Is Your Child Gluten Intolerant? How to Find Out and Treat It

Gluten intolerance is a common problem that is characterized by adverse reactions to gluten. Gluten is a protein mostly found in wheat, rye, and barley. People mostly mistake gluten sensitivity for celiac disease. However, these are two separate conditions. Both celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) are forms of gluten sensitivity. Although the two share the same symptoms, celiac disease is a more severe autoimmune condition that can damage the digestive system as it responds abnormally to gluten. Also, while gluten intolerance involves the digestive system, celiac disease is a disorder that is inherited. Celiac disease is a severe form and affects about 1% of the population including children while non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a milder form of gluten sensitivity and affects about 1-13% of the population.

What is Gluten Intolerance?

Gluten intolerance, also known as gluten sensitivity, is a condition that results from ingesting gluten from wheat, rye or barley. Gluten intolerance can cause various digestive problems like diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gas.

Signs of Gluten Intolerance in Children

In children, gluten intolerance can be severe or mild as every sign is different for each child. Here are possible gluten intolerance signs that affect children:

Headaches

Most children experience regular headaches or migraines once in a while. Headaches and migraines happen without any apparent reason. This may be a sign that they are gluten intolerant.

Fatigue

Interestingly, various studies have shown that at least 60-82% of gluten-intolerant individuals experience fatigue and tiredness. Most individuals particularly children feel tired after eating meals that contain gluten. Another common symptom is mental fatigue also known as brain fog. Children with brain fog are often forgetful, tired and may have trouble focusing on various tasks.

Abnormal bloating and gas

This is one of the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance in children. Studies have shown that children with this condition mostly have digestive symptoms. It is characterized by the swelling of the belly after taking a meal. According to research, 87% of individuals who are gluten intolerant experienced bloating.

Delayed puberty and short stature

Both children and adults experience malnutrition due to celiac disease. This is because it destroys the villi that are responsible for absorbing nutrients, and this leads to failure to thrive in infants, both in height and weight.  Similarly, failure to absorb the necessary nutrients during the years of growth and development can lead to short stature in children. Teenagers who fail to thrive may not experience normal body changes during puberty.

Joint pain

Joint pain or numbness is a common symptom that happens to people with gluten intolerance. If your child is experiencing numbness in the fingers or chronic joint pain for no apparent reason, it could be a sign of this condition.

Irritability

Acne or rashes

Especially on knees, back of neck, elbows, and buttocks.

Diarrhea and constipation

How can Gluten Intolerance be Reversed?

Most people suffering from gluten sensitivity and not allergy have reported success in reversing it. Many are heading to taking a gluten-free menu which has also been found to lower inflammation as well as fat tissue in the body. However, avoiding foods that contain gluten will only relieve the symptoms but won’t heal your body. Below are some steps you can take to completely heal your body so that you are able to introduce gluten back to your body gradually.

1. One way to heal your gut is with foods that contain probiotics. Fermented vegetables, yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha are high in probiotics which contain a good amount of nutrients.
2. Another powerful bacterium that will purify your gut is Bifidobacterium lactis. This is a vital addition to your diet since it works against the harmful bacteria and the damage done to the digestive system in order to allow it to absorb more nutrients.
3. You need to make sure that you take apple cider vinegar which helps with digestion. Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with water and take the solution before a meal in order to prevent bloating afterwards. Note that the defined dosage is only for adults.
4. Lastly, try to incorporate L-Glutamine, a powerful healing agent that helps ease your digestion. L-Glutamine is an amino acid that comes in powder form and has amazing healing benefits for the cells of the digestive tract.

How to Help a Child Maintain a Gluten-Free Diet?

Nowadays, many grocery stores and shops offer various alternatives for gluten products with some dedicating sections for gluten-free products. This makes it easier for parents who are committed to maintaining a gluten-free diet for their children. A gluten-free product rules out all products containing wheat, rye or barley. It is vital for children diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity to strictly follow a low gluten diet in order to stay healthy. This will also enable them to absorb the necessary nutrients and vitamins they need.

Gluten-Free Foods to Consider

There are a lot of healthy and delicious foods and ingredients that are naturally gluten-free. This includes products like vegetables, legumes, beans, fish, meat, poultry, and other dairy products. Additionally, there are various kinds of low gluten diet that your child may like such as cereals, bread, pancakes, pizza crust, chicken nuggets and more. You can as well try flour and grain gluten-free alternatives like millet, almond meal flour, coconut flour, amaranth, potatoes, sorghum, corn, cornstarch and more. While these grains are high in fiber and protein, they also contain magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese and folate. You can also boost your child’s diet by adding the necessary nutrients that are lacking. This is especially important if you are experimenting with gluten-free grains which are unfortified since they lack minerals like zinc, iron, calcium, folic acid, and vitamins A, D, E and K. However, it is advisable to check the labels of these grains before purchasing and ensure that they are gluten-free. This is because most of these are likely to be in cross-contact to the gluten-containing grains, and this can be damaging to your health. Another tip is to check the label of processed foods as some contain preservatives with gluten. Contemplating whether your child is gluten intolerant? Well, it is advisable to first take them for celiac disease testing as it shares some symptoms with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. If they test negative for celiac disease and wheat allergy, take the appropriate measures to know which foods cause the symptoms. Then, introduce a strict low gluten diet.

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