Wondering what to do if you’ve accidentally been “glutened”? In this post, we’ll go over 7 of the quickest ways to help you recover as soon as possible.
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I’m pretty sure we’ve ALL been here before, if you have Celiac Disease or need to avoid gluten for other reasons, chances are you have experienced what it’s like to be “glutened”. You do everything you can to avoid cross contamination, choose the safest options at restaurants, check the labels of your food, and yet still get accidentally glutened! Despite your best efforts, it happens.
If you’ve ever been cursed by accidental gluten exposure, you understand how painful and frustrating it can be, but we’ve got you covered.
Here are 7 of the best remedies to help heal your gut.
Despite every effort to avoid gluten, being extremely careful, and always being mindful of your intolerance, sometimes gluten just finds a way to sneak in there. Something might be marked as gluten friendly but it turns out, it isn’t. It usually happens in public places such as restaurants, school, or even having dinner at a friend’s place.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
In baking, gluten is a helpful protein because it acts like a glue, holding the dough together. After it’s baked it’s what gives bread its chewy and soft texture. So basically, it’s what makes bread so delicious.
Oats can also have a similar protein called Avenin which is very similar to gluten and can cause people with celiac disease to have a reaction from ingesting it.
What does it feel like to get “glutened”?
This looks different for everyone. For me, I experience severe bloating, stomach pain, headaches, constipation, and even joint pain.
Others experience, urgent diarrhea, skin breakouts, brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, and many other symptoms. Unfortunately some will experience a combination of all of these.
How long after eating gluten do symptoms start?
I usually know within an hour or two TOPS if I’ve accidentally eaten gluten, and there’s no worse feeling than knowing what’s ahead of you. In most cases symptoms will start to occur within 60 minutes but for a small amount of people the symptoms can be delayed by 12 hours or more.
I accidentally ate gluten. Now what?
When we eat gluten by mistake, we want to flush it out of our system as soon as we can. We want to begin these strategies as soon as we realized we’ve been glutened.
The faster we implement these steps, the faster we can get back to feeling like our best selves.
1. Hydrate!
Drinking lots of water after an accidental glutening is crucial, we want to flush out our digestive tract.
If you struggle with constipation this will also help moisten stool so that it passes more easily and quickens elimination. It’s also important if you struggle with the opposite problem and suffer from diarrhea to replenish any lost liquid and keep your body from getting dehydrated.
Warm tea with ginger and lemon will help calm the inflammation inside you. Ginger encourages efficient digestion so the gluten won’t linger in your gut.
Peppermint tea is one of my go-to’s when this happens to me- Peppermint calms the muscles of the stomach and improves the flow of bile, which the body uses to digest fats. This encourages food to pass through quicker.
2. Eat Bland Foods
The best way to ensure the smoothest road to recovery is to stick to foods you know don’t bother you.
- Cooked vegetables
- Fruits
- Gluten-free crackers, bread, pasta, and white rice.
- Potatoes.
- Chicken or turkey without the skin
3. Avoid Dairy
After you’ve experienced gluten exposure, it’s common to temporarily become lactose intolerant. You may have difficulty digesting the natural sugars in milk and other dairy products.
Lactose intolerance related to glutening is usually only temporary. I try my best to avoid milk and products that contain milk like yogurt, ice cream, and soft cheese until you’ve recovered.
4. Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Gluten exposure may cause inflammation in gluten-sensitive individuals. The inflammation may result in widespread pain, including in the joints and muscles. So incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods for a few days will be incredibly helpful.
- Fatty varieties of fish
- Dark chocolate
- Berries
- Pomegranate
- Walnuts and walnut oil
- Olives and olive oil
- Turmeric
- Avocado and avocado oil
5. Use a Heating Pad
When my tummy is bothering me, you can guarantee I have a heating pad on my stomach any time I can.
The pressure and heat that comes from a heating pad usually helps ease abdominal discomfort.
6. Take an Epsom Salt Bath
In water, epsom salt breaks down into magnesium and sulfate, magnesium helps the body detoxify and sulfate strengthens the digestive tract. Epsom salt baths are a great way to relax before bed while also helping cope with constipation, digestive issues, and joint pain that can happen after the consumption of gluten.
7. Consider Digestive Enzymes
Once I started taking digestive enzymes regularly I noticed a huge difference in the way my stomach felt on a daily basis.
For gluten intolerance, enzymes may be able to provide some support.
Digestive enzymes in general can naturally promote the body’s ability to break down food and absorb nutrients efficiently. Enzymes work to break down the glutinous protein before they enter your gut. The prebiotics and probiotics in the one below will also support digestion and aid immune function.
In this post, we went over 7 helpful remedies I use whenever I have been accidentally glutened! This should give you some ideas to get your sensitive belly back to feeling its best. I hope you feel better soon!
Information from this blog should not be treated as a substitute for professional assistance from trained medical, health, and wellness professionals. Please discuss any changes to your diet, medication, supplements, treatments, diagnoses, and physical activity with your doctor before taking any action as a result of information from this blog.