I regularly see people with generalised pain. If someone comes to see me with multiple areas of pain I have to think, are these separate issues? Or is something else affecting this person’s whole system?
Gluten sensitivity can be a big contributor to generalised pain. This is especially likely if you have other issues such as fatigue, headaches and gut issues. If you have poor vitamin B12 absorption or family members with gluten intolerance, it becomes even more likely.
The difference between Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance
It is important to differentiate because many people (including some medical professionals) do not know the difference.
A negative Coeliac test does not mean that you aren’t gluten intolerant. This is a common mistake. The effects of Coeliac disease can be very severe, whilst gluten sensitivity is generally less so. However, the long-term effects can still be significant.
Coeliac disease
Approximately 1% of the population worldwide has coeliac disease. Many coeliac sufferers (up to 80% of them) are undiagnosed. This means individuals can be living with the condition without knowing it, and get diagnosed either through screening or when symptoms become severe. Coeliac disease is more common in individuals with a family history of the condition or those with other autoimmune disorders.
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS):
The clinical medical term for gluten intolerance is Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS.) Estimates for NCGS vary widely, from 1% to 13% of the population.
NCGS symptoms can overlap with those of celiac disease and can include gastrointestinal issues like bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea, as well as other symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and skin rashes.
Other intolerances to consider
The other most common food intolerances that can cause problems are dairy, eggs, soya and nuts and seeds. Gluten, however, is the most common.
Other factors to consider
If you have generalised pain it’s likely that you have high levels of inflammation in the body. For some people, gluten sensitivity (or another food intolerance) is behind this inflammation, but food sensitivities are not the only things that cause inflammation. For more information, read 9 signs you have inflammation in your body. Could an anti-inflammatory diet help?
When to consult a professional
People with a history of disordered eating should avoid cutting food types without the support of appropriate professionals.
Why I tried the gluten intolerance test
I regularly recommend going gluten free to patients with digestive problems and or inflammatory issues, and I’ve seen people have transformative health results. But I’ve also seen them struggle to stick to it, even just for the two-week test period, so I decided to try it myself.
I wondered if it would change how well I felt (it didn’t), and I also wanted to be able to share my learning points with patients who were trying out the same thing.
How to do the gluten intolerance test.
The simplest method is to cut out gluten completely for 2 weeks, and notice how you feel. You have to completely cut the food group without ‘cheating’ – if you have little bits of gluten you’ll mess up the test period and waste your time.
In my case, I couldn’t notice much difference but I knew the only way to be sure was to keep going for the whole 2 weeks and see how I felt when I re-introduced gluten to my diet.
On the fifteenth day, eat plenty of gluten foods and see how you feel. Schedule it for a day when you don’t have much on because if you are intolerant there’s a good chance you’ll feel pretty bad, need the loo, be fatigued etc.
You can test for other intolerances this way too, you can even do it in the same two week period. If you’ve excluded more than one food type, wait a couple of days after bringing in gluten and then reintroduce the next thing to your diet.
How I coped.
Gluten is everywhere and will-power is elusive when you’re hungry, so you really need to plan ahead. Here’s what worked for me.
Bring snacks. If you get hungry when you’re out and about it really tests your will power, because so much convenience food contains gluten. So I took snacks with me just in case, such as nuts, fruit and hard boiled eggs.
I didn’t bother with the substitutes. The ‘gluten free’ products I tried were not to my taste and were often ultra processed. So instead I resigned myself to a fortnight without pasta, bread, biscuits and cereal.
Some carbs are still fine. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, polenta and rice are still on the menu, and (with some exceptions) porridge oats.
Start with a filling breakfast. A favourite of mine was chia seed breakfast https://hexhamchiropractic.co.uk/shelley-s-recipes/overnight-chia-seed-and-cardamom-breakfast/
Read labels carefully. Gluten gets snuck into all sorts of processed products so check the labels. This includes drinks! (Beer contains gluten.)
Don’t take it one day at a time. I planned all my meals for the week ahead. Luckily for me, I know how to cook, so cooking whole foods from scratch every day was doable.
Packets of lentils are easy. A favourite lunch was puy lentils with rocket, goats cheese, tomatoes, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Get your loved ones on board. My wife Shelley helped with some of the cooking and shopping because she understood why I was doing it. Make sure that the people you see every day understand the potential benefits and know which foods you’ll have to avoid.
Find recipes your housemates can enjoy too. It was a pleasant surprise to realise that several of the recipes we eat as a family were already gluten free, here’s a list below.
Our gluten free recipes
Hairy Bikers’ Chilli Con Carne with rice.
Tandoori-Spiced Salmon Fillet with Sweet Potato and Green Pea Masala Mash
Chicken satay skewers with cucumber satay crunch salad
Lamb, Courgette and Sweetcorn Soup with Mint
Apologies that none of the above recipes are vegetarian, the BBC Good Food website has 111 gluten free vegetarian recipes, or click here to see all their gluten free recipes.
