Bread is one of the staple foods for many people all around the world. Dough is formed by mixing flour and water. Finally for preparing bread the dough is baked in different size and shapes. There are wide variety of additives and ingredients used while preparing bread to improve its texture, flavor, taste, and preserve its shelf life. This may include various types of fats, chemical additives, etc.
Although most people have no health problem from eating bread, there are few who may suffer from various health issues, stomach cramps being one of the most prominent of them.
The best way to avoid stomach pain after eating bread is to avoid eating bread, if bread is the underlying cause. Let us know the reasons for stomach upsets after eating bread.
What Causes Stomach Pain After Eating Bread?
Over centuries bread is become a staple food in many cultures and families. Before the bread is prepared, it has to pass through several processes.
- Gluten intolerance: Bread contains a protein called gluten. Gluten is present in wheat. Although it is good for general health of most people, some may be intolerant to this protein. The immune system of such person is intolerant to gluten and reacts. It causes damage to the lining of intestine which absorbs nutrients from ingested food. The intestinal lining gets inflamed. There is no known cause why the immune system in some people reacts to gluten present in wheat. Gluten is also present in certain other cereals such as oats, rye, and barley. Hence a person having intolerance to gluten experiences pain in abdomen, gas, bloating and changes in bowel movement. The symptoms may develop few minutes or hours after eating bread.
- Food allergy: The other most important cause is food allergy. There are various substances used during preparation of bread such as wheat, milk, egg, yeast, soy, etc. If a person is allergic to any of the ingredients present in bread, it may manifest as stomach pain besides several other symptoms such as itching, formation of hives, skin rash, diarrhea, nasal congestion, breathing difficulty etc. The underlying cause for all this is allergic reaction. The immune system of body in such persons reacts assuming that the substance is harmful to the body. It thus starts producing histamine and other chemicals. This causes inflammation in the lining of stomach producing cramps and colicky pain in stomach after eating bread.
Home Remedies For Stomach Pain After Eating Bread
The simple treatment for both; allergy to bread and intolerance to bread is to eliminate bread completely from the diet. It also includes food products similar to bread such as pizza and pasta which contain ingredients similar to bread. The aim is eat gluten free diet.
If you are gluten intolerant, you may also have to be careful while eating and purchasing food products that contain gluten. Gluten is also present in hard candy, ice cream and condiments.
To alleviate pain in abdomen, itching, diarrhea and other symptoms there are several effective home remedies that are useful:
- Drink plenty of water as it will help to remove the toxins and waste collected in the body.
- Drink bone broth, it is soothing to the gastrointestinal tract.
- Take Epsom salt bath at least two times in a week after exposure to gluten.
- Peppermint tea is beneficial as it has soothing properties that will help to calm down the digestive system and reduce abdominal pain.
- Try acupuncture to alleviate abdomen pain if you are exposed to gluten or gluten containing products such as bread.