Do any of those prebiotic drink things work for the dreaded bloating?

[bookmarket]

Since being diagnosed with coeliac disease and going gluten free, I'm no longer bloated all the time. But I can now see that I start my day with a relatively deflated belly and as the day goes on I'm more and more bloated. I don't have lactose, as I noticed I react instantly to that. I've tried cutting out dairy but that hasn't made a difference. I eat majority of foods that are cooked from scratch.

Is there anything I can take or drink that will help? I don't have any pain or anything else going on, just a stomach that grows two dress sizes from morning to night.

I attempted to make my own kefir/fermented milk at home. It's honestly the most disgusting taste you can imagine. It's like lumpy, room temp baby sick that has gone off. I just couldn't stomach it no matter how good it's supposed to be for my gut health. Never again!
I now buy kefir from the supermarket instead though I imagine it's not as healthy as the home made stuff.

I've wondered what specifically it might be but I'm so reluctant to restrict my diet further. Having to be gluten free is bad enough. If I was in pain it would be different but I'm not.

Yes.

You buy the grains, put them in milk. There is a few days where you are activating them where you follow the instructions on the packet.

Then, you put your grains in some milk in your big jar.

Leave until the next day. Then you either pour through a sieve or you can get special jars with holes in the lid which you use as a sieve.

Then I put the fermented milk in a different jar in the fridge for dd to drink at her leisure.

You pour some ordinary milk into your big jar with the grains in for the next day.

If you are going on holiday or whatever you put your big jar in the fridge to slow it down.

It shouldn't be lumpy because you have sieved it.

Also OP have you had your thyroid levels checked? My only symptom of an underactive thyroid was bloating that got worse as the day progressed. I felt as if my food wasn't being digested. My GP checked my CA125 to rule out ovarian cancer but also checked my thyroid levels and my TSH was 69. Since I went on treatment for my thyroid and cut out gluten and lactose my bloating is much better (though peri menopause has kicked in now so don't think I'll have a flat stomach again!)

Do you buy this from somewhere special?

Scampuss

Are you eating GF breads? Some of the fibres they use (psyllium and inulin in particular IIRC) can be quite bloaty!

Not much, once a week at most. I've made gf bread with psyllium husk. It could be a culprit but doesn't correlate with other times I'm bloated 🫤

What GF alternatives are you having? GF subs are very processed, like the pastas and breads. Try a brown rice pasta alternative rather than the blend of flours if you’re not having it already.

An online company called Freshly Fermented. I got the cultures for kefir, kombucha, ginger beer, and sourdough from them and all have been successful. Very clear instructions on the website too.

Yes, I also had blood tests to check for thyroid issues earlier this year. It was all fine. Not even borderline subclinical.

Good point. Now that I think of it gf oats and white rice do obviously cause bloating. We've various gf pasta. I don't have it more than once per week but should make more of a point to lean towards the alternative ones like red lentils pasta. That's a good idea to track if I've eaten any processed free from foods.

@RitzyMcFee
Thank you for your detailed post
Seems easier than I thought
I will order some for him now

Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas. It's been very helpful and given me lots of new things to try or make a better habit of.

Just posting to bookmark as I have a very similar problem

As there's been a new response I thought I would reignite this post from 2024 and update! I'm doing much better now and for me I think adding more fibre has made a huge difference. I have inulin and flaxseeds every morning with berries and yoghurt or blended I to a smoothie. I probably only eat gf bread twice a week and have salads with roasted sweet potato and humus or the Drs kitchen protein bread with almond butter for lunch. I also buy the sauerkraut you find in the cold cabinet and have that a few times per week. I honestly think the inulin and flaxseeds seeds have made the most difference to me. I'm rarely bloated now.