Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance

So you have been diagnosed as gluten intolerant.

You probably have dozens of questions

What are the symptoms of gluten intolerance?

What will be the effects of being gluten intolerant on my life?

Will I have a really restricted diet?

Whenever people discover a health issue the natural reaction is to panic and think the worse.  Being gluten intolerant doesn’t have to be a big deal.  Once you learn to manage your diet the symptoms of gluten intolerance will no longer be an issue.  And managing the condition does not have to be as big a deal as you might think.

The first thing is to find out what your gluten intolerance really means.  It may be that you have coeliac disease (celiac disease in the USA).  This means that eating gluten can trigger an auto-immune response.  This is not the same as having an allergy to wheat, although sufferers of coeliac disease will often describe their condition as a wheat allergy – Its a lot simpler to say wheat allergy, which everyone understands rather than trying to expain an auto-immune response!

The symptoms of gluten intolerance when you have coeliac disease can be very different from individual to individual but can include any of the following or a combination of the symptoms

Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance

• Chronically tired
• Skin rash
• Stomach pains and cramps
• Mouth ulcers
• Bowel disorder – including diarrhoea and constipation
• Nausea
• Bloated bowels
• Weight loss without explaination
• Iron defficiency

It has to be said that these are just the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance.  An individual may have some of these symptoms or they may not and still be gluten intolerant.  It is a mistake to think that all sufferers of coeliac disease will have the same symptoms of gluten intolerance.  Although many coeliacs, for example, may be underweight, this is a symptom of the nutrient defficiency rather than the condition.

What is Coeliac Disease (Celiac Disease)

It may help to explain what coeliac disease is and why the symptoms of gluten intolerance occur.

When someone with coeliac disease eats a food containing gluten it triggers an auto-immune response.  Basically the body produces antibodies that are designed to protect against infection or disease but a faulty trigger means that the antibodies start to attack the gut instead.

Your gut (small intestine) is a long muscular tube lined with thousands of cillia.  The cillia are raised hair like structures that are designed to increase the surface area of the gut and help you to absorb food.

In a healthy gut the cillia stand upright.  When you suffer gluten intolerance the cillia are damaged and lay flat on the gut wall or can even be decreased in number.  This means that the person with coeliac disease is not able to absorb nutrients properly and most of the symptoms of gluten intolerance stem for this malnutrition.

The continual or chronic feeling tired is usually the result of iron defficiency.  The stomach conditions a direct result of the auto-immune reaction.  The constipation and diarrhoea the result of food getting to the large intestine without being digested properly.

Left untreated the symptoms of gluten intolerance will increase and the sufferer may also add psychological symptoms such as depression or anxiety to the physical symptoms.

The good news is that if you guard against eating any gluten the recovery can occur really quite quickly.  Some sufferers report feeling better after just a few days of being on a gluten free diet.  Usually within a week there should be noticeable improvement.

Sticking to a gluten free diet does not have to be that hard.  I have almost completed my guide to simple gluten free living which will be available to download from amazon soon.  I will update this post as soon as the guide is available.  It is based on my 25 years of living, eating and cooking gluten free.

If you suspect you have the symptoms of gluten intolerance it is important to get this confirmed by your doctor.  Until you have the condition confirmed you should continue to eat gluten containing foods.  This is because the doctor will initially carry out a blood test to identify the antibody.  If you are eating a gluten free diet the antibody will not be present in your blood.  That said, I suggest you seek confirmation from your doctor as soon as possible.  If you are gluten intolerant the sooner you start a gluten free diet the sooner your gut can start to heal.

Of course some people that experience the symptoms of gluten intolerance will not be coeliac.  Wheat can be difficult to digest for many people and can lead to irritable bowel syndrome or just feelings of being bloated when you eat too much wheat.  In these cases you probably do not need to eliminate wheat from your diet completely, restricting the amount you eat and having gluten free days will probably be sufficient.

Whatever the reasons for yor symptoms of gluten intolerance there are plenty of gluten free options to choose.  Aside from foods that are naturally gluten free; vegetables, fruit, pulses, dairy produce, meat, poultry fish (just take care that non of these have a sauce or coating containing gluten).  There are now plenty of gluten free pastas, breads, biscuits, cookies and cakes.  you will find some of my favourite gluten free recipes on this blog, and I will continue to add more.

I hope this helps to explain the symptoms of gluten intolerance, you can see more on netdoctor

Good luck with your gluten free journey.  I hope I can help to reduce or remove those symptoms of gluten intolerance with you

Very Quick and Easy Banana Pancakes

OK The presenter on this one is more than a little irritating (just my opinion) but the recipe is really easy and it works well.

This is being made for pre/post workout energy boost.  Bananas are a great food.  Some call them natures fast food.  They are packed with vitamins, minerals, carbs and protein.

But most important of all the pancakes are really quick and delicious.

Really good for a rapid lunch or for snacking.  They need only two ingredients.  Thats right!  You make these by mashing banana into eggs to make a batter.  I have had them on the table in less than 10 minutes.

Try them.

5 Gadgets I would not be without in my Gluten Free Kitchen

There are some gadgets that are so useful in my Gluten free Kitchen I really would not want to be without them

Here are my top 5 picks


At number 1 it just has to be my breadmaker

I make bread several times a week and this machine is just perfect as it makes one pound loaves - I prefer to make bread freshly as home made gluten free bread doesn't have a great shelf life - mainly because you are not packing it with preservatives!

CLICK HERE to get it with a 20% discount at Amazon

Number 2 It's a waffle maker

I never have problems making batter based recipes gluten free.

A good waffle maker will produce perfect waffles just about every time, and don't limit yourself to sweet waffles.  One of my favorites is a savory waffle topped with ratatouille

CLICK HERE for a $10 discount

Number 3 A Good Stand Mixer

One of the great things about following a Gluten Free diet is that it encourages me to cook from scratch

This is a terrific stand mixer and is in use every day

CLICK HERE for more details

Number 4     My Hand Blender

We love soups so I wouldn't be without a hand-blender.  They do a brilliant job, I have a stainless steel one so I can blend hot soups in the pan, then rinse the blender under running water.  (Make sure you do not immerse in water)

CLICK HERE It's almost half price

Number 5  A Food Steamer

For perfect veggies every time

And if you don't get timings just right it is great for keeping food warm or heating up without drying out.

CLICK HERE for more details

So there you have it my top 5 gadgets.  Actually, other than the breadmaker which I would never part with, the gadgets could have been in any order.  I use them all several times each week.

Really Quick and Easy Ginger Cake

Some days you just want Cake

You know what it's like.

Sometimes you just get the feeling that you want a slice of cake.

Or maybe someone pops round unexpectedly and you would really like to serve them cake in a hurry.

This recipe is just about as easy as it gets.

You really just throw everything together.  Give a good whisk.  And Bake

The good news is I have never known it not turn out perfectly.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Self Raising Gluten Free Flour
• 1 Cup of sugar
• 100g Margarine, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp Golden Syrup
• 1 Cup of hot milk
• 
  

This really could not be any easier to make.

I heat a cup of milk while I put all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Pour in the hot milk and whisk until all the ingredients combine.  You could use an electric whisk but the hot milk will melt the small pieces of margarine and make it easy to combine.  I tend to whisk this recipe with a hand whisk in a couple of minutes.

Finally beat in the egg.

Transfer the batter into greased baking tins.  You can make one large loaf or two to three smaller cakes.

Bake at a low temperature, gas mark 3-4, 170C, 340F for about 40 minutes

Test the cake by inserting a knife into the centre of the cake.  It will come out clean when the cake is ready.  You may need to cover the cake with foil for the final part of the baking if it is browning too early.  making sure the cake is fully cooked is really the only part that needs a little skill.  Do use the inserting knife or skewer technique and be prepared to return the cake to the oven.

Turn the cake onto a cooling rack.  It is absolutely delicious hot or cold – It rarely gets the chance to go cold in our home!

I have also used the basic cake mixture to make other cakes with alternative flavors.  Try replacing the ginger with cinammon and maybe a handful of sultanas.  I have also made a very good lemon cake buy adding some lemon essence and grated lemon zest.  You could finish a lemon cake by mixing the juice of a lemon with icing sugar to make a tangy drizzle.  just allow the cake to cool and drizzle the lemon sauce over the top and down the sides.  

Delicious.

One of the things I particular like about gluten free cooking is experimenting with a basic recipe to make a variety of dishes.  This gluten free ginger cake recipe is a perfect example of a basic recipe that can be experimented with.  I hope you enjoy it.

Ever get frustrated with your diet?

One thing is important when on a gluten free diet - And that is keep your sense of humor.

It can be really frustrating:

• Baking falls apart
• The perfect recipe is as dry as a desert
• The waiter says they cater for gluten free then brings you something covered in breadcrumbs
• It just will not rise

Trust me everyone on a gluten free diet has experienced just about every gluten free disaster.

But it can be done.

You really can have tasty, moist and light food.

Restaurants can get it right - you just need to be vigilant.

And fairly soon the cooking disasters get fewer and fewer.  You get to feel what you need to add or do to make a recipe work.

So keep on smiling.  Stick with it.  You can do it.