Cautions About Being "Gluten-Free"

Gluten is not just found in wheat, it is found in rye, barley, possibly oats, and some other grains. All the commonly used flours in mainstream breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, crackers, and pastas must be completely avoided.

Just reducing your gluten intake is ineffective and even dangerous; your diet must be 100 percent gluten-free. No exceptions and no cheating. This is because you will cause damage to your intestine from a meal with gluten which will take time to heal. This intestinal damage is what causes your symptoms, and these symptoms will continue long after that one meal containing any gluten is completely out of your system. You probably already know that if you diligently follow a gluten-free diet for even five days and then have "just one little cookie or cracker" somewhere, your intestines will be damaged and you will needlessly suffer.

You must also be extremely cautious about hidden gluten. This is a big problem which requires a lot of diligence. If you unwittingly eat some gluten (like from some soy products which may contain gluten, or you eat food served or cooked in a utensil with residue gluten) you won't see a significant reduction of your symptoms even after a couple of weeks on your new "gluten free" diet.  You might then conclude that you don't really have celiac. If that happens you can go months or even years before getting properly diagnosed.

It is extremely important to see the right doctor who specializes in and is experienced with diabetes, celiac and endocrinology who can conduct the proper tests and come to the correct diagnosis for you.

Once you are on your gluten free diet you must be extremely careful to check the ingredients of any product that you buy, no matter what the claims about the product are. After the proper testing and correct diagnosis your doctor can tell you if you need to avoid other items beside gluten. Obviously, sugar is one but you may also need to be off of any dairy or casein products and also be concerned about the total carbohydrates (net carbs) and fiber in your diet. This information is required to be listed for every food product sold in the US on the "Nutrition Facts" label and is something you must also check very carefully.  It is important to also stress that it is best practice to purchase products that are made in the USA by a reliable source who will be accountable for their gluten-free products and manufacturing process claims.

Home recipes can be a great way to tailor your diet properly but you must be extremely careful about the applicability of the particular recipe to your specific diagnosis. You must be 100% sure about every ingredient and also pay strict attention to where it is prepared, baked or cooked and what it is served in.  You run the risk of the damage and suffering you are trying to avoid and overcome by not being vigilant regarding the source and preparation of the items in the recipe.

 

Dr. Joel Goldman Google Scholar