First you must separate gluten intolerance into three distinct categories: Celiac Disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and a Wheat Allergy. It is also important to get a better understanding of gluten and how it can cause a negative chain reaction in your body.
Celiac disease symptoms occur when the proteins in gluten (glutenin and gliadin) trigger your immune system to overeact with strong and unusual anitbodies. Over time, such antibodies wear down the little hairs called villi which line the walls of your intestine (a process called villous atrophy). These finger-like tiny hairs grab and absorb nutrients as foods pass through your lower digestive tract. As celiac disease symptoms slowly destroy these villi, you become less and less able to process any nutrition from your food. This sets off a domino-effect of increasingly serious health problems.
To better understand exactly what constitutes gluten and why it is such a unique substance, I recommend reading my comprehensive gluten guide: What Is Gluten?
In a vast majority of cases, gluten intolerance symptoms will be systemic and will be a result of consuming gluten over a period of time. But symptoms of wheat intolerance will instead manifest themselves more like you perceive a typical allergy: quickly and with single exposure.
For example, if you eat a large, dense piece of gluten-rich bread and have immediate reactions, you are more likely experiencing wheat intolerance symptoms or a wheat allergy rather than symptoms of gluten intolerance which specifically represent celiac disease symptoms.
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Bread is one of those staples that has long been an important part of our lives. Unfortunately the traditional version of this common staple has proven to be not so healthy for people diagnosed with celiac disease, or for people who are experiencing symptoms of wheat intolerance. The good news is that as we learn more about gluten intolerance symptoms and celiac disease more and more tasty gluten-free options are becoming available.
Understanding more about what is gluten and how it impacts baking can help you learn how to successfully bake without it. By learning how to use gluten-free flours and finding a few good gluten-free bread recipes people suffering from celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity can safely enjoy bread again. Making your own bread allows you to control the ingredients, have fresh bread on hand when you want and it makes your house smell good.
Finding a few good recipes for gluten free bread is worth its weight in gold for anyone with gluten intolerance who loves bread. It is also helpful for kids who have celiac disease so they can have sandwiches like their friends. Here is a small list of gluten free bread recipes that I hope you’ll enjoy enough to share with friends or take to your next family gathering.
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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.
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