Gluten sensitivity, also referred to as non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, is thankfully becoming a more recognised condition.

Although it’s not often viewed as serious as coeliac disease or a wheat allergy by GPs, sufferers can still experience debilitating side effects including abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue and headaches. Grocery shopping with a gluten sensitivity can be tricky but fortunately, Schär stock a whole range of items to choose from.

How do you manage gluten-sensitivity?

Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix when it comes to dealing with gluten sensitivity. The only solution is to avoid trigger foods such as bread and pizza and follow a gluten-free diet.

If you think you might have a problem with gluten, whether it’s coeliac disease, a wheat allergy or gluten sensitivity, you can speak to your GP for further advice. There are also various food intolerance tests available. You can read about the fantastic ELISA test I had and discover how that helped develop my knowledge of gluten sensitivity.

Fellow gluten-free advocate, Novak Djokovic says in his 2013 bestselling book, Serve to Win that when we eat foods our bodies don’t like we end up with inflammation. This inflammation causes us pain such as bloating and fatigue. Djokovic says, ‘Basically, your body reacts to food it doesn’t like by sending you signals: stuffiness, achy joints, cramping bowels.’

Apparently, if you avoid a food type for 14 days and then reintroduce it into your diet, you’ll notice the same problems will reappear. On the advice of his doctor, Djokovic avoided gluten for two weeks and tested his food intolerance by eating a bagel. Djokovic says, ‘I felt like I’d spent the night drinking whiskey! I was sluggish getting out of bed… I was dizzy. My stuffiness was back. I felt as though I’d woken up with a hangover.’

Why not try a gluten-free diet for yourself and see how you feel? Admittedly, the trickiest thing can actually be sticking to a gluten-free diet. I’m not going to lie and say I follow my food intolerance diet 100% all of the time but eating foods I know I’m intolerant to makes me unwell so I do my very best.

Luckily, Schär has a fantastic selection of products, which are suitable for vegans and are free from preservatives, dairy, gluten, lactose and wheat. Schär’s latest range includes Chocolate Shorts, Waffles, High Fibre Crisp Bread, Deli Style Seeded Loaf and Chocolate O’s.

Schär Waffles, Tesco, £2

Schär Deli Style Seeded Loaf, Teso, £2

Schär Chocolate Shorts, Asda, £2

Schär Chocolate O’s, Waitrose, £2.10

Schär High Fibre Crisp Bread, Waitrose, £1.35

These products were gifted to me by Schär but this does not influence my opinion.

Disclaimer: Although I am highly interested in healthcare, herbal remedies and nutrition, I am not a trained doctor or nutritionist. Please consult your doctor for further help and advice.

Tags:  coeliac elisa test food allergy food intolerance food intolerances gluten free bread gluten free food gluten free schar gluten sensitivity gluten-free health health eating novak novak djokovic nutrition schar bread schar gluten free schar gluten free bread serve to win book serve to win novak djokovic