Deflating Bloating Myths

Bloating is one of the most common symptoms that clients report in my client is bloating. With all of the incorrect information that is out there on social media at the moment it isn’t surprising that there is a lot of confusion around bloating and how to ‘deflate’ the bloat.

What is bloating?

To put it simply bloating is the feeling of increase pressure or fullness in the gastrointestinal tract. Bloating can be experience differently for each individual and can present in the upper digestive tract or lower digestive tract. Bloating can fluctuate throughout the day or be persist with no fluctuations.  

The truth is that bloating doesn’t have a quick fix guide for everyone. Bloating can be caused by many different factors. These can be digestive related however it can extend beyond this and be impacted by hormones as well. The key to addressing your bloating is finding out what factors cause, trigger and exacerbate your symptoms.

Deflating bloating myths:

1.     MYTH 1: A low FODMAP diet will resolve bloating and I should stay on this long term. Eeek. Nope! Low FODMAP diets are intended for a short period of time only. This diet may assist within reducing bloating but in addition to this we need to resolve what is happening at the functional level of the gut and identify where in the digestive process isn’t working quite so right. From there it is about a slow food reintroduction period and repairing the gut.

2.     MYTH 2: Bloating is only caused by foods. Bloating can be caused by food intolerances however I find that most of the time the common causes are poor digestive function, dysbiosis, wearing tight fitting clothing and high stress levels.

3.     MYTH 3: The cause of bloating is the same for everyone. Bloating doesn’t have a common cause. It is a complex symptom. Many different factors can cause bloating, identifying why you are bloating is important to reducing the symptoms.

Tips to reducing bloating:

·      Slow down before your meal, avoid eating on the run. Allow yourself time to sit and eat your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the day. This is a basic human right. Your schedule shouldn’t be so busy that you don’t have time for this. If it is change your schedule because you’re always going to need to eat.

·      Chew your food properly! We want to aim for 15-20 chews per mouthful. Put your cutlery down in between bites and wait until you have finished chewing and swallowed before you take your next bite.

·      Do a diet dairy to identify when bloating is intensified or consider having some food intolerance testing conducted.   

·      Have smaller meals more regularly throughout the day.

·      Use deep breathing before or after meals to support abdominal relaxation.

·      Consider herbal bitters like gentian to support gastric sections and food breakdown.