If you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease, you probably know all about the painful and uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms and are glad to be rid of them with a gluten-free diet. However, staying away from gluten doesn’t mean that your health and well-being are guaranteed, although fortunately you have taken a major step in preventing serious and potentially fatal complications of long-term, untreated celiac disease. There are a few side effects, you could say, associated with a gluten-free diet, but thankfully there are solutions to manage them as you adjust to your new lifestyle.

     For instance, it’s important to watch out for is increased cholesterol levels. For the first part of my life, when I was eating gluten-containing foods, doctors were amazed by my low cholesterol levels. The reason for this was that my intestines weren’t absorbing the cholesterol in my food. Now I need to pay attention to my cholesterol levels just like other people. This means checking food nutrition labels for not only gluten but also fat and cholesterol content, selecting low-fat, low- low-cholesterol foods. Watch out for packaged gluten-free products, which often have more fat than the gluten-containing foods they substitute, especially gluten-free cookies, crackers, and cakes. The American Heart Association recommends eating high-fiber foods to help lower cholesterol.

Tina Turbin

Tags: cholesterol levels, gluten free diet, gluten free foods, gluten-free tips, Tina Turbin

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