Bread is a common “tummy bloater” and the most usual reason for this is an intolerance reaction to gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (and other grains) and is the ingredient that gives bread that stretchy, bouncy, and fluffy texture. Gluten is also incredibly difficult to digest.
Good digestion begins when we chew our food well. Once we have swallowed the food our stomach releases potent acid and digestive enzymes. Under a microscope, we can see that the food we swallow is made of thousands of tiny building blocks that contain nutrients. In our stomach, digestive enzymes and stomach acid work together to break those tiny blocks apart until they are a liquid mix of nutrients for the body to absorb.
Over a period of 1-3 hours, well digested food becomes a soup like consistency (called chyme), ready for the next stage of digestion in the intestines. When food is passed through to the intestines in this soup-like consistency, our intestines can do the work of absorbing the nutrients from the chyme. Because our gut is not designed to liquidise food in the way that the stomach does, our intestines are happier when our stomach does a good job of breaking down the food that we swallow.
The digestive resistant nature of gluten means that for many people, gluten reaches the intestines undigested by the stomach. When this happens, our gut responds by becoming upset and inflamed. For some people, this reaction is experienced as bloating and excessive wind and by others it is experienced as cramping and pain.
Will eating gluten-free bread stop bloating?
Gluten free bread can reduce the risk of bloating, but many gluten free breads will have some level of cross-contamination and contain trace amounts of gluten. Gluten free breads tend to contain various combinations of modified tapioca starch, rice flour, soy flour and maize starch, which in themselves can also be a cause of bloating for some people with food sensitivities. They may also contain vegetable gums and other additives which can cause additional inflammation in people with IBS and other gut related health issues.
What is GlutenEase™ and how can it help?
GlutenEase™ is a digestive enzyme blend that will help the stomach break down gluten. It is made of a combination of four vegetarian digestive enzymes. These enzymes break down gluten into a form that is easier for the gut to process. Enzymedica use a patented process called Thera-Blend™ technology to combine multiple variants of enzymes together into a therapeutic formula. Together, these enzymes can break down specific food groups without upsetting the sensitive environment of the digestive tract. A digestive enzyme called DPP-IV is included to specifically target the gluten protein and protect the gut from undigested gluten particles. When taken with the first bite of bread, GlutenEase™ typically helps to reduce bread-induced bloating.
We have a special offer on GlutenEase™ this summer – 20% EXTRA FREE (72 vegetarian capsules for the price of 60 capsules)
If you have a major issue when eating bread and other gluten based products we have GlutenEase™ with extra Protease Thera-blend™ enzyme power.
