I stopped drinking coffee and the last of my bloat is gone page

[sakura_girl]

When I cut out wheat, I didn't cut out coffee. As a result, my digestive system worked slightly better, but I was still having gas in the afternoon. I cut out my afternoon Starbucks and my morning organic locally-roasted french-pressed coffee for a week now, and my stomach bloat and afternoon face bloating is pretty much gone (minus yesterday during the aftermath of over half a pound of nuts). Anybody else have the cross-reactivity with wheat in coffee? I'm not sure if it is just the shitty Starbucks coffee or the coffee in general. In a month I'll add my good coffee back in to see if there are any negative effects. This is so awesome! But so sad because now I can't drink yummy black coffee

[fiercehunter]

I thought coffee caused bloat for a while too, now think it's healthy and have decided to drink it based on its anti oxidant effect, mineral content etc.
Caffeine: A vitamin-like nutrient, or adaptogen. Questions about tea and coffee, cancer and other degenerative diseases, and the hormones.

[butterphly01]

Very interesting. I've been trying to figure out what is still causing my bloating. It's so frustrating to be eating so healthfully, but still be bloated enough to look pregnant some days!!
I'm in the middle of a few weeks' experiment of cutting out dairy to see if that's the ticket. Drinking my coffee black is not fun, but gosh, if coffee is the cause-I just might cry! What exactly is the "cross-reactivity" that you mentioned? Might be something for me to look into.

[sakura_girl]

I heard it's because the protein structure in coffee is similar to that of gluten, so it could cause a similar reaction in your gut. Good for you for trying to cut dairy out; I've pretty much done that too, except I eat cheese maybe once every 2 weeks.

You could try buying better, freshly-roasted coffee if you don't like drinking your coffee black. Mine is so delicious that I could drink it black pretty much from day 1. Also, I use a french press.

[sakura_girl]

Fiercehunter, there are a lot of positives of coffee and caffeine that I already understand. But you can also get those benefits elsewhere, ie eating diversified Primal foods, without having to succumb to the bloat. And I get my caffeine from quality tea now.

[Knifegill]

I'm pretty bloat-prone. Everything from the usual suspects all the way to excess fruit consumption will get my belly out. But never nice, black coffee made from well-water. I'm even pretty sure tap water bloats me. I don't know if it's the fluoride or other chemicals. But I stick to well water as much as possible - and it makes a superb coffee anyway! But, no, plain black coffee does not bloat this pink-skinned zit-prone white guy. Almost everything else does, though! For sure dairy!!! I had some ice cream yesterday and I'm already gassy and feeling weird belly pressure. But it was worth it. Beyond worth it. Mmmmmm, sweet ice cream! The most paleo ice cream I've ever encountered, too. Milk is from cows with the healthier protein DNA (that whole A2 thing), etc.

[sakura_girl]

Lol, you're funny knifegill! I've actually researched the tap water from my county because they do testing and release reports every year. They actually use well-water in my area, and the water highly exceeds the standards placed on drinking water in cities. So I don't think it's the water, especially since I'm still drinking tap right now.

[oxide]

I heard it's because the protein structure in coffee is similar to that of gluten

Hmmm, that would explain why coffee used to aggravate my acid reflux. Gluten sensitivity caused acid reflux, coffee made it worse. Now that I'm generally wheat free (and off of Prilosec, yay!), I can tolerate small amounts of coffee.

[gopintos]

I will be glad when one day I can tell my tummy looks bloated vs. just being too fat

[KatieKakes]

I read about the cross-reactivity phenom in Nora Gedgaudas' book "Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life." She states: "Cross-reactivity, which is the tendency to react to substances either genetically or structurally similar to gluten or that our immune system has merely come to associate with gluten, is an added concern for many..." She talks about how if you always had a piece of toast, or a doughnut, or cereal, or whatever with your coffee for many years, your body may now associate the intake of coffee with the negative effects that gluten had on you before and simulate the same response without actually eating the gluten.

"Among the most common true potentially cross-reactive compounds are:
-casein (milk protein and cheese included)
-oats (including the supposedly "gluten-free" kind)
-rye
-barley
-spelt
-kamut (also known as Polish wheat, Egyptian wheat, or camels' wheat)
-yeast
-coffee
-milk chocolate"

So yes, butterphly01, dairy could be causing your problem!