I’ve probably been in denial for some time, but after eating pizza last night, my stomach bloated to the size of a barrage balloon within hours. This is not an isolated incident. Perhaps it’s time to reassess my diet and try a gluten-free approach. My body’s reaction might not be to gluten. It could be something else, but I have to try. Start somewhere. But where to begin? Something is causing the Buddha’s belly, and it is certainly not the quantity of food I eat. Yes, I have the occasional dessert, but I am no cookie monster.
Anyone else gluten intolerant and adopted a gluten-free diet? I need tips and recipes, please. How long does gluten stay in the body?
I’ve made a note to try and schedule an appointment with a dietician, but I confess that I’ve little faith in the medical profession.
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Piglet in Portugal 
Best wishes as you test & try different things for a healthy lifestyle.
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It’s a great idea to try excluding different foods and find the trigger. I hope you find a solution that works for you. For my daughter it was lactose that triggered her similar symptoms, and it was easy to find out just by excluding it from her diet for a couple weeks. It was obvious and it is not very difficult to find dairy products without lactose. All the best.
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Hi Maria, I wondered about dairy and lactose but I have Greek yougurt every morning for breakfast and eat chees – no problem. But right now I am willing to give anything a try because I hate looking like this.
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I hope you’ll find your trigger and are able to feel better soon.
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Hi, Carol – I think it’s a smart idea to avoid gluten and see if that makes a difference for you. As others have mentioned, a food diary can also be very helpful. Please keep us posted on how this works for you.
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Thanks, Donna. What with my hip so I can’t exercise as I’d like and now this it is a challenge 🙂
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I have a good friend who has celiac disease and has to have everything gluten free. It’s no problem when she cooks for herself, but finds it to sometimes be a challenge when dining out, because restaurants have to have a menu that includes foods that are prepared in pans, etc that have never touched gluten of any kind. It’s worth a try, Carole – and good luck!
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Hi Terry, yes, I think I am going to find it a challenge when dining out. Not thinking i had soup today and now wonder if they used a thinckening agent. IT is the little things that catch you out.
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I haven´t eaten gluten for many years. Have not done any tests but stopped because I wasn´t feeling as me, mentally. I would recommend to not replace gluten food with non-gluten alternatives – they are all very ultra processed and that is not a better choice, I think. But naturally without gluten, thats really a better choice in my world. For ex. I bake this nutbread a lot
https://www.anna-forsberg.se/recept-pa-glutenfritt-notbrod/
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Hi Ana, thank you so much for the link to your nut bread recipe. It looks amazing! When I next go shopping I will buy the ingreidents. No, don’t worry, i won’t be buying any UP foods. I try to heat healthy foods (usually) 🙂
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I definitely prefer avoiding wheat and dairy- pizza sadly makes me feel terrible the next day & day after that! A food & drink diary is a good idea, as is a dietician/naturopath/allergy specialist. Listen to your body: she’s not happy with something is she? There are LOADS of gluten-free alternatives, & recipes etc, you’ll be fine 😃 G in Australia
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Hi Bone 🙂 Yep my body is still not happy today (sat) and the pizza was Thursday evening. I need to find some basic gluten free ingredients when I next go shopping. Yep, already keep a food diary so I also know white cabbage is a no no …
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It may not be gluten intolerance, but I don’t know how to tell, sorry. Could it be IBS?
Perhaps keep a food diary for a week or two?
Try to eat a bit of everything you nornally consume (not at each meal of course!) and jot down how you feel afterwards.
You could include any drinks or dessert as well.
When I was running every day I kept a comprehensive diary of most things I ate and drank along with all the physical details, etc.
Helped to have something to refer back to when I felt off colour.
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Hi Ark, I’ve had IBS for years but I think this is different. I don’t usually eat that much wheat in one go so I think it has triggered major attack.d I am alsobloated in joints. Everything feels swollen.. I could be wrong but it’s got to be worth a try. I do keep a food diary as I’ve desperately been trying to lose weight. I will need to speak to a doctor/dietican and discuss further but for now I have placed my little toe on the first step.
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Look up Dr Eric Berg on YouTube.
I follow him and he has some pretty good advice on many health issues including bloating and the causes.
You need to keep mobile. That will help tremendously.
Walk twenty minutes every day and this will do wonders for your constitution.
True story.
When we were over in the UK last year for my Dad’s 90th I went out a couple of times with Mum to walk the dog.
On the first occasion after half a block I was looking at her disappearing back and had to yell, “Oi, Speedy Gonzales, where’s the fire?”
She apologised for storming off but explained that as she walked the dog off the lead if she wasn’t “… pretty sharpish, Molly (Jack Russell) would scarper.”
Anyway, she called the dog and settled into a more accommodating pace… Just for me! And remember, we are talking about someone, Me, who
ran marathons, including a few Ultras for years.
FYI Mum celebrated her 88th birthday this year.
The moral? Get a Jack Russell and walk it twice a day!
😂
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Hi Ark, your mum sounds quite a character! I’d love a little dog but it is not feasible as Mr . P is allergic to fur. Thanks for the reminder re Dr Eric Berg. TBH I was not impressed with the keto diet but I’ve now taken a quick look at some of his other titles and they look interesting. Especially on improving sleep. There is another on reducing imflamation. They’ve got to be worth a shot.
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I don’t follow keto, and I never checked to see if there is a vegetarian version.
Him being American(?) I imagine a lot of his advice is directed as his countrymen and their highly processed diet.
But I have learned a few things from him.
I am aiming to cover most of our vegetable needs at home and I rarely, if ever, eat anything highly processed these days. (Not that I am aware of)
Nor do I dtink coke or Pepsi or any fizzy pop. Waybtoo much sugar.
Glass of red wine (organic if I can get it) now and then.
Tumeric is good as an anti- inflammatory. You can grow that. Takes a while but worth it. And you have ginger, I see.
Until I have a decent crop I bought some powdered tumeric from our local veggie store. I use half a teaspoon in an omelette and also mix it with some dark chocolate to drink. Great stuff!
Magnesium? … Eat greens. Spinach chard etc. Also easy to grow.
Potassium? Bananas are good and the skins you can mix with the soil for potatoes.
Want a no added sugar dessert? Bake some apples and pears with some cranberries and oats.Organic if you can get. Sweet as you like like and delicious.
Protein? Beans. Plenty of yummy dishes and the Portuguese love their beans!
Sort out your indigestion issues, no problem!
And salads of course.
I recently learned how to make saurkraut… much to my wife’s dismay! “It stinks!!” 😂
But I adore the taste.
Cook with olive oil. Living in Portugal that should be be a given for you, I hope.
If you have that all covered the best you can do is drink water and walk. Walk, walk, walk.
Get some decent trainers. No dog needed. And you live in such a nice part of the world, you lucky fish.
Doesn’t have to be far or fast. Slow but sure. Nothing too strenuous to start so you enjoy and avoid hurting yourself.
Set your watch for 20 minutes and go. Do this every morning Carol and you’ll be fine. 😊
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