Gluten intolerance
Gluten… Have you heard of it? Do you suspect gluten in bread as the one you are sensitive to? Bread and bread products contain more substances than gluten to which your body can react allergically or intolerantly. It is best to be 100% sure what you are really reacting to! If you suspect gluten, I definitely advise you not to stop the search by avoiding gluten! You can read the reason in my book ByeBye Jeuk ‘The popular food sensitivities A. Gluten intolerance or celiac disease’ from page 82 (the book is published in Dutch, let me know if you’d like an English version) and possibly in my next posts on this Happy Body & Mind Blog and on the socials. I often also share reels and messages from the Flemish Coeliac Association VCV, the patient association that is committed to people with coeliakie and wheat allergies. In the posts I share on social media you’ll also notice posts from coeliac associations from other countries than Belgium.
Bread is more than gluten
Bread and bread products contain more substances than just gluten, which can lead to a sensitivity reaction. Substances that cause your sensitivity bucket* to overflow. On which substance(s) your body responds effectively with your skin, intestines, breathing, head,… , is important to pinpoint. To be able to assess the risks and burden of complaints. This is needed to apply the right aids such as medication and nutritional adjustments in a targeted way. So that your sensitivity bucket stops overflowing!
*The working principle of the sensitivity bucket and how you can learn to prevent overflowing is explained in the book ‘ByeBye Jeuk’ (written in Dutch, ‘Byebye Itch’ if you would like an English version: contact us). With many tips and first aid kits to boost your quality of life
A mishmash of ingredients with a risk of sensitivity reactions to other substances than gluten
Bread in itself is a mishmash of multiple ingredients, depending on which bread you choose and where you buy it. In this blog, we’ll go down to the last crumb.
The wheat allergens
In terms of allergens** you can encounter something in bread. Bread is traditionally based on wheat, the basic grain that has generally been used for centuries.
** An allergen is the substance, more specifically a specific protein, to which your body reacts allergically.
Many bread ingredients contain the various proteins that are recognized as allergens by the body if you are allergic to them and thus cause effective allergic symptoms.
Some types of sensitivity reactions to the wheat grain highlighted:
- One wheat protein is known for the mild cross-allergic reaction with grass pollen. Because you are allergic to the grass pollen, your body will read that specific wheat protein that you eat as the grass pollen proteins and you will get cross-allergy symptoms when eating wheat. You can read more about cross-allergies in the Blog Post: The pollen season is (almost) over… But what about your food allergies? (Dutch version, do ask for an English version by contacting us)
- One specific wheat protein only causes an allergic reaction when combined within a certain timelimit with exercise or stress.
- The intolerance to one specific protein in wheat: the gluten for which the name ‘celiac disease’ is used. This is an autoimmune disease in which your own body breaks down your body. Extremely important tip: never avoid gluten or wheat and spelt if you have not yet been diagnosed with gluten intolerance (= celiac disease). Otherwise you will have to eat yourself sick again so that the diagnosis of celiac disease can be made.
Other allergies to wheat proteins can be quickly tested by a targeted blood check at the doctor’s office. So that the appropriate necessary measures can be taken quickly. Among other things: medication, nutritional advice from a specialized dietician and direct referral to the allergist.
The other grains besides wheat (with gluten) in bread products
All types of grains, besides wheat, can play a role in allergic reactions to bread when used as an ingredient. These include: rye, barley, millet, oats, spelt, rice and also buckwheat, teff,… Sensitivity reactions to each of these grains, including allergies have been reported.
Legumes in bread
Flour from legumes such as soy is also often added to bread products. Soy is a major allergen with different types of food allergies to various soy proteins present in the soybeans. Soybeans are used in bread and many other foods such as tofu, tempeh, soy drink and yogurt, soy sauce,… And edamame beans are soybeans in themselves.
Each soy protein to which allergies have been reported and investigated, is linked to its specific physical reaction and complaint pattern, in time of occurrence and the risks.
There are also intolerances to soy and soy products, including intolerance to benzoates. And besides other intolerances, there is the allergy to fragrances, perfume and balsam of Peru that can also cause an overreaction to pure and processed soy-based foods.
Next bread ingredient: yeast or sourdough
Yeast or sourdough are the two other ingredients to get the well-known bread: it comes up in the oven or bread machine and with a nice crumb. In the case of allergies and intolerances, the type of yeast, dried or fresh, that is used is also decisive. The fermentation and sourdough process is also responsible for breaking down certain substances that can lead to an intolerance to too much of it in the most recent meal and meals up to three days ago. The last minimum piece of bread can cause the sensitivity bucket to spill over.
Dairy in your bread
Milk is sometimes used in bread as a softener. Allergies to various milk proteins do exist. These occur extremely rarely in adults unless you had a milk allergy as a baby and child. In addition, a reaction to milk can be due to lactose intolerance with its classic pattern of symptoms: bloated stomach, intestinal cramps, loose stool and rapid bowel movements within a certain time when exceeding your tolerance limit.
Additional Ingredients
Let alone nuts, seeds, kernels, dried fruits such as raisins, herbs, flavorings,… have been added to the dough. Each with their own possible different protein allergies, fragrance allergies to flavourings or intolerances such as to the benzoates, salicylates and tyramine that are contained in them.
The baker as a benchmark
It plays a role to know whether the reaction follows a loaf of bread from a proud artisan baker, from a bakery with a chain of bakery shops or whether you bought the bread in the supermarket. And with the bread from the supermarket that it is pre-packaged or still to be cut in the bread machine. The last two producers have no choice but to buy and store the flour in large quantities. And the bread that comes pre-packaged on the shelves must have a longer shelf life. The preservatives and other baking improvers can determine the complaints and burden if the tolerance limit of the person eating the bread is exceeded.
A small note, in fact a small creature: the flour mite.
This mite can occur in the flour used by you, the industrial producer or the baker. When flour rich in flour mites hangs raw and loose on bread you eat, a sensitivity reaction that follows may be due to this mite. This can be perfectly tested with skin prick testst on the arm at the allergist and in the blood.
If you bake bread yourself, the ingredients are decisive and they differ from bread mix to bread mix and whether you add the ingredients pure and separately.
The healthy fibers
The fibers are naturally present in the wholegrain flour or are added such as: inulin, chicory fiber, – carrot that is added to glutenfree bread.
There are usually natural fibers in classic bread. The natural fibers or added are: the fructans (=FOS or fructo-oligosaccharides) and the galactans (GOS or galacto-oligosaccharides). The two FODMAPs*** which can irritate your intestines more if they are sensitive, by causing more gas to be formed as a result of the fermentation of those fibres by your intestinal bacteria.
The fibers make you notice differences in abdominal complaints, bowel movement pattern and bowel movement consistency itself.
The sugars
For example, sugar is added to bread in the form of honey. Complaints can arise to the abdomen due to the presence of fructose in honey and to the skin and intestines due to the benzoates in honey in case of an intolerance to this. Or skin and intestines can cause complaints because of a fragrance allergy, perfume allergy or balsam of Peru allergy.
Everything you eat and drink plays a role
The protein allergies always come from a specific ingredient in your meals and drinks. The substances for which you may have a tolerance limit are found in several ingredients in your meals and drinks.
There is more than gluten to think about when you do a reaction to bread. Calling in the right help is especially important for the correct links between complaints, substances and which sensitivity reaction. People often can’t figure it out themselves, unless it’s an obvious food allergy with immediate symptoms.
Whole grain bread rich in fiber is healthy in itself and contains very nutritious ingredients that are generally well digested and tolerated.
A new lifestyle is not a plug-in-and-play
Picture by Lore Eelen @made.by.lore.eelen
Tips if you suspect bread as the cause of your complaints:
- Do not avoid bread and eat it daily until the correct diagnosis is made,
- Spread wheat-based foods over days rather than multiple wheat-based meals in one day.
- Choose whole grains, choose fresh bread and fresh pure grain-based bread products from an artisan baker – pure ingredients are more clearly linked and excludes the accumulation of certain substances that have a role in a number of intolerances.
- Contact a skilled specialist dietician so that she/he/them can do the analysis for you and you can stop analysing. Get ready for the necessary targeted and well-guided steps with the necessary supporting documents and lists to guide you smoothly through a (temporary) diet and lifestyle change.
Want to learn more about food sensitivities: allergies and intolerances? There are probably some really cool things you can discover about what you put in your mouth! As a Food and Beverage Engineer and a specialized Allergy Dietitian, I’d love to share them with you! Follow this Happy Body & Mind Blog and my social media channels:
