Dr Vikki Petersen Dc Ccn
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner
Dr Vikki Petersen is a public speaker, author of two books, several eBooks and creates cutting edge content for her YouTube community. Dr Vikki is committed to bringing Root Cause Medicine and its unique approach to restoring health naturally to the world.
Your Relationship To Food Is Causing Bloating
A common overlooked cause of bloating with celiac disease is your relationship to food. If your relationship with food is strained, then it could be causing if not worsening bloating.
For example, if you tend to be extremely stressed or anxious around food, you could be triggering or worsening bloating. This is because the stress response in your body can draw energy away from digestion and towards your limbs in anticipation of you needing to fight for your life. This distribution of energy away from your digestive system can slow digestion, causing food to sit in your digestive system for longer, fermenting and causing bloating.
Alternatively skipping meals frequently can cause bloating because if youre not eating enough or routinely, your digestive system can slow to save energy. This slowing of your digestive system again, can cause food to sit in it for longer, causing gas build up and ultimately, bloating.
Furthermore, if you are in the binge-restrict cycle with celiac disease, and find yourself skipping meals or restricting foods only to overeat at the end of the day, you could be triggering bloating here too. This is because you can overload and overfill your digestive system, causing it to take longer to process foods and again, cause gas build up and bloating.
What To Do If A Celiac Eats Gluten
Roughly 1 in every 133 Americans has celiac disease thats about 1% of the total population. It may not sound like a lot, but the shocking truth is that the incidence of celiac disease has increased by 4-fold over the past fifty years alone.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten consumption that can reduce the bodys ability to absorb nutrients from the food you eat. At this time autoimmune diseases cannot be cured. The only way to prevent further damage to the digestive tract is to avoid gluten entirely.
People who dont have celiac disease or gluten intolerance dont have to think too much about what they eat. They can pick up a product off the shelf and throw it into their cart without looking. For someone with celiac disease, however, grocery shopping can be a much bigger challenge. They also have to be incredibly careful when going out to eat because even gluten free foods that have been in contact with gluten-containing foods are cross-contaminated and can cause a problem.
Accidental gluten ingestion can trigger a severe reaction and some very unpleasant symptoms. So, what do you do if you accidentally consume gluten? Keep reading to find out.
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How To Treat Bloating From Gluten Intolerance
If you have been diagnosed with any form of gluten sensitivity you must adhere to a strict gluten-free diet. Depending on how damaged the villi have become, you may also need to avoid dairy for a while. As you enjoy healthy gluten-free foods, your intestines will slowly heal. As they heal, you will experience less and less bloating.
If you want to relieve your bloating a little more quickly, you could try probiotics and digestive enzymes. Sipping fennel tea helps some people. However, no matter what anyone tries to sell you, there is no replacement for a gluten-free diet when it comes to treating gluten intolerance.
This is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination, considering that the majority of processed foods contain gluten or some derivative of it. The good news is by learning about the options available and creating your own well stocked gluten free pantry will help you cook and bake gluten-free versions of your favorite foods. Due to increased awareness of the disease, maintaining a balanced diet is being facilitated by the production of a number of gluten-free food products.
If this is all intimidating you, I encourage you to consider this great resource: Gluten Free Survival Kit.
This phenomenon is excellent news for individuals suffering from celiac disease and other similar kinds of food intolerance, because it means that they have better chances of living their lives free of discomfort and illness.
Consider A Binding Agent Like Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal binds to toxins in your body and helps to reduce gas and bloating, Firshein says. One study on rats also found that those that took activated charcoal had less intestinal inflammation and damage than rats that didnt take activated charcoal.
Keep in mind, though, that the binding from these ingredients isnt selective and that you cant target the gluten. Charcoal binds to good stuff, too, and could exacerbate nutrient malabsorption, Cording says. If you do decide to go this route, Firshein recommends drinking plenty of water to avoid constipation.
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How To Relieve Bloating From Gluten Intolerance
How to relieve bloating from gluten intolerance is easy when you know where to start. Feel better fast with these 7 easy steps!
When you need to know how to relieve bloating from gluten intolerance, you need relief now.
Preferably yesterday.
Painful gluten bloating is the absolute worst. And I know because Ive been there.
In this article, I list the 7 Ways to Beat the Bloat Fast and show you how to relieve gluten bloating.
And never get it back!
Quick Tips To Get Rid Of Your Belly Fat:
- Reduce your white or brown sugar intake, consume other much healthier sources of sweet like honey or jaggery.
- Cut down processed food like coffee, chips, flavoured candies, instant noodles, ketchup etc.
- Exercise daily, your body is as good as your food and how much physical activity you do.
- Eat small meals, it helps to restore fewer calories than the usual.
- To reduce belly bloating try to consume liquids which help in digestion and reduce inflammation.
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Do You Have A Spare Tire Or Muffin Top
What weve discovered after working with patients for over 20 years is that much of that tire can be due to swelling of the small intestine from the inflammation caused by gluten and the adrenal fatigue ensues from malabsorption of nutrients.
You have about 23 feet of small intestine with a surface area the size of a tennis court. Look down at your abdomen thats a lot of track to be laid down in a relatively small space. Now imagine that 23 feet are swollen due to irritation created by a diet that doesnt suit your body or infection. Infections in the intestine are very common secondary to gluten intolerance. When it swells it has to go somewhere welcome spare tire!
Are There Any Causes For Bloating That Are Not Diet Related That People Should Also Be Aware Of
Contrary to conventional thinking, from a Naturopathic perspective, diet plays a role in all digestive conditions . However, diet therapy alone does not solve all digestive issues. Diet must be considered, however sometimes it is a matter of proper motility and location of the dysbiosis or imbalanced flora that is the problem. There can be abnormal levels of bacteria in the small intestine and if this is the case, additional treatment considerations are required.
I also take into consideration a persons stress levels , hormonal issues, posture and other possible conditions like diabetes and inflammatory bowel. All of these can cause issues with bloating.
There are other warning signs that suggest the bloating may be due to something more serious so if any of the following are also present I recommend the person notify their physician immediately: weight loss greater than 10% of their body weight without major dietary or exercise changes, fluid build up in the abdomen, severe and sudden abdominal pain or vomiting, blood in the stool or abnormal vaginal bleeding or fever.
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Tracking Bloating And Food Intake
If you suspect gluten is the culprit of your bloating, keep a food diary to track your symptoms. Write down everything you eat, the time of day and your digestive side effects. You should be able to see a pattern between eating gluten and having adverse side effects. If the food or foods causing bloating are processed or also contain other ingredients, you’ll need to eliminate the products and other ingredients to rule out other reasons for your bloating. For example, if bloating occurs after eating a processed food with peanuts, dairy, soy and gluten, any of these ingredients could be the cause of bloating.
How To Treat Gluten Intolerance Naturally
“The content below is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding amedicalcondition.”
You went out to a restaurant for dinner, and while you did your best to steer clear of gluten with your order, by the time the check arrives, youre struggling with stomach painand excusing yourself to use the restroom more than is socially acceptable.
You think youve been glutened, and all you want is to feel better.
Reactions to gluten vary significantly for those with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and gluten intolerance. But theres hope for relief.
This guide will provide you with a variety of home remedies for gluten intolerance.
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Cut All Wheat Out Of Your Diet
What this will mean is getting rid of virtually every processed food. Food companies put wheat derivatives in almost every packaged food you buy a the supermarket. Youll frequently see it listed as a stabilizer.
With this in mind, make it a point not to eat food from cans and bags for the next two weeks and base your diet on fresh vegetables and low-glycemic fruits, meats, poultry, eggs and seafood, nuts and seeds and healthy fats like avocados, olives, grass-fed butter, olive oil and coconut oil.
Stay away from both white potatoes and corn, which are actually starches, not vegetables. Sweet potatoes are okay and having a baked sweet potato with some cinnamon and butter is a great way to calm the cravings for something sweet.
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Manage The Inflammation It May Have Caused
People with celiac disease and gluten intolerance often experience intestinal inflammation after being exposed to gluten. That can cause unpleasant symptoms, and even lead to long-term damage. This inflammation, over time, can be damaging to small intestine function and lead to weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, bone loss, and challenges with fertility, Newberry says.
While Ashkan Farhadi, MD, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., says you cant stop this inflammation entirely after youve been exposed to gluten, you still may be able to take some steps to better manage it, and to ultimately feel better, faster.
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How Long Does It Take To Cleanse Your Body Of Gluten
This varies from person to person. Some people start feeling better after just a few days of eliminating gluten in their diet. For others, symptoms of gluten intolerance dont go away for a few weeks or more. In some cases, certain symptoms might disappear early while others might take longer to go away.
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It Might Not Be The Gluten Making You Bloated
Researchers from the University of Newcastle have foundthat only 16 per cent of people with self-reported gluten intolerance have symptoms that are reproducible in a double-blinded trial .
The media response has not been kind to the other 84 per cent.
Certain short-chain carbohydrates, rather than gluten, might be the culprit in upset stomachs.Credit:Stocksy
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats, and in the past week people who avoid it without an official diagnosis of coeliac disease the relatively rare immune disorder in which permanent organ damage can result if gluten is consumed have been called âdelusionalâ, told they are âfooling themselvesâ, and have been chastised by everyone from Gizmodo to Yahoo7 for being fad dieters, spending exorbitant money on trendy food.
âHere we go again,â I canât help but think. Another round of condescending eye-rolling to endure for choosing the gluten-free option, because I am one of those people who has not been diagnosed with coeliac disease but still forks out for the gluten-free gnocchi, pizza bases and cake, because too much wheat gives me tummy rumbles.
Iâve had irritable bowel syndrome for as long as I can remember, and way back in 2003 decided it was worth cutting out gluten just to see what would happen. What followed was a miraculous discovery of the joys of regular bowel movements and a belly that no longer blew itself up like a balloon.
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If Celiac Disease Or Gluten Sensitivity Is At Play Why Doesnt A Gluten Free Diet Always Eliminate Bloating
I always tell my patients that gluten free does not always equal Healthy. Especially these days with all the gluten free substitutions available on the market.
For some, going gluten free radically changes their health and eliminates all digestive issues. For others, the situation is more complicated and the elimination of gluten alone is not enough.
If someone has gluten intolerance, regardless of the cause, there has been injury to the digestive tract by the consumption of that food. Until this heals, the individual will find themselves sensitive to other foods or food groups and will continue to experience digestive upset. There is also a cross reaction that can happen where the body reacts the same to certain foods as it did to gluten and therefore, eating those food continues to cause problems.
Bloating From Wheat Allergy
If you have a wheat allergy, which is different from celiac disease, you may also experience bloating after eating gluten. Eating the proteins found in wheat causes an over reaction of your immune system to occur in a wheat allergy. Bloating is one side effect that may result, according to Medical News Today. However, you may also experience hives, difficulty breathing, wheezing, itching, swelling, throat irritation and watery eyes. A wheat allergy can be diagnosed with a blood test, skin prick or elimination diet.
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How Do I Get Rid Of Gluten Bloat Fast
Push Fluids:
How do you relieve symptoms of gluten intolerance?
The only way to manage the symptoms of celiac disease is to eat a strict gluten-free diet. Eating foods without gluten lets your small intestine heal, and stops future problems and inflammation. Youll need to avoid any foods made with wheat and wheat flour.
How long does it take for bloating from gluten to go away?
For most people, the symptoms persist for two to three days before finally clearing up: A hefty price to pay for consuming a minuscule bit of gluten.
Drink Peppermint Tea Or Pop A Peppermint Capsule
Peppermint, whether taken as an enteric coated capsule or as a tea, can be used as needed and works very well to relieve abdominal cramping and bloating, says Hendriks. A meta-review and analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found it to specifically be helpful in treating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome , bloating included.
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Poor Digestion Leads To Bloating
The bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract love to feast on the carbohydrates your body cant easily digest. As the bacteria enjoy their meals, they release hydrogen, methane, and other gases that build up in your system. The more gas that builds up, the more bloated you feel.
This uncomfortable and sometimes painful condition often feels like theres an inflated balloon in your belly. Fortunately, you only need to make simple changes to your dietary habits and start using supplements strategically to minimize and eliminate your battle against bloating.
Flex Your Gut Muscles
First, find a flat surface. A yoga mat or a bed will work.
Lie down, face up, and hug your knees like this.
Hold it for a few seconds, and then let go.
Repeat 2-3 times to free your legs.
Now, repeat one more time but this time, hug your knees as tight as you can.
Breathe out, and raise your head to your knees.
Try to hold for 5 counts.
If you can do 5, push for 10.
If you can do 10, push for 15.
Relax, breathe in again.
Here is a guided video for you.
If you want to try something a little more advanced, try this variation instead.
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How Long After Eating Gluten Do You Feel Symptoms
Usually, youâll notice the start of symptoms pretty soon after eating gluten.
In the case of non-celiac gluten sensitivity, symptoms will arise after a few hours or maybe even days after eating gluten.
This has happened to me: once I was feeling absolutely horrible, like flu-ish and suuuuper tired.
So Jason made up some chicken noodle soup, as one does. And I start digging into this mug of completely hot and salty deliciousness.
And it wasn’t until a few minutes after I’m slurping away on this lovely soup that I realize-DING.
I’m eating regular noodles! Whoops.
And I felt the effects a couple days later – for me, I’m nauseated and of course, really bloated.
Luckily, as soon as I got back on track with my gluten-free diet, I got the relief I was looking.
In the case of celiac disease, it’s different. It could be several hours, days or even weeks.
For wheat allergy, symptoms appear within a few minutes, which is a typical allergic response, sometimes resulting in an anaphylactic reaction.
I hope you find the relief you need as soon as possible!
~April