Ten Tips to Reduce Bloating

Digestive bloating is a very common presentation in my clinic. Whether it's a chronic symptom or something that has been more recent following a stomach virus, a bloated belly is an uncomfortable feeling and can really impact your overall well-being. 

Here are a few simple tips to reduce your bloating:

1. Increase pre-biotic foods in your diet to help feed the good bacteria in your gut. A diet rich in vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts is high in fibre and can help feed the good bacteria to grow. If I am feeling a bit bloated, I love to make myself a gut-healing smoothie high in pre-biotics to help calm my belly down. I include ingredients such as turmeric, slippery elm, aloe vera juice, avocado and chia seeds.

2. Add some probiotic foods in your diet such as coconut kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut.  These are a natural source of good bacteria and can be a quick and cost-effective way to reduce your bloating. However make sure you don't go too heavy-handed with these, especially if you are a histamine-sensitive person and experience allergies, rashes, headaches, anxiety or insomnia.

3. Increase water-intake to assist digestion & detoxification processes. This one might sound obvious, but because it's so simple it's often over-looked. Aim to drink at least 1.5 litres of filtered water a day - however ideally drink this away from meals, as drinking too much water whilst eating can reduce your digestive enzyme activity and increase bloating! 

4. Chew your food properly & slow-down eating. Being mindful with your eating stops you from over-eating, which can certainly be a big cause of bloating. Chewing your food enough also helps with the breakdown and metabolism of your food, which can help stop bloating.

5. Establish if you have any trigger foods. Food intolerances are one of the biggest causes of bloating. For example, if you are lactose intolerant you will lack the digestive enzyme lactase which means when you consume dairy you will be unable to digest it properly, causing fermentation leading to bloating and often gas. The other most common food intolerances are gluten, yeast, FODMAPS, eggs or corn. You might need to keep a food diary to help establish the connection or work with a practitioner if you are unable to find a link yourself.

6. Increase movement and physical activity. Any kind of physical activity helps stimulate the lymphatic system & thus can help reduce bloating. Personally I've found Yoga, specifically Yin Yoga to be fantastic for reducing bloating as it works on eliciting the parasympathetic nervous system (which helps us 'rest and digest'). Pilates, swimming or walking are also great activities to include.

If you do the above and you are still feeling bloated, the cause could be a bit more complicated:

7. You may need specific digestive supplements such as probiotics, digestive enzymes or gut-healing powders. This may be especially important if you've recently been unwell with gastroenteritis or picked up a bug whilst travelling. You may need some gut-healing work to get your digestion back into balance.

8. You may be deficient in a key mineral or vitamin. Certain nutrient deficiencies can contribute to digestive upset and bloating. The most common nutrient deficiencies that are linked to bloating are zinc, magnesium, molybdenum and thiamin. If you are unsure which nutrients you may be deficient in, work with a Clinical Nutritionist or Naturopath.

9. Hormonal in-balances & conditions such as Endometriosis, PCOS and PMS can be big cause of bloating, particularly cyclical bloating around certain times of the month. Your hormones may need to be balanced before your bloating is reduced.

10. You may need to do a Comprehensive Stool testing to check for parasites, yeasts, bad bacteria and gut function. It's important to work with a qualified practitioner if you do go down the testing route to ensure you get the right interpretation and treatment.

Interested in knowing more about how to reduce your bloating?  Contact Me to book an appointment.