UPDATED: 12 Surprising Signs of Gluten Sensitivity – It’s WAY More Than Tummy Troubles!
Inflammation is a major problem for those of us who are gluten sensitive. Though you might not understand exactly what inflammation is or how it really throws a big, rusty wrench in your quest for good health, Engin Coach Ali Weinberg is back to explain. She’s got another important piece of her personal celiac journey to share as well as some critical tips to help you minimize your own inflammation.
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As I mentioned in the article about my personal journey with celiac disease, inflammation is a big deal. You might recall the mass which formed inside my right ventricle as inflammation crept in around my heart. And then I shared with you how inflammation impacts the lives of many (including my own clients) both emotionally and mentally which is directly related to building systemic inflammation as a result of ingesting gluten and other food toxins.
Since gluten intolerance is marked by inflammation in the small intestine, it makes sense that a person would experience bloating, abdominal pain, and overall GI upset when eating trigger foods. However, not all people with gluten intolerance experience GI distress.
I’ve personally met many clients suffering more vague-type issues like arthritis-like aches & pains, chronic fatigue, overall fluid retention, and general “overall puffiness”. Before my celiac diagnosis, I’d have certain days wherein my body would retain 6-7 lbs of fluid, mostly in my lower legs and abdomen. Doctors could not understand why my body was so inflamed. I often needed to wear sweatpants and ended up avoiding wearing shoes on the ‘bad days’ because they squeezed my swollen feet. At times the fluid’s pressure would become highly uncomfortable and even painful, so I was put on high doses of diuretics. These drugs made me urinate ALL the time and sadly, didn’t help with my systemic inflammation.
But my celiac diagnosis was only the tip of my health-crisis-iceberg. As I began to learn about food toxins and inflammation, what I found both fascinated and concerned me. My research connected dots about why being gluten-free was simply not enough to get me back on track. Clearly, I needed to be more careful about eating trigger foods as well as the level of pesticides, antibiotics, and GMOS.
Intestinal damage from food sensitivities potentially leads to something called “Leaky Gut Syndrome” wherein your gut wall has lost its structural integrity. Basically, this wall should normally have tight junctions that prevent ingested food within the digestive tract from leaving. When the lining is damaged, gaps form in these junctions and tiny food particles can slip through into your body.
Autoimmune diseases such as Celiac, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Lupus fall under the umbrella of issues that “Leaky Gut Syndrome” can present itself. Each time your body recognizes particular food particles as toxic, your immune system kicks into gear to fight off the foreign “invaders”. Though it might be your immune system’s job to attack true foreign invaders such as diseases and germs, you can experience various physical symptoms when food you’ve eaten becomes it’s target.
This process is further described in the book “Digestive Wellness” by Elizabeth Lipski —
“When the intestinal lining is damaged even more, substances larger than particle size — disease-causing bacteria, potentially toxic molecules, and undigested food particles — are allowed to pass directly through the weakened cell membranes. They go directly into the bloodstream, activating antibodies and alarm substances called cytokines. The cytokines alert our lymphocytes (white blood cells) to battle the particles. Oxidants are produced in the battle, causing irritation and inflammation far from the digestive system. That is the basis for a condition called increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome.”
As you can see, the inflammation and bloating you experience after eating gluten or other foods (for me, dairy and soy also trigger a reaction) is a real phenomenon. It’s your body’s way of protecting you even though the result doesn’t really mirror these good intentions. That’s why it’s especially important that you allow your intestines to rebound by focusing your diet around foods that will not elicit an immune response.
However, some foods are very well-known “gut irritants” like wheat, dairy, corn, soy, coffee, pesticides, antibiotics, and alcohol. Though its best to entirely cut out these foods for a period of time to allow your body’s inflammation to cool down, even minimizing your exposure can have a significant impact. Know that you’ve got a choice in this matter since what you put in your mouth can help or harm you.
My suggestions to get started? Choose high-quality, organic meats and dairy whenever possible and fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to avoid further irritating your symptoms with harsh pesticides. Since we’re all sensitive to gluten, be aware that it is one of the most gut-irritating foods which further underscores the need to be tested for celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Even if the tests come back negative, many people report feeling immense improvements after cutting out gluten. As usual, feel free to contact me with any more questions you may have on this topic. Good luck!
Wanna learn more?
Check out the next FREE master class with Dr. Barry Sears on ‘Gluten & Inflammation’ on Thursday, February 16th @ 8pm ET. Register your seat HERE!
I am suffering various allergies including gluten due to low adrenal reserves. Is it possible for allergies and sensitivities to go away once your adrenal or thyroid function starts working fine or these allergies are for life? I dont get any fluid retention or bloating etc but whenever I avoid gluten, I feel a lot better that’s why I think allergy.
Thanks
Hi there! So, what you have isn’t an allergy…it would be considered more of a sensitivity. As for whether they will go away, it all depends. Assuming you aren’t genetically prone to celiac disease, you’d need to resolve the underlying issues that have caused your body to react to gluten protein. There are some healing modalities that can sometimes help resolve sensitivities such as NAET, however not everyone has the same result. I can’t give you a definitive answer from my experience and education, but I do believe that the human body is quite amazing and can do surprising things if we support it correctly.
I am in the process of reading “The Virgin Diet” book by JJ Virgin. She discusses how these food irritate and inflame your gut and what to do to remove them from your diet. After 21 days, she has you add them back individually to see exactly which foods cause problems after your gut has healed. It is very interesting.
I have extensive hair loss, hirsutism, edema, chronic constipation, cold sensitivity, osteoporosis (19 confirmed broken bones – 18 since completing chemotherapy 20 years ago. I suffered a trimalleolar fracture one year ago), tooth loss, itchy skin, cyclic vomiting syndrome, chronic fatigue, abdominal pain and swelling, chronic pain, and neuropathy. I begged my PCP to test me for Hashimoto’s disease, but that was negative. My neighbor said that her brother in law suffered many of my symptoms, but he is better now after being confirmed positive for Celiac’s Disease. I contacted my doctor this morning to beg her to test me for CD. I have become increasingly concerned because laxatives and prescription water pills provide no relief. I’m desperate for a diagnosis of anything. I exercise several times a day (including step aerobics) and I have been given a prescription for phentermine. I am not losing weight. My vomiting disorder and fatigue issues have become so serious that I am no longer employable. I also suffer from insomnia. I stopped eating gluten two days ago and I am now urinating frequently. Does this sound like Celiac’s Disease?
Hi Rachel, I can’t really say as I don’t know you and am not a doctor. It’s best that you find a doctor (a GI doc would be even better) to get checked out and have them go over all of your symptoms and test you if they feel it is appropriate. There are so many symptoms that people can have and everyone’s “version” of symptoms is different. The key is to find a doctor who is willing to listen to you that something more is going on. If your current doctor is not, then look for another. There are definitely others out there who would be willing to test you, but you must advocate for yourself as it sounds like you are doing. Did your doctor say that she will test you?
I’ve tried it all and still no luck I just keep gaining weight and bloating up like a balloon.. It’s very depressing. I’m doing everything right by eating right and cutting out pretty much everything.. How long is the average recovery time?
Hi Kim, it sounds like there is something else beyond gluten going on. Have you seen a practitioner about this?