I’m sure you’ve experienced it before.
It’s that feeling soon after you eat where your pants get uncomfortably tighter or you check yourself in the mirror and find you look 6 months pregnant…
Say hello to bloat.
It’s embarrassing when it happens and isn’t easy to get rid of. So what’s a girl to do? Keep reading, IMO …
COMMON CAUSES OF BLOATING
While there are some bigger and more concerning causes of bloating, here are some of the most common reasons I see with clients:
- Eating too quickly (not chewing your food!)
- Swallowing air while eating
- Lactose intolerance
- Food allergies or sensitivities
- Eating too much food
- Diet rich in fatty foods
- High fibre foods
- Digestive issues such as IBS, SIBO, leaky gut, etc.
10 TIPS TO BEAT BLOAT
Luckily, all of these can be managed and reduced by changing your eating and lifestyle patterns based on your body’s needs and abilities, or sometimes it requires a more extensive healing of the gut itself. It’s not as bad as it may seem, a few tips and a little help from a Nutritionist is all it takes!
1. Add in digestive enzymes
Your bloating may be related to low stomach acid, making it difficult for your body to breakdown fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Digestive enzymes help to stimulate the production of stomach acid to help with the digestion of food, which can reduce bloating.
Eating foods that are raw, sprouted, or in live form will help, or you may need to add in a digestive enzyme if digestion is impaired. *Please consult your healthcare practitioner before adding in a supplement
2. Drink enough water
Water is one of the most important nutrients for digestion. It helps to protect the mucosal lining, and the small intestine for proper digestion and nutrient absorption. Increasing your water and sipping throughout the day is one of the first recommendations I make to clients suffering from bloat.
However, you don’t want to drink water with your meal as it can water down the digestive enzymes in the stomach. Be sure that you are not drinking within 30 minutes before or after a meal.
3. Chew your food
Chewing your food helps to stimulate saliva, which contains enzymes necessary for breaking down your food. Swallowing whole, undigested food is a common cause of bloat. Chewing 10-20 times per mouthful is a standard recommendation for optimal digestion. Your food should be liquid by the time you swallow it.
If you really struggle with digestion, this is a simple tip to try that can make a big difference in your symptoms. Slow down, chew your food and savour your meal!
4. Poop like a champ
While it’s not everybody’s favourite topic – making sure you are eliminating regularly, as in pooping 1-3 times a day, is critical to preventing toxic build-up in your body. A build up of hormones, fungus, or bacteria due to constipation or poor dietary habits will often lead to uncomfortable bloating post-meal.
I’m a big fan of magnesium to help beat bloating and constipation as it helps to relax the digestive tract allowing proper and regular elimination. Not all magnesium is created equal, so I’d recommend you book in a consultation to find out if magnesium (and what kind) would be helpful for you!
5. Don’t eat too much
Every time you eat, your body uses a lot of energy work through digestion and absorption. Eating too much can be very taxing on your system and increase the time it takes to complete the job – leaving food in your stomach longer and you bloated and uncomfortable.
A good rule of thumb is to eat until you feel satisfied, but not full. If you really want more food but aren’t sure if you’re hungry, wait 20 minutes before having seconds.
6. Exercise 30 minutes daily
Believe it or not, exercise is important for digestion and the reduction of bloat too. Exercise helps to strengthen the muscle tone of the digestive tract which helps to move food along through your digestive system. Foods that are not properly broken down or getting stuck in the digestive tract can cause bloating.
Aim for 30 minutes of exercise daily, which can include a walk, strength training, or other favourite form of activity.
7. Take a good quality probiotic
Ensuring your gut is balanced with the right bacteria will help to reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and heal the lining of your gut. Bloating can often be caused by small tears in the digestive tract, caused by persistent symptoms that have not been dealt with, that need to be repaired in order to eliminate the symptom.
Be sure to consult your healthcare practitioner to find out which probiotic is right for you (and make sure it’s good quality!).
8. Increase your fibre
While this isn’t always the best option for bloating, when its caused by constipation or slow elimination than increasing fibre is one of the best ways to get things moving. Fibre can help to soften and add bulk to your stool, while speeding up elimination.
Including both soluble fibre (to help absorb toxins) and insoluble fibre (to speed up elimination) is important.
9. Don’t guess, test
While all of these tips are great ways to reduce or eliminate the symptom – it’s still important to look at root cause resolution to prevent it from reoccurring and doing damage to the gut. Testing can be an effective way of finding out the root cause and eliminating symptoms for good.
I highly recommend an IgG Food Sensitivity test when it comes to bloating – find out exactly what foods your body isn’t digesting so you can remove them and heal the gut. Contact me if you’d like to run the test, or it comes included when you join the Heal Your Gut program (see below)!
10. Heal your gut
Reducing symptoms for a “quick fix” is always the initial goal, and I get that. But if you ignore the health of your gut (the hub of your entire body) then it’s just a temporary fix. What you want is to heal your gut so that these symptoms go away and don’t come back. Can I get an amen??
Healing the gut requires reducing inflammation and properly repairing and restoring the integrity of the gut lining and bacteria. To do this requires a thoughtful and methodical process that’s geared towards your body and specific needs. When done right – you’ll experience your best health and feel like a million bucks!
