Gluten Allergy, Celiac Disease and Weight Loss

April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness month. One of the conditions associated in some people with IBS is Gluten allergy. It is a highly under-diagnosed condition, therefore worth spreading public awareness about it. Gluten is a Protein, which can be found in Wheat, Barley, and Rye. The disease associated with gluten intolerance or allergy is called Celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine that affects some people with genetic predisposition. The inflammationi damages the mucosa of the small intestine, which results in a lot of the symptoms and deficiencies associated with gluten allergy. About a third of Caucasians are genetically predisposed to Celiac disease, but not all of them get Celiac disease. Usually avoidance and exclusion of Gluten resolves symptoms of Celiac disease.

Women are twice as likely to be affected and diagnosed with Celiac disease than men. Some autoimmune conditions like Type-1 Diabetesi, Sjogern's disease, lupus, thyroid disease and some adrenal diseases (Addison's disease) are also associated with Celiac disease. People who have Down's syndrome also have a high chance of having Celiac disease.

People classically are present with symptoms of diarrhea, weight loss, iron deficiency anemia, lactose intolerance, frequent constipation, severe abdominal pain and obstruction, vomiting, and infertility. Chronic gluten intolerance results in osteoporosisi and iron deficiency anemia mainly due to poor absorption of minerals and vitamins like Calcium, Vitamin D, and iron from the gut. However, unless gluten is excluded, taking vitamins or minerals won't result in reversing the disease or brittle bones.

Gluten Allergy can be diagnosed through blood tests, endoscopy with biopsy of the duodenal mucosa, and genetic testing. However, if you're already on a gluten free diet, genetic testing is the only test, which will show Gluten allergy.

If you have celiac disease, lifelong avoidance of gluten is strongly recommended. Also you need to have your levels of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, B12, folic acid, zinc and copper checked frequently. There are a lot of support groups for people with Celiac disease and gluten allergy as well as a general public awareness and availability of Gluten free products in a lot of mainstream supermarkets. Visiting a dietitian and/or a physician who has expertise dealing with people with Celiac disease is also highly effective.

If you have any of the symptoms above, please make an appointment to get tested for Gluten sensitivity. If you are not on a Gluten free diet, Celiac disease can be diagnosed through a blood test.

If you are suffering from the symptoms above and find yourself eating less, but still not losing the weight we have 9 tips and suggestions for you.
Here are some Tips to help you out:

1. Get enough Sleep at night.

Sleeping about 5-6 hours per night is necessary to make sure that your metabolism won't slow down due to hormonal imbalance. Also when you are sleepy you crave more food especially sugary ones.

2. Count the protein intake per meal.

Eating salad doesn't give you enough calories, so you will get hungry soon. Or if you stuck up your plate with blue cheese and candied walnut you probably will have as much calorie as a burger with fries.

Make sure to have a 3-4 oz. of lean protein with each meal to prevent your craving for sugar and carbohydrate. Protein digestion will help your body to use the energy and burn some fat.

3. Too much exercise is not the answer.

No.In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3500 calorie which can be very time consuming and ineffective, so we should focus on having a daily regimen of 75% good nutrition and 25% exercise to lose weight properly.

4. Refrain from Eating a lot of high-calorie health nuts?

Just because something is healthy it doesn't mean that you can eat a lot of it. Changing from white bread to whole wheat, Butter to Olive oil, chips to nuts are good, but portion control is important since these are all high-calorie substitutes.

5. Do not eat too early in the evening.

It's good to eat less food in the evening, but if a person eat at 6pm, and go to bed at 11pm they might have to be careful about the calorie intake after dinner. The body might crave food after 3-4 hours. So no matter how late you eat your dinner try to have less than 30% of your calorie intake after 7pm.

6. Eat snacks in between your meals.

To keep your metabolism at its peak you have to take something every 3to 4 hours.

7. Keep a food diary.

Study shows that most of the people who keep diary about their daily food intake will lose weight faster, since they're more aware of what they put in their body.

8. Eat a full, protein rich Breakfast.

Study shows that people who eat breakfast have a healthier weight. When you skip breakfast your body goes to starvation mode, and as a result your metabolism slows down.

9. Put the apron on, and start cooking in your own kitchen.

Restaurant meals have a lot of hidden calories; try to eat half of your order if you must have eat out; otherwise try healthy simple recipe's at home where you can reduce the amount of hidden calories from your meal.

Panthea Shafipour is a general practioner for Wellesley Medical in Los Angeles, CA. We also have nutritionists, nutrition consultants and physicians at our weight loss clinic.

Article by : Panthea Shafipour, Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Panthea_Shafipour

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