Pizza and gastrointestinal disorders, how to avoid them

There are increasing numbers of people complaining of gastrointestinal disorders following a night out and, above all, having eaten a nice pizza.

Symptoms in question are bloating, flatulence, broken stools and digestive upset. In almost all the diets I make, pizza is present on Saturday evening, perhaps accompanied by a portion of raw vegetables or limited in the choice of seasoning, but it is present, with certain precautions precisely to limit the symptoms. More and more often we eat pizzas that have been prepared with flours too rich in proteins, gluten, resistant starch, additives and stabilizers.

Manitoba flour is a type of strong flour, that is richer in gluten, and therefore more elastic and resistant, in order to avoid breakage when it is rolled out and is seasoned with the various ingredients. The ideal would be to opt for type 1 and / or 2 flours, wholemeal flours or kamut flours, with a lower load of gluten and richer in micronutrients. In addition to this, if there is not an adequate leavening time, the Maillard reaction is formed during cooking, visible with the classic brownish-golden color of baked products, which leads to the formation of glycated proteins, very aggressive towards intestinal walls. Brewer’s yeast, although very practical, should be reduced to make room for mother yeast, a natural yeast obtained with the use of lactic bacteria and yeast, which allows to reduce the gluten in the dough and promote intestinal hygiene.

Another evaluation to make is a possible gluten intolerance, in fact in addition to celiac disease there is a form of non-celiac gluten intolerance, which shares with it the structure of gastrointestinal symptoms, but which does not cause an inflammatory event affecting the intestine. A subject intolerant to gluten as a result of an increase in the intake of the latter will manifest gastrointestinal symptoms, so on Saturday you can dissociate the macronutrients by consuming a second protein for lunch with a portion of vegetables and pizza for dinner, limited only to that. If there is a persistent and aggressive symptomatology, the ideal would be to consult a doctor and evaluate a gluten-free choice, in order to analyze the course of the symptoms.

Secondly, you could lower the percentage of allergens by opting for a choice of lactose-free mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella and avoiding the addition of numerous other condiments.

It is also necessary to pay attention to how you eat, i.e. at the level of the mouth begins the first digestive phase thanks to chewing, eating very quickly, not only will you limit this process, but you will swallow air (aerophagia), expanding the symptoms. So the advice is to chew slowly in order to enjoy the pizza in front of you.

Remember the salt, in fact after eating a pizza you will see a few extra pounds on the scale, it is normal, since the sodium introduced with the meal acts on the retention of extracellular liquids. In addition to this, the salty meal will lead you to drink more resulting in weight gain and also the onset of gastrointestinal symptoms. Finally, the combinations are important so to deal with the aforementioned ailments you must avoid adding alcoholic drinks to the pizza, in particular beer, and any other additional dishes (appetizers, desserts, etc).

As it may be said, Saturday evening is the day dedicated to pizza, but for those who show symptoms following its ingestion, they can look for pizzas prepared with less gluten-laden flours and with a longer leavening time, as well as try to make an inverse dissociate, that is, limiting the carbohydrate meal to dinner only.