The gluten free diet trend has been on the rise in recent years, with celebrities and other fad dieters raving about the benefits, but few know the benefits of a gluten free diet like those of us living with Celiac disease or non-Celiac gluten intolerance. When I started my gluten free journey, there was a lot of confusion about what I could and couldn’t eat, and why dairy seemed to also give me negative side effects even though the dairy products were gluten free. Read below to see what I discovered.
What is Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the inability to digest and process gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley grains. When an individual with Celiac attempts to digest gluten, digestive processes are triggered that damage the villi, the fingerlike projections lining the intestinal walls that act as the digestive system’s gateway for nutrients. Overtime, digestive erosion will cause the poor absorption of nutrients from food, in addition to digestive discomfort and inflammation. The number of diagnosed cases of Celiac has grown rapidly in recent years, though a portion of the population living with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity do not know it. Many Americans, who do not have Celiac disease, still suffer from gluten intolerance, which can lead to many health issues and symptoms. Though these symptoms are like those of Celiac patients, those suffering from non-Celiac gluten intolerance do not experience damage to the intestinal walls, but rather experience inflammation that causes similar discomfort and digestive inefficiencies.
So how is gluten sensitivity related to dairy intolerance?
Oftentimes, those leading a gluten free lifestyle due to Celiac disease or non-Celiac gluten intolerance also experience digestive issues after consuming dairy products. Though a clear connection between gluten intolerance and dairy intolerance does not seem obvious, the digestive process in which the body breaks down lactose, the sugar molecule in dairy products, happens in the same intestinal villi that are damaged or inflamed by gluten sensitivity. In those suffering from intestinal wall damage or inflammation due to gluten sensitivity, levels of the lactose processing enzyme are significantly lowered, which leads to an inability to digest dairy products well. The good news is that in most cases, this dairy intolerance can be reversed once a gluten free diet is properly followed and the digestive tract is able to heal.
Eating delicious food without the guilt
Following both a gluten free and dairy free lifestyle sounds like the double whammy of dietary restrictions, but along with the rise of this type of anti-inflammatory diet, there has been an increase in products, recipes and dining accommodations suiting these nutritional needs. Even navigating the supermarket for products that fit all your dietary needs and restrictions has been made easier with the Now Find Family of Apps.
The Now Find Gluten Free App gives me easy access to accurate information about my dietary needs and I feel less lost in my new journey. I now save money and time in the grocery store, while indulging in all the delicious gluten free options and recipes available through the app. Both, Now Find Gluten Free and Now Find Dairy Free, make it easy to search for new foods that fit your diet, access great recipes, make grocery lists that take out all the guesswork, and save hours searching stores for the verified products you. Both apps offer a multitude of other dietary filters, so that you can personalize your own preferences and needs. Every day new, verified products are added to the apps to ensure consumers can choose from the most recent gluten free and/or dairy free products available.
Both apps have companion websites, NowFindGlutenFree and NowFindDairyFree, where you can find delicious recipes and great information.
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