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Gluten or Fructan's, bread vs pasta?

Messages
48
I'm trying to narrow something down here. Since I was young I've had terrible brain fog. It seems that this is at it's worst when I eat bread or oats. I initially thought it was gluten but I've now read about Fructans and how they can be the culprit. Oats don't contain Gluten, but they do contain Fructans. Gluten is a Protein, Fructan's are a carbohydrate.

Regardless of whether it is either of these, I only get the heavy brain fog and difficulty in focusing and sometimes talking when I eat bread of all types, and Oats.. Even Gluten free oats (Oats not contaminated with Gluten during processing). It doesn't matter.

But.... if I eat pasta, I don't get any of these symptoms. That's where I'm getting confused.
Is the Fructans or Gluten in either of these types of food different when it's made into Pasta. Can anyone explain this?

Thank
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
Hi @dominover.....I would say the only one who could adequately explain this would be a specialist in intestinal disorders, who may refer you to a good dietician or nutrionist. You're probably going to play a game of talking to a lot of people before you find someone who will make sense of it all.

I don't know if you're aware but scientist have now found that gluten affects much more than the intestinal tract, it can also affect the neurological. Very interesting research....a newly discovered version that requires very strict dietary control. (I'm having some brain fog myself at the moment.) People with this newly discovered version don't suffer from stomach complaints. It's good that you're on a gluten free diet. Perhaps b/c you're on a gluten free diet you're able to withstand pasta once in awhile. Still, I'd avoid it, which I know is easier said than done, especially when someone else is doing the cooking. I hope you get some answers to your question.Yours, Lenora
 

maple

Senior Member
Messages
251
Maybe it’s the yeast. I can’t eat bread- or drink wine- because of the yeast.
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
It's a tough one, Dominover, I still think your best recourse is a specialist in intestinal illnesses. It will take some thought, checking out research and being open to everything one would reads. Maybe you should stick with sunny eggs for at least your breakfast. Perhaps you have more than one allergy going on...have you thought about that? I'm sorry, that's all I can think of.
 
Messages
48
Thanks. Yes its a tough one but its been with me for life. I understand allot more now, so I can question things allot better. I'm thinking fructans are possibly it. I had a gluten test done and there's no indication of an intolerance there. I noticed that when I went in a ketogenic diet, my brain fog and anxiety disappeared. That's never happened. I had energy later in the day and didn't wake up exhausted. I'm sure blood sugar problems cause that, but it's no doubt a product of low level gut inflammation because I'm fit and eat healthy. It's a long story on how I came to this but I know I'm close.
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,684
Location
Alberta
I think that doctors are unlikely to be able to figure out what is causing the problem. I think you're better off experimenting with foods with different levels of fructans and gluten, and figure out which is making you feel worse. That will require some looking up, but I expect you can find a complete list of molecules in wheat and oats, and then find other foods with some of those things separately. I did that with cumin, finding a list of chemical constituents (with relative amounts), and then found other herbs and spices containing one or more of them, and had it pretty much narrowed down to cuminaldehyde. Maybe it's a certain length of fructan that you're sensitive to. I expect that cooking damages some fructans, so that would explain why cooked pasta is safe (baking might damage them differently). If you want to test that theory, eat some of that pasta uncooked. Have you tried oats cooked the same way as pasta? Lots of experiments to try. :)
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,913
Hi Dominover....Why don't you try what Wishful suggests and see if you can narrow it down that way. I still suspect that more than one food allergy may be causing it....do you always have milk for example? A lot of people can't tolerate that and switch to something like Almond Milk. But she has a good idea....and that's for you to do a bit more experimenting. Yours, Lenora.