A Naturopath's Guide to Bloating

Bloating is never a fun time - it makes you feel uncomfortable, heavy and sluggish. And if it occurs regularly, it can begin to impact day-to-day life.

Bloating is a result of some level of dysfunction in the gut, such as poor digestion of foods, slow transit time, an imbalance of good and bad gut bacteria, digestive inflammation, microbial overgrowths, food intolerances... the list goes on! But whatever the root cause of the bloating, starting with the basics around food habits is a must. Let's take a look.

It's advised to chew at least 20-30 times per mouthful - yes, really. We often forget that digestion begins in the mouth, not the stomach! So chewing food until it's a puréed texture is super important.

Also, the act of chewing stimulates our metabolism and digestive secretions (such as stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes and bile). So if we inhale our food while on the run (guilty), we can expect digestion to be sub-par, and the unforgiving bloat to follow.

As a rule of thumb, I recommend to only consume sips of water 30 minutes before and after main meals. If we're guzzling beverages with meals, we will dilute our precious stomach acid (the stuff that helps breakdown food) and cause an onslaught of uncomfortable gut symptoms, including bloating.

Eating is s pretty special activity that some of us have the priviledge of doing three times per day! When we respect food, and treasure the process of preparing, cooking and consuming a meal, digestion will improve. This is because we're more likely to be in a 'rest and digest' state (called the parasympathetic nervous system) where digestion and metabolism of food is optimised. Eating in a stressed or non-mindful state, such as in front of the TV or laptop, we can expect bloat to rear its ugly head.

Maintaining regular bowel motions is key in preventing bloating - we're aiming for 1-3 formed motions per day. If you're on the slower side, increasing your hydration and certain types of fibre will be a god-send. Reach for prunes, pears, pear juice (frozen into a popsicle is delicious!), kiwi fruit, stewed apples, fresh figs, soaked chia, flaxseed and/ or legumes on a daily basis.

It's important to remember that the occasional bloat can happen, particularly if it's after over-indulging - worth it, in my humble opinion. However, if it's weekly or even daily in response to normal foods and portion sizes, investigating further with a trusted naturopath, nutritionist or GP is recommended.