Easy Gluten Free Living

Hi Mary,
I have been gluten free for 8 months. what I wish someone would have told me is: The bodies reaction concerning probiotics, the good bacteria in our bodies that are fed by wheat. I am having a harder time finding an inner balance bacteria wise. I am taking probiotics now and I am searching for something to replace the wheat (prebiotic) in my diet. Any ideas would be helpful. Also, everything I know so far I have learned on the internet, do you know what kind of dr would be helpful to the celiac or wheat intolerant?

Jodie Nielsen

Hi Jodie,

Good question.  I’m going to briefly touch on what probiotics are and then go into prebiotics.

According to Web M.D., probiotics are “micro-organisms, such as bacteria or yeast that are believed to improve health.”  Dr Stefano Guandalini, professor of pediatrics and gastroenterology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, says that “Probiotics can improve intestinal function and maintain the integrity of the lining of the intestines”.

So a probiotic is basically, a live microbial food ingredient that is beneficial to your health.  Probiotic  bacteria are not normally found in the human intestines nor do they live there very easily when they are introduced there via food or supplements, so can be eliminated rather quickly.

Enter the Prebiotics.  Prebiotics are nondigestible foods that stimulate the growth and activity of  good bacteria (the probiotics) in the intestines.    Prebiotic foods are neccesary to encourage probiotic organisms to survive and thrive in the human intestines.  So very basically, the prebiotics are food for the probiotics.

Probiotics are found in foods like, yogurt and sauerkraut.  You can read about some other foods with probiotics in them here.  Just be sure that they are gluten free.  See my post on gluten free foods here.

Prebiotic foods are found naturally in the following fruits and vegetables:

• Bananas
• Berries
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Onions
• Flaxseed (I’m a big, huge fan of  flaxseed, it has many health benefits)
• Tomatoes
• Jerusalem Artichokes
• Green Leafy vegetables such as dandelion greens, spinach, collard greens, chard, kale, mustard greens and others.
• Legumes (Lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, white beans and black beans)

You’ll notice that I left out whole grains such as wheat, barley and others, for the obvious reasons.  As Celiacs or gluten intolerant people we cannot eat those things.  However, oatmeal is also on the list of grains.

It is suggested that celiacs only start consuming oatmeal after they have been gluten free 6 months or longer, and then only 1/2 cup per day.  I have more information about that in this post.

Jodie’s other question:

Do you know what kind of doctor would be helpful to the celiac or wheat intolerant?

Jodie, I would suggest you seek out a gastroenterologist.  The digestive system is their field of expertise.  A gastroenterologist would be able to answer all your questions about your gluten intolerance and also possibly point you to a registered dietitian to help you with other dietary questions.

If you found this information helpful or interesting please leave a comment.

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