Health Monday:Should You Cut Out Bread To Stop Bloating?

Is eating bread giving you bloating and other digestive symptoms? If so, you could be "sensitive" to wheat. Cutting out bread or changing the type you eat may help.

More and more of us claim to suffer from a wheat allergy, so we shun bread and other wheat-based foods like pasta and cereals.

Genuine food allergy is, in fact, rarely to blame, say experts. But wheat sensitivity (also known as wheat intolerance) or simply trouble digesting wheat is increasingly common.
Bread-related gut symptoms


The health problems caused by wheat

There are three key health problems caused by wheat:
Wheat allergy – reactions usually begin within minutes and include itching, sneezing and wheezing. See your GP for referral to an NHS allergy clinic.
Coeliac disease – is a condition where the intestine lining can't absorb and is damaged by gluten-containing foods including wheat, barley, oats and rye. See your GP for a blood test.
Wheat sensitivity – symptoms like bloating, cramps, diarrhoea and sickness come on quite slowly, usually hours after eating wheat. There’s no diagnostic test.
What to do if wheat triggers digestive symptoms

If your symptoms are severe and long-lasting, especially if you have blood in you stools  (poo),vomiting or painful stomach cramps, see your doctor to rule out a medical condition.

If you have bloating or other minor symptoms after eating bread, Dr Skypala recommends that you try an elimination diet. This is where you completely cut out wheat from your diet for four weeks, then bring it back in gradually to see if symptoms reappear.

"When you bring wheat-based foods back in, I recommend trying Weetabix or pasta first for a few days before starting on bread. It’s better to start with wheat in a more pure form, as bread has so many other ingredients," Dr Skypala says.
Is it wheat intolerance or sensitivity?

If your symptoms return, it confirms you’re sensitive to wheat and will also show you which foods are especially troublesome. Some people may only have problems with pasta, for example, while others are fine until they eat bread.

If you are sensitive to wheat, or you have trouble digesting it, the main way to relieve your symptoms is to embark on a wheat-free or partially wheat-free diet.

Foods that contain wheat
Bread
Pasta
Cereals
Couscous
Cakes and pastries
Biscuits
Doughnuts
Hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP)
Beer
Soy sauce
Wheat-free foods

These foods are a great alternative to wheat-based ones:
Porridge,
Rice Krispies and corn flakes
Buckwheat pasta
Quinoa
Source :NHS UK