What Is Gluten Face & Wheat Belly

October 03, 2024 8 min read

We’ve all heard of gluten.

We’ve heard that it can be bad for us, not bad for us, mildly bad for us, etc.

But what is it really and what does it actually do?

Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in many grains, processed foods and commercial drinks that contain two specific proteins called gliadin and glutenin.

Now, some people know they are sensitive to these, either severely or only mildly, but there are many more who actually are sensitive and experiencing reactions without knowing what’s causing it.

For anyone sensitive, these can cause specific inflammatory responses throughout their body, most of which they never connect to the gluten they consumed.

It can cause stomach aches and IBS.

It can create a constant swelling of the stomach that we may confuse with excess body fat. So we try to exercise it off, but without any results as it isn’t body fat, it’s swelling caused by an inflammatory response.

When it gets into our blood stream it can affect any part of our body where it lands, or our whole body, as it will create an inflammatory response wherever it goes.

It can create aches we don’t understand, tiredness or lethargy, an overstimulated immune system, and even (by landing on healthy cells) lead to our immune system mistaking our own cells for harmful bacteria and so attacking them.

It can cause skin issues: redness, dryness, skin patches and more.

And it can cause a redness and/or puffiness in our face that we can’t seem to get rid of, and even spots of hyperpigmentation or pimples on our chin.

With all of this, it’s important to understand what it is, how and if it is affecting us, why, and what we can do about it.

So let’s dive in and see.

WHAT IS GLUTEN AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

Most people know gluten is something found in wheat. But for this we need to break it down further, because it’s much more than that, and added to many other foods today that you wouldn’t expect.

Gluten is a mixture of hundreds of different proteins. And two of these proteins in particular cause us trouble: gliadin and glutenin.

But how?

Proteins are long chains of individual amino acids all connected together one by one.

And our stomach and small intestine are designed to break these down fully into the amino acids they’re composed of — no more chains.

So in the end, if there was a chain of a thousand amino acids all linked together, now there will be a thousand individual amino acids all floating freely, not connected to any other.

This is very important for two reasons.

First, our body can only make new proteins from individual amino acids. If some of the amino acids are still linked together, it can’t make new proteins from them and, at best, they are just wasted.

But there is another aspect. Our immune system detects harmful bacteria through the protein shell that surrounds them. And a protein shell is obviously a bunch of connected amino acids.

So if our immune system sees amino acids that are still linked together — it assumes they are harmful bacteria... and it attacks.

And this brings an inflammatory response.

This inflammatory response can be in our intestine or it can be in our body if these bacteria get out into the blood stream.

But now look at this. A gluten sensitivity occurs when our stomach and intestine can’t break down the specific proteins in gluten. That's what's actually happening.

So these proteins, not being broken down, still consist of linked amino acids.

So our body assumes they’re harmful bacteria that need to be destroyed and launches immune cells to kill them.

And this brings an inflammatory response, which brings swelling, bloating, aches, and diarrhea in an effort to flush them out.

The more gluten we ate, the more swelling, bloating, aches and IBS.

If these get out into our blood stream, then they create an inflammatory response wherever they land.

So we can get swelling or redness in our legs, arms, and even our face.

Now, if we had gluten once, depending on how much, these reactions could last for three days or so. And after a few days it will be out of our system and the reactions will have calmed down and then gone away.

But if we’re constantly consuming gluten, knowingly or unknowingly, this creates a constant reaction in our stomach and throughout our body.

And if we don’t know this is actually from gluten, then we can start to think that it’s just the way it is and there is nothing we can do about it.

And that is not true.

SO WHAT IS WHEAT BELLY?

We’ve pretty much covered this above, but there is a bit more.

The main point of Wheat Belly was to point out that wheat is very high in carbohydrates. It’s actually almost fully carbohydrate — sugar.

And sugar, especially in quantity, is what causes body fat creation.

Yes, eating sugar, not eating fats.

Sugar binds to fats that we consumed and creates body fat with them.

So a diet high in sugar and fats will create more excess body fat that will be hard to get rid of as long as we’re consuming high levels of sugar, especially processed sugars.

Come off the high sugars, raise protein and healthy fats in the diet, and body fat starts to slip away.

So, as wheat is mostly carbohydrate, sugars, then a diet high in wheat (it’s in almost all processed, packaged foods today, even when you wouldn’t expect it to be), can lead to excess body fat, especially around the stomach.

So that’s one point.

But the other is the sensitivity to the gluten.

It causes an inflammatory response that results in swelling in the stomach where it occurs. And this can keep us with a protruding stomach for as long as we’re consuming gluten, if we’re sensitive to it.

If you’ve done a fat loss protocol, and slimmed down in other areas, but not the stomach. Or if you’ve done a gut protocol and still have bloating in the stomach, aches or discomfort, it’s very possible there is gluten in your diet that is causing this.

That’s one place Gut Restore is so important. One key aspect of it is that it binds to and neutralizes these gluten proteins, calming or preventing the reactions they cause.

If there is a mild gluten reaction, one serving should calm it right down.

If we consumed a lot of gluten, take two servings.

It’s amazing what it can do.

But key is of course coming off gluten as much as we can, or the trouble will continue to occur.

But then there is gluten face.

WHAT IS GLUTEN FACE?

As above, we covered this pretty well.

When these gluten proteins get through the intestine and into the bloodstream, they can go anywhere. And often go to the face.

This causes an inflammatory response there as our immune system sees these proteins as harmful bacteria and so launches an attack.

This can cause bloating of the face, a swelling or puffiness. The skin can be reddish, either all over or in patches.

We can get hyperpigmentation in places, especially our chin.

And we can get pimples on our chin we don’t understand and that keep coming back.

Again, the key thing to do here is to locate where gluten is coming in and cut it off.

And take Gut Restore to help calm any effects now or in the future if you accidentally eat gluten.

But where is gluten found, it’s just in wheat, right?

WHERE IS GLUTEN FOUND?

Unfortunately, today, gluten is used throughout the food industry and is even in drinks.

The main sources of gluten are:

Wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelt durum, farina, farro, kamut, einkorn, wheat bran, wheat berries, wheat starch, emmer, wheat germ, graham flour, semolina and bulgur.

And most couscous is made from semolina (durum wheat) and so contains gluten.

So we know this is in many breads and baked goods.

But it goes further.

Gluten acts as a binding agent in foods to help maintain their shape, similar to how glue holds things together.

So it’s often extracted from the above grains and added to many processed foods to improve their texture, flavor and moisture retention.

It’s in pizza, pasta, cereal, baked goods, soy sauce and ice cream. It’s in many packaged foods you wouldn’t assume it to be in and even often in french fries and processed meats.

It’s in many beers, ales, lagers, and malt beverages, many flavored or pre-made coffees and teas, as well as many soda drinks.

Because it’s used in so many different places, if you have any sensitivity to gluten, or think you may, it’s important to make a habit of checking the ingredients.

This can be time-consuming or annoying, but it’s better than the consequences that can come if you do have a sensitivity to it.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT GLUTEN REACTIONS?

Unfortunately, with a gluten sensitivity there is no instant address that makes us not sensitive to it.

But, while fully addressing our body’s inability to break down gluten on its own may not be immediately possible, there are some things that can dramatically affect it.

First, if you have had gluten or have a gluten reaction, drink plenty of water and eat leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables to help push it through your system.

And, of course, try to find out where the gluten came from so you can avoid it next time.

Then, we know that Gut Restore and Gut Defense expose and help to kill off harmful bacteria and yeasts that cause gas, bloating, IBS, Leaky Gut and a protruding stomach.

And these should be addressed if they’re present.

But Gut Restore also contains key antibodies that help to bind and neutralize the specific proteins in gluten that cause the inflammatory response, helping to relieve or even prevent it in the case of accidentally consuming gluten.

If you have a gluten response, or know you had some gluten and will have a response, just take 1-2 servings of Gut Restore, depending on how much gluten you had or how bad the reaction is, and this should calm things down fairly swiftly.

Gut Restore, along with PerfectAmino, also helps to repair the perforations in our intestine that these gluten proteins, harmful bacteria and toxins have created.

(Yes, these gluten proteins are also one of the chief causes of Leaky Gut, which we'll get to.)

And repairing this can reduce gluten’s whole-body effect over time.

And beyond that, look for foods that specifically say they are gluten-free. Even if you don’t think they would have gluten in them, they very possibly do.

Check for a gluten-free label and check the ingredients for anything that would contain gluten.

It’s amazing what can happen when we come off gluten if we have a sensitivity to it.

And if you want to do a full protocol for overall gut health, addressing gluten reactions, Leaky Gut, IBS, acid reflux, indigestion, H. Pylori, C. Diff and much more, do the Gut Health Protocol.

It's one of the most effective programs we have, and the results are quite wonderful.

I hope this helps.

Go here for the Gut Health Protocol. And here you can find Discounted Product Bundles for the 30-Day Challenge. Just use code GUTHEALTH at Checkout.

If you have any questions, make sure to join our VIP Group where you can ask any question you have and get only the best answers.

Index To The Gut Health Guide:

The Autoimmune Series:

The Gut Health Protocol:

Digestion: Acid Reflux, Bloating, Muscle, Fat Loss & More:

Leaky Gut: SIBO, Toxins, Glyphosate & Gluten:

The Microbiome: Stress, Recovery, Mood & Overall Health:

Depression, Anxiety, Stress & Sleeplessness — The Microbiome

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.