Lets face it, going gluten free can suck.

Yet having GI, skin, and or pain issues because of gluten, just flat out sucks even more. You hear all the controversy surrounding dropping the dreaded G word. There are even talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel talking about it, which we admit is pretty funny. Regardless of whether you have celiac disease removing gluten can help resolve a lot of health issues. But before going gluten free, lets go over a few details.

Follow these tips if you want to do it right the first time:

1. When you cut out gluten after being diagnosed with celiac disease, it HAS TO BE 100% for life. If you cut out gluten for a gluten challenge it HAS TO BE 100% for 6 weeks.

Yes, we have heard people doing Gluten Free (GF) for 5 days of the week and then having gluten on the weekends. If you’re having gluten on a Sat-Sun as a “cheat day,” that gluten exposure might last till Thu-Fri. There have been multiple studies showing that it can take up to 6 weeks for the gut to fully repair itself after an exposure(1). This is why the gluten challenge recommendation is to go at least 6 weeks, 100% all in.

2. Give up all grains:

This why we talk about a paleo diet as a starting point for a lot of patients. Cross- reactivity means some grains Do Not have gluten but your body might mistake them as gluten. These Gluten Free items may be acting as an imposter throwing off your immune system. Not everyone will have a cross-reactivity reaction but it is better to be safe than sorry (2). If you are in a bind and white rice is available, that is usually well tolerated and won’t cross-react. You can get a clear answer by ordering an Array 4 test from Cyrex Labs.

3. Dairy:

Whey/Casein/Lactose all three can cause GI upset. If you start on GF you can incorporate dairy free in the last 2 weeks of your 6 week challenge. Get rid of the hard thing first, then add in the diary to see if that’s an extra trigger (2).

4. Don’t forget about about your shampoo, skin products, make-up, other hygiene products:

Makes sense if you are wondering about skin conditions. You can be micro-dosing your self causing your skin conditions to stick around.

5. Supplements and meds:

PLEASE DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDS WITHOUT WORKING WITH YOUR DOCTOR!
You can find a list of gluten free medications at http://www.glutenfreedrugs.com/

Supplements like multivitamins may have gluten in them as well. At Health Geeks we always research the best supplements and only recommend supplements that don’t have gluten in them.

6. Going out for dinner:

Even if you have a GF meal at a restaurant you may run into a cross contamination. Unless the restaurant really specializes in keeping food allergens away. This is usually more of a problem in people with celiac disease than just a sensitivity but call ahead and ask. Some products such as sauces and soups use a small amount of flower in them as well. The good news is, a lot of restaurants now have GF options and take special precautions to make sure there is no cross contamination.

7. Right Mindset:

Realistically GF is a challenge for most people. Researching online can result in you feeling even more lost. People are adamant that Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is fake. They will quote the 37 patient study that went on a low FODMAP diet. Chris Kresser wrote an excellent article on this topic (full article here). Robb Wolf also had the best quote about this topic.

“Is it a terrible thing to suggest a gluten free (and low FODMAP) diet to scores of people who suffer for GI problems?”

People will either see a benefit doing a proper gluten challenge or the they won’t. Also, despite the glorification of how healthy grains are, when looking at nutritional density, grains rank very low and you can get all the vitamins, minerals, carbs, and proteins from many other foods. Stay on track and the benefits may outweigh the label of being a NCGS. Don’t worry about the haters.

8. Celiac Disease Isn’t Just A GI Problem:

Celiac disease has around 300 symptoms associated with it (3). 1 and every 2 people do not have GI symptoms. For every 1 person diagnosed with celiac disease 6 people go undiagnosed. Undiagnosed cases of celiac have been associated with a 4X increased risk of death (4).

9. Everything Gluten Free isn’t Healthy:

This is the biggest problem we see in our clinics when going gluten free. Many will replace their food choices with other gluten free junk food.

About Health Geeks

Brian Musial LAc MSOM and Paul Nottoli, DC are the Health Geeks. They provide information, education, coaching and consulting with helping people suffering from autoimmune and other chronic health conditions through a functional and integrative medicine approach. We are dedicated to educating you! It’s a no-hype, evidence based, action plan to take control of your health.

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