Episode 13: How to prevent & stop the bloat

Feeling bloated and not sure what to do?

This episode will break down the strategies you can start using today to prevent and relieve your bloating. We also go over what to do when these strategies aren’t enough.

This is part 1 of a 2 part bloating series, so look out for episode 14 all about why you are bloated…

You can check out the podcast on iTunes here, Spotify here, and on YouTube here! Below is a full transcript of the episode if you prefer to read through it or want notes.

Don’t forget to connect to others in The GUT Community, a Facebook group for those with IBS and digestive disorders to support one another and dive deeper into each episode together.

Welcome back to The Gut Show! This episode is likely going to be one of our most popular ones because we're going to talk about a topic I get asked about almost every single day. And that is bloating. So whenever we're thinking about bloating, a lot of times the questions are what's normal and what's not, and then what do I do about it?

So we're actually going to break this topic into two different podcast episodes. This week we're going to talk about is what's normal, what's not normal and what you can do about bloating, some of our first steps that you can take even now, as well as some other things that you can look into with the help of the right professionals. Next week what we're going to talk about is why you are bloated, so we're gonna go deeper into the different causes of bloat, especially whenever the bloating is not normal, they might require some more specific treatment, or some specialized care.

So thinking about what is normal and what's not, I think we first need to understand what bloating actually is. So when we're thinking about bloating, it could be the feeling of fullness, it could also be the distension of the stomach or the gut, which just means that things have expanded out. And we'll talk about the reasons why in the next episode, for this episode I want you to realize that bloating is a term that we all use differently, and we may have our own definition just based on our own bodies. A little bit of bloat is technically normal, and that whenever we eat food, whenever we drink water, our stomachs may not be the same size that they were when we started the day. So a little bit of distension, even a little bit of feeling of fullness after you eat a meal is normal, that's expected, that happens, things can fluctuate during the day, that is okay.

Whenever things become not normal, typically there's going to be a significant difference, and then there's going to be this other side of it that is, you know, extreme discomfort, pain, excessive gas, change in bowel motility or upper GI symptoms like reflux or GERD. So the extreme difference would be if you wake up and you are one size, and then whenever the end of the day comes, or the middle of the day, your pants don't fit at all, that would be a sign that that's probably not normal, and that's something that may want to be looked at more.

Another thing that would not be normal is the bloat that never goes away. So if you have this distension that's growing and growing and growing, and it's not going away, sometimes that's a sign of something very serious and you want to make sure that you bring it up with your doctor and check it out. And then the other side is the other symptoms that can come with the bloat. So if you're dealing with a lot of discomfort, a lot of pain, excessive gas, especially really smelly gas, or changing your bowel habits like constipation, or diarrhea, or both, and then even upper GI symptoms like heartburn, reflux, GERD, those different symptoms, then that would be a sign that that bloating is not just normal bloat, but it might actually be something else that's going on that could be contributing to the bloat and the bloat is the symptom that's highlighted to let you know that it's time to dig deeper.

So in the next episode, we are going to talk about how to dig deeper, what to keep up with, how to track it, all of those fun details, so if that's already published, go ahead and go to the episode after. If not hold tight, it's coming. But for today, I want to talk about just some different things that you can do or think about now, if you're dealing with bloat, and this can actually highlight maybe what could be normal or not normal based on how your body responds.

So the first thing that we look at whenever you're dealing with bloat is water intake. So dehydration or low hydration can actually contribute to bloat and that's something that tends to be missed, and in my practice, that's actually something I see as being a problem that most of us have, is we don't drink enough water, so make sure that you're properly hydrated. Another key part of that is spreading the water out throughout the day just like you would your food and then being sure to hydrate early in the morning. So starting the day with proper hydration especially after being asleep all night is a great way to prevent bloat throughout the rest of the day as well as promote healthy bowel movements during the day. So it's really important to hydrate early, hydrate often and they make sure that overall you are well hydrated.

Another part is your food. So spreading meals out instead of eating within a very short window of time is a great way to prevent bloat. The reason why is that bloat is typically caused by few different factors, but it's either the fullness of the gut, so too much in at once, or the way it's processed. And so if you're piling food in before it can like make its way through the GI tract and fully process, then you might deal with pretty significant bloat that can build off of each other. And so instead of eating within the short window of time, or sporadically eating just like randomly, you want to spread meals out throughout the entire day. This spacing between meals is also very important.

During that space between meals, there is a mechanism called the migrating motor complex. This is where the movement of the small intestine is the most strong. So these contractions that clear the small intestine out to like, kind of sweep all the food into the large intestine, where it slowly processes, gets turned into stool and passes on into the toilet. So for the small intestine to fully clear, we have to have that activity, that happens within about three to four hours, and whenever you eat, you disrupt the activity.

It doesn't have to happen every time you eat, there doesn't have to be strict rules around that spacing, but creating some space between meals is a great way to let the food fully process, let the small intestine clear, and then bring more food back in. This does happen kind of organically overnight as you sleep, and so there's no need to like add a lot of extra spacing there, it going to happen, which is where you might be getting some of the biggest benefit with that overnight fast that you already have.

With spreading your meals out, consistent meal patterns can be very important, so be aware of that. And then the timing and the way that you approach the meal is also very important. So whenever we're spreading meals out, we have to make sure that they're well balanced, you have to get enough nutrition, all of that's very important, and that's what a registered dietician can help you personalize. But as you're sitting down with your meal, it's very important to slow down and chew your food. Digestion happens in the mouth, there's mechanical digestion, as you're actually chewing and breaking up the food particles. And then there's going to be enzyme activity in your saliva that also starts breaking down those nutrients before they make their way to the stomach for more breakdown.

So typically, bloating can be caused by improper breakdown of the nutrients. And so whenever you're slowing down, you're breaking down those nutrients so that they're processed more effectively. Not only that, but when you slow down and you chew thoroughly, your hormones that are telling you when you're full, when you're hungry, all of those good things, they are there to alert you so that you will know when you're full and not overeat. So that a large amount of food and that large intake can actually contribute to bloat as well. And so it helps you slow down, tune in to how your body is feeling, and then stop when you're full to avoid that over fullness feeling that you may have.

When you're eating, it's also very important to make sure that you have proper form and posture. So you want to make sure that you're sitting up right, if you're hunched over, that can contribute to more bloat and discomfort. So sitting upright, having good posture, not laying on the couch or something like that, not laying over your desk while you're working, but really sitting in a place where you can have the right posture as you eat and you chew well.

Some other things that can be really important when it comes to bloat are the clothes that you wear. So whenever you have a lot of pressure in your stomach and on your gut, that can actually contribute to bloat. Think about a balloon that's filled with air. If you squeeze the bottom of it, the air has got to go somewhere else, so it might bloat up the top of the balloon. So if you're wearing really high waisted like tight pants, or really tight bras, tight tight shirts, that could actually contribute to some bloat, so that's a piece that you may want to look at. Let's say that you work out after work and you're wearing you know your tight pants and leggings, instead of going right into your meal wearing those, maybe you change into something a little bit looser and more comfortable, and that might help prevent some bloat. Not wearing things that are way too small, you don't have to fit your clothes, your clothes have to fit you, so get new clothes that fit well and have some extra room so that you are not creating too much pressure in the abdominal region. That's very important.

Some other pieces would be your exercise intensity. So really high intensity exercise……well, you might get that adrenaline rush, which is awesome, you're also getting a stress response and this can contribute to bloat. So a lot of times people will exercise really hardcore in the morning and then be bloated the rest of the day and it feels confusing as to why. Food always gets blamed first, but it could actually be the exercise and so as you reduce overall exercise intensity that can actually help improve your bloat, which is really beneficial. It also will help decrease some of the cortisol levels which can help with hormone balance, metabolism, and even mood and mental health, so all good pieces to look at.

Kind of back to the food side and some other things that we want to think about is the way that we cook the food. So cooked foods are going to digest better than raw foods most of the time, and so that can actually help prevent and handle bloat. Utilizing ginger and peppermint can be really helpful. So peppermint tea, putting ginger in foods, that's a great way to decrease bloat. And then avoid skipping meals. So making sure that you're not skipping meals, because skipping meals can actually contribute to bloat just as much as eating really large meals. So it's important, again, to make sure you've got proper nutrition, and you're spreading things out well, and that consistent meal pattern will help you with that, and help you kind of keep that routine in balance that your body will love without worrying about missing a meal or throwing things off with that side of it.

And then the last piece of this is gonna be around your fiber. So your fibers, the food for your gut microbes, and it's really important in creating the speed of the stool and make sure things are flowing well, but also the form of the stool, so things are packed together appropriately and exit well and satisfy you in a satisfying way. So making sure that you're eating enough fiber and also the right fibers for your body, as some fibers might actually contribute to more bloating and gas, and so that's where working with a registered dietician to be able to figure out what works best for you can be very important.

Whenever we get into some more complex bloating, so there are some levels of bloating that we want to look deeper into to make sure that there's not something else going on that needs to be treated or just addressed differently, and that's what we're going to talk about in the next episode, but know that there are some diets out there, are some treatment protocols out there, especially in the world of IBS that are really sexy when it comes to bloating, and that includes like the low fodmap diet, specific carbohydrate diet, whole 30, paleo diet, the elemental diet, while those can be very promising for bloating, and they can be very successful, those protocols are not meant to be done alone.

A lot of times what happens is when you navigate those alone, it can lead to unnecessary restriction, and that unnecessary restriction can either lead to disordered eating patterns of eating disorders, which can then contribute to other GI issues that you don't want. It can also contribute to restriction long term that has a negative impact on your gut microbiome. And if your gut microbiome is not thriving, and healthy and vibrant, then you might deal with G issues down the road. And so it's so important to make sure that as you see these diets through social media, or the internet, or whatever it might be, while they do look sexy, make sure that you are actually meeting with a registered dietician, your trusted health care professionals to be sure that what you're doing is appropriate and best for your body, but you also have a game plan for utilizing that protocol and the best way to get the benefit without the restriction or that unhealthy relationship that can develop with your food and with your body. We do this in our practice Gutivate, so if you need a referral or if you want to maybe work with us, you can schedule a complimentary consultation and talk about what that would look like.

I hope that this was a helpful, quick, easy episode on some things that you can do for bloating. If you just listened the first time, maybe start it over, take some notes and try taking action on some of the things that I talked about to see what works in your body. When you do go join us in The Gut Community on Facebook or shout it out on Instagram and just tag me @einjudge.rd so that I can be sure to see your progress, but also cheer you on in your journey to decrease the bloat, digest food better and feel amazing in your body. As always, I see you, I hear you, I'm with you, and I am truly cheering for you. So thank you for tuning in, and I will see you for the next step of our bloating conversation on the next episode!