Staying Healthy

Ask the doctor: Finding fiber in wheat-free diets

Q.Is the avoidance of wheat a good thing?  I feel better since I've been on a wheat-free diet, but I've noticed it's harder to get the amount of fiber I need.

Gluten is the cause of symptoms in celiac disease. People with severe celiac disease, when they have even just a little gluten in their diets, can develop severe diarrhea—so severe that they can die of dehydration. Other people who don't have celiac disease, however, also can get symptoms when they eat foods with gluten—gas, bloating, belly cramps, milder diarrhea and fatigue. They have a condition called "gluten sensitivity," and it sounds like you may be one of them. We think the symptoms are caused by a hyper-activated immune system in the gut.

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