Let’s Get Rid of the Bloat! Five ways to a smaller tummy.
As we grow older, my friends and clients tell me that belly bloat is a real issue for them. Why can’t we lose those pounds around the middle? Why can’t we eat all that great food (and drink that great wine!) like we used to? And why won’t those Covid pounds come off fast?
The issue is that we’ve built up a lifetime of *maybe* not so great eating. And you’ll see below that stress also plays more of a role than we realize.
So here’s some advice that I will try to follow myself to keep the bloat at bay. And I’ll mention this again later—some of us with digestive issues: IBS, Crohns disease, Celiac, SIBO and others—need to place more attention on this than others. If you have digestive issues, and want to talk about your situation, reach out.
On with it! Here’s some advice to keep the bloat at bay as we consider spring break and a happier, more social summer to come.
But first, let’s walk back a few months. Last fall (2020) we did a Belly Bloat Challenge and many of you gave up processed sugar with me for most of the week. But what happened to us after that?
Maybe the bloat came back—we did this before the holidays, remember? Sugar was probably EVERYWHERE for you in the month of December. But in the five days of the challenge, we only tacked sweets. We didn’t have time for much else. Sugar isn’t the only reason we are bloated—from time to time, or continually. But let’s start there.
Sugar: Okay, I won’t dwell on it, especially if you were on the Belly Bloat Challenge with me in Fall, 2020. We know that processed sugars and sometimes alcohol-based sugars can cause bloat and worse. Recent reports indicate that Americans eat 15-20% of their daily calories from sugar. The recommendation from the CDC is 5%. We are sweetening our diet to the point of no-return. And that added sugar consumption causes inflammation, which results in the increase in our waistline. Furthermore, the bad bacteria in your gut LOVE sugar. Harmful microbes such as clostridium and enterococcus, thrive on it according to Dr. Gerald Mullin in the book, The Gut Balance Revolution. So if you report digestive symptoms, especially bloat, cut down on your sugar. I know…easier said than done.
Gluten/Dairy/Other food intolerances: I won’t dwell on gluten and dairy either as I’ve discussed them in detail previously. Go here: https://barwellness.net/blog/anti-inflammatory for more on those two culprits, especially gluten. But you may have other food intolerances that may bring on the belly bloat after ingesting them. Things like corn, soy, seafood may be causing you symptoms. There are many food sensitivity tests on the market right now. If you think you may have a sensitivity that is causing symptoms, reach out. I’ll help you find the right sensitivity test for you. It may be something you don’t even suspect.
Processed Foods: If you’ve been reading this blog, you know processed foods are a big no-no for a healthy, happy diet. They are full of….you guessed it, SUGAR. AND bad fats. And both will ramp up that belly. And worse.
Fermentable carbohydrates: What are they and how to they affect my belly? Yep, here’s where it starts to get a bit more interesting.
Have you heard of FODMAPs? FODMAP stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols. A mouthful. But simply, another word for sugar. Saccharide is the molecular form of sugar.
FODMAPs are in some foods naturally or as additives. They include fructose (in fruits and vegetables), fructans (like fructose, found in some vegetables and grains), lactose (dairy), galactans (legumes), and polyols (artificial sweeteners).
These foods are highly fermentable and, here’s a digestive anatomy lesson---they pass undigested from your small intestine to your large intestine depending upon the person. So undigested foods sit in your large intestine and your body forces water into the large intestine to try to break them up. That’s when the trouble starts. And the bloating.
The foods with the greatest amount of FODMAPs are:
Wheat, barley and rye (back to gluten!)
Dairy Products
Legumes
High Fructose Corn Syrup (back to processed foods)
Sugar Alcohols (also found in processed foods)
There’s also a list of fruits and vegetables that are high in FODMAPs found HERE:
FODMAP deficiency is most strongly associated with people with IBS—irritable bowel syndrome. But a diet, or even a few days of high FODMAP foods may produce that bloating feeling. If you remember the childhood song “beans, beans, the magical fruit…” you know what I’m talking about.
If you are feeling bloated and just not yourself, take a look at the number of FODMAP foods you are eating.
Stress/Mindful Eating:
Are you surprised? Stress can cause bloating. And worse. According to an article, “Role of estrogen and stress on the brain-gut axis” (Jiang, et. al, 2019), ”Functional gastrointestinal disorders, like bloating, are highly correlated with episodes of acute and chronic stress and are increased in prevalence and reported severity in women compared with men.”
Ah yes, women. An interesting observation that we can explore in future blog posts.
But back to stress. The stress response has something to do with the gut-brain axis in both women and men. When we are in periods of high (acute) or prolonged (chronic) stress, our hormone, cortisol, rises and blood rushes to the parts of our body that need it to “fight” the intruder. That means, away from the stomach. Digestion isn’t a necessity when we are in “flight or flight” mode.
The result is that, with less attention being paid to the stomach, that “butterfly” feeling often brings gastrointestinal distress. Like bloating. So even “good stress” like my recent move, brought on more bloating. Like days’ worth.
Stress also leads to the increase in bad bacteria and the decrease of good bacteria in your gut. With an out of balance situation, there may be a spiral of continued stress and imbalance leading to a change of mood and eating behaviors (according to studies compiled in the book, The Gut Balance Revolution by Dr. Gerald Mullin)
Yikes.
So we know not to eat gluten, dairy and FODMAPs if we are feeling bloated, but what about stress? You just can’t “turn it off” as I experienced during my move. But there is one thing you can actively do for your digestive health and to decrease that tummy during periods of stress, and that’s eating mindfully.
I know many of you haven’t considered mindful eating to date and others experience it without thinking about it. I thought it was a weird concept when I was first introduced to it, but now I wouldn’t go a day without enacting at least some of these principles when eating. It makes mealtime much more relaxing for me. If you haven’t experienced it, try giving some of these suggestions a chance. My challenge to you is to pick one or two to enact in the next week.
Eat mindfully and concentrate on the food before you. Smell it. Savor it.
Chew your food thoroughly
Start with a prayer/good thought/centering exercise before eating
Think for a few minutes about the farmers, workers and others that provided your food
Turn off electronics, TV/phone/computer for the duration of the meal
Listen to calming music to accompany the meal
Promote good/positive conversation with your companions, nothing to heavy
And remember what Michael Pollan says (he’s an author on food related topics), especially now as many of us are working from home…. “Eat at a table. A desk is NOT a table”
For some of us, these helpful hints will be easy and will alleviate that problematic belly bloat that may be holding you back from wearing that bikini during your spring break trip. But for others, bloating is one of a series of symptoms that make our digestive lives complicated and sometimes, miserable. If you fall into the later camp and want to talk through some strategies for reducing all your symptoms, fill out an application HERE and let’s set a time to talk. I’d love to help.
To Your Health,
Bev