Gluten Intolerance & Side Effects

aaliceinw

I am not allergic to gluten however I am intolerant, which means that I would rather go for gluten free foods. There are a number of people who say that the gluten free phenomena is merely a passing fad. I suppose it could be true for some but having tested a diet with 70 to 85% decrease in gluten intake over the last 8 months, I know how it affects me when I eat too much of it.

Yesterday I had normal pasta and a small cracker. This morning, the pain in my ankles and heals makes it difficult to walk. My finger joints are not too painful this time, but they do feel as if they have either swollen or have less lubrication. I also bloat and have difficulty digesting and finally, I get all stuffy-nosed and a thickening of the mucuses. It is not a one off reaction, since I have seen had these side effects several times immediately after eating gluten.

My young nephew is completely allergic to gluten and was born that way, so fortunately, I have learned what foods to totally avoid. We don't buy too much off the shelf gluten free products but rather use alternative foods.

I just wanted to share this because although being gluten intolerant is not life threatening, having less of it in my diet makes my life much more pleasant and I don't feel like I have some imaginary disease since I now know what was causing the pain in my joints and contributed to the bloating. By sharing, maybe others will be able to test for themselves and see if it is making a difference for them too.

rumijs

I'm the same way. Through a series of trial/error with foods and doctor supervision about 5 years ago I figured out that if I have something larger than 1 serving of a food with gluten, I'll likely have a lot of the discomfort that goes with it. If I cut it out of my diet almost 100% for at least a month, I can usually indulge in a nice meal out with friends and not worry about the amount of gluten in it and I won't have bad side effects. Recently I've been pretty nonchalant about eating whatever, and I've been paying for it with constant stomach discomfort, headaches/migraines, and lethargy. Time to clean back up! If anyone is looking for a buddy to share gluten reduced/free tips with, feel free to add!

cynvill06

I'm so glad to read your post. I just started going gluten-free 4 days ago and I feel substantially better. I understand gluten allergies are a real threat to many and I also see personally that even without a diagnosis, people should do research, listen to their own bodies and test themselves. It's nice to read a post regarding gluten that doesn't put down or dismiss the idea of an intolerance.

aaliceinw

Thanks @cynvill06, I'm glad you have found it useful. At 52 I have learned that I can go and research information about my body, I can ask for advice and then I can select the answer that actually makes sense to me and what is happening with my body at the time. I learned this after years of being on medication for specific chronic illnesses and sometimes feeling like a walking pharmacy, until one day I tried being treated by a chinese doctor. I slowly came off all my meds, changed my diet and learned to listen to my body.

With gluten intolerance it is very easy to test by simply removing it entirely from the diet for a few weeks. As you have seen, even within a few days you can see the results. Watch out for gluten-free products though because they often contain high doses of sugar.