Going Gluten Free

Chances are, if you are googling in the wee hours of the night, why you feel so rubbish, you may have heard that gluten is a common food we find contributing to health issues.

It is what we label as an inflammatory food. Yes it tastes good! But we have largely wreaked the wheat industry with over production and quick turnarounds and have put it in everything!

After working with hundreds of people, these are the common symptoms I see in clinic, associated with a gluten sensitivity or an intolerance;

Symptoms of a Gluten Intolerance;

- Fatigue, adrenal fatigue and energy highs and lows

- Aggression and mood changes

- Joint pain, muscle tension, general aches

- Bloating, cramping and pain the gut

- Reflux and indigestion

- Eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis

- IBS, constipation or diarrhoea

- Reoccurring colds and infections

- Anxiety, depression and insomnia

- Poor absorption of nutrients and growth

- Chronically low iron

- Brain fog, poor memory and cognition

- Headaches

Whats the difference between a gluten intolerance to an allergy?

An intolerance or sensitivity is you body having biochemical mismatch. It doesn’t enjoy the food and can feel somewhat threatened each time you consume this food. Intolerances are generally more subtle than an allergy and we may not even realise symptoms coming on or leaving. When the body is in a constant state of threat, it only takes a few days for things to change within and the body sets off a subtle alarm bell. We call these alarm bells, 'symptoms'. They are your body’s whisper, that something is not right. This may include any of the above symptoms.

It is important to rule out an official allergy as sometimes, if the body is out of balance, an intolerance can actually be an allergy. See testing for further info.

An allergy is an immune response from the body. When the food is inhaled or ingested, the body feels under attack by the food, and set of a raging duress alarm! The immune system kicks full force in to gear to protect itself from the invader. Common allergic responses I see are;

- Hives, rashes and itching skin

- Watery and itchy eyes

- Loose, explosive and mucous containing stools

- Runny nose, post nasal drip or coughs

- Tightness in the throat and chest

- Swelling of the lips, tongue and airways

- Feeling nauseas or unwell.

Please note, an allergy can be a medical emergency. If you think you are experiencing an allergy, please seek medical attention.

How do I test for a gluten intolerance or allergy?

To test for an intolerance, you can completely eliminate the food from your diet for 4 weeks. I recommend writing a list of symptoms and scoring them in severity out of 10. Eliminate the food for 4 weeks and then scoring the symptom again. After 4 week, you can reintroduce a small amount of the food and monitor your body response for the next 3 days. If your symptoms return, continue gluten free, if no symptoms flare, you may wish to try it again.

Intolerance testing, is a hair sample we take and send to our testing lab. We can do this remotely or in the clinic. It is roughly $350 and tests you against 600 different food and environmental triggers. The turn around time is around 2 weeks. I’d like to note that almost 100% of the testing I do, return intolerant to gluten and dairy! This test is part of my Gut Reset Program

A gluten allergy, is also called 'Coeliac Disease'. Over time, gluten will damage your gut lining and this is visible in a colonoscopy or endoscopy. Your GP will arrange for coeliac blood testing and if this is positive, you will be referred for an internal review, generally under the care of a gastroenterologist. It is really important to note that, you MUST continue to eat gluten containing foods, prior to taking the allergy test. They recommend to be consuming gluten for at least 6 weeks prior to blood testing.

Do I have to go gluten free forever?

Going gluten free can take time to adjust to but I am yet to find a single client that doesn’t feel a whole lot better being gluten free, and also doesn’t find it too hard! Once you are gluten free, you also have the added benefit of enjoying a wide range of foods in place of breads and pastas which are largely, low in nutrients.

If you are allergic to gluten, then it goes without saying, you will need to break up!

BUT, if you are intolerant to gluten, I usually recommend eliminating gluten for 4-6 weeks or until symptoms resolve, and then reintroducing gluten in a small amount and monitoring your symptoms over 3 days like discussed above. Most intolerances become a ‘sometimes food’. For me, this looks like most foods in the home are wholefoods and healthy for my body. When im out, it looks like whatever. For some clients it looks like clean eating Monday to Friday and whatever makes you drool on a weekend. Whatever works for you, its roughly 1 serve of sensitive foods every 3 days. Begin having it every day and you may notice the effect on your body.

Tips to help the body recover once gluten has been removed;

When you remove gluten from the diet, the gut lining can begin to heal and inflammation in the body will begin to resolve. Generally speaking, the people I work with require some additional help to support the gut and body to heal after gluten is removed. As an example;

Gut healing herbs, food and supplements if there are signs of gut damage such as;

- Glutamine and Zinc

- Digestive enzymes

- Calendula, Marshmallow, Chamomile, Liquorice, Aloe Vera

- Collagen powder, bone broth, my digest tea, coconut oil, resistant starches, stewed apples, ghee, well cooked soups.

Probiotics and prebiotics if there are symptoms of dysbiosis (a bacterial gut imbalance)

- Food sources of Probiotics include; Kefir, Coconut yoghurt, sauerkraut, kim chi, kavaas, kombucha, tempeh.

- Food sources of Prebiotics include; Resistant starches, leek, garlic, asparagus, onions and legumes

Vitamins and Minerals to help replenish stores in the body, if nutrients were not being absorbed very easily.

- Iron is commonly not absorbed well if the gut lining is not healthy. Take iron every second day if it is low.

- Magnesium is lost easily through the bowel, use a topical spray or a good quality powder.

- Vitamin D is used alot when our immune system is firing often.

- Zinc is used alot in times of stress or when the body is fighting something off.

Please seek the advise of a practitioner to review herbs, supplements and diet suggestions. These are the common ones I use in clinic but the requirements change often from client to client. An appointment can help save you lots of money in the long term by getting you the right products. You can book in with me here.

How do I learn more?

I held a 5 day Gluten Free Challenge in my Facebook Group and its completely free to join. Just add yourself to the group and binge away!

If you are wanting more info or support, reach out here or book in a session here either online or face to face in the clinic.

Be well, Charmaine xxx