Indigestion after eating bread

[Pritt Stick]

Hi all

 

I'm a 49 year old man and over the last 12 months or so I've noticed I get indigestion / acid reflux after bread be it white, brown, granary, etc. I tend to carry of strip of Rennies around with me but if I've run out I really suffer.

 

Firstly, anyone have any idea what this might be or have you experienced this yourself? I don't get bloated or flatulent (although my other half might beg to differ). I'm off to the GP later this week to discuss it with them. I'm trying to remove bread from my diet but I do love the stuff so it's going to be hard....... which leads me to my second question......

 

I love a sandwich at lunchtime - and it's this meal I'm going to find the most difficult to substitute with a non-bread alternative. A salad just isn't going to cut it for me. I'm not much of a foodie so can anyone suggest an alternative that might offer the chewiness of bread that I might eat with a bit of ham/tuna salad?

 

Actually, a third question, does this sound like I might have developed a gluten intolerance?

 

Thank all,

 

D

[aliceBB]

It might well be a gluten intolerance - there is a test for this, so ask your GP.

 

Alternatives to bread at lunchtime - brown rice is gluten free and quite chewy, or there are gluten free breads/pitta breads available. Sainsbury's are probably the best, although none of them reallly taste like wheat bread. Alternatively I think you can get gluten free Ryvita or similar crispbreads. Rice cakes are good too, if you like them.

[tzijlstra]

I read somewhere recently that what often is perceived a gluten intolerance might actually be an allergy to some of the crap that supermarkets put in bread to make it stay 'fresh' for longer. Does this also happen when you try eating a genuine home-made piece of bread?

[Pritt Stick]

Not had home-made bread in years so I don't know. I DO like rice cakes, esp the marmite ones, so I'll bang them in. Rice no good, really, don't like the stuff. Thanks for your comments - appreciate it.

[Maz3]

Very common, Try sticking to just one or 2 slices of bread a day, such as toast at breakfast. Then have other carbs for the rest of the day, such as jacket spuds, pasta, noodles etc. I did this and immediately noticed end to acid reflux.

[ANGELFIRE1]

I think your quack will know and can find out the reason for your indigestion - it's what they get well paid for.

 

Angel.

[WeX]

I know this may be a personal question but, have you put on weight recently? visceral fat causes pressure on your stomach which pushes the acid up the gullet and causes heartburn and acid reflux.

[onewheeldave]

Hi all

 

I'm a 49 year old man and over the last 12 months or so I've noticed I get indigestion / acid reflux after bread be it white, brown, granary, etc. I tend to carry of strip of Rennies around with me but if I've run out I really suffer.

 

Firstly, anyone have any idea what this might be or have you experienced this yourself? I don't get bloated or flatulent (although my other half might beg to differ). I'm off to the GP later this week to discuss it with them. I'm trying to remove bread from my diet but I do love the stuff so it's going to be hard....... which leads me to my second question......

 

I love a sandwich at lunchtime - and it's this meal I'm going to find the most difficult to substitute with a non-bread alternative. A salad just isn't going to cut it for me. I'm not much of a foodie so can anyone suggest an alternative that might offer the chewiness of bread that I might eat with a bit of ham/tuna salad?

 

Actually, a third question, does this sound like I might have developed a gluten intolerance?

 

Thank all,

 

D

 

Yes, I have experience of this. Up till a few years ago I ate loads of bread- a loaf of wholemeal everyday, bread with most meals, loads of sandwiches etc.

 

As it was wholemeal I assumed it was healthy. But, it isn't, certainly not in those quantities.

 

I also started getting acid reflux, and noticed that it dissapeared when I cut bread down to 1 or 2 slices a day- I also lost weight when I cut the bread down.

 

I no longer regard bread as healthy (plants, vegetables, fruit, unprocessed foods are what I regard as healthy), but it is tasty and filling, so I continue to eat it, but make sure I've got a grip on the cravings and keep the amount of bread eaten low.

 

A useful tactic for lowering bread consumption is to switch to an unfamiliar form, eg, if you alway eat white bread, next time buy a wholemeal loaf- you'll eat less cos it's not your usual- though as time goes buy, you'll get to like it (cos you crave bread) so be aware that you don't want to end up eating as much wholemeal as white and keep an eye on the quantities.

 

Also, what I'm doing now is to eat mainly 'wraps' as opposed to loaves, by packing in absurdly large amounts of leaves/lettuce/chopped veg etc, etc. So even though I know the wraps aren't particularly healthy, it's offset by the fact that it enables me to eat large quantities of super-healthy plants/veg, and still enjoy the taste and filling nature of bread.

Edited December 15, 2013 by onewheeldave

[taxman]

Slightly off topic but I've recently been cutting down on bread and have managed to shed more than a stone in weight. I've also increased my exercise but my main change food wise was not having sandwiches in the evening, not having bread with every lunch and not finishing some of the bread we do eat in one sitting, but saving it for another meal or freezing it.

 

It is a bind but can be done. I do have rye-vita and cottage cheese occasionally which I can cope with but not all the time. In the past if I'd some leftover pasta bake or chilli to take for lunch I'd invariably take a pita to have with it. Unnecessary really so I've stopped.

[GLASGOWOODS]

It's advisable that you consult your GP if you have indigestion/acid,for more that a couple of weeks.Also,taking into account your age.