Gluten intolerance causes intestinal symptoms such as excess gas, stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation, but as these signs also appear in several diseases, intolerance is often not diagnosed. In addition, when intolerance is severe, it can cause Celiac Disease, which causes stronger and more frequent symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea.
This allergy to gluten can arise in children and adults, and happens due to the inability or difficulty in digesting gluten, which is a protein present in wheat, rye and barley, and its treatment consists of removing this protein from the diet. See all foods that contain gluten.
If you think you may be gluten intolerant, check your symptoms:
- 1. Excessive gas and swollen belly after eating foods like bread, pasta or beer
No Yes
- 2. Alternating periods of diarrhea or constipation
No Yes
- 3. Dizziness or excessive tiredness after meals
No Yes
- 4. Easy irritability
No Yes
- 5. Frequent migraines that arise mainly after meals
No Yes
- 6. Red spots on the skin that can itch
No Yes
- 7. Constant pain in the muscles or joints
No Yes
However, if you are having difficulty identifying your symptoms, here's how to differentiate each one to facilitate the diagnosis:
1. Abdominal discomfort
When there is intolerance, after eating foods with wheat, barley or rye it is common to experience symptoms such as excess gas, swollen belly, diarrhea or constipation. In addition to abdominal discomfort, the intestinal cells are also damaged, causing malabsorption of vitamins and minerals.
How to differentiate: The pain of intolerance is recurrent and is usually accompanied by gas and intestinal changes mainly after eating bread, cakes or pasta, while the pain of gastritis, for example, always occurs after meals or when one is too long without eat.
2. Dizziness
Eating gluten can cause dizziness, mental confusion, disorientation or feeling tired after eating, but these symptoms are usually not related to intolerance, and therefore go unnoticed.
How to differentiate: Dizziness caused by intolerance appears even when you are well fed and rested, having no relation to excessive physical activity or changes in blood pressure.
3. Mood swings
Due to intestinal malaise, it is common for changes in mood to occur mainly after meals, with symptoms of irritability, anxiety or sadness.
These frequent mood swings also cause tiredness and fatigue, even after a good night's sleep. This is because the body is focused on fighting inflammation in the intestine, expending all the energy that would give the mood and disposition for a new day.
4. Chronic migraine
In general, migraine caused by this intolerance begins about 30 to 60 minutes after a meal, and symptoms of blurred vision and pain around the eyes may also occur.
How to differentiate: Common migraines have no time to start and are usually linked to the consumption of coffee or alcohol, having no relation to foods rich in wheat flour.
5. Itchy skin
Inflammation in the intestine caused by intolerance can cause dryness and itching of the skin, creating small red balls. However, this symptom can sometimes also be linked to a worsening of the symptoms of psoriasis and lupus.
How to differentiate: Wheat, barley or rye foods, such as cakes, breads and pasta, should be removed from the diet to check for improvements in the itchiness with a change in diet.
6. Muscle pain
The consumption of gluten can cause or increase the symptoms of muscle, joint and tendon pain, clinically called fibromyalgia. Swelling is also common, especially in the joints of the fingers, knees and hips.
How to differentiate: Wheat, barley and rye foods should be removed from the diet and check if the symptoms of pain improve.
7. Lactose intolerance
It is common for lactose intolerance to occur together with gluten intolerance. Thus, people who are already diagnosed with lactose intolerance are more likely to have intolerance to foods with wheat, barley and rye, and should be more aware of the symptoms.
How to know if it is intolerance
In the presence of these symptoms, the ideal is to have tests that confirm the diagnosis of intolerance, such as blood, stool, urine or intestinal biopsy.
In addition, you should exclude from the diet all products that contain this protein, such as flour, bread, biscuit and cake, and observe whether the symptoms disappear or not.
Understand in a simple way what is it, what are the symptoms and how is food in Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance by watching the video below:
How to live with gluten intolerance
After diagnosis, all foods containing this protein should be removed from the diet, such as wheat flour, pasta, bread, cakes and cookies. It is possible to find several special products that do not contain this protein, such as pasta, bread, cookies and cakes made from flours that are allowed in the diet, such as rice flour, cassava, corn, cornmeal, potato starch , cassava starch, sweet and sour flour.
In addition, it is important to note the list of ingredients on the label to check the presence of wheat, barley or rye in the composition or gluten residues, as is the case with products such as sausage, kibe, cereal flakes, meatballs and canned soups. Here's how to eat a gluten-free diet.
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