Why Do I Feel Bloated When I Consume Bread?

Eating bread has been a staple of many cultural diets around the world without an exception, but why is it, that the more bread I eat, the more bloated I get? This was a big question for me! How is it that I could eat many loafs or baguettes with ease while in Europe but could not even consume a quarter of the amount without feeling so bloated at home?

Well let me introduce you to the three FDA approved bad boys:

1. Transglutaminase
2. Butyl hydroxytoluene (BHT)
3. Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA)

Transglutaminase is an enzyme that catalyses the formation of bonds between proteins. Its cross-linking property is widely used in various processes: to manufacture cheese and other dairy products, in meat processing and to manufacture bakery products.

BHT (butyl hydroxytoluene) is a lab-made chemical that is added to foods as a preservative. BHT is used as a preservative ingredient in some foods, which maintains freshness or prevents spoilage; it may be used to decrease the rate at which the texture, color, or flavor of food changes

Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is a lectin that protects wheat(Triticum) from insects, yeast and bacteria. Lectin is a type of ‘wheat germ agglutinin’ (WGA) and glycoprotein. … Like man-made pesticides, lectins are extremely small, resistant to breakdown by living systems, and tend to accumulate and become incorporated into tissues where they interfere with normal biological processes entering via the gastrointestinal tract.

Now that we have the them briefly identified, let’s get on with the blog;

Since industrial revolution and the mid 1950’s and population growth, commercial bakers in the United States have slowly replaced rising yeast with transglutaminase also known as a binding agent. This agent allow for the bread to have a full/fluffier appearance . While in Europe mainly France and Italy, the bread produced is from the traditional yeast-rising technique since most bread produced is white and not wheat. The white bread has gluten, which has been digested by yeast but lacks WGA. The Wheat bread we consume in the United States has both the transglutaminase and WGA (double hit). Transglutaminase is also known as a food glue , but unfortunately it can cross the blood brain barrier leading to possible neurotransmitter dis-regulation and conditions such as Parkinson’s. The FDA still reconginzed Transglutaminase as a generally recognize as safe!

If you see a label on a loaf of bread on the shelf, it will be to the courtesy of butyl hydroxytoluene (BHT). This agent blocks the oxidation of polyunsaturated oil and grains allowing items to look and stay fresh appearing. The safety of this item has been seriously debated and the consumer group has recommended its avoidance.

So why has the FDA allowed for these items; well if consumed in small amounts, they are considered as : “Generally Recognized As Safe”
I bet to argue this point as the quantity consumed over time can easily lead to a build up and inflammatory gut pathogensis with a cascade array of triggering other disease and disruptors!

Take Away Message:

1. Avoid buying bread on the grocery shelf with expiration date
2. Buy your bread fresh from bakery.
3. If bakery items you have purchased can stay at room temperature for more than a few days and not go bad, that is your clue, AVOID THEM.

www.seannikravanmd.com

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