Baby Health: Facing The Facts Of Gluten Allergy
Gluten Free | Foodfacts.com
Foodfacts.com members know by now that food allergy remains one of the most persistent forms of allergic reaction. No one knows why people have certain allergic responses to different types of food. But it is a fact that once a person is exposed to the food allergen, the symptoms will surely follow.
Gluten allergy is a food allergy that makes the sufferer sensitive to gluten. Celiac disease is a health condition in the small intestine. What happens to a person with gluten allergy is once the allergen comes in contact with the small intestine, it causes the immune system to attack the lining of the bowel.
This attack on the small intestine’s lining of the gluten allergy sufferer weakens the stomach and can cause serious health problems in the future. The delicate lining is responsible for the absorption of nutrients and vitamins in our body. Once it is weakened, we lose our capacity to effectively turn food into energy.
Gluten allergy starts at a young age, right after the weaning period and the mother is feeding the baby with cereals. There are no specific reasons why a person develops the gluten allergy but when it happens, the only thing the gluten allergy sufferer can do is avoid gluten at all cost.
Symptoms of Gluten Allergy
Gluten is usually found in wheat products. Breads, pasta and other baked goods can be considered dangerous to a person with gluten allergy. Biscuits, pastries, breakfast cereals and instant soups and sauces also have gluten. The symptoms of a gluten allergy differ from children and adults.
Children with gluten allergy may suffer from slow physical growth, weight loss, with poor appetite. Gluten allergic symptoms also include vomiting and diarrhea. Because the small intestine’s lining is damaged, the vitamins and minerals do not go to the body. The kids end up looking thin, pale and have no energy at all.
In adults, gluten allergy symptoms are similar, with loss of weight, diarrhea or constipation complicating the disease. Aside from this, adults often complain about depression, extreme fatigue, lethargy, bone pain and ulcers in the sufferer’s mouth.
Treatment
Treatment for gluten allergies begins like all other food allergy, avoiding contact with the allergen. There are certain food substitutes for gluten allergy sufferers like using sunflower oil instead of the usual cooking oil and drinking wines instead of beer.
There are medications available to these sufferers. But unlike other food allergies that show external symptoms like rashes, gluten allergy destroys from the inside, making diagnosis and detection hard. Oral medication can help ease the pain from the small intestine and vitamin supplements must also be taken along with it.
Gluten allergy prevention
Gluten allergy sufferers are asked to be vigilant in monitoring their diet. Reading the labels for anything with wheat is a good start. Self-discipline is the key to beating gluten allergy. The food selection for celiac disease sufferers is still varied like fruits, salads and vegetables, rice, corn, nuts, meat and chicken eggs and dairy products, fish and seafood.
What could be the worst-case scenario for gluten allergy sufferers? If left untreated, celiac disease can result in anemia, bone disease and some form of cancer. The best advise is to steer clear of gluten-laden foods. The more the person does not intake gluten, the better their chances of not having a serious health problem in the future.
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Source: Articlesbase.com
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Celiac Disease, food allergies, food allergy, food sensitivities, gluten
My sister has a gluten intolerance. Needless to say she spends all of her shopping time looking for things she needs, then weeding through what she can actually consume. I think by now she’s got it down to a system. She also has a number of other allergies (shellfish, some nuts) and thinks she’s going diabetic like my mom (no official confirmation there). She’s not too fond of me because i have no allergies at all (cept poison ivy but that’s considered normal) and we’re twins =D.
Thanks to my research, I blame a lot of the problems and allergies people have today on processed free glutamic acid & processed amino acids (both are building blocks of ALL protein), genetically modified foods & crops, and crops sprayed with chemical pesticides and processed amino acids (such as free glutamic acids). Since the FDA deems all of these legal, that means they’re safe to use!
[hint: the above is not safe to use or consume in any way, shape or form]
Food allergies really are no joke. While nut and shellfish allergies can cause immediate and violent reactions that are potentially deadly there are allergies to other foods (like Gluten) that have a far more subtle immediate effect, but can nevertheless have a devastating long-term impact on health. I’m fortunate that my own allergies only extend as far as causing mild Rhinitis, sith symptoms similar to hayfever. My nephew hoowever isn’t so fortunate. He’s allergic to gluten, dairy and nuts, so we have to be extremely careful when he comes to visit.