutinous world called. These include Resistent Starches.

So you might have to change your diet around a bit. Again, this is all for your personal health. If you don’t have your health, you aren’t going to be able to enjoy anything else in life as much as you could.

Curiously, there have been a few super enzymes that have been found to help with the breakdown of gluten exposure. Now we aren’t condoning you eating gluten openly per se. However, If you end up eating gluten once in a while, these super enzymes may help protect your body.

Or there are enzymes known as DPP IV (dipeptl dipeptidase IV). Basically, this enzyme is usually found within the cells in the intestines – and it’s also commonly known to be incomplete in patients that suffer from celiac. So, there are a few studies that suggest taking a couple of supplements that have DPP IV in it in order to prevent any damage that may happen accidentally.

Conclusion

If you decide to test yourself for gluten sensitivity, and you test positive, it’s critical that you take the right steps to control your gluten intake. Don’t wait until you see gluten allergy symptoms. If you decide to continue eating food with gluten, you should be aware that you could be posing a huge risk to your overall health and wellness.

Cutting out gluten can have some pretty awesome side effects too. Did you know that cutting out the grains and starches helps you with Losing Water Weight?

Don’t forget that your diet, at the end of the day, is a piece of the bigger whole picture of wellness. A proper At-Home Bodyweight Workout, ample sleep and a good multi-vitamin will go a long way.

So what should you take away from this? Well, first off remember that gluten sensitivity is a serious condition. Keep an eye on gluten allergy symptoms, but don’t rely on them to tell you if you’re gluten intolerant. Take the test!

And luckily, there are a growing number of options to make the transition to gluten free eating as smooth as possible, and endless nutrient rich foods to fill your diet should you choose to make the switch. Your body and mind might thank you.