8 minute read
Imagine the World as One: Issue 6
How To Reduce Bloating & Gas: 10 Easy Steps
By Marina Logacheva, Registered Nutritional Therapist @wheelchair_nutritionist BSc Nutrition and Psychology, Dip. ION
Flatulence, or passing gas, is embarrassing for most of us. I noticed that I became even more cautious about bloating after I got my spinal cord injury and started to use a wheelchair. At the end of the day, people stare anyway and the last thing I want to do is to make a loud, smelly, gassy sound in the lift full of strangers. So… let me assure you, we all pass gas daily (5-15 times a day to be precise) and have been bloated at some point. However, daily uncomfortable bloating is not normal.
What is Bloating?
In simple words, bloating is a condition which makes your stomach feel inflated and sometimes painfully tight. Other unpleasant effects include general discomfort, sometimes including cramps and pain, accompanied by a feeling of “fullness” (the latter is usually associated with a delay in urination).
Although bloating is sometimes caused by serious health problems, most often it is simply a consequence of an incorrect diet or individual intolerance to certain types of food. Bloating is really just one of those annoying things that make us feel very uncomfortable. The good news is it can be prevented!
How Does Bloating Happen?
Bloating is caused by gases and the process of their formation. Typically, the human gut contains a certain
A table against a gray background. The table is entitled “Low FODMAP Diet." At the top of the image, the columns of the table going horizontally across are entitled “vegetables,” “fruits,” “proteins,” “fats,” “starches, cereals and grains.” Two columns going vertically down the table are entitled “eat” and “avoid.” Lettuce, cucumber, carrots, strawberries, pineapple, grapes, chicken, egg, tofu, oils, butter, peanuts, potato chips, tortillas and popcorn are all in the row in the table entitled “eat.” Garlic, beans, oil, blackberries, watermelons, peaches, sausage, battered fish, breaded meals, almonds, avocado, pistachio, beans, gluten based bread, and muffins are in the "avoid" column. Charleston GI Center.
volume of various gaseous substances. However, the other part of the gases is produced by bacteria living in the gut. If the number of beneficial bacteria is sufficient, then the amount of gas produced would be normal and you would not notice the bloating. But, if there is too much gas produced, the bloating can really mess up your day. Excessive gas in the digestive tract may cause uncomfortable feelings of fullness, bloating, and pain.
What are the Most Common Causes of Bloating?
Bloating is most often the result of improper nutrition and often occurs after eating foods to which the body reacts with sensitivities or allergies, but can also be caused by more serious diseases.
Intestinal motility, the movement of food through the organs of the body, is important for reducing symptoms of bloating. If you aren’t eliminating waste,
when you are constipated, it can lead to a build-up of bacteria in the small intestine. Ensuring that you have optimal digestion and effective movement of food along the digestive system is important for reducing symptoms of bloating.
In addition, bloating can occur in overweight people, or be due to hormonal changes before or during menstruation, or due to reflux or eating in a rush. If you are in a hurry and don’t chew the food thoroughly or talk during meals, an extra amount of air will get into the stomach along with the food. Simple advice to avoid this: don’t talk when you eat and chew your food thoroughly before swallowing.
Which Foods Cause Bloating?
Bloating is often caused by foods high in FODMAP, meaning certain types of carbohydrates that are harder to break down and therefore cause bloating and gas. They are found in wheat, some types of
vegetables such as beans, radishes, onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, turnips, cucumbers, peppers, corn, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, and fruits such as apples, apricots, plums, and mangoes, and some dairy products.
Check packaged foods for the contents of the group of sweetners called polyols, such as xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol. They should be avoided by those who are prone to bloating. Erythritol may be absorbed more easily. You can notice that polyols are found in a variety of foods – even those that are described as sugar-free, such as chewing gum. Advertised as a healthy alternative to regular sugar, these compounds can also cause increased gas formation, which will result in bloating and pain.
Cut down on fatty, fried, spicy foods and fizzy drinks. Fizzy drinks contain carbon dioxide. When the drink reaches the stomach, carbon dioxide is released from the liquid – that is, literally the formation of bubbles inside the stomach and intestines. Fizzy drinks often contain increased amounts of sugar or its substitutes, which contribute to the retention of water in the body. Since excessive sugar also slows down digestion, the constant consumption of carbonated drinks becomes a ticket to the “land of bloating and constipation.”
A few simple steps you could try to reduce the possibility of bloating:
1 Soak legumes in cold water before cooking.
2 Briefly pour boiling water over cruciferous vegetables and chop them evenly before eating.
3 Check FODMAP content in foods in the app called “Monash University FODMAP diet.” You don’t need to follow the diet, but it’s a great and convenient tool to refer to.
4 Reduce the amount of fizzy drinks that you consume and replace them with unsweetened herbal teas to reduce the “gas load.” Another trick
to avoid absorbing too much air is to drink through a straw.
Stress and Bloating
Stress disrupts the functions of the gut, causing bloating and discomfort. Nerves and neural networks that regulate the function of gastric motility respond to stress by changing their activity. Recent research shows that women are more vulnerable to stress because the neural circuits of the vagus nerve in men and women are organized differently.
That is why it is so important to learn self-care and stress reduction techniques to optimize gut motility and prevent bloating, especially for women.
My favorite recommendation is to start the day with 10 minutes of deep breathing while you are still in bed. It is effective and very easy to implement as a new habit, and anyone can practice it.
Best Probiotics for Bloating
Probiotics are living microorganisms and substances that have beneficial effects on the body through the optimization of its microbiome. When probiotics reach the gut, they help digest food and fight pathogenic (harmful) bacteria. Good bacteria have a positive effect on the absorption of vitamins, and may help to eliminate bloating.
Probiotics are found in supplements, as well as in some products such as fermented products, like yogurts, soft cheeses (like mozzarella, and feta), kefir, fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, etc.), as well as soy sauce and kombucha.
Having your probiotics in supplement form goes one step further. This offers a more targeted therapeutic intake that can be tailored to your individual gut
needs - this is the best way to get the most out of your probiotics. Recommended probiotic strains that have been well researched for bloating, specifically including: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium infantis.
How to Prevent Bloating and Gas
1 Listen to your body and find out which foods are not suitable for your body, for example, foods the body is sensitive or allergic to. The easiest way to do this is to keep a “food/symptom diary” and check how your body reacts to foods. Notice how foods that are known to cause bloating affect you
2 Check FODMAP foods that may cause gas.
3 Consider portion control and try not to overeat.
4 Eat slowly.
5 Chew your food with your mouth closed, try not to gulp your food, and don’t talk with food in your mouth.
6 See a speech therapist if your disability affects your eating style.
7 Include probiotics in your diet. Probiotics help to improve our gut health and digestion by getting rid of excess gas.
8 Exercise more often. Daily movement, even stretching in the morning, will speed up the processing of digestion and removal of waste from your body. Try cardio exercises or yoga poses – after all, by moving you stimulate the intestinal muscles, helping them to “push” the stool more effectively and, thus, prevent the accumulation of gases in the gut.
9 Check your bowel program: increasing the frequency of bowel care may reduce the amount of poo you store in your colon to produce gas. If you have a spinal cord injury - carry out digital stimulation daily in the morning or evening.
10 Use daily stress reduction techniques to ensure optimal gut function.
Some Insight into Gas
If you eat food that’s high in protein (e.g. meat, fish, or eggs) your gas will probably smell bad. If you eat a vegetarian diet (a lot of vegetables and fruits), your gas probably won’t smell so bad, but you’ll have a lot of it.
Excessive and/or smelly gas may be a side effect of some common medications, including: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) - for example ibuprofen, some laxatives, medicines used to treat fungal infections, statins.
Don’t try too hard to hold in the gas, it may give you a stomach-ache or headache. Passing gas means your digestive system is working well.
When Should You See a Doctor About Bloating?
Bloating usually goes away by itself or with the help of folk remedies. However, if you notice that you have lost your appetite, if you often feel sick, if you notice blood in your poo, have lost weight or have a fever, it’s best to consult your GP.
If you would like to learn more about nutrition and spinal cord injury, please connect with me on instagram @wheelchair_nutritionist or leave your email to get notified when my book “Nutrition for people with Spinal Cord Injury” is published.
