Gassy After Eating

[CruiseWriter]

I was just diagnosed with IBS, not Celiac, but after I eat, I always have to toot...as if my preggers-looking belly isn't bad enough and nothing fits around my middle. Tonight I had gluten-free hamburger helper for dinner, and it really made me gassy. Is it because my insides are so messed up? I've never been this gassy in a long time.

[RiceGuy]

Your digestive system may not be able to properly digest certain foods right now. I would suggest a digestive enzyme supplement. This has helped me with both food digestion, and the "balloon belly". Make sure it is gluten-free, which means that the maltase (or malt diastase) can't be derived from barley. NOW Foods makes one called "Digest Platinum", derived entirely from microbial sources, which is also important because these enzymes can withstand the acidity of the stomach. Another decent one is made by Doctor's Best.

Incidentally, the term "IBS" is a junk diagnosis. It basically means they don't know what is causing the bowel to be irritated.

[Macbre]

I was just diagnosed with IBS, not Celiac, but after I eat, I always have to toot...as if my preggers-looking belly isn't bad enough and nothing fits around my middle. Tonight I had gluten-free hamburger helper for dinner, and it really made me gassy. Is it because my insides are so messed up? I've never been this gassy in a long time.

"IBS" that's what I was told in the beginning also. I was even referred to the Boreland Grover Clinic, but in the mean time my blood work came back positive for Celiac. That's all it took for me to go gluten-free & my bloating went away along with the gas. You ought to try going gluten-free for at least a month and see if it helps. Were you tested for Celiac? Most dr.'s don't test for it unless you ask them to. I think there's a lot of people out there taking unnecessary meds for IBS when really they need to avoid gluten. Good luck!

[Roda]

"IBS" that's what I was told in the beginning also. I was even referred to the Boreland Grover Clinic, but in the mean time my blood work came back positive for Celiac. That's all it took for me to go gluten-free & my bloating went away along with the gas. You ought to try going gluten-free for at least a month and see if it helps. Were you tested for Celiac? Most dr.'s don't test for it unless you ask them to. I think there's a lot of people out there taking unnecessary meds for IBS when really they need to avoid gluten. Good luck!

I so agree and see it every day in my line of work.. but I'm limited to what I can say. Mostly I just think to myself.

[Nor-TX]

I was just diagnosed with IBS, not Celiac, but after I eat, I always have to toot...as if my preggers-looking belly isn't bad enough and nothing fits around my middle. Tonight I had gluten-free hamburger helper for dinner, and it really made me gassy. Is it because my insides are so messed up? I've never been this gassy in a long time.

Sounds like you have a dairy allergy too. It is often part of IBS. The Hamburger Helper contains milk/dairy ingredients and that is probably what you are reacting to. When I first saw the gluten free Hamburger Helper products I was pretty excited because I happen to love that stuff but when I saw that they contained milk products I could not buy it. I know that even the tiniest bit of cheese or lactose or casein causes my belly to swell and bump around for a day or so and make me gassy.

To make sure that your products do not contain any dairy ingredients, look for the Parve word on the front of the container or package. It may be the actual word - Parve, or just a P in a circle or standing beside a Kosher symbol. It means that there is absolutely no chance of any dairy product contained within. Even if the product does not contain dairy but is manufactured in a facility that makes other dairy products it will not say Parve. It will have a U symbol or a K symbol and then a D or the word dairy indicating it may contain dairy.

Your symptoms are just too typical of a dairy intolerance to try to attribute it to something else. Avoid dairy for a week or two and you should loose that pregnant appearance. It works for me!

Good Luck...