Cocoa and Coffee Can Cause Bloating

Just saw this on AOL Health:

As a high-acid food, cocoa can cause bloating in sensitive individuals... Alcohol, fruit juice, coffee and tea are additional high-acid culprits, but the reaction may not be immediate: "It may take up to 48 hours for a sensitivity to appear," says Weatherwax. To find out if one of these foods is causing your bloating, cut out the suspected problem food or drink. Then consume it and wait 48 hours to see if you have a reaction.

The Solution: Limit cocoa-based beverages and foods if it causes bloating within 48 hours of consuming them.

Gluten Found in Foods Considered Gluten-free

A lot of us have suspected this: Many foods that are considered gluten-free are actually contaminated with gluten. Researchers found that "seven of the 22 foods would fail the FDA's test" for being free of gluten. "One of the products they analyzed, a flour made with soy, contained 3,000 parts per million of gluten, they said. They also identified a millet grain and flour, a buckwheat flour and a sorghum flour that weren't completely gluten-free."

Note that these were NOT labeled "gluten-free" but were simply products normally considered to be free of gluten.

Nightshades

Interesting article on Nightshades in Foods. I avoided nightshades for about three weeks but noticed no difference in my health. Avoiding potatoes is especially tricky for me because they are sometimes the only wheat-free starch served in restaurants.

Did you know you should store potatoes in a dark place?

Lotsa Protein

I took a nutritional typing test on Mercola.com. I've taken different self-quizzes on my nutritional type and they give slightly different results but they all agree that I should eat plenty of protein. This one differs in that the recommendations include eating the protein first before eating other foods. Interesting.

Tips for Protein Types

A Small Cyst

I had a pelvic ultrasound to try to find a cause for abdominal pain I was having. It revealed a small cyst but the doctor says it is unlikely to cause pain and may shrink over time.

My pain was probably caused by a digestive problem because it occurred after I ate in a restaurant and my abdomen was swollen for several days. Probably there was either a little dairy hidden in the food or else the coffee was the kind that gives me gas. I've eaten at this particular restaurant before without a problem but now I don't want to go there any more.

Calories May Not Mean What You Think

Newsweek's article on How Bacteria May Make You Fat is intriguing. It explores recent research on intestinal bacteria and how it effects weight gain.