Am I less bloated because of low-carb or low-gluten?

I'd guess gluten. And I'd go and start eating gluten again, contact your doctor, and request a blood test for celiac disease in a couple weeks or so.

Gluten can absolutely cause bloating if you have celiac disease OR gluten intolerance. Going low carb won't help unless you have some kind of underlying condition that's affected by things that the carbs are IN, like a reaction to all grains, or fructose malabsorption, maybe. It's possible, but less common.

The reason i think you should get a test for celiac disease.

1. It's more severe than gluten intolerance. Gluten intolerance will make you feel miserable. Celiac disease will make your body break down and you'll eventually die (if you don't know you have it and aren't treated).

2. It is VERY underdiagnosed in the USA. Doctors used to think one had to have a certain set of symptoms - all of them - if they were celiac. Since then, it's been discovered that celiacs can have hundreds of symptoms, or none at all, but many, many doctors are not aware of the new information and still diagnose based on the old info. So it's easily missed.

3. Celiac disease CAN'T be tested for when you aren't eating gluten. It detects the body's reaction TO gluten, and it can only detect accumulated damage, so you need to be eating gluten for a while to have the test be accurate. Gluten intolerance can only be tested for by an elimination diet like you are doing. But most celiacs have worse reactions to gluten once they've been off of it for a few months, which is why it's best to get the celiac test first, and then if that's negative, try the elimination diet to see if gluten intolerance is an issue.

4. The diet is not the same. Celiacs have a MUCH stricter diet, more like a peanut allergic person avoiding peanuts. They can't even kiss someone who just ate gluten without having a little reaction, often, as they have to avoid gluten and gluten contamination, both. Most gluten intolerant folks I've met just have to avoid gluten ingredients.

5. The outward symptoms for celiac disease do not always match the severity of the internal damage. So if you went on a regular gluten free diet and felt all right, that doesn't mean you aren't still being damaged INSIDE by gluten contamination (if you have celiac disease, of course). And you don't always find out until it's too late, like when bones break from osteoporosis, or joints give out, organs fail - it's pretty ugly, honestly. It can take years and years, but...yeah, celiac disease is a pain.

So anyway, yeah - I'd try to get tested, and then try the diet. And good luck!

1

Others I know who have done the low carb diet have reported a shrinking in the abdominal area also. It would be my guess that low carbs and just generally watching what you are eating is the reason for the abdomen getting smaller. Gluten free foods are only beneficial to those with diseased or allergies that keep them from eating gluten. But there is a lot of gluten in the foods that one should avoid when dieting like white bread and junk foods. A friend of mine has been on low carb for years and she reports that her stomach swells when she eats carbs.

Starches and sugars generally cause bloat.

Its probably because you're eating less added sugar, and less starch.

Edit: oh, hi jay-jay :)

Gluten is a protein, but it does cause bloating for some people who are allergic to it.

I always recommend that people avoid starchy food, and eat low-carb (generally just avoiding most breads and pastas). More meat and veg is the way to go.

I don't know about carbs or gluten causing bloat, but I do know that sodium causes serious bloating. Most diets (any type of diet) will make you more concious of what you're eating so you won't eat as many processed foods (which usually contain outrageous amounts of sodium) or salty foods.