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Tags: health, wellness, allergies, gluten allergy
 Living with a gluten allergy can be a challenging endeavor with wheat being a staple food. Gluten, as we all know, is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and low level oats. As a significant proportion of food and food products contain these ingredients, a life with gluten allergy can also be a life of considerable deprivation.
With gluten being included in everyday foods such as bread, biscuits, pasta, cakes, cereals and condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, malt vinegar as well as alcoholic beverages, a person with gluten allergy may well be tiptoeing in the vastly gluten-abundant arena of foods and food products out there. The symptoms (and their severity) of gluten allergy generally vary from person to person, but the common indications are swelling, hives, asthma, nausea and vomiting and abdominal cramps.
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In highly sensitive people, the symptoms of gluten allergy can become life-threatening. One must therefore be keen when they develop a reaction after consumption of wheat or wheat by-products as this would serve as an early diagnosis for gluten allergy. When a person develops allergic reactions to wheat and wheat by-products, it is best to see a specialist as having allergies is not a negligible condition.
Most often, during a visit to a specialist, the doctor will perform a skin prick test to determine whether one has gluten allergy indeed. At times, a blood test is conducted to ascertain the cause of the allergic reaction. If the person with gluten allergy is a young child, chances are they will eventually outgrow their sensitivity to gluten.
If the gluten allergy is minor on the other hand, the doctor may not recommend complete avoidance of wheat and wheat by-products but a limited intake of them. If the gluten allergy is severe, then the doctor may necessitate complete elimination of the irritant from the diet. Almost often, gluten allergy is diagnosed during early childhood but occasionally, the condition may manifest during adulthood or in the late stages of life.
A type of gluten allergy or gluten intolerance is Celiac disease which is hereditary is nature and affecting the immune system. When a person has Celiac disease, the mucosa or the lining of the small intestines becomes damaged when there is intake of gluten. This type of gluten allergy can cause malabsorption of important nutrients.
The symptoms of Celiac disease in children generally vary from those of an adult’s. For children, the manifestations of this gluten intolerance are impaired growth, abdominal distention, abnormal stool, poor appetite and muscle tone, irritability and muscle wasting. Adults with Celiac disease on the other hand will experience diarrhea, rapid weight loss, constipation, offensive stool and abdominal cramping and bloating.
For both children and adults, the doctor would need to conduct blood tests to make a confirmed diagnosis of Celiac disease. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, modifications in the diet need to be implemented and that means having gluten completely eliminated from it. It is also essential that vitamin and nutrient deficiency be addressed by the intake of heath supplements.
As a person with gluten allergy will be deprived of many fibrous foods, there may be a need to augment the diet with laxatives and fiber supplements. A diet sufficient in fruits and vegetables and an assortment of gluten-free products can help an individual in living a normal lifestyle and in coping with the challenges of a life with gluten allergy.
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About the author
The author of this article Rose Windale is a Health and Wellness Coach who has been successful with several natural health programs for many years. Rose recently published a step-by-step guide on how to lose weight the EASY way and become totally healthy and happy. More info on her life-changing eating habits plan HERE.
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