8 Ways to Avoid Feeling Bloated

A bloated belly really sucks. It makes you feel crappy and can be pretty painful, even embarrassing for those who really suffer badly from it. What’s worse, for athletes who get stuck with a bloated belly on competition day, it can really hinder performance.Today, we take a look at some of the major bloating culprits in the hope you can reduce discomfort and rock a flat belly more often. Read on, do a little self diagnosis, implement change and reap the benefits!  

#1: Don’t eat too much, or too quickly

This sounds simple and most of you will say, “I don’t!” but in reality, this is the number one cause of digestive discomfort and the majority of us DO eat far too much in one sitting, gulping it all down far too quickly.The average 21st century man or woman could thrive on about one third of their daily food intake and would do well to chew each mouthful at least twice as many times as they do – fact! So lighten up or just spread your meals out a little more – have half your sandwich at Midday and the other half at 1:30/2pm, for example. And CHEW for your life! Your brain is about 10-20 minutes behind your stomach when it comes to registering fullness, so if all else fails, just chill for 15 minutes before deciding whether to go back for seconds. 

#2: Watch your food combinations

Different food groups use different enzymes for digestion/breakdown and if you combine the wrong foods, you can end up with a “food traffic jam” in your belly, with some foods left undigested or fermenting inside of you… ew!The basic rules are that you can combine non-starchy vegetables (greens and veggies with a high water content) with absolutely anything (proteins, fats or carbs). Proteins and fats are an OK combo too but try not to combine a large amount of animal/dairy protein, or fats with grains (bread, rice, noodles), beans/legumes, or starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas, corn). This is why both vegans and paleo eaters claim to feel great digestively – because their food combinations are almost always spot on! Those of us eating combination diets need to be more careful.A few final tips here are not to eat sugars within an hour of finishing a high carb meal and to eat your fruit (particularly melons) and chocolate away from all other foods – I suggest giving it 30-40 minutes. Also keep in mind that dried fruit, bananas and coconut are harder to digest than other fruits, so you might want to give them a little longer to settle. 

#3: “Chew” your smoothies

If you’ve passionately taken to the superfood/protein smoothie trend but find you get bloated every time you slurp one down, you’ll be happy to know there is a simple solution to this! First up, keep your smoothies relatively simple and stick to 1-2 different kinds of fruit, in small serves. I like to stick to the “6 Ingredients Rule”. Half a frozen banana and a few blueberries, plus some water, chia seeds, spinach leaves and a scoop of your favourite protein powder, for example, is about right. Too much fruit equals too much fructose, which can lead to bloating – and too many ‘extra’ ingredients just leads to stomach confusion. Lastly, my most important rule of smoothie slurping is to make sure you “chew” each mouthful of your smoothie before swallowing. Digestion begins in the mouth, not the stomach and when you chew regular food, saliva is secreted, full of enzymes that aid digestion and tell your stomach and digestive organs food is on the way. Sometimes we forget that smoothies contain real food too and simply slurp them down, skipping a vital step in the digestive process and shocking our organs when all that food hits the stomach. The result? Undigested food bits and lots of bloating. To properly ‘chew’ your smoothies, simply swill each sip around in your mouth until it becomes sweet and warm, then swallow. 

#4: Don’t eat too many raw nuts, seeds, dried fruit/coconut, or un-prepared grains. Likewise for veggies from the broccoli and cabbage families.

Eating too many of these foods raw can cause bloating and digestive issues. Keep your nut portions small, or reach for activated nuts (try the 2Die4 brand) and avoid dried fruits when you can. Prepare your grains properly by soaking them overnight before you cook them (hellooo bircher muesli!). Make sure you steam or otherwise cook your broccoli and cabbage – and if you still bloat after eating them, try cutting back for awhile. 

#5: Take digestive enzymes, eat enzyme rich foods and don’t eat on the run!

As we get older, the amount of digestive enzymes we have can decrease, making digestion a lot tougher! Smoking and alcohol consumption make this even worse, as does eating on the run and not chewing properly. Fix this by making sure you eat slowly, in a calm state (not on deadline at your computer), eating fresh/raw and bitter foods at the start of every meal (salad, lightly steamed veggies, fermented foods like kefir, apple cider vinegar), or if all else fails, see your natural medicine practitioner for a digestive enzyme or HCL supplement. 

#6: Don’t drink too close to meal times (even water!)

Gulping down water or other liquids with your meals can rush foods through the digestive process, leading to indigestion. Try not to drink 10-15 minutes before and after a solid meal. 

#7: You need to get your hands on a good probiotic

An imbalance between good and bad gut bacteria can mean a bloated belly almost 24/7, which is no fun for anyone. Your bad bacteria may be ruling over the good because of a recent dose of antibiotics, too long on the contraceptive pill, over-eating processed foods and sugar, or something more sinister like yeast overgrowth, or dodgy bacteria. See your natural medicine practitioner for a good probiotic recommendation, or just try a general brand like Inner Health Plus and see how you go. 

#8: Keep a food diary

Still getting bloated? You’re probably eating foods your body doesn’t agree with – we’re all different, so this could be anything! The usual culprits are unfermented dairy (milk, cheese) and wheat (particularly the refined kind in supermarket breads, biscuits, cake). Keep a diary of what you eat and how you feel in the hours following. Hunt down that bloat culprit and remove from your diet.