Fat and bloated

[Grannysqua]

Hello just wondering if anyone knows of a way to see if you are gluten intolerant without going docs ? every time I eat bread I bloat, biscuits give me heartburn ! I did try the LCHF diet but I got silly with it and didn’t eat much or drink enough water which gave me headaches now I’m back to carbs have gained about 4 lb back ☹️ thinking of doing SW as a few friends are following this🙂 anyway hope your all doing great I’ve got 6 stone to lose start tomoz 😁 could someone put a link for where I go to put in once I’ve weighed thanks !

[Hidden]

Hi Grannysqua , now do you want a proper medical diagnosis or self diagnosis? Because if you are gluten intolerant and you try GF and it works getting a diagnosis in the future could be such an ordeal you cannot do a gluten challenge.

Being diagnosed puts you in the system for regular blood tests Dexa bone scans and I’m glad that I’m a diagnosed coeliac as I know with no ifs or buts.

The first step for testing for coeliac is a blood test that looks for elevated IgA or IgE levels so it’s very straight forward.

Jerry 😊

[Grannysqua in reply to Hidden]

Hello Jerry thank you I suppose I will just have to take myself off to the docs and get tested at least I know now what to ask for I could do with a check up anyway as been feeling a bit dizzy lately to go with my normal ditsy self I’ve been looking at foods gluten is in a lot of things ! What healthy eating plan are you on ?

Have good eve

[Celerysalt]

Hi Grannysqua. Apologies in advance if I'm about to tell you what you already know, but it's just my experience...

I was tested for coeliac disease when I was 19 (I'm now 31). This involved a visit to my GP followed by a sigmoidoscopy (a scope into my lower GI tract, and a painless biopsy). These tests confirmed that I don't have 'true' coeliac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder. I feel very lucky that I don't have this condition as it can do a great deal of harm prior to diagnosis, forcing the large gluten molecules found in wheat, rye, barley etc. through the mucosa in your small intestine (a partially-permeable membrane through which some nutrients are absorbed). The damage can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort, including bloating and diarrhoea; however, the malabsorption. Here's what the Coeliac Society UK has to say about testing: coeliac.org.uk/information-...

However, I believe that it is also possible to have gluten sensitivity/intolerance. There are many online laboratories offering services which claim to test for this, most against any antibodies produced when blood samples are mixed with possible allergens (in this case, gluten). Again, Coeliac UK: coeliac.org.uk/information-... I am very skeptical about these, having had a complete home test a few years ago. The results claimed that I was allergic to egg white, almonds and mussels, none of which I've ever had any known reaction to. It was also very costly for this fairly useless information!

Personally, I prefer to eat lower-gluten, but I steer clear of products that are advertised as 'gluten-free' as they tend to be very processed in order to achieve similar textures as the gluten 'originals'.

I would see your GP about a possible blood test. They might also recommend a low FODMAPs diet and/or an elimination diet, whilst you work out what might be causing your discomfort. (At least, that's the route my GP took, and it's enabled me to identify a few triggers, most of which I can eat in moderation.)

I'm not remotely medically qualified, but I agree that drinking lots of water and keeping an eye on what seems to cause the bloating are wise moves. I really hope you feel better soon!

[Grannysqua in reply to Celerysalt]

Wow thank you celery salt that does seem very involved all the things I like seem to be triggers bread biscuits cakes although starting healthy tomoz so will have to cut these out! elimination is good I think I will start writing it all down and I will certainly look up the sites you mentioned thanks I’ve just ate a bag of cheddars I don’t know why when starting a new way of eating I have to eat all the rubbish the night before ☹️

[ThePlanter]

How about a different perspective? As long as you do not have ceoeliac disease, gluten is a very valuable protein complex required to feed the bacteria and other organisms in your microbiome in your gut. The fact that you are feeling bad after eating foods with gluten suggests that you have leaky gut syndrome, due to the absence of an effective bacterial gut lining, and therefore the gluten molecules are crossing into the blood stream. One of the functions of a healthy gut to produce the right bacteria that act as the lining, preventing leaky gut syndrome and allow you to tolerate normal foods.

It is likely that your gut is out of sync with harmful bacteria dominating the good healthful bacteria, which happens if you are eating a lot of animal proteins and fats and processed foods (but also happens with antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors for reflux). Do some research on the net about building a healthy gut but in the short term you need to slowly increase the fibre in your diet, from a variety of different vegetables, fruits, (tinned) beans and GF grains to begin with (quinoa, buckwheat, oats, brown rice), nuts and seeds and reduce the inflammatory foods in your diet. Avoid refined carbs with sugar and focus on starchy carbs (grown below ground) and fibrous carbs (grown above ground). If you want to lose weight eat a low fat plant based wholefood diet as you can eat as much as you like as it is lower calorie food, so there is no calorie counting - but you will need the beans and grains for protein and satiety. Within days, you will completely reset the balance of your gut bacteria - the process starts within hours of eating plant based whilst limiting inflammatory foods.

Keep a diary of what you eat and your reactions in the next 24 hours, if not good, avoid in the short term. When you feel you have got back some control over your body try spelt, an ancient ancestor of today's wheat, in small quantities as a tester to see how you react . Lastly, beware that most gluten-free products are high in fat, salt and sugar don't taste very good. Cook a batch of brown rice or other grain, and add veg, nuts, seeds, spices and herbs with some flavourings e.g. miso, lime/lemon zest & juice, toasted nuts, cider /balsamic vinegars. Make the plate look like a rainbow of colours, variety is better than quantity of any one substance aiming for half a plate with veg, 1/4 grains and 1/4 beans with a scattering of nuts or seeds. Look up this impartial clinical evidence based advice on food nutritionfacts.org/audio/a-... which also advises on gluten intolerance and sesnsitivity - see links within page.

Best of luck, hope this helps.

[rachelleigh in reply to ThePlanter]

Hi ThePlanter - I thought this was a great reply. I wondered if you might be able to provide some good links to some of the online resources on gut health? I could do with learning more about this stuff. And to Grannysqua - I did not test positive for coeliac disease with the gp but I still avoid gluten for the reasons outlined by ThePlanter - my digestive system simply doesn't tolerate it. You do not need to be a coeliac to have problems with gluten. With the help of a nutritionist (and to help with weightloss) I have massively reduced grains, starches, sugars, red meat and dairy, and processed foods. I have increased plant based foods massively - and aim for 10-12 veg per day. I eat fermented foods and take bacterial supplements (I can never remember if they are called prebiotics or probiotics lol) - all these things have helped though I still cannot eat gluten without experiencing discomfort - so now I simply avoid it. Good luck to you in finding a solution x

[Grannysqua in reply to rachelleigh]

Thanks for reply there seems so much I don’t know I do eat healthy foods but eat all the wrong things to this site is definitely encouraging 😀

[rachelleigh in reply to Grannysqua]

The HealthUnlocked forums have helped me a lot to get the balance right - it's a great source of support and information - you've come to a good place!

[Grannysqua in reply to rachelleigh]

Yes really good advise thanks 😀

[ThePlanter in reply to rachelleigh]

Rachel

Look at nutritionfacts.org. On top menu, Go to Video Library, Browses Videos by topic and above the alphabet listing, you will see a list of popular topics and on the columne to the far right , choose Plant Based Diet or Microbiome for more information.

Other sites would include

pcrm.org/health-topics/gut-...

forksoverknives.com/7-thing...

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

britishgut.org/

Prof Tim Spector of Imperial College London, heading up British Gut Project reported the healthiest microbiome they are seeing based on 50,000 poo samples ( you can participate) is from those people eating up to 30 different plant based foods a week.

May I suggest you need some grains as they are important for healthy, satiety and longevity, even if you choose GF grains in the short term. If you have massively reduced your animal consumption, why not try one month without animal proteins, fats, dairy and eggs and see how you feel. Only then are you truly in anti inflammatory diet and with your fermented foods.

best of luck

[rachelleigh in reply to ThePlanter]

Great stuff - thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply - I shall enjoy checking out the links in more detail. And thanks for the dietary advice too. I do occasionally eat GF oatcakes or a mouthful of quinoa etc - but these are rare events rather than the daily carb-fest I used to exist on. And you're right - there's still more I can do to improve my diet, despite having come a long way already in terms of shifting habits and ideas about food. I must admit I'm a little intimidated by the thought of eliminating all animal produce - though it appeals on an ethical level. A subject for a new thread I'm sure ... Thanks again for your input - much appreciated!

[Grannysqua in reply to ThePlanter]

Wow that has really made me think thanks for the advise and it’s true I have had bad digestive system since I was a child I basically was given exlax till my teenage years and still now have problems I get a lot of acid reflux as well which is set off by pastry biscuits chocolate wine all things not good for you I will definatly look up plant based as I do love fruit and veg the trouble is I’m always hungry and crave bread and sweet foods will white rice be ok? Do you eat fish? I will definatly start looking into all this as I need an op but they won’t do anything as I’m very overweight thanks for your help 😀

[ThePlanter in reply to Grannysqua]

If you want to tackle the weight issue, the plant based diet will both help you loose weight and will also help to fix your microbiome imbalance. But you have to ditch the refined carbs (pastries, bread, sweets) and choose wholegrains, which means ditching the white rice (empty calories) and choosing brown rice or brown basmati rice, and other grains ( as previously described). You can eat as much as you like of low fat, plant based wholefood and I guarantee you will lose weight. If you want to have fish occasionally fine, but your other goal is to fix your gut and this means cutting out inflammatory animal proteins and fats. Your cravings will subside within two weeks as your taste buds change as the numbers and diveristy of good bacteria improves within your microbiome. Check out nutritionfacts.org. On top menu, Go to Video Library, Browses Videos by topic and above the alphabet listing, you will see a list of popular topics and on the columne to the far right , choose Plant Based Diet, Weight Loss or Microbiome for more information.

[Grannysqua in reply to ThePlanter]

Thanks I will check it out not sure I can go without some meat but I will cut down and I could change to brown rice I love veg so that’s not a problem how long have you eaten like this I can imagine you are super healthy 😀

[lawli56]

I too used to crave bread in a big way!

I'm not gluten intolerant but I have symptoms which include bloating, pain, severe diarrhoea and difficulty with losing weight when I eat wheat so eat gluten free items as they don't contain wheat. But I can eat non gf oats, rye, barley and spelt so gluten is not the problem.

Unfortunately there is no test for this only anecdotal evidence but I get stomach symptoms within 30 mins (usually faster) of eating wheat regardless how small the amount. Unbeknownst to me I recently ate some in a vegan stew as wheat berries and my friends were shocked at how fast I reacted, I'm sure they thought it was all in my head.

The biggest giveaway is that since I stopped eating wheat I no longer have any asthma symptoms, haven't taken or needed to take any asthma medication for over 2 years and my lung capacity is now higher than expected for my age - 460 instead of the expected 380. It's a little known fact that wheat intolerance can cause wheezing and asthma and when I developed it I was living next door to the docks where they were unloading grain including wheat and there was a working maltings. Now I live in a different town.

I only recently realised that I've been symptom free for so long and researched it.

eattobreathe.blogspot.com/2...

asthma.newlifeoutlook.com/g...

You may find this useful:

nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/s...

Most of my family is allergic to something and I've had eczema most of my life and also have hay fever in the spring and summer and react to house dust but usually with rhinitis, itchy eyes and a stuffy nose (all year round).

It was me who related all this to my doctor and asthma nurse.

[Grannysqua in reply to lawli56]

Very interesting I to have asthma I will have to start making my own breads ? Any recipes on foods will be gratefully received 😄

[Grannysqua]

Thanks Regina I will click on link and have a watch I realise there is so much I don’t know thanks for sharing have a great day 😀