Gluten-free diets are an increasingly popular option and you might make the decision to adopt this lifestyle for a variety of reasons. For some, it is a necessity, as a permanent gluten-free diet is the first line treatment for a number of health conditions, including celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Consumption of gluten can have very unpleasant consequences for anyone with these conditions, with some common symptoms including diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal distention, stomach aches and malabsorption. However, avoiding gluten can be challenging, especially when there are risks of cross contamination and when gluten is contained within some truly surprising foods and drinks, like certain sauces, soups, meat substitutes, cooking sprays and beers.
In this post, we offer some useful tips to help you to recover if you do accidentally consume gluten.
Contents
1. Drink Plenty of Water
After you accidentally consume gluten, it is crucial that you stay well hydrated, preferably by drinking plenty of still water. Diarrhoea and vomiting are two of the most common symptoms in people with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity and both of these symptoms make it necessary to replenish lost fluids and avoid dehydration. Water can also play a valuable role in helping to ease constipation, which is another common symptom of gluten sensitivity.
As an article published by WebMD explains, it can be difficult to keep fluids down if you are feeling nauseous. Try to sip small amounts of water regularly. If you experience frequent bouts of vomiting or diarrhoea, you may also want to consider drinking a sports drink or taking an oral rehydration solution, in order to replenish lost salts and electrolytes.
In the most serious cases, you may need to seek medical attention. As clinical dietician Katarina Mollo points out, if dehydration becomes bad enough, it may need to be treated through an intravenous water and electrolyte treatment.
2. Consider Digestive Enzymes
Your body naturally produces digestive enzymes, but it is helpful to understand that the enzymes in the human body are not able to fully break down gluten proteins. For most people, gluten can still be digested and passed safely, but for people with gluten-related disorders, this is not the case.
One way you may be able to assist your body with digestion is by taking digestive enzymes. In particular, you may wish to focus on the digestive enzyme DPP-IV, as this is responsible for partially breaking down gluten proteins.
With that being said, digestive enzymes may not be appropriate in all circumstances. According to an article published by Enzyme Science, enzymes have limited use in people with celiac disease. The enzymes are primarily intended to assist those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, who are already on a gluten-free diet. Here, it can help more easily digest gluten that has been inadvertently consumed, such as through a poor food choice, or cross contamination.
>> Read more about Gluten Enzyme Supplements <<
3. Try to Get Sufficient Rest
Unfortunately, if you do accidentally consume gluten, there is a waiting game involved. According to the Gluten Free Society, you can expect gluten to stay in your system for around two days in total. Even after the gluten has passed through your system, you are likely to experience some inflammation or damage to your intestines. It should also be noted that celiac disease or gluten sensitivity could actually prolong the usual transit time for food by a day or two.
During this time, the severity of your symptoms can vary quite a lot. You may go through periods where the effects of gluten consumption are relatively mild, but this may also suddenly change and without warning.
For this reason, one of the best ways to recover is by getting a sufficient amount of rest. You may also want to avoid situations where any sudden worsening of symptoms could put you in a difficult position. While it may not always be possible, ideally you should rest and recuperate at home while the gluten passes through your system.
4. Take Appropriate Medication
As you recover from your accidental gluten consumption, you should also make sure you are taking any appropriate medication. For instance, a simple over-the-counter painkiller can help you ease stomach pain and discomfort. However, you will need to choose wisely. As a Bupa article outlines, paracetamol is generally considered the best option, because it has very few side effects. By contrast, ibuprofen and aspirin can actually exacerbate stomach issues.
Ideally, you should try to avoid diarrhoea medication as much as possible, as this will slow down your digestive system, which will ultimately prolong the unpleasant symptoms. On the other hand, if you experience constipation, you can use a simple over-the-counter laxative to ease symptoms and potentially speed up the recovery process.
Take care when choosing medicines or supplements. While the overwhelming majority of these products are gluten-free, certain vitamins and supplements may contain traces of gluten. You should also check labels before taking any tablets or capsules. It is unlikely you will encounter issues, but some medicines use wheat starch as a binder.
Final Thoughts
For people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it is important to avoid gluten. Yet, cross contamination does occur and it is also surprisingly easy to mistakenly eat a food that contains gluten from time to time. Unfortunately, there are only a small number of steps you can take to assist with the recovery.
Make sure you get plenty of rest and stay well hydrated, especially if you have diarrhoea or experience vomiting. Certain medications may provide relief from symptoms and digestive enzymes have the potential to help your body to break gluten down. Nevertheless, realistically, you need to wait for the gluten to pass out of your body again and then give your intestines time to heal. You should notice improvement after a few days.
If your symptoms are severe, you should speak to your doctor or seek urgent medical assistance from a hospital.