[magicfish]

My consultant diagnosed me with a wheat intolerance and violent bowel spasming, since under his guidance and influence i have cut out wheat and transfered to wheat free foods, especially pasta, bread and cereal. Previously i ate bran flakes daily and despite giving me symptoms of IBS-C it did help me go to the bathroom, i didnt go daily but it would help me when i did. Ive now had to change cereal and i feel that im not getting any digestive help! Im eating 5 fruit and veg a day but would love some guidance.... Would it damage me to continue to eat a small amount of Bran daily? or is there a wheat free alternative...

 

[Kathleen M.]

If you have a gluten intolerance you cannot include wheat bran at all. It has trace amounts of gluten and will cause there to be damage to the lining of the small intestine. Even stirring something with wheat in it and not washing the spoon well enough before putting it into a wheat free pot of something may be enough to cause severe symptoms. (now some people are much more sensitive than others, but most of the people I know with celiac will not risk any wheat product of any kind no matter what).If you have a more generalized problem with just too much wheat starch in the diet you may or may not tolerate enough bran to do you any good. But you may not tolerate other starches that well, either.You can't get any help from non-gluten containing fiber? Either supplements or other whole grains (and if you can find oat bran processed in a non-wheat facility you can get other bran, may be able to find rice bran or other such things). A lot of gluten free recipes call for rice bran or flax meal to add the fiber that would be from wheat bran.Here is a rice bran source, at 19 grams of fiber per serving it should be plenty.http://www.gooddayglutenfree.com/Ener-G-Fo...tinfo/1EG35201/

 

[Stacey0731]

Ingesting gluten when you have celiac disease will usually cause diarrhea. Sounds like you are in the small majority, like me, who gets constipation instead. When I was first diagnosed I was told I was lactose intolerant too. In most celiacs, the lactose intolerance will go away within a year. Mine never has after 8 years and if I do ingest dairy my constipation worsens. Lactose enzymes do not help me either. Maybe that could be part of your problem?