• celiac disease
• Gluten sensitivity
• wheat allergy
• How to live without gluten? Pleasant!

It seems that recently everyone but a man suddenly stopped eating gluten. You can even see that in our Bio-Shop, where the gluten-free products section is very extensive! A gluten-free diet should be a way to get slim, a recipe for health and energy, and even a solution to skin problems and a host of other ailments.

However, it is one thing to avoid foods containing gluten because you believe in the effectiveness of this diet and another thing to avoid them for health reasons. And these can be different! The three most common are celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy.

celiac disease

It is a genetic autoimmune disease that causes affected individuals to react negatively to gluten in food and often even in other types of products, such as cosmetics. When consumed by a person with celiac disease, gluten causes atrophy of the cells lining the small intestine, which can lead to inadequate absorption of nutrients. There are over 300 symptoms of celiac disease, from those most obviously associated with gastrointestinal upset like diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating and vomiting, to more generalized symptoms like anemia, joint and muscle pain, skin rashes and even stunted growth and infertility. The bad news: Celiac disease can occur at any age. It is estimated that every hundredth person can suffer from celiac disease, but due to the non-specific symptoms, most remain undetected.

Gluten sensitivity

You don't have to be celiac to have gluten. There's also non-celiac gluten sensitivity, a condition that was only identified five years ago and whose causes and effects are still not well understood. So far, it is mostly diagnosed in people who have ruled out celiac disease and wheat allergy. With this disease, an adverse reaction to products containing gluten can occur up to 48 hours after consumption. Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, flatulence, diarrhea and skin changes.

Wheat allergy

An allergy to wheat and its products can mean an adverse reaction to both gluten and any of the hundreds of proteins found in this grain. In this type of allergy, the body's own defenses attack the wheat proteins while the entire body is in an "alert" or "danger" state, which can manifest itself in a variety of ways, from itching and rashes to severe abdominal pain to - at extreme severe reaction - anaphylactic shock. Anyone who suffers from a wheat allergy should of course only avoid products with this type of grain, but may consume other gluten-containing products (e.g. oatmeal).

How to live without gluten? Pleasant!

Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy are treatable by avoiding foods that contain gluten (or wheat, in the case of the latter). By working closely with a doctor or nutritionist, the sufferer can easily deal with negative symptoms. And in our shop she will find a large selection of gluten-free and wheat-free products, thanks to which she doesn't have to feel like she has to do without anything!