Should You Try a Gluten Free Diet?

Actual Celiac Disease is relatively uncommon. However, as many as 1 out of 7 people may suffer from an intolerance to gluten. What does this mean?

If you suffer from an intolerance to gluten, you may experience a wide variety of symptoms. Such symptoms may include bloating after meals, a feeling of pressure on the abdomen, chronic constipation, excess gas that may be hard to pass, a bloated looking appearance, especially in the face, acne, eczema, a stuffy or runny nose, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, depression, moodiness, feeling spaced out, sluggish digestion, intense food cravings, lethargy, water retention, excess thirst, and dark under-eye circles.

If you suffer from many of these symptoms on a regular basis and just feel generally subpar, you might want to try a simple elimination diet in which you remove all gluten containing foods from your diet for about 2 weeks. Foods that contain gluten include wheat (the most common source), oats, barley, and some other lesser used grains. To make switching to a gluten free diet simple, just focus on the foods that you can eat. The gluten free food list is extensive and includes meat, dairy (although if you are gluten intolerant it is likely that you are lactose intolerant as well), veggies, greens, potatoes, fruit, nuts, seeds, rice, wild rice, beans, oils, chocolate, nut butters, many salad dressings and sauces, coffee, tea, juice, and more. Just make sure to read labels to make sure your foods do not contain any source of gluten.