8 Signs That You Are Gluten Intolerant
The Paleo diet is completely gluten free, since it omits grains entirely. When going Paleo many people (who previously thought that had no issues with gluten) find that many symptoms they used to have completely disappear. It also seems common for a rare gluten exposure to have quite an impact, even though the person may have consumed gluten everyday previously. Are you gluten intolerant?
What’s the difference between celiac disease & being gluten intolerant?
Celiac disease is a severe, sudden immune reaction to the protein gluten, which has immediate autoimmune reactions. It prevents the sufferer from absorbing essential nutrients. Gluten intolerance is on the same spectrum, but the reaction to gluten is not so sudden – and even harder to clinically diagnose. Unfortunately tests for celiac disease and being gluten intolerant are not as advanced as you might imagine – and it can be very difficult to get a clinical diagnoses. The best way to find out how gluten affects you is to undertake a strict elimination diet – luckily the Paleo diet does just this.
8 signs that you are gluten intolerant
- Gastrointestinal (GI), stomach and digestive issues; perhaps gas, bloating, cramping, constipation, diarrhea or IBS
- Headaches or migraines
- Fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue
- Sudden mood shifts, irritability or depression
- Dizziness, balance problems and tingling or numb hands and feet
- Another autoimmune disease diagnose (perhaps as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Ulcerative colitis)
- Hormone imbalances or unexplained infertility
- Inflammation, swelling or joint pain
If you've got any of these symptoms and still consume gluten, it’s definitely worth strictly excluding gluten – and going strict Paleo – for 30 days.
And why you mustn't go “gluten-free”…
You can’t fail to notice the commercialism of “gluten-free”. There is a gluten-free version of everything – and often the ingredients are quite frightening. To achieve the properties that gluten provides in things like break and cakes, the manufacturers often have to use dozens of ingredients that you probably haven’t heard of. Not Paleo – and not good for you either. Whilst gluten is a particularly problematic protein, lots of other grain proteins are believed to have similar reactions. The healthiest way to go gluten free, is to avoid substitutes – and eat real, whole, Paleo foods! Instead of buying gluten-free bread and cakes, find alternatives to bread – and change your diet completely!
How does gluten affect you? Do you completely avoid gluten? I’d love to hear your comments, below!
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Very helpful post!
Thank you so much for such an informative article. It’s really hit home for me & got me thinking! One question, Ive found over the last few months that my reactions to gluten are getting more & more severe every day….so how do you know if your ‘gluten intolerance’ maybe crossing the line to ‘celeac’s disease’?
Thank you! Dannielle
Hi Dannielle!
I’m glad that you were able to benefit from this article, it makes me happy I wrote it 🙂 Interestingly, your increased intolerance to gluten is not an uncommon reaction as I’ve experienced it myself, as well as many other individuals who go GF and then get exposed to gluten. As I’m sure you know, I am not a doctor nor a physician so the following recommendations are for you to decided if they’ll benefit you. My first suggestion would be to tell your doctor and maybe order a celiac panel, in addition to a comprehensive stool sample. I’ve had this performed and the results came back negative, however after a gluten exposure of one bite of cake that left me sick for 4 days, I didn’t need a test to tell me something was wrong! But I still recommend it as it’s a good first line of elimination. Secondly, I’d look into drinking bone broths and consuming natural probiotics like sauerkraut and kimchi, as the bone broths will soothe your intestinal lining and the probiotics will help establish a health gut flora (which can help your digestive immunity). If it’s within your budget, my first recommendation would be to go to a natural practitioner such as a naturopath as they may be able to find the true root cause of this reaction and even help you with other health problems that you may have (and could even be linked to the gluten intolerance)!
I hope I was able to help!
Wishing you the best,
Suz
I’ve never noticed any particular gluten intolerance however I know that I feel better since going paleo three years ago so I don’t eat gluten containg foods. A few times a year I consciously decide to eat something containg gluten for any range of reasons and luckily I never feel any particular repercussions.
I do however often get a belly ache if I eat rice so I do think much more carefully about that as obviously that’s my body speaking clearly – shame as I really like rice however I’ve gotten used to not eating it.
Hey PaleoIrish, I’m the same. When I ate grains all the time I didn’t particularly notice – but now I really notice the belly ache. Definitely best avoided!
This makes so much sense of what I’ve been experiencing! I try to avoid all grain as much as I can, and notice a horrible stomach ache if I slip up. I can tolerate rice, but it makes me feel hungry, and I can tolerate potatoes fine – but if I eat too much of either I tend to gain weight. And I definitely notice that the less I eat grain, the more intolerant I become to it… I’m very grateful for the article! That feeling of ‘it’s not just me’ is so valuable when you’re struggling with these kinds of issues:-)
I’ve been ‘cheating’ a bit lately, having bought some hot cross buns and a couple of other things. But I’ve noticed the dizziness you mention in the list as well as the tingling in the toes. I have wondered if I might have Type 2 diabetis. However I had a blood test to see if I have that a few months ago and there was no sign of it……so I can only suppose it is a reaction to the gluten in my ‘cheating’ behavior. Will have to really discipline myself a bit better LOL. Thank you for the article 🙂