Steps to beat the bloat Part 1
Bloating is a common issue for many of my clients.
They often seek to find a single cause, but bloating is often multifaceted and a sign of some digestive dysfunction.
It could relate to stress, constipation, hormone changes, food intolerances, excess bacteria or yeast in the gut, slow transit time or something else.
Step 1 seek medical advice
It’s important to discuss prolonged bloating with your GP so they can rule out any specific conditions including ovarian cysts, endometriosis and any complications relating to bowel health.
Step 2 change what you eat
Ditch the processed foods and anything that contains added sugar, sweeteners and chemical foods (even emulsifiers can upset your gut).
Focus on eating real, nutritious food, you can find some meal ideas and more information here.
Step 3 change how you eat
Try not to eat on the go, at your desk, whilst rushing or scrolling on your phone.
Make time for your meals so you can sit down and do some deep, belly breathing to switch on your digestive system.
Chew your food thoroughly.
There’s no magic number of chews, just ideally make sure the food is liquified in your mouth before swallowing.
Denser foods like meat, poultry, vegetables, raw salad and nuts require more chewing than soft foods like scrambled eggs, avocado and bananas.
Step 4 change when you eat
Fasting is a hugely beneficial for digestive health. It doesn’t need to be anything extreme.
Having a 3-5 hour gap between meals gives your gut time to do some housekeeping and run a cleaning wave (moving food along the small intestine). This is known as the migrating motor complex and it stops food hanging around for too long (and generating more gas, which means more bloating).
When you eat again this housekeeping activity by the gut stops in its tracks.
This means it’s helpful to avoid snacking, grazing, having milky drinks or any calorie containing beverages in-between meals.
Herbal tea, black tea, coffee, water or green tea can be consumed when fasting.
An extended overnight fast of 12-16 hours can also be beneficial.
I often suggest to clients they aim to have the earliest dinner possible to allow time to digest their last meal before bed. Then fast for an hour or two in the morning if possible to complete a 12-13 hour fast.
Step 5 eliminate triggers
It can be tricky to identify specific foods that trigger symptoms as you generally consume melas with a combination of ingredients.
Many clients notice a food can be problematic when they’re stressed and busy but cause no issues when consumed at the weekend or on holiday.
The mediating factor here is likely stress and your state of mind when you’re eating.
In this case the deep breathing mentioned in step 2 is fundamental.
Also prioritising thoroughly cooked or even slow cooked food may help during times of stress.
Slow cookers or pressure cookers are also convenient to prep food when busy. This is particularly relevant to meat, poultry, vegetables and legumes.
Some other common bloating triggers include:
Wheat and/or gluten
Bread: all types
Artificial sweeteners and sugar free chewing gum
Yeast: found in alcohol, bread, condiments and many baked or fried snacks
Alcohol: spirits tend to be marginally better than beer and wine
Dairy: especially higher lactose dairy (soft cheese, milk, yoghurt)
High fructose fruits or fruit juice e.g. bananas, dried fruit, papaya, apples, pears
Fizzy drinks (including sparkling water)
Beans (lentils, chickpeas, beans)
If you’ve been trialling using probiotics or fermented foods (live yoghurt, kimchi or sauerkraut) and not experienced symptom relief it may be helpful to stop these and see if your bloating alleviates.
You may have an excess of bacteria or yeast in you gut or a slow transit time in which case more organisms equals more gas.
If you need some help getting to the bottom of your bloating issues you can book a free exploratory call with me HERE.
Or look to try some more changes outline in Simple steps to beat the bloat – Part 2.
