Food is medicine, and the nutrients in food affect health and mood. Bacteria in the gut produce micronutrients like vitamins and antioxidants from eaten food. They also break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to help digestion. Our gut needs to be functioning well to maintain a healthy body. What we put into our bodies, specifically gluten and dairy can have long-term changes in the gut bacteria.
Effects of Gluten
Many people with a gluten free grocery list do this because they are concerned about the gluten in their gut. Gluten can reduce important glutens and affect the immune system. Gluten is a protein in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It makes bread fluffy and elastic. It is used in salad dressings and mayonnaise as a stabilizer. Because gluten contains high amounts of the amino acids proline and glutamine, some people cannot digest gluten well.
For people who can’t process it well, eating gluten can ruin the small intestine lining. This results in a disease called leaky gut. Leaky gut causes bloating, gas, cramps, and irritability.
Gluten-Free Diet
Gluten-free foods are those that exclude gluten, which is most grains. It involves eating foods naturally free of gluten, like vegetables, lean protein, and fruits. This yields the most health benefits. Restricting gluten intake will help restore any damaged bowel lining. Other bowel symptoms usually ease as well. When an individual does not eat gluten, their body can better process what they eat. It reduces belching, bloating, flatulence, and sometimes weight. Many people report that being on a gluten-free diet gives them more energy.
Going Dairy-Free
Many people choose to eliminate dairy from their diets to find relief from bloating, skin problems, digestive issues, and respiratory conditions. A dairy-free diet eliminates any food with milk or milk products.
Some people’s bodies cannot break down sugar and carbohydrates, so when they eat or drink dairy, their body is bloated and have digestive issues. Dairy-free diets allow people to have fewer cramps, stomach pain, gas, diarrhea, nausea, and bloating. It can also produce better skin and ease stress.
There can be unwanted side effects of a dairy-free diet, like having a potassium, magnesium, or calcium deficiency. There are, however, dairy alternatives for getting these nutrients. Drinking goat’s milk, coconut milk, or almond milk can help increase the amount of these vitamins in a body.
Diet Options
There are many popular alternatives for dairy and gluten foods. Wheat flour can be replaced with cassava flour, almond flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour. Dairy milk can be replaced with almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk, among other options. Many baked goods can be baked with gluten or dairy alternatives, making them allowable on a gluten or dairy free diet.
When purchasing packaged food in stores, there are often sections in a story labeled gluten and dairy free. Eating dairy-free means eliminating milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese, sour cream, and baked goods with milk. Gluten-free grains include quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, millet, tapioca, and arrowroot.
A gluten-free and dairy-free diet may not be for everyone. It can be challenging to take all these foods out of a diet. For people suffering from digestive symptoms, though, it may be worth giving a restrictive diet a try for a short time to see how the body responds.