There are literally dozen, if not hundreds, of symptoms of gluten intolerance few of which are gastrointestinal related. My rule of thumb is if you have a chronic health problem of any sort, you need to rule out gluten intolerance. If you have an autoimmune disease of any sort, but especially if it’s Hashimoto’s, then you need to remove gluten, and possibly casein, from your diet. In my personal experience I have seen gluten intolerance cause problems with the skin, lungs, joints, digestion, brain and behavior, growth in children, and nutritional deficiencies (especially calcium and iron). That said, here is a list of symptoms related to gluten intolerance from www.glutenfreedom.net:
The most common symptoms of celiac disease include:
Fatigue
Gastrointestinal distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, reflux)
Headaches (including migraines)
Infertility
Mouth sores
Weight loss/gain
Inability to concentrate
Moodiness/depression
Amenorrhea/delayed menarche (menstrual cycles)
Bone/joint/muscle pain
Dental enamel hypoplasia
Short stature
Seizures
Tingling numbness in the legs
Symptoms also include:
Abnormal liver test
Addison’s disease
Alopecia
Anemia
Ataxia
Autoimmune hepatitis
Chronic abdominal pain
Chronic fatigue
Crohn’s disease
Dermatitis herpetiformis (a “sister” of celiac disease)
Down syndrome
Epilepsy
Family history of celiac disease
Gall bladder disease
Hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism
Total IgA deficiency
Insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1)
Infertility/spontaneous abortions/low birth-weight babies
Iron deficiency
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Malnutrition
Multiple sclerosis
Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteomalacia
Pancreatic disorders
Pathologic fractures
Peripheral neuropathy
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Psoriasis
Recurrent stomatisits
Rheumatoid arthritis
Scherosing cholangitis
Sjogren syndrome
Systemic lupus
Turner syndrome
Ulcerative colitis
Vitiligo
MY FAVORITE BOOKS
There are now tons of books on gluten-free baking and living. I’ll just share my four favorite gluten-free books:
Garden of Eating, by Don Matesz and Rachel Albert-Matesz: This is an excellent book that is grain and dairy free, and emphasizes ample produce and pastured meats. I don’t agree with them on everything as they are salt-phobic, advocate low-fat eating and use powdered egg whites (gack!), but overall it’s a great resource. (www.planetarypress.net)
The Ice Dream Cookbook, by Rachel Albert-Matesz: To be honest, I haven’t made anything out of this dessert book since it was just released by the Garden of Eating author. It looks great however, as the recipes are dairy and gluten free, and use coconut milk, minimal natural sweeteners, and stevia. (www.planetarypress.net)
The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN: This is a little self-published gem I picked up after listening to Malterre deliver and excellent gluten-free presentation at the Naturopathic College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. His recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free, and very tasty. He has tofu recipes and tends toward vegetarianism, but the recipes I’ve tried so far make up for that. The bonus–I once called the published number to ask about modifying a recipe and got the author on the phone who was able to help me out while I was in the kitchen. (www.wholelifenutrition.net)
Sweet Alternatives, by Ariana Bundy: Ok, here I go recommending another dessert book. This book was written by a classically trained chef and the recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free. She calls for only the most exquisite ingredients for these high-brow desserts. Sweet Alternatives is worth it for the gorgeous photos alone, and my children love to just sit and look at it. Another confession, I haven’t actually made of any of the recipes, but my friends who have loved them. (www.whitecap.ca)
Elaine Fawcett, NTP