Sourdough bread

[CalRW]

Hi. Has anyone had a bad IBS reaction to eating sourdough bread? I had the most painful attack ever a day after eating some a couple of weeks ago. I realised I must be sensitive to it having suffered a similar reaction about 6 months ago. Sourdough is supposed to be suitable for IBS sufferers but I know I definitely won’t be eating it ever again! I’d be interested to know if anyone else has had the same

[Luisa22]

I usually keep away from sourdough bread too. I don't get dramatically bad reactions, just not a very good belly the next morning (I have IBS D) It doesn't do my gut any special favours, put it that way.

I don't know if you're in UK or somewhere else, but I find Tesco's ciabatta suits me very well and it's tastier than some white breads. Sometimes I also have their ancient grain rolls too. Those have seeds so I keep them for the happier tummy times when I can get away with eating a bit more fibre .

[711debbie]

Get tested for a histamine disorder; I can't eat sourdough either. But I just don't make enough DAO and don't have a true histamine intolerance - just a DAO deficiency, which means I have problems with some food but not with others.

[xjrs]

I had a similar reaction to sourdough some time back. I put it down to the acidity in the bread from the fermentation process which was a bit rough on my system. However, lately I have been able to eat some sauerkraut, which is highly acidic. I think it depends on how sensitive your system is and this can change over time, which is why it is worth rechallenging some foods every now and again.

[CalRW]

Thanks for your replies. All very helpful 😊. The histamine disorder is particularly interesting - I hadn’t heard of that before!

[casares8]

Yes i dont know why they recomend sourdough bread for ibs sufferers. It is fermented which causes gas to a lot of people, same as saukerkaut and fermented drinks

[CalRW in reply to casares8]

Absolutely! My thoughts are that it’s the fermentation process that’s causing the problem. I would have thought anything like that would be a real no no for IBS sufferers!

[Fibro2021 in reply to casares8]

Sourdough bread contains almost no phytic acid. Phytic acid is thermostable, that is, during accelerated baking of bread, it retains its activity, and, getting into the human intestine, reacts with its contents: it forms salts based on phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, copper, iron, disrupting their absorption from the intestine. One of the most effective ways to neutralize the effects of phytic acid is through fermentation. It has been proven that in whole grain sourdough bread, the dough for which was fermented for about 8 hours, there is practically no phytic acid, while in yeast whole grain it remains from 40 to 80%. In addition to phytic acid, whole-grain bread are high in gluten and omega 6 fatty acids, which can lead to non-celiac intestinal inflammation., cause degeneration of the intestinal villi, impairing the absorption of nutrients, incl. vitamins, trace elements and iron, as well as lead to the "leaky gut" syndrome, as a result of which under-digested proteins penetrate the intestinal wall, leading to intoxication of the body and various intestinal and extra-intestinal and allergic manifestations. Personally, I try to abstain from bread altogether.

[E3178]

I think it may be the time that your sourdough is fermented.I eat Waitrose sourdough sliced bread which I toast.

I know their sourdough bread is a long ferment and other makes, not so much.

Not sure if this makes a difference.

Might be worth looking into.

My stomach is very sensitive but I have no problems with it now. I love it.

[XDjames]

f it's sliced white s***e sourdough then it probably isn't that great but it's better for me than usual bread. However prefer spelt sourdough, Waitrose does it. I also like the buckwheat (alas, mixed with wheat) boule from Sainbury's. It's actually nice and it doesn't dislike me so much.

[CalRW]

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions guys!

[Luisa22]

Toast is really one of my "safe foods" and one of the handful of things I can eat successfully without negative effects the next morning if I am going through a bad few days with my belly. But for me it has to be ordinary bread toasted, not sourdough, which always stirs things up somehow. So I don't know why that is, but just go from what my body can handle and what it can't.

[XDjames in reply to Luisa22]

actually the cheapest warburtons or danish sliced is usually safe for me, and tastes good even if it's despised.

[Luisa22 in reply to XDjames]

My old Mama who passed away at a good old age 14 years ago, liked the sliced Danish too. After travelling a long time, I had no food with me, so ate whatever she had in, until I got to the supermarket, and discovered that the "bad" sliced white Danish made lovely toast! It was almost a guilty pleasure because in those days I was all wholegrain, organic spelt with seeds, etc, and all "healthy" foods, but I loved that Danish white toast!

[LizzieAFib]

I tried it and it doesn’t suit me so if I stick to GF bread, wraps etc, although I have reduced the amount of bread I eat and don’t eat it every day now like I used to. Also, was it genuine sourdough, as I’ve read that some brands have yeast in them.

[Cosm]

I have found anything made with sourdough suits mw as long as it's in moderation

[JT1992]

Some times I find it actually suits me more than GF bread. Probably because it's not full of rubbish like the GF stuff. And sometimes I can manage a stodgy Hovis white piece of toast because of the low fibre. Brown bread I have always struggled with

[Puffnstuff]

No no no ! I know it has been said sour dough is supposed to be good for IBS.It is made from wheat and it contains gluten. it is the wheat that will give you pains and diarrhoea.

Try bread with no wheat.

[Pink_Lotus]

I found that sourdough bread was the only bread I could eat however it was only the Tesco Finest Rye & Mixed Seed Sourdough one that suited me and not their white version. Sourdough from anywhere else didn’t suit me either mostly because they seemed to be very oily. Oddly enough gf bread doesn’t always suit me and I can have Tesco only Malted Grain and Rye flatbreads so I think it’s the rye that helps.