Nutrition and the Gluten-Free Diet

By Caitlyn Davies, our own Gluten-Free Gal

Living on a restricted diet can cause nutritional deficiencies to occur. However, when most people discover they are gluten challenged and decide to go on a gf free diet, they think they are on the road to health. This is certainly true, but let's take a look at how having food allergies sets you up to lose nutrients, and why some symptoms may persist even though the diet has been modified.

If you live with digestive distress for a period of time, its obvious how much it affects your life. What isn't so obvious is what is happening on the inside of our bodies. Food allergies, lifestyle, medications and stress add a great burden to the intestines.The body responds to this by creating inflammation. Over time, this can lead to the wearing away of the mucus that coats the intestines. In turn, the lining then becomes porous and that allows small particles of food, toxins and bacteria into the blood stream. This condition is commonly known as "Leaky Gut."

In addition to the symptoms of leaky gut (bloating, flatulence, inability to concentrate, headaches, irritability, allergies and Candida) the silent symptom is the loss of the very nutrients that your body is trying to absorb. The common nutrient deficiencies associated with various gluten-related disorders are a lack of all B vitamins (especially B-12), Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D and Fiber. If you are deficient in these nutrients, you may experience fatigue, difficulty sleeping and healing, depression and other negative mood states, disrupted menses, headaches, body aches and general malaise. The good news is most of these nutrient deficiencies can be found by simple tests and supplemented for a reasonable cost.

It takes a long time to wear down the body's natural defenses. Repairing a damaged digestive tract is a task the requires patience and eating foods that are gentle and nourishing. Foods like coffee, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, sugar and certain medications can contribute to the inflammation of the intestines and are best avoided when trying to repair the gut. Going gluten free is a huge, wonderful change. If you think you may be nutrient deficient, get tested and then get those nutrients! You deserve to feel good!