Constipation that often comes and goes (chronic) should not be ignored. It can be attributed by lots of factors. Normally, it is usually related to what you eat (especially such as diet too low in fiber). But sometimes it can be a sign of certain health condition, too. Interestingly, some people find that bread may be one of constipation triggers – is it true?
How do you get constipation?
In fact, it is one of most digestive complaints in many countries, including in U.S. Actually, most people can have it. But when it becomes chronic, it should not be left untreated.
The definition of constipation may vary, too. While for some people it means having difficulty passing stools (straining), for others it means infrequent movements for many days (or weeks) at a time.
But in general, constipation can make your bowel movements go difficultly! Mostly, the problem occurs when the stool moves slower than normal through your digestive tract, making it dry and hard.
As noted before, the problem has many causes. If there is an underlying condition behind the problem, these may include:
Hormonal-conditions
Some conditions that affect hormonal imbalances, such as pregnancy, thyroid problems, and diabetes can cause chronic constipation.
In fact, there are some hormones in the body that play a key role to regulate the balance of fluids. If the balance of fluids is affected, this may also affect the habit of bowel movements.
For instance, if there is too low fluid in the body, you can have constipation.
Trouble in the muscles involved in bowel movement
To pass stool, your brain sends signal to muscles in the digestive tract for elimination. But if there is something wrong with these muscles, you cannot pass the stool as well as it should.
The pelvic muscles are important to allow for a bowel movement. The following are some problems that can affect these muscles:
- Dyssynergia, a condition that causes poor coordination to contract and relax in the pelvic muscles.
- Trouble in relaxing muscles in the pelvic, such as a condition called anismus.
- Weakened muscles in the pelvic can have an effect, too.
Trouble in the function of nerves around the rectum and colon
Neurological problems can lead to some digestive problems (including constipation), because these can make the muscles in the rectum and colon contract improperly. The causes may include; stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury.
Blockages in the digestive tract
Any blockages in the tract where the stool goes (particularly such as in the colon and rectum) can affect your bowel movements. Causes may include; bowel stricture (narrowing of the colon), bowel obstruction, anal fissure, rectocele, or cancers of colon and rectum.
Does eating bread really cause constipation?
The answer can vary, while some find no any problem when eating bread, others can experience some bread-related gut symptoms.
Some people find specific foods are so hard to digest in their digestive system – bread appears to be one of these.
And nowadays, more and more of us are sensitive to bread or other wheat-based foods. If you are one of them, you may suffer from a wheat allergy!
… Continued …
If eating bread or other wheat-based ones gives you bloating, constipation, or other digestive symptoms – cutting out bread may help. Changing the type you eat may help, too.
Allergic reaction related to bread is pretty common. The problem is unlikely to be the culprit, but it’s real and wheat may be the main reason.
There are some conditions that can lead to wheat-related gut symptoms. These include:
- A sudden allergic reaction to wheat (wheat allergy). If you have this disorder, your body can ‘over react’ after eating wheat – within a few minutes, you may experience allergic symptoms such as sneezing, wheezing, or itching.
- Wheat sensitivity. Unlike wheat allergy, wheat-sensitivity symptoms usually develop slowly. These include cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.
- Celiac disease, allergic reaction to gluten. It is also familiar called ‘gluten-intolerance’. Gluten itself is a kind of protein that can be found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats.
Bread is not the only one. In fact, there are lots of wheat-based products, these include: cereals, biscuits, pasta, doughnuts, pastries, cakes, beer, and even soy sauce.
Tips for coping
If you have unusual symptoms such as constipation or bloating after eating bread, it’s not bad idea to try an elimination diet. In this option, you will completely remove bread or wheat-based foods in your diet for about 2-4 weeks, and then eat it back in gradually to see if your symptoms recur!
When you return to your previous diet, it’s recommended to try pasta or Weetabix first for a few days before eventually you go with bread. Bread itself has lots of other ingredients. So to analyze whether or not you are sensitive to wheat, it’s better to start with wheat-based foods in a more pure form.
And if you experience severe symptoms that last longer than you expect (such as painful stomach cramps vomiting, or even blood in the stools), see a doctor promptly to rule out a medical health condition of these unusual symptoms!
As noted before, nowadays wheat-based products are overwhelming. But if you do have sensitivity to bread, cutting it or other wheat-based products should not harm your health – especially if you do the change properly!
However, it seems diet with wheat elimination is not easy. There is nothing wrong with this opinion, but in fact there are also plenty of alternative choices to substitute wheat in your diet. These include quinoa, buckwheat pasta, gluten-free bread, corn, red rice, and porridge.