Top Tips to Help with Bloating
I LOVE good digestion. I feel absolutely amazing when my digestion is flowing and I couldn’t feel worse when something disrupts it. You could be eating the cleanest diet filled with tons of fruits & veggies, but if you’re unable to digest & absorb them properly, then it’s really not doing much for you. Eating a nutritious meal and feeling immediately satisfied & energized with no bloat is a huge win in my book. Unfortunately, it’s way less common than you think. Poor digestion followed by that uncomfortable bloat feeling is probably the number one complaint I hear from most people and for good reason - it’s the absolute worst. I’ve struggled with chronic bloat & extremely difficult digestion ever since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Bloating can happen for a TON of different reasons with some cases being more serious than others. There’s extreme bloating that can stem from food allergies/intolerances, gastrointestinal conditions/diseases, etc. and then there’s that everyday annoying type bloat that leaves you feeling constantly uncomfortable. If you’re having trouble figuring out what the root cause of your GI discomfort is, I ALWAYS recommend seeing a gastroenterologist and/or nutritionist so they can help analyze your specific case. In my experience, once the feeling of bloat has decided to grace you with its presence, there’s no magic pill or protocol to get rid of it quickly. Preventing bloat before it happens is & always will be the main goal! I’ve researched and experimented with this topic for far too long and while it’s always a work in progress, there are definitely some tips & tricks that I’ve found to really help -
Hot Lemon Water - you’ve probably heard about drinking hot lemon water once, twice, or even a million times by now, but I’m here to talk about it some more. I SWEAR by it. Drinking hot lemon water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning has done wonders for me. I used to be the type of person who wakes up and immediately drinks a cup of coffee. But think about this - your body has just been asleep for 6-8 hours (hopefully) without any intake of water or substance to replenish its fluids. Waking up and immediately grabbing coffee, which is dehydrating to the body, is probably not the best option (although definitely happens on occasion still). Hot lemon water on an empty stomach helps to get your digestion moving for the day in a calm manner, and keeps the bowel movements prettyyyy regular. It helps to clear the digestive tract of toxins that have built up overnight and can be a great form of detox for your body.
Gum Chewing - this was a tough habit to break, but one that I noticed a big difference with. I used to chew gum ALL the time and noticed that I would feel extremely bloated anytime I chewed gum before or after meals. There are a few reasons gum could cause bloating. 1) You’re swallowing excess air when chewing gum and extra air = extra gas. 2) Fermentation and incomplete digestion of the sugars (artificial sweeteners) in these gums can lead to that extra bloat. There are definitely people who don’t experience any bloat from chewing gum, but certainly worth a try if you’re a gum chewer & often experience the uncomfortable stomach pains.
Bubbly Drinks - I have officially said goodbye to all vodka sodas, seltzers, and carbonated drinks. They used to make me feel so incredibly full, bloated, and uncomfortable. Now I hold the soda, and keep the vodka (with splash of lemon of course) whenever I drink and I can’t explain how much better it makes me feel. Again, these drinks might be fine for you, but if you have GI/digestive issues, give it a try!
Eating Slower - this is one of those lifestyle changes that I always ignored because I thought it was silly and wouldn’t do much to help, but I was very very wrong. Digestion actually begins in your mouth when the salivary glands release enzymes to start breaking down the food that you’re chewing. Eating slower without absolutely inhaling your food will allow you to chew more & give those enzymes a chance to start breaking down the food properly. This takes mindful WORK, especially when you’re absolutely starving. I don’t eat my food incredibly fast, but I’ve been working on slowing it down and I promise you it makes a huge difference.
Type of Fiber - ever think you’re being super healthy when eating a massive kale salad filled with all the veggies and then 15 min later you look & feel 6 months pregnant? Yep, been there! Fiber is amazing and we all need it in our diets, but sometimes it’s the type and amount of fiber that can work against us. While leafy greens and raw vegetables are incredible for our health, too much of them can set some people off the deep end. My best advice is to simplify your meals for a little bit. Sometimes when you add too many ingredients into a dish (aka making a salad at sweetgreen), it can take a lot of the body’s energy to try and digest it all. I’m not saying eat less food, I’m saying try decreasing the amount of different foods in your meal. I also personally find that my digestion is better with cooked foods as raw foods can be a little tougher for some people to digest. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely still eat salads, juices, smoothies, & raw foods, but I definitely stick with more cooked foods if I’m feeling bloated or notice that my digestion is off track.
Overeating - this seems like an obvious one, but it goes hand in hand with eating at a slower pace. We all overeat at times and it’s never a good feeling when you feel like you don’t even have enough room to breathe. Eating too much at once will absolutely cause some major bloating, but if you slow your roll and can find that balance of feeling satisfied + not stuffed, you’re golden. So much easier said than done!
Portion Control with Hard to Digest Foods - there are just some foods that are naturally harder for us to digest because of the chemical compounds that make them up. Think about if you’ve ever eaten too many brussels sprouts, beans/legumes, onions, broccoli, cabbage, or similar foods in these groups…. you feel like a balloon that’s about to pop. These specific foods are so nutritious & beneficial to our health, so I definitely recommend trying to keep them in your diet if your body allows it. The key to eating hard to digest foods is to be a little more mindful on how much of them you’re eating. A great example are the legume based pastas (black bean, lentil, pea). While they are a great alternative to regular white pasta, if you eat a huge bowl of it, you’re likely going to experience some serious stomach discomfort for the rest of the night - I hear about it ALL the time. However, if you portion out a smaller amount of the legume pasta and add more veggies or protein source to it, I think you’ll notice a huge difference. View it as a side dish and not the main substance!
Sweat + Movement - move your body & sweat it out. Want to help prevent bloat? Move & sweat. Have bloat and trying to get rid of it? Move & sweat. Honestly, it’s done wonders for me. Anyone who follows me on social media knows that I swear by hot yoga/pilates classes & infrared saunas. They have helped my digestion + bloat in unbelievable ways and they also just make me feel SO good during and after. Move your body in the way that you enjoy the most & if you can get some sweats in there as well, perfect!
Hydration - hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I’ll be the first to admit that I am HORRIBLE with drinking water throughout the day. I’m just one of those people that can go all day without feeling thirsty and think I’m fine. It definitely takes some serious work for me to consistently drink water throughout the day. With that said, when I’m properly hydrated my digestion is amazing. I usually never feel bloated and feel much lighter overall. Our bodies needs a ton of water to function optimally and while it might be a pain to pee every hour, it’ll be worth it!