9 Basic Need to Know’s About Gluten

What you usually find when searching information on Celiac Disease, is a picture of a nice, big, beautiful loaf of gluten filled bread.
Or fluffy pizza crust.
Or doughnuts.
It’s almost like you can taste that doughy texture you miss so much.

Are you kidding me!? Why do people do that!? We’re so not going to do that to you! No pictures of gluten in this post- Ok?
Here are some basic “Need to Knows” about gluten : )

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, & spelt. Gluten is the substance responsible for the elastic texture of dough. It helps dough rise & give shape to the chewy end product.

Gluten is in anything that contains Barley, Rye, & wheat. Gluten is most commonly found in the following foods:

Breads
Basically ALL Chinese food
Cakes & pies
Candies
Cereals
Costco Poppy Seed Muffins
Cookies & Crackers
Croutons
Cinnabon
French Fries
Gravies
Gold Fish Crackers
Imitation Meat or Seafood
Krispy Kreme
Matzo
Pastas
Macaroni Grill bread
Processed Luncheon Meats
Oreos
Red Lobster Rolls
Salad Dressings
Sauces Including Soy Sauce
Seasoned Rice Mixes
Seasoned snack foods such as potato & tortilla chips
Self-basting Poultry
Soups & Soup Bases
Pretty much all of your mom’s best recipes
Vegetables in sauce
Ok…. We added a few of our most coveted gluten food items in there. We miss them :’(

If you are Gluten Intolerant, when you eat gluten, it damages the lining of your small intestine. Over time this prevents the absorption of important nutrients to your body, whether there is gluten still in your system, or not.

Celiac disease is the most severe form of Gluten Intolerance. Every person who has Celiac is Gluten Intolerant. However you can have a slight or medium sensitivity to gluten & not have Celiac.

Symptoms include but are not limited to :

Pain & discomfort in the digestive tract
Constipation &/or diarrhea
Anaemia
Gas
Bloating
Cavitites
Diagnosis of IBS or Lactose intolerance
Chronic runny nose
Acne break outs
Mood issues such as anxiety, depression, mood swings & ADD/ADHD
Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints such as fingers, knees or hips
Limp, shine-less, thinning hair
Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
Migraine headaches
Hormone imbalances such as PMS, PCOS or unexplained infertility
Neurological symptoms such as dizziness or feeling of being off balance
Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis
Fatigue, brain fog or feeling tired after eating a meal that contains gluten

If you have a Good Earth, Whole Foods, Sprouts, or any other natural health foods stores, we recommend starting there first. They usually have a bigger selection than most stores. If you don’t have access to those, Walmart has started carrying gluten free items, so look at your local grocery stores. Some stores have a “gluten free” section, so most of the GF items are within that specific aisle. Other stores have gluten free products mixed in with regular items, so it makes it a little harder to find.

It’s such a bummer but depending on the severity of your intolerance & how long you’ve been undiagnosed, it usually takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years for your poor body to heal. A lot of damage has been done to your digestive system over time, so you need to literally heal everything in there. When you first go gluten free, you might feel a little relief. But it isn’t until you’ve been off gluten for a few months that your gut has had sufficient time to start to heal itself. It’s also hard to know if you are really & truly off gluten. Unfortunately there is no getting around accidentally getting “glutened” when you’re just starting out. Lets face it, you don’t know everything there is to know about being gluten free and sometimes without even realizing it, you’re being glutened.

There isn’t a cure to Celiac disease. However, following a strict gluten free diet can help manage your symptoms a little better & encourage intestinal healing.

Yes! You will! It feels like you just got banished from all that’s good & decent in this world but we promise, you will be happy again! After being off gluten, you will feel more alive than ever! You’ll get back to feeling like you could run a marathon at three AM holding your 24 pound baby under each arm. But hey, maybe Brooke’s the only one that feels that way sometimes!