IBS--Free at Last!

Thoughts About Spelt and other Yeast Breads

A reader has asked for my latest thoughts about spelt, and whether it is allowed or not allowed. Love the stuff, but it is confusing! Here's what I know: Spelt is definitely an ancient variety of wheat. (It is not gluten free, which we don't care about so much for FODMAPs purposes.)

There has been a small flurry of new FODMAPs data on spelt coming out that is a little difficult to interpret. One Australian 2011 paper that you may have read reported that spelt bread was very low in fructans, lower than wheat; the bread that was analyzed appeared to be a sourdough spelt bread. A German 2007 paper found that spelt "wholemeal" and flour have MORE fructans than wheat . Meanwhile, we just saw a 2011 UK study published that found gluten free breads were about like wheat breads for fructan content (but did not analyze spelt breads). In reality the fructan content of these foods is on a spectrum, and it a matter of where we draw the line about how much fructans is too much. My interpretation on breads at the moment (and I would love to revise it as soon as I see more comprehensive data) in order:

rye bread (has the most fructans)
whole wheat, white, gluten-free of various types, spelt breads (all about the same)
white and wheat sourdough (guessing)
sourdough whole spelt (guessing)
sourdough refined/white spelt (has the least fructans)

I am inclined to keep spelt off the elimination diet for now--not allowed--until we see more complete data. However, after the challenge phase is over, sourdough spelt bread in particular might be especially well tolerated. I am guessing that maybe white wheat sourdough and even whole wheat sourdough would be the next best tolerated. Authentic sourdough breads are allowed to ferment over a much longer time period while rising than breads to which baker's yeast is added, and that may break down some of the fructans. (Must ask for specifics where the sourdough bread is made--sometimes baker's yeast is added even to sourdough to speed up the rise--not as good for our purposes.)

As always, there can be non-FODMAPs issues that influence a particular person's tolerance of these products, including celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, immune-mediated sensitivity to rye, wheat, spelt or baker's yeast, plain old wheat allergy, etc.

New note: Kate Scarlata, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Will with IBS, recently returned from a FODMAPs educational event in Autralia. She learned that the FODMAPs content of grains can vary with growing conditions. Fructans, being the storage form of energy for the spelt or wheat plan, are lower in grains that have grown under drought conditions. Interesting.

Wheat Flour

Wheat is not allowed on the elimination phase of the FODMAPS elimination diet because wheat contains fructans. Sometimes, as I teach the diet to clients, it dawns on me they think I am referring only to whole wheat bread, or whole wheat flour when I say that wheat products are not to be consumed during the trial period.

This post aims to make clear that white bread and pasta are also made of wheat unless otherwise specified! You might see any one of the following "wheaty" ingredients listed on the food label or recipe (this list is not exclusive):

enriched flour or enriched wheat flour

all purpose flour

cake flour

pastry flour

self-rising flour

unbleached flour

stone-ground wheat flour

graham flour

semolina flour

durum wheat flour

whole wheat flour

white wheat flour

sprouted wheat

cracked wheat

Still in doubt after reading the ingredients list? In the United States, products containing have a statement on the nutrition facts panel to the effect of "Contains: wheat".

For more information about the FODMAPS elimination diet, see IBS--Free at Last!

Vital Wheat Gluten

Gluten is one of the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. In some cuisines (especially Asian, macrobiotic or vegetarian) it is processed and used as a protein source. It is also used in bread baking, to improve the texture, elasticity and rise of the bread.

There are several brands of vital wheat gluten on the market, and I've been asked whether gluten is an allowed ingredient on the FODMAPS elimination diet. Great question! I had a look at the Nutrition Facts for three major brands of vital wheat gluten on Zeer, one of my favorite web sites.

I see that two of the brands, Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills, have zero grams of fiber per serving, and zero grams of sugar per serving. Therefore, they don't contain any FODMAPS, and are likely to be well tolerated on the FODMAPS elimination diet. Obviously, these products would never be appropriate for anyone with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or a wheat allergy.

Starting with a gluten-free (non-wheat flour) recipe and adding some vital wheat gluten to help improve the texture and rise of the products could be really interesting! Please comment here if you would like to share the results of your experiments with other readers.

Fructans 101

Fructans are a group of food fibers. As you might guess from the name, fructans are chains of ring-shaped fructose sugars. Humans don't have what it takes to break these chains apart, so the fructose in the chains is not absorbed in the small intestine where other sugars are absorbed. When these dietary fibers reach the large intestine, they are fermented by the bacteria that live there, producing gas. This is no problem for many people, and sometimes fructans are even deliberately added to foods or probiotic supplements for the specific purpose of feeding the "good" bacteria. But for some people with IBS, the gas causes painful bloating.

By far the largest source of fructans in the Western diet is wheat.It accounts for 70% of our fructans intake. The second biggest source is onions, followed by garlic and unripe bananas. You can recognize added fructans in your food or supplements by the names "inulin" or "FOS".

It is important to note that even though wheat happens to be the primary source of fructans in our diets, intolerance of this kind has nothing to do with the wheat protein, gluten, which those with celiac disease must avoid. For a more complete discussion of fructans intolerance versus gluten intolerance, please see my recent guest post on the Kitchen Therapy blog.

My Guest Post on Kitchen Therapy

My friend, Linda, invited me to write an article for her KitchenTherapy blog, and it was published today! The article is entitled "Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free, FODMAPS-Free" and explores the FODMAPS concept from the point of view of those who have a gluten-free lifestyle. Kitchen Therapy is one of my favorite blogs, with inspiring posts about gluten-free cooking, recipes, gardening, and more. Pop on over there, visit, and be sure to comment on my article for a chance to win one of my books, IBS--Free at Last!