Do you often feel bloated, tired, or foggy after eating?
You might be sensitive to gluten — even if you’ve never been diagnosed.
This article shares the experiences of a Japanese woman with gluten intolerance and the results of her gluten detox.
日本語バージョンの記事はこちら。⬇️
- Gluten Intolerance vs. Wheat Allergy
- Gluten and Gut Health of Japanese
- Try a Gentle Gluten Detox
- Summary
- Those who have suffered from stomach pain after meals for years.
- Those troubled by skin problems or brain fog
- Those who want to gain accurate knowledge about gluten intolerance
Gluten Intolerance vs. Wheat Allergy
Gluten intolerance refers to the inability to digest gluten found in wheat, leading to symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, and fatigue after eating.
Gluten intolerance differs from wheat allergy in that it is not an allergic reaction.
In cases of wheat allergy, the immune system recognizes wheat as a “foreign substance,” triggering an allergic reaction.
Symptoms of wheat allergy can be severe, including hives, difficulty breathing, and anaphylactic shock, and can sometimes be life-threatening.
In contrast, symptoms of gluten intolerance are often temporary and relatively mild.
What Gluten Intolerance Really Feels Like
- The inability to digest wheat.
- It manifests as discomfort where the cause is difficult to pinpoint.
- Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, skin problems, and depression.
- Diagnostic criteria have not been established.
Gluten and Gut Health of Japanese
Gluten, found in wheat, is a sticky substance that gives foods a chewy texture.
It's precisely this chewiness that makes bread, pasta, and udon noodles delicious, but it's troublesome for digestion.
Gluten has a sticky, glue-like quality that causes it to cling to and accumulate on the intestinal mucosa. This damages the intestines and triggers various health issues.
Many Japanese people have digestive systems that don't tolerate gluten well.
It is said that approximately 70 to 80 percent of Japanese people may have gluten intolerance .
However, in Japan, the health risks associated with gluten are still not widely recognized.
Many people regularly eat bread and noodles without even suspecting they might be gluten intolerant.
The Day a Bowl of Somen Made Me Sick
I'd like to share my experience with wheat.
I'v never had a wheat allergy before. I enjoyed eating bread, noodles, and other wheat products without issue.
Then one day, after boiling and eating somen noodles, I was struck by severe discomfort.
Immediately after eating, I felt something was wrong with my body. Within an hour, I couldn't even sit still. I suffered from a bloated feeling in my stomach and intestines, along with symptoms like anemia.
After lying down and resting, I recovered naturally a few hours later.
The gluten content in one serving of somen noodles is higher than in udon noodles. Some children can eat udon but experience symptoms when eating somen.
Thus, it seems that symptoms can suddenly appear even with foods that were previously consumed without issue.
Try a Gentle Gluten Detox
The best approach to improving gluten intolerance is to eliminate those foods from your diet.
For those suffering from chronic health issues, completely cutting out wheat products is effective.
However, many people may hesitate to go completely gluten-free.
Why not start by gradually reducing your daily gluten intake?
How Much Gluten Is Hiding in Your Foods
The gluten content of foods made from various types of wheat is as follows.
【Gluten Content per Serving】
| Gluten Amount | |
|---|---|
| Ramen | 11.0g |
| Pasta | 10.8g |
| Somen noodles | 7.4g |
| Udon noodles | 5.1g |
| Pizza | 7.7g |
| 1/4 French baguette | 4.8g |
| 1 slice of bread | 4.5g |
| Instant bag noodles | 6.9〜7.9g |
Table created based on data from the site below.
【Source]
https://glutenfree.empacede.co.jp/gluten-of-food/#google_vignette
Also, among wheat flours, gluten content is highest in bread flour, followed by all-purpose flour, and then cake flour.
Unexpected Benefits - My Hay Fever Got Better
Since childhood, I've had severe allergic rhinitis and mild atopic dermatitis.
Over the past few years, after becoming more mindful of my diet, my symptoms have significantly eased.
I follow these dietary rules:
- My staple food is primarily rice.
- I eat plenty of vegetables and root vegetables.
- I limit gluten-containing foods to one item per day.
- I avoid additives and processed foods as much as possible.
- I try not to eat sweets or sugar.
While not completely gluten-free or sugar-free, I'm feeling significant benefits.
Whereas I used to carry tissues everywhere I went, my usage has decreased considerably now.
My springtime hay fever has also eased, and days when my nose runs like a faucet are now limited to just a few.
The joy of feeling physically better outweighs any stress from dietary restrictions, so I'm continuing effortlessly.
Summary
- Post-meal stomach pain or discomfort could be gluten intolerance.
- Gluten intolerance occurs when gluten isn't digested properly, damaging the intestines.
- Reducing gluten intake can alleviate symptoms.
I hope this helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
【Reference Sites】
https://www.avan-sweets.com/article/detail/glutenintolerance-ratio/60
https://journal.syounika.jp/2022/03/28/allergy_wheat/
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