Welcome to Wellness Wednesday where in-house nutrition coach, Coach Diana Leigh, answers YOUR questions about health.
Got a question you want to see answered here? Submit it on the AMA form.
Before we get into it, I want to take a moment to tell you about my new group coaching program, the Nourish With Confidence Kickstart.
The NWC is an 8-week group coaching program that helps active men + women create a healthy relationship with food + ditch dieting for good through foundational nutrition habits, balanced strategies, and high-level support.
Over the course of the program, I’m going to teach you how to improve your eating habits to better connect with your body cues, refine your nutrient intake to support your health and fitness goals, and set up a plan for success so you can be independently intuitive moving forward!
You can learn more about my program here.
Just a heads up – I only have FIVE spots left so I recommend you take action ASAP if you’re interested in joining. We start June 21!
Q: Eating gluten in general. Does it cause water retention or bloating? I don’t have celiacs disease.
A: Eating gluten in general does not cause water retention or bloating unless you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
Let’s break this down to be better understood:
Gluten is a protein found in many grains, and believe it or not, more of your food than you realize.
People with celiac disease have an immune reaction to gluten and as a result it can actually be very harmful for their health and it is imperative they avoid it in their diet.
Some people experience celiac symptoms when consuming gluten, but test negative for celiac. In this case the person may be gluten intolerant. Symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss and poor appetite
- Bloating or feeling full
- An itchy rash (1)
If you believe you have a gluten intolerance or celiac, you can work with a doctor to get blood tests to confirm or a registered dietician to do an elimination diet.
Maybe gluten intolerance or celiac isn’t a problem for you, but you are experiencing bloating – what else could it be?
- The speed at which you eat can affect your digestion. Check in with yourself to see if you’re eating too quickly which can cause bloating. Also note it’s harder to catch your fullness cues when you eat quickly, so you can be overeating without realizing.
- High sodium in meals causes water retention and bloat as well, so consider whether your diet is high in sodium. Investigate processed food items and always assume eating out at restaurants means you’ll be consuming more sodium than if you cooked at home.
- Carbohydrates cause water retention, but not all carbs are equal. Simple carbs (white breads, pastas, rice, doughnuts, sugary drinks, etc) digest quickly and cause a spike in water retention which can leave you feeling bloated while complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables) are slow digesting and won’t cause that spike.
- High fat diets can possibly cause bloat because fat takes longer to digest. This can also be caused by frequently eating out as meals from restaurants tend to be higher in fat for flavor.
- You might be looking at the wrong culprit – consider if you’re lactose intolerant because this can cause a lot of the same symptoms as gluten sensitivity.
It’s important to really investigate your own eating habits before hopping on a bandwagon fad (gluten-free, keto, etc) that requires you to remove entire food groups from your diet. Some questions to consider:
- Am I eating slowly and mindfully and honoring my body cues (hunger/fullness)?
- Am I eating a balanced diet consisting of mostly whole, real foods?
- Am I staying well hydrated and limiting my consumption of sugary drinks?
If you can say yes to the above 3 questions but are still experiencing bloat, it might be worth digging into your diet and health deeper with a health professional.
Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.
Want to work with Coach Diana Leigh? Fill out her application here.