Wednesday 3 May 2017

Understanding Gluten and its effect on your child’s health

Before we get into the symptoms of allergy from gluten, we shall clear what gluten is and where is it found. Gluten is a type of protein found in grains of wheat, rye, spelt and barley. Food items such as bread, pasta, cereal, sauce, soup, salad dressing, malt, beer, food coloring, etc contain gluten. It helps in maintaining the shape of such food items by acting as the glue, which sticks the food molecules together to retain its elasticity. Wheat is not only the source of gluten. Some variety of Oats and Triticale also contains gluten.



Not everyone is allergic to gluten. But the ones who are allergic to gluten often show symptoms related to Celiac disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome and/or other types of wheat allergies. If you find the following symptoms in your child, they may be intolerant to Gluten. The symptoms may start to show within minutes or an hour after consumption of such products.

  • Unexplained Weight loss, Depression, Anxiety, Headache, Migraine, skin rashes, etc are the symptoms related to Celiac disease.
  • Abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas and diarrhea are some of the symptoms related to Gluten allergy.

You should get your child checked if such problem persists regularly. Blood test and Biopsy from small intestine might help in diagnosing such problems because of Gluten attacks and affects small intestine. It is important to get tested for Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that causes severe digestive disorder and other health problems.

It is difficult to go Gluten free because everything contains gluten in some amount or other. And going totally Gluten free will devoid your child of certain proteins that the food grain may contain which is essential for their body. Special attention should be given to their diet so that they don’t miss out on other nutrients that will help them in their growing period.

There are other substitutes that you can include in their diet and replace it from Gluten. Fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds, legumes, nuts, potatoes, eggs, dairy products, oils and vinegar, rice, fish and lean beef, chicken and other seafood may help you to maintain a Gluten free diet.

Grains and food such as amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, cassava, millet, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soy, and tapioca are also Gluten free and can be consumed for a maintaining a Gluten free diet.

Nutrition4kids provides you with the best expert advice on your kid’s nutrition and how to prevent disorder. Visit our website today to find answers to your child’s health related queries.

If you like this post, please also read my another post - Gluten Allergy Symptoms: Things You Need to Know

No comments:

Post a Comment