Stomach cramps from wheat? page

[Annika]

I've been eating Primal for 4 - 6 weeks now and loving it. I'm not super strict about it, but I definitely fall into the 80-20 rule. I have hardly been eating grains at all. This morning at work someone brought bagels, and I caved and had half a bagel with cream cheese. About four hours later I started having indigestion with cramps and bloating; it's been going on for a few hours now and is bad enough to keep me from doing much of anything. I'm wondering: could it be the damn bagel?


I thought back over the past few weeks. One night we went out to dinner, and I had some bread; after dinner I felt lousy (similar to now) and wondered if I had eaten some bad seafood. I had a very small biscuit a few nights ago and felt fine. I had a bite of a friend's pizza last week with no problem. These past two times were very small amounts. I can't think of another time I've felt sick, but then I can't think of another time I've eaten a substantial amount of wheat in the past month.


I've read that people who give up grains or wheat have trouble when they eat it again. Could this be happening to me so soon? If so, I'm not sure giving up grains is something I want to do! I'm a healthy weight, and I have no health problems except some chronic tendonitis-type issues (which have been worse, not better, since giving up wheat, because I'm doing more bodyweight exercises which aggravate it). Since I'm healthy and not overweight, I don't feel I have to be fanatically strict about my diet. I want to be able to eat stuffing and pie on Thanksgiving. Isn't the 80-20 rule all about occasional indulgences? I don't want to induce a food intolerance and never be able to eat pizza again; I want to be able to choose to indulge in anything, but do so rarely.

[BarbeyGirl]

Ohhhh, yes. Wheat (and other gluten grains) can most certainly have this effect!


I see what you're saying about not being sure you want to make the sacrifice permanently, but read up on what grains do to your intestines (think cumulative damage that can lead to infections, cancer, etc., not just temporary discomfort) and you might find that your perspective changes.


I wonder if something like pizza is easier to stomach because the fat buffers the gluten's impact? No idea whether that's true. Just a thought on why the wheat seems to disturb you more sometimes than others.

[Griff]

Yes, yes, yes. Grains cause damage to your intestines, your joints - all kinds of problems are caused by grains. I'm convinced that a lot of people are gluten-intolerant/allergic and/or wheat-intolerant/allergic and just don't know it - you probably already were wheat-intolerant and just didn't know it. You aren't going to induce an allergy; you've just stopped eating something you're already allergic to!


Your symptoms jive exactly with what happens to me if I encounter wheat or corn.


Your tendonitis should get better over time. Try a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement.

[chocolatechip69]

I did the same bagel experiment about 6 weeks into Primal eating life-style. I ate more than half a bagel though and felt sick and hung-over.


The problem is pretty much all of us have that grain-intolerance, but because MOST of us stuff our faces with it day in and day out our bodies are not capable of letting us know the negative effects through painful conditions like you've been experiencing during the past couple of times you ate bread. Any time you switch to primal way of eating, you restore the original way the body is suppose to behave and this is just a natural way of your body to let you know it doesn't need bagels and bread. Listen to your body and read a little bit more about Primal Blueprint and the reasoning behind avoiding carbs.

[OnTheBayou]

BAD, BAD GIRL!


Well, now you know, eh?

[PrimalGoddess]

I have celiacs disease and wheat does me in!!

I won't even attempt to eat it...I will be in bed for weeks! xoox Darlene

[Annika]

I used to eat wheat every day (last year I splurged and bought a high-end bread machine - now I wish I had saved my money!). Why would my gut feel fine eating wheat regularly, but react so badly when it's not used to it? Searching the forum just now has shown me that plenty of others have had similar experiences, but I still don't understand it.


It seems crazy to deliberately cause a food intolerance. I'm fine with drastically reducing my grain intake, but I'm not so fine with making myself unable to indulge once in a great while.

[PrimalGoddess]

have you ever had an allergist test you for wheat?

sometimes the stomach can *heal* so to speak cuz grains esp wheat can do a number on our guts but with all the other junk we eat sometimes we don't "Notice" it and perhaps you did this time cuz you have been on PB for a bit and your body is in the "healing" process so when you eat it now the gut is like WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT? is this horrible thing here irratting me ??

you might want to get tested or just stay away. their are lots of other good things to eat beside wheat!

xoxo Darlene

[Annika]

I've never been tested for allergies, because I've never had a noticeable reaction to anything until a couple of weeks ago. My gut has been fine.

[Griff]

Annika: Then perhaps you need to get tested for allergies. I'd bet that, like most people, you're allergic to wheat and/or gluten and just didn't know it.