Are You Sensitive To Gluten?
By: Lindsay Hodgson, MSN
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Over the past few years the term and concern around gluten sensitivity has grown in popularity.
With grocery store isles filled with “GF” (gluten free) labels, menus with substitutions for bread, books that have amplified fears about gluten, it is hard to escape. All this talk can lead to you feeling confused about how gluten relates to health. At the same time, if you’re experiencing symptoms when you eat gluten containing products it can feel tempting to jump to blaming gluten and assume your body is not meant to have it.
So then, where should you begin?!
Let’s start by clearing up some confusion and dive into what you need to know about gluten sensitivity, especially as it relates to creating a better relationship with food.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein naturally found in wheat and other grains. It helps maintain structure and elasticity. Have you ever seen bread dough rise? Gluten gives bread the “stretch” when dough rises, so this is why gluten-free bread tends to be denser.
Gluten can cause uncomfortable symptoms for some people, such as in Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease where someone has a true allergy to gluten. When they have gluten-containing foods they experience digestive symptoms, abdominal pain, and tissue damage to the lining of their gut. Typically people with celiac disease avoid gluten in their diet because of these medical reasons.
What about more mild symptoms when eating gluten?
Others, and perhaps you, report more mild symptoms, such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, bowel movement irregularities, headaches, brain fog, or tiredness. You may be wondering, is this related to gluten? Do I need to eliminate it from my diet?
Random symptoms can be confusing and frustrating. Whatever the cause, your experience is valid and it makes so much sense that you want to get to the bottom of what’s causing discomfort. Of course you want relief!
At the same time, you may not necessarily be sensitive to gluten. There’s no need to jump to conclusions and there is room for some curiosity and alternatives before eliminating foods as a first line of treatment.
Digestive symptoms, tiredness, headaches, and other symptoms can be a result of many things. This isn’t to say that you don’t have a gluten sensitivity, but rather there are alternatives to get curious about before blaming gluten. Here are a few other potential causes:
Not eating enough food in amount, ie not enough calories from food)
Not eating regularly throughout the day, ie going long periods of time without eating
Not eating enough variety, ie enough carbs, protein, and fat
Stress
Lack of sleep
Other medical causes
Further, what many people don’t talk about (especially in the wellness culture that we live in) is that symptoms commonly associated with food sensitivities may be a result of disordered eating instead of a true food sensitivity. This particularly applies to digestive symptoms. Disordered eating and digestive issues can be incredibly complex and it’s often a question of “chicken or the egg,” but here are a few of many examples of the link between the two:
Restrictive eating where many meals are skipped or small amounts are consumed throughout the day can contribute to slow emptying from the stomach and constipation. If your gut doesn’t have enough food moving through it to digest and then nourish your body, it will slow down, making it harder to pass bowel movements.
High-fiber or plant-based diets (common with paleo, Whole30, or orthorexic behaviors), such as eating high amounts of salad, beans, and other raw vegetables, can make bloating and gas much worse. These foods also feed your gut bacteria, and during this process the bacteria release gas.
In general when someone is on a restrict-binge cycle, it is common to experience digestive symptoms or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) because the eating pattern is inconsistent either in types of foods, amounts of foods, or both.
And, falling short of meeting energy needs by not consuming enough macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fats) can definitely lead to feeling depleted, fatigued, anxious, having difficulty concentrating, and other troublesome symptoms.
Consider ruling out the “nocebo effect.”
Similar to the way the placebo effect produces a favorable outcome when someone anticipates it, the nocebo effect is the idea that when someone perceives something produces a negative experience or outcome, they will actually experience that negative perception.
In this case, the stress and negative thoughts or feelings about foods (i.e. gluten) can exacerbate some people’s symptoms. This absolutely does not mean there are psychosomatic symptoms or it’s all in your head, but to point out the power of the brain and body connection.
Diet and wellness culture often demonize bread-based foods, so it is no wonder that you have internalized these messages and may have some apprehension about gluten. There is lots of room for nuance here, as the symptoms may be real along with negative feelings about gluten-containing foods.
However, it may be worth reflecting on the potential relationship between negative feelings about these foods and your symptoms. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
How do you feel about gluten-containing foods? What emotions come to mind?
In what circumstances do you eat gluten-containing foods? Often? Here and there? Rarely?
How might a potential gluten sensitivity relate to your disordered eating, past or present?
In thinking about gluten-containing foods, do you have any fears? Fears of carbohydrates? Fears of weight gain?
What room is there for exploration?
Why Eliminating Gluten May Not be the Best Step for you
Unfortunately eliminating food groups (i.e. gluten) can make digestive symptoms worse upon reintroduction. The body is incredibly adaptive and resilient. When the diet becomes less varied (such as when multiple food groups are eliminated) the body’s metabolism adjusts for the body’s survival.
The gut environment grows accustomed to the limited diet too. Consequently, when someone starts to diversify their eating by reintroducing previously omitted foods, they may experience heightened digestive symptoms because the body has had a long time without exposure to that food. For this reason, symptoms may take some time to resolve as the eating pattern normalizes.
And with all of this said, some people (due to genetic, physiological, or many other possible factors) feel better when they eat less gluten.
You are the expert in your own body. You know what foods sit well with you. You might truly be sensitive to gluten (or other foods), and it is definitely worth seeking guidance from your doctor or allergist. Hopefully this goes without saying, but you do not need to eat gluten to be an intuitive eater or heal your relationship with food.
When practicing curiosity and experimentation it can be helpful to work with a dietitian during the process to help you explore any fears around gluten. Same goes for other foods as well. If appropriate given your place in recovery and relationship with food, you might find after some time you eat foods with gluten while being symptom free. Or, for some people, inevitably making peace with gluten-containing foods may mean deciding not to regularly include those foods in their diet because they make them physically uncomfortable.
At the end of the day it may not be a yes or no answer to determining whether or not you are sensitive to gluten. Instead, it may be more about exploring how you can enjoy foods with gluten (or gluten alternatives) to nourish your relationship with food and feel your best mentally, emotionally, and physically
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Do you feel frustrated because you keep eliminating foods and nothing seems to help and now your diet is super restrictive?
When you don’t feel good, often the first line of defense and recommendation that you will get is to cut out food. It might be gluten, it might be dairy, or it might be something else, but either way it makes eating difficult over time and leads to lots of food anxiety. We can help you with this and decrease your food fear as well as help you to increase food variety. At Bravespace Nutrition we work with clients virtually helping people who are struggling with food and body image. It’s possible to change your relationship with food and your body, free up headspace, and live your life with more presence, abundance and peace. Learn more about Bravespace Nutrition, our philosophy, and the services we offer.