Episode 43-Is Gluten Bad For You If You Have IBS?

Episode 43-Is Gluten Bad For You If You Have IBS?

Welcome back to Healing Her IBS. Today we’re talking about one of the most confusing topics in the IBS sphere: gluten.

Maybe you’ve wondered at some point —“Why does gluten seem to make my symptoms worse?”

And maybe you’ve gone back and forth…
One week gluten feels totally fine, and another week — suddenly you’re bloated, uncomfortable, running to the bathroom, or your stomach feels like it’s in knots.

So what’s happening?
Is it the gluten? Is it your gut? Is it stress?

Let’s get curious and talk through this issue today on Healing Her IBS

Me, Myself, Gluten and IBS

My story with gluten is sort of long and interesting and I’ve had a lot of questions around gluten and it’s role in health and in IBS. I have noticed in the last five or ten years a change of marketing on a lot of food products, advertising foods as gluten free—as if this was a pro or something that people would want in their food.

I think that somewhere along the line gluten got a bad reputation and has been put into the “bad” food category, even though I don’t think that’s a fair or truthful assessment of gluten—unless you have Celiac’s.

I don’t have a negative opinion of gluten, though I did cut gluten out of my diet for nearly five years and have only recently started re introducing gluten successfully back into my diet, maybe over the last three months.

Since gluten is so top of mind for me, I figured maybe it was for you as well and I should do deep dive research into what’s going on with gluten and IBS. As I mentioned, I did the Low FodMap diet for around six weeks in 2019 or so after I was diagnosed with IBS to see if it would help with my symptoms.

While many foods on that list I was fine with, there were a few that were initially very irritating to me and would very quickly make me bloat and feel unwell. Some of those foods were: broccoli, cauliflower,  beans, most dairy and most definitely gluten. Gluten containing foods were the foods that gave me the biggest and most immediate reaction right after eating them.

Because of this experiment, I decided to cut those foods out for a while and I decided I would gradually try again as I went on with my healing. All those foods I mentioned above I was able to add back into my diet within a few years of healing, except gluten! I would try over and over again every few months to add gluten back into my diet and most times I would have an IBS symptom pretty soon after. Eventually, I gave up and made a concerted effort to make sure I was getting good carbs from other foods.

However, I have always hoped I could have gluten again —if only for the occasional convenience sake of not having to turn down something at someone’s house, or the annoyance of trying to find something gluten free while travelling. I can’t say with certainty what exactly has changed over the past three months, but now I can tolerate gluten without any issue and I feel like it’s a huge turning point for me in my IBS journey.

I feel now lucky that I don’t depend on gluten products as a mainstay of my diet, but that I can have some if I want and I choose to and that I am no longer controlled by this inconvenience.

Let’s Start With the Science of Gluten and IBS

A lot of people hear “gluten” and immediately think gluten allergy or celiac disease.

But most women with IBS don’t actually fall into that category, I was tested for celiac disease and tested negative —although I need at that time I was sensitive to gluten.

If you do not tolerate gluten, what you do have is a sensitive gut and nervous system, and gluten-containing foods interact with that sensitivity in a few different ways. First — and I think this is huge — it’s often not even the gluten itself.

Wheat is naturally high in something called fructans, which are a type of carbohydrate that ferment in the gut.

For a sensitive digestive system, that fermentation can create gas, pressure, bloating, and changes in gut motility, which means how well (how fast or slow) things move through your digestive system.

So what is sometimes blamed on gluten… is actually the fructans in wheat.

It’s why you might feel okay eating sourdough in Italy, or artisanal bread, but not a supermarket loaf at home.
Traditional sourdough fermentation breaks down some of those fermentable carbs, making it gentler on digestion.

 Here’s where it gets deeper.

Gluten often gets eaten in situations where the body is already stressed.

Think about the foods gluten tends to show up in:

It’s not just the food — it’s the emotional and mental state you’re in when you eat it. If your body is in fight-or-flight mode — rushing, tense, multitasking, under-rested — digestion slows. The gut becomes more reactive.

The nervous system is on high alert — and everything feels louder in the body, including food.

So yes, gluten-containing foods can contribute to symptoms.

But they can also be a mirror showing you what’s happening inside your body-ask yourself too:

Am I stressed?   Am I rushing? Am I actually hungry or just grabbing food fast because I’m overwhelmed?

Blood sugar also plays a role.

Many gluten-containing foods are also simple carbs — bread, crackers, pastries. If those spike your blood sugar and then you crash, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol.

And when cortisol rises?
The gut tightens, motility shifts, and symptoms can show up.

So again — it’s not just “gluten is bad.”
It’s what’s happening inside your body when you eat it.

And then there’s the Gut Lining Piece

When you’re in an IBS flare, the gut lining is already more sensitive and reactive. Your nervous system is more alert.
 and your digestion is easily overwhelmed. So gluten might feel totally fine when your system is calm and supported — and really difficult if you’re already in a tender, inflamed moment.

This isn’t failure.
This is your body communicating to you about what’s happening within you.

So What Does This Mean?

Instead of jumping straight to thinking that you can never eat gluten again and that it’s a “bad food”-you might explore a more supportive question:

How is my body doing when gluten feels hard to digest?

Because when you learn to support your nervous system, blood sugar, and pace of life, you often find your food tolerance improves — not by force, or restriction — but by safety and support. Sometimes like with me, it just takes time and repeated efforts to try again and see how your body has changed, and your emotional state.

The goal isn’t to fear gluten.
The goal is to understand your body’s patterns and rebuild trust with your digestion.

A Gentle Experiment for You

Next time you have gluten, try this:

And just notice without judging what’s happening in your body, in your thoughts. If gluten is a triggering food for you, it’s perfectly fine to remove it from your diet for a time. You could remove it forever if that felt better for you!

The important thing is to make these choices intentionally and to understand what’s going on behind the scenes, and to let your IBS talk to you—with you communicating back. Holding boundaries for the time they need to be held and letting loose again when that’s called for.

Share
Share
Pin
TOPIC: Master the IBS Triggers