The Difference Between Gluten Intolerance and Coeliac Disease

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Julie Goyen

It’s becoming more common to have problematic reactions after consuming foods that contain gluten. Gluten Intolerance and Coeliac Disease are the most common diagnosis among those who have problems consuming gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats. It’s important to know that gluten isn’t just exclusive to foods, but can also be found in vitamins, medicines, lip balms, and (oddly enough) lickable envelopes and stamps.

Difference between Gluten Intolerance and Coeliac Disease

Although Coeliac Disease and Gluten Intolerance are treated similarly, they’re not the same thing. Coeliac Disease can cause permanent damage, while Gluten Intolerance causes symptoms but only until it gets out of your system. Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune condition that’s triggered by consuming gluten. Gluten “Intolerance” is just that: an intolerance of the body’s inability to handle gluten.

Symptomatic vs. Non-Symptomatic Patients

Although Coeliac Disease is a permanent disorder and the symptoms will vary from person to person, some people are asymptomatic. Being asymptomatic means the small intestine is still able to absorb enough nutrients, which prevents symptoms from occurring. This does not mean you are free from the complications that Coeliac Disease can cause.

Symptoms

Gluten Intolerance and Coeliac Disease can contain a wide variety of symptoms. Common symptoms to watch out for include weight loss/gain, gassiness, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, constipation and nausea. Depression, irritability and behavioural changes may also occur. Children actually appear as if they have malnutrition (which they do) and may have an extended belly.

Diagnosing

It used to be more difficult (it still can be) to diagnose Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance since symptoms are very similar to other illnesses, like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Fortunately, tests can be done to rule out or determine if you’re suffering from Coeliac Disease. Common tests include blood tests that screen certain raised auto-antibodies, as well as a small intestinal biopsy. It’s extremely important to continue to eat gluten until you are tested since it is the presence of gluten that raises these auto-antibodies in the blood. Coeliac Disease is hereditary and if one person is diagnosed, the whole family should be checked.

Treatment

The only way to treat Coeliac Disease and Gluten Intolerance is by making a lifestyle change of eliminating gluten. Although a gluten-free lifestyle can be challenging and a little more difficult financially, it’s essential to avoiding further damage caused by Coeliac Disease and those uncomfortable symptoms of Gluten Intolerance.

Bottom Line

If Coeliac Disease is left untreated, it can cause severe damage to the lining of your intestinal wall. This leads to more severe problems like malnutrition, nutritional deficiencies and dehydration. If you do not cut gluten from your diet, or catch it in time, it can further progress causing damage to your major organs, which can lead to problems like iron deficient anaemia and even cancer.

The 5 Most Common Food Intolerances in Australia

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Julie Goyen

With awareness of the problems caused by food intolerance growing amongst Australians, more and more people are getting tested – usually to find that intolerances have been causing their problems all along.

While there are many foods that “trigger” food intolerances (our Imupro300 test looks at over 271 trigger foods), some are far more common than others. Here are the 5 most common food intolerances in Australia:

Milk

First of all, it should be noted that there is a difference between “dairy” intolerance and “lactose” intolerance – even though they come from the same food source. Dairy intolerance is sensitivity to anything that is made from or contains cow’s milk and is the result of intolerance to the proteins in milk. Lactose intolerance, by contrast, is a disorder of absorption of the milk sugar in the milk. In order to properly manage your diet, it is important to know which, if either, type of milk intolerance that you have.

Eggs

Some people are intolerant to the proteins contained in eggs. If you are one of these people, you will typically experience gastric symptoms within a couple of hours of consuming eggs and they can range from quite minor to rather severe. This will depend upon your body’s tolerance level which varies from one person to another. Some people can eat one egg without experiencing any symptoms while others can’t eat anything that contains even trace amounts of egg protein.

Unfortunately there is no cure for egg intolerance so if you want to avoid the symptoms, you must eliminate egg proteins in your diet. It’s easy to avoid real eggs but not so easy to eliminate other products containing egg proteins. Examples of foods that may contain egg protein are: sauces, mayonnaise, cakes and baked goods, pastas, meatloaf, and even hot dogs.

Peanuts

While peanuts are primarily associated with a food allergy, it is also possible to have an intolerance to the proteins found within the nuts and not be allergic to them. Of course it is vitally important to know if you are allergic to peanuts since reactions can be quite severe and even fatal. If your symptoms are more related to abdominal discomfort or acid indigestion, then you are likely experiencing intolerance to peanuts.

Soy

Soy beans are processed into additives, oils and powder that add flavour and protein to commercially processed foods. Soy intolerance means that your body is having trouble digesting soy or it is creating irritation to your digestive system and causing uncomfortable symptoms.

Symptoms may occur immediately or could take several days to manifest. Soy intolerance typically affects your gastrointestinal system. Additionally, you may experience headaches, mood swings, irritability, depression or anxiety.

Wheat

Around 15% of the population are intolerant to the gluten ingredient found in many wheat products. Gluten is a complex protein used in the baking process. People with wheat intolerance may be able to eat small amounts of the offending foods, but larger amounts can cause them to feel unwell. Wheat can also trigger or worsen the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Wheat intolerance symptoms can take up to 48 hours to surface after eating wheat, which makes connecting the cause and the effect very difficult. Most people who suffer from wheat intolerance do so for years without knowing the cause. This is due to the delayed reaction as well as the fact that symptoms can also be attributed to many different types of medical conditions, including Celiac Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

With many foods that trigger food intolerance symptoms, it can be hard to know which food is really causing your symptoms. If you suspect that you may also be intolerant to any food, the best thing to do is to take a comprehensive intolerance test.

Great recipes for dairy or wheat intolerant people

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Julie Goyen

Discovering a food intolerance often leads to the discovery of incredible foods that you’ve never eaten before. Some people worry about this at first, but later they tell us “I’ve never enjoyed eating so much!”

Today I’d like to share two free recipes with you. The first one is great for people with dairy or lactose intolerance, and the second one is perfect for people intolerant to gluten or wheat. But both of these recipes are also great for everyone to try!

These recipes are from a cookbook called “Nourish – creating delicious foods from wholesome ingredients” by Stephanie Willaton.

Vanilla – Macadamia Milk

a great alternative for people who can’t have cow’s milk…
makes about 1 Litre

Ingredients:

• 1 cup macadamia nuts
• 1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
• ½ cup dried apricots (dates, sultanas or other dried fruits also work well).
• 1 litre filtered water

Preheat an oven to 150° C. Place the nuts on a tray and roast for 5-8 minutes or until they turn golden in colour and release a lovely fragrance. Go ahead and have a taste- they should have a fuller, richer flavour now.
Using a small spoon, scrape the tiny seeds from the vanilla bean pod. Place the vanilla, nuts and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and whiz to break down. The water will go cloudy as it is infused with the other flavours.
Pour the mixture through a fine sieve lined with a muslin/cheese cloth (if you have one). Strain all the liquid into a large bowl. Make sure you get it all! I save the pulp and use for other goodies like sweet snack balls (mix with dried fruits and nuts/seeds, coconut, tahini for a great treat). Have a taste for sweetness – if you want your milk sweeter, stir in some agave nectar, maple syrup or honey to taste.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator – your milk should keep for a good 4-6 days.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

OPTIONS
• Other ingredients that are great in this salad: black olives; cucumber; roasted pumpkin or eggplant; cooked lentils or chickpeas; seasoned tofu or chicken.

This recipe is a good alternative for people with a gluten or wheat intolerance. Pronounced ‘keen wah”, quinoa is a nutty, tasty grain that is also a complete protein source…
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white quinoa
Dressing:
• 2 cups water
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• fine sea salt to taste
• 2 red capsicum
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup tomato wedges, 3-4 cm in size
• ¼ cup+ extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 spring onions (shallots), finely sliced (about ½ cup)
• ½ cup fetta, crumbled

Rinse the quinoa well using a fine sieve, then drain thoroughly (make sure there isn’t any excess water as this can make the grains too soft) and place in a saucepan with the water and salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down to low and cook for 15-20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

Using tongs, hold the capsicum over a gas flame to char the outer skins. As they turn black, slowly rotate to cook evenly. Place the chargrilled capsicum in a mixing bowl and cover with glad wrap to seal – as they steam in their own heat, the flesh will soften and make it easy to remove the skins. Leave for 5-10 minutes, then gently peel off the outer skins and inner membrane/seeds. Cut into thin slices about 5 cm long.
If there is any sweet juice left in the bowl, save and add this to the dressing mixture.

Place the cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl and leave to cool a bit – the grains will separate more as they cool down. Add the capsicum, tomatoes, herbs, spring onion and fetta to the cooled quinoa.

Combine the garlic, 1 large pinch of salt, and the lemon juice; stir to dissolve. Mix in the oil, then add to the quinoa mix. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary to taste. The flavours should be harmonious and vibrant!

I hope these recipes spice up your diet this week.

Until next time, here’s to your health!

PS: Many thanks again to Stephanie Willaton for sharing these delicious recipes from her cookbook “Nourish”; you can reach her at this email address for more information or to order the book: info@nourishforlife.com.au

Do I have a Gluten (Wheat) Intolerance?

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Julie Goyen

What is a gluten-wheat intolerance?

Gluten is the general name for the storage of proteins found in wheat, oats, rye, and barley. It is the substance that gives the rubber, elastic texture in bread. It helps glue the bread and cakes together so they don’t crumble.

What are the possible symptoms of a gluten-wheat intolerance?

More commonly, symptoms that can be the result of food intolerances (allergy type 3) include:
* bloating and gas
* abdominal pain
* constipation
* indigestion
* stomach cramps
* fatigue or
* unexplained headaches

When you have wheat or gluten intolerance, your immune system is hypersensitive to one of the proteins in wheat or gluten so your system reacts against the protein.

The symptoms of wheat-gluten allergy are not the same for everyone; they vary between individuals and can begin a few minutes after eating a wheat-gluten product, or it can take several hours for symptoms to appear.

The most common factor and most recognizable symptom among patients is there is an impaired ability to digest wheat or gluten products that can lead to gastro-intestinal, dermatologic, or respiratory symptoms.

What is coeliac disease – how is it different to a gluten-wheat intolerance?

Conventionally trained doctors only recognise coeliac disease, the most serious type. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune-type reaction in which the body reacts so strongly to gluten that it causes malabsorption of nutrients. It is possible to experience Coeliac Disease symptoms but test negative for Coeliac Disease.

How can I find out if I have a gluten-wheat intolerance?

When we continually eat the same types of food eg. wheat or gluten products, our body can build up a resistance and when it reaches a threshold the result is in the form of physical symptoms such as those described above.

To find out if you have a gluten-wheat intolerance please Contact Us to discuss your food intolerance and allergy testing options & prices.