About 1 in every 133 Americans are gluten intolerant, yet many remain unaware that they may have celiac disease or other conditions linked to gluten sensitivity. The symptoms are often subtle and confusing, making it easy to dismiss them as mere fatigue or aging. Over time, people may grow accustomed to these signs, assuming it’s just part of getting older or having poor health. However, the real issue might be gluten intolerance, with certain foods disrupting their digestion. This gluten intolerance checklist will highlight common symptoms to help you recognize if you should consult a medical professional for further evaluation.
When do gluten intolerance symptoms start?
Gluten intolerance symptoms start within minutes of eating foods that contain gluten. However, some reported they noticed symptoms within one or two hours or upon eating only glutenated foods in high amounts.
Gluten Intolerance Symptoms Checklist
The most important question here is how to know if I am gluten intolerant. and what are the first signs of gluten intolerance?
Signs of indigestion
If you feel bloated after eating, have gas all the time, and experience irregularity, you might be gluten intolerant. Your intestinal tracts are having problems with the food you’re taking in. Diarrhea alternating with constipation regularly is also a common sign.
Tired with low energy
Your energy level is another indicator. Are you always feeling sluggish? You’re 28 however feel you’re 208? Gluten-intolerant individuals feel drained after a meal because of the effects on the digestive system. The larger the meals, the more exhausted you feel. This is something that you can quickly keep track of.
Check out 5 Gluten-free diet mistakes you must avoid.
Discomfort and depression
How do you feel after you finish your meals? Do you get inflamed or upset easily? This is another sign of gluten intolerance.
People who are suffering from indigestion can easily fall prey to depression and anxiety.
This can be for many reasons like a disturbance in gut microbiota, decreased levels of serotonin, or release of gluten metabolites called gluten exorphins that affect the central nervous system.
Also, gluten can affect how you feel, so feeling down? depressed? Not feeling alright? It could be because of gluten.
Swollen glands
This is another indicator of gluten intolerance. This is one of the best signs.
If your glands are swollen, there is absolutely a problem in your body that requires attention. If this happens often, you shouldn’t just brush it aside as “just among those things that will go away”. You might be gluten intolerant.
Continuous headaches
Migraines, cluster headaches, stress headaches, etc. that take place frequently after your meals could be signs of gluten intolerance.
Lots of individuals seek treatment for headaches like aspirin or other painkillers. They will surely experience temporary relief, but that won’t fix the issue. Only a gluten-free way of life can put an end to your headaches.
Check out 5 Tips to make gluten-free life easy
Body inflammation
This is one of those indications of gluten intolerance that is frequently misdiagnosed.
Individuals think they are having muscular aches or bad blood flow. People blame everything except gluten since the majority of people aren’t even aware of what gluten intolerance is.
If your body continuously aches or if the joints feel inflamed and uncomfortable all the time, you’re struggling with inflammation. If you experienced the previous symptoms, then you’re just gluten intolerant. You need to change your diet.
Suddenly experiencing rashes? Eczema? Keratosis? It could be gluten.
Belly Fat
Gluten intolerance can contribute to various digestive issues, including bloating and abdominal discomfort, which may be mistaken for belly fat. While gluten intolerance itself doesn’t directly cause fat accumulation, the inflammation and digestive disturbances associated with it can lead to water retention and bloating in the abdominal area. This can give the appearance of excess belly fat.
Additionally, the discomfort from gluten intolerance can sometimes disrupt healthy eating habits or physical activity, indirectly impacting weight management. Managing gluten intake and following a balanced diet can help alleviate these symptoms.
Weight loss
This symptom is most common in people who are suffering from celiac disease. The reason behind this unexplained weight loss might be the absorption of nutrients or the symptoms of indigestion like diarrhea and constipation.
Autoimmune disease
Individuals who suffer from celiac disease can easily develop other autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and thyroid diseases.
Neuropathy
People with Gluten intolerance may experience arms and legs numbness.
The main cause for this condition remains unclear, however, it may be because of the development of antibodies due to gluten sensitivity.
Conclusion
There is an old expression that says, “It’s not what you eat, it’s what is eating you that causes illness.” Sorry … if you’re gluten intolerant, it’s totally what you eat. We’ll conserve the expression for later. In the meantime, you need to avoid gluten.
As you can see, if you’re gluten intolerant, there are many methods you can follow to avoid its unpleasant side effects.
The finest thing to do would be to record the food you consume and how you feel. Over time, you will observe a pattern and understand what is triggering the issues.
From there it’s simply a matter of tweaking your diet plan to end the symptoms.
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