The more I learn about gluten intolerance and the more I hear about the experiences others have had with this condition, the more it makes me question things like celiac depression. After all celiac disease can create such a significant change in the biology of the body and the way it absorbs nutrients it’s only natural to question the full effects of these changes.
It makes sense that if the body is absorbing less nutrients from food because of damage done by celiac disease that it could impact brain functioning in some way. The other issue that may connect celiac disease and depression is the strict lifestyle that is necessary to properly treat this condition. Many people feel anxious or depressed about having to adapt to and continually live such a restrictive lifestyle. Food is important to us and many of us eat foods that traditionally contain gluten as comfort food.
There have been studies on the relationship between gluten intolerance and depression. Some studies look at people with celiac disease who aren’t following a gluten-free diet and some look at people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance who are following a gluten-free diet. As you can read the results are mixed so they aren’t really conclusive, but there seems to be at least some connection between depression and celiac disease, whether it is physical or psychological.
Read Celiac Depression
Among the most common gluten intolerance symptoms is either diarrhea or constipation along with gas and bloating. Besides being uncomfortable celiac disease constipation isn’t a healthy condition to have for too long. Knowing how to treat this constipation by following a proper diet and eating more foods for constipation can give you a great deal of relief and improve your health.
Without following a gluten-free diet celiac disease can cause damage to the villi in the small intestine over time, which in turn can cause you the food you eat to pass through this part of the digestive tract without being as digested as it should be. Instead the later part of the digestive tract may simply absorb moisture from the food as it passes through leaving you with dark, firm stools.
Constipation can lead to other celiac disease symptoms like bloating or even acid reflux. More importantly though it is a signal you body isn’t properly absorbing the nutrients from your food and it may not be eliminating toxins properly either. When your body isn’t properly absorbing nutrients or getting rid of toxins it can cause a range of other problems.
Here are some tips for relieving Celiac disease constipation and improving your overall health.
Read Celiac Disease Constipation
I hope you enjoy these gluten free bread machine recipes and I hope they help you enjoy some of those foods you thought you would miss all while helping you alleviate your celiac disease symptoms. You can still enjoy baked goods and bread as long as they are gluten-free.
Notes on baking gluten free bread in a bread machine:
- Always carefully seat the pan in the bread maker. The performance of the bread machine can be impacted by a bread pan that isn’t secured properly.
- Always read and follow manufacturer instructions. Some bread machines specify a different order for adding wet or dry ingredients.
- IMPORTANT: Unless otherwise specified, don’t allow the yeast to touch the sides of the pan or the liquid ingredients. Create a small, shallow hole for the yeast in the dry ingredients.
Standard variations to consider:
- Instead of using three eggs, try one full egg and two egg whites. For added leavening, add 1 to 3 teaspoons of egg replacer.
- Use our gluten substitutions article as a reference when trying these or other gluten free recipes. You might come up with your own favorite recipe this way.
Understanding what is gluten and how to appropriately substitute when baking gluten free bread will help you improve your gluten free baking skills and help you achieve greater success in the kitchen.
Read Gluten Free Bread Machine Recipes
While Gluten Intolerance Symptoms will provide you with the latest and most accurate information on determining whether or not eliminating gluten from your diet will improve your health, I am not a medical doctor and I will always advise you to seek professional counsel before making drastic changes to your diet or lifestyle.
Celiac Disease — the result of gluten intolerance — is difficult to diagnose and both failing to recognize it and assuming you have it without proper diagnosis can lead to a wide range of dangerous repercussions. Don’t just jump on a bandwagon because you start to experience the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. And make sure you truly understand what is gluten before you start trying to eliminate gluten from your life.
Read Gluten Intolerance Symptoms Debuts!
