Gluten Free Alternatives for Sensitive Skin
If you have sensitive skin, then you’ll know that the slightest little thing can trigger it and cause it to flare up with redness, itching, flaking, scaling and general irritation. Stress, heat, sunlight or a rogue ingredient in a skincare product can all be culprits in the battle against keeping sensitive skin sane .
In this article
Why Might We Choose to Be Gluten Free?
What is Gluten and What Foods Contain It?
How Does Gluten Affect the Skin?
Why Does Gluten Cause Problems for Some People?
Our Experience of Gluten Free Foods
Tell Me All Your Gluten Free Faves!
Keeping Your Skin Sane
But what about the big stuff? What about if something that we were eating, something totally delicious like, oh say, bread , was causing our skin to say a massive no thank you?
Because that’s the case for so many of us, including here at Sönd HQ - a gluten allergy or sensitivity leads to big health problems, from stomach issues to skin flare ups .
If you have a gluten allergy, sensitivity or intolerance (or if you suspect you might and if so, it’s best to speak to your GP for some advice and tests) then you may have already forayed into the world of gluten free alternatives.
However, dipping your toes into the GF world isn’t always easy. Just like finding dairy free alternatives , it can be a minefield. Not least made more difficult by some alternative foods being, quite frankly, inedible.
So, with our first hand knowledge of what’s hot and what’s not in gluten free alternatives, here’s some of our faves. But first, a little chat about why we might need or prefer gluten free choices.
Why Might We Choose to Be Gluten Free?
There are many reasons why we might choose gluten free alternatives, or why they might choose us. Some of us simply prefer to avoid gluten just because, or because it causes us stomach complaints such as bloating and discomfort. This is usually because we have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity.
In fact, there’s a more technical name for it - non coeliac gluten sensitivity . This means that we’re not allergic to gluten and we don’t have coeliac disease (more on that in a sec) but eating gluten causes unpleasant side effects.
These include stomach pain, discomfort, bloating and wind as well as headaches, brain fog and lethargy.
This all sounds unpleasant enough, but things can get a whole lot worse - if you have coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is a condition caused by the immune system reacting to gluten and thinking it’s an invader. It’s a serious autoimmune condition and those with it need to follow a strict gluten free diet.
If you have coeliac disease, then eating something containing gluten causes severe abdominal discomfort, cramping, chronic diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Since the condition causes the villi (the fingerlike structures on the inside of the intestines that help to move food along and absorb nutrients) to become damaged, it can lead to a damaged intestine and dangerous nutritional deficiencies.
What is Gluten and What Foods Contain It?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, but surprisingly, it’s also found in some barley and rye products .
This means that it’s found in large amounts in typically ‘carby’ foods including bread, pasta, cereals and cakes and pastries made using wheat flour. But that’s not all, “sneaky” gluten as we like to call it, is found in all manner of other foods such as sauces and other condiments, cooking sauces, gravies and ready meals.
Beer drinkers beware too, as most types of beer are made using gluten fuelled barley.
How Does Gluten Affect the Skin?
Sadly, as well as the stomach and energy level/brain fog consequences of gluten in some of us, being intolerant or allergic to gluten can also manifest itself in our skin.
Signs in your skin that you could be reacting to gluten include dry skin, acne, itchy, red skin bumps called hives , eczema and psoriasis.
There’s also a skin condition related to coeliac disease called dermatitis herpetiformis . This causes a skin rash that’s beyond irritatingly itchy that may also sting or burn. It most commonly affects the knees, butt cheeks, back and elbows as well as the neck and scalp.
Why Does Gluten Cause Problems for Some People?
Gluten contains two proteins - gliadin and glutenin, and it’s gliadin that’s the problem causing one. When products such as wheat flour are mixed with water, the gliadin forms stretchy, sticky fibres. This is what gives bread its (amazing) chewy, springy properties.
But if someone with coeliac disease (or to a lesser extent, but no less frustrating, a gluten intolerance) consumes gluten, the immune system goes into attack mode . But as well as attacking the gluten, an unfortunate consequence is that it will also mistakenly attack the gut lining.
And we know this, only too well...
One of our co-founders Eileen, is a coeliac and was diagnosed in her early twenties, about 10 years ago.
“When I was first diagnosed I was quite accepting, as my Mom had been a coeliac for about eight years, so I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. Yet my experience was so much better than hers, as I already had so many more options and food choices!”
“Initially I struggled with what I call ‘sneaky gluten’ - the gluten that hides in foods you wouldn’t expect, such as soy sauce, but labels are clearer now too. There is also gluten free soy sauce that didn’t exist when I was first diagnosed.”
“Back then it was just bread and digestive biscuits….now there are entire aisles in Tesco with tempting variations. Each time I visit I see something I haven’t eaten in 10 years and HAVE to buy it. Sometimes it’s a joy to eat and other times it’s just disappointing. Knowing what’s worth the money and calories is key!”
Our Experience of Gluten Free Foods
Buying and eating gluten free is becoming easier every day. It wasn’t long ago that gluten free bread only came in a tin and was just about edible. Now, there’s an alternative for a huge majority of food items.
So whether it’s because you have coeliac disease or you find that gluten causes an inflammatory reaction in your body that causes you issues, you need our list of GF alternatives!
Tell Me All Your Gluten Free Faves!
Most supermarkets now have a ‘Free From’ aisle (either in real life or online) and we promise you, they’re all well and truly stocked with gluten free alternatives to the staples such as bread and pasta, as well as GF sandwiches, snacks, ready meals, sauces, condiments and even beer.
One of the most common GF brands is Genius, and their breads and rolls are really good. They tend to be quite pricey though, so in Eileen’s experience, the Morrisons own brand gluten free bread is just as good, is less expensive and definitely gets the coeliac thumbs up.
GF breads are also available from stalwart Warburton, and there’s a new brand I’ve seen popping up called BFree. (If you’ve tried them, let us know!) Nairns GF oat cakes are also excellent.
Calling all pasta lovers! Barilla is an excellent brand, with all shapes and sizes of pasta. There’s also Orgran and Doves Farm Organic. And, if you love cake (who doesn’t?) then check out Livia’s and Deliciously Ella for their sweet treats.
If you’re looking for condiments to spice things up and add flavour, Tesco’s own GF Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce are brilliant, and you wouldn’t know the difference. We’ve recently discovered a type of soy sauce called tamari too, which is naturally gluten free.
Brand wise, others to look out for include Heck (for sausages, both meaty and plant based), GOSH! (for amazing falafels and Middle Eastern inspired foods), Pieminister (for tasty pies to suit all tastes and dietary preferences) and Fiid (for awesome ready meals including vegan black bean chilli that comes highly recommended).
In fact, a lot of the new brands serving up tasty dairy and meat free alternatives are also made gluten free, so that they’re all inclusive. In terms of food, it really is an exciting time to be alive if your diet extends beyond the old fashioned (sorry nan) meat and two veg, for whatever reason.
Aside from foods that have been purposefully made gluten free, there are lots of foods that are naturally gluten free. Unprocessed fruit, veg, meat, fish, nuts and seeds are all naturally GF and also rice and grains such as buckwheat (despite its name), quinoa and teff are all free from gluten. Check though, as lots of processed foods can contain gluten.
Dairy products, fats and oils are also on the whole gluten free, but it’s always a good idea to check, as sometimes they can be prepared in a facility that also prepares gluten containing foods.
Oats are GF, but only sometimes, and they can be ‘contaminated’ with gluten from wheat growing in a nearby field. So check the label. Also check the label of pre-packaged fruits and veggies in case they’ve been prepared with gluten.
Keeping Your Skin Sane
With skin sensitivities and acne prone skin part of our core, quite literally, we spent years looking for skincare that truly cared for, nourished and supported our skin, that was full of natural, plant based ingredients, to no avail.
So we created our own.
And it really, really works!
The Sönd skincare range has been developed to look after the needs of all types of skin, even the most contrary of skin types. It supports skin cell renewal deep within the lower layers of skin, hydrates and supports.
So if you have super stressed out skin that reacts to gluten or any other internal or external factor, then you can be safe in the knowledge that Sönd has you covered. Because we use it ourselves, and we simply wouldn’t sell it if it didn’t work.
So add Sönd to your gluten free shopping list, along with all these GF goodies, and say goodbye to irritated, angry, red skin for good.
References
https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/gluten-allergy-symptoms#symptoms-of-celiacdisease
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coeliac-disease/
https://www.verywellhealth.com/celiac-disease-gluten-sensitivity-linked-to-skin-issues-563126
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318606#problems-with-gluten