Finding out that you suffer from gluten allergies can be a little overwhelming at first. However you should know that unlike 20 years ago there is actually a large market for gluten-free foods. If you are like many people you did not even suspect that the reason you were not feeling well was due to a food allergy.
What is a Gluten Allergy?
Quite simply put someone that suffers from gluten allergies is allergic to wheat and wheat products. Many suffers have gone years before the problem is diagnosed properly. This is usually because unless you have a severe allergy to gluten the symptoms of a food allergy are often times vague. These symptoms often include generally feeling under the weather or constantly tired.
Other physical symptoms include having a runny nose either while you are eating or shortly afterwards. An upset stomach or diarrhea shortly after eating is also very common. What is happening to your body is when you eat something containing gluten your body is not recognizing it as food, it is seeing it as a foreign substance invading your body. This causes your body to attack the food which gives you the different ranges of reactions.
What Can I do about this allergy?
There is really little you can do about this type of food allergy as there currently no cure and the only way to feel better is to avoid it all together. The most important thing you can do is educate yourself about gluten allergies. For example, many manufactures have wheat hidden in their foods and even though the FDA requires them to print all the allergens that are in foods many have found clever ways around it.
You will need to start reading all the labels of the foods you purchase and learn some terminology that is related to gluten allergies. One example is the term "natural flavors or flavoring" these products can have trace amounts of gluten in them. One important thing to remember is just because it does not sound like a product should have wheat in them does not always mean they won't. A good example of this is French fries; almost every major manufacture has gluten in them, so always read the label.
Available Gluten-Free Foods
There are many gluten-free foods available and many of them are very good. However not all things are created equal so just because you try one brand and don't like it try several brands before you rule the food out completely. You will find in your research that you can find gluten-free brownies, pancakes, cookies and even cakes. There are cereals available also and you can even find pasta that is made out of rice. You can find these foods online or in your local health food store.
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Source: www.isnare.com