So what exactly is gluten and why does everybody seem to be talking about it nowadays? Well, it is a chemical substance that is commonly found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. Contemporary scientific research has shown that an abundance of human beings are actually incapable of ingesting gluten in a healthy manner.
There have been studies that prove that human bodies are designed to reject gluten and that it is not good for bodily functions. And that’s what it means to be gluten-intolerant. It’s when the body just doesn’t want to process gluten and so it reacts terribly to its ingestion. That’s why a lot of restaurants and food manufacturers offer “gluten-free” options to consumers these days.
It’s sort of the economic response to the growing discovery of a gluten-intolerant market. So how can you tell if you’re someone who is gluten-intolerant? Well, it all depends on how you and your body reacts to the ingestion of gluten.
Where can you find gluten in everyday food? Well, you can find gluten in a lot of wheat-based products like cereals and bread. You can even find gluten in beer; rye is a main ingredient in beer and is also a big source of gluten. You are also going to be able to find gluten in noodles, salad dressings, soups, socks, and feeds as well. Essentially, a lot of the grains that you might be consuming on a daily basis are probably laced with gluten.
When left untreated or unaddressed, a person who is gluten-intolerant could end up having celiac disease. It’s essentially an autoimmune disorder that causes severe damage to the small intestines. So when a person with celiac disease actually consumes gluten, the body isn’t going to react so positively – and it could potentially be fatal as well.
What ends up happening is the digestive system just doesn’t function in the way that it’s supposed to because the body’s immune system is attacking itself in response to the ingestion of gluten. And so the body ends up absorbing none of the nutrients that the person may have consumed. If left ignored, celiac disease can have significant negative effects on a person’s overall health. And a whopping 1% of the population is shown to have celiac disease.
So how do you know if you’re actually gluten-intolerant yourself? Well, here are a few signs that you could be on the lookout for.
1. Sudden weight gain.
Studies have shown that gluten-intolerant people don’t tend to process nutrients as efficiently and as properly as other people whenever gluten is ingested. And so when that happens, the body fails to process ingested calories in an efficient manner that allows it to be converted into energy. And so as a result, the body has to keep more stored fat to be used as energy in the future.
2. Irregular immune system function.
Our body is filled with lots of good bacteria that help fight out the bad bacteria that we ingest on a daily basis. But when a gluten-intolerant body has to process gluten, then the immune system goes on overdrive. And when that happens, it just doesn’t function in ways that it’s normally designed to function.
3. Brain fog.
Further studies have revealed that gluten-intolerant people might develop a sense of lightheadedness whenever they ingest gluten. It’s because gluten has a way of compromising the body’s nervous system by diverting all of the attention to the digestive track. And when that happens, the brain just fails to be as sharp as it’s supposed to be.
4. Dental health deterioration.
Gluten also has a way of compromising dental health for gluten-intolerant individuals. The tissues in the teeth and gums just don’t respond well to these substances in general and could result in deteriorating health.
5. Headaches.
Sometimes, it gets worse than mere light-headedness. The overwhelming response a body has on gluten can sometimes result in a headache for the gluten-intolerant individual. It’s because the nervous system becomes compromised and overwhelmed with al of the unnatural activity going on in the body.
6. Skin diseases.
Another side-effect of gluten consumption is compromised skin health. Gluten-intolerant people are known to have rashes and breakouts whenever they ingest gluten.
7. Joint and muscle pain.
One of the most common effects that the ingestion of gluten can have on gluten-intolerant people is pain in the joints and the muscles. Studies have shown that it’s primarily because of the abnormal proteins that are found within the glutenous substances. These proteins don’t typically interact well with the muscle groups that they were designed for.
8. Fatigue.
And lastly, gluten just has the power to zap the energy out of a person who is gluten-intolerant. In a way, the body’s organs have to work double time in trying to process such an unnatural substance, that it always ends up tiring itself out. And so if you constantly feel tired after consuming gluten, it’s probably because your body tries so hard to process this alien substance.
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There seems to be a lot of Similarities as fibromyalgia… makes me wonder if I’m gluten intolerant… leaky gut is another one I have in common with