Does the thought of bloating put you off your food? Fear not, there are two natural remedies to prevent such an occurrence from happening. Read on to find out what they are.
Bloating can be painful for some people, testified HealthPad – an organisation dedicated to transforming the way we understand gut health.
To diminish the chances of another bloat, the first technique you can employ is deep breathing.
HealthPad recommends taking “five deep breaths before eating”, in order to slow down how fast you eat.
Eating too quickly affects blood flow to the digestive system, hindering its ability to do its job properly.
The other technique is to “chew your food” – you’d be surprised how easy it is to guzzle down a good meal without chewing properly.
“Food that isn’t broken down properly puts stress on the digestive system,” HealthPad explained.
It’s thought that this stress on the digestive system can contribute to bloating.
This might seem extremely out of the ordinary, but they suggested chewing “each mouthful 20 times”.
The organisation added: “As much as you can, try to ensure each mouthful is liquid before you swallow it.”
These two methods are a great start to eating in a more gut-friendly way.
However, there could be instances where something much larger is at play with a bloated belly.
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Perhaps you’re eating foods that don’t sit right with you – do you know of any food sensitivities?
It may be worthwhile to begin a food diary if bloating happens more often than not.
Taking a food allergy test could be a quicker way to gain a clearer picture.
Speaking of tests, HealthPad’s “functional testing” can find out if your bloated belly is due to a leaky gut or something else.
A leaky gut, also known as intestinal hyperpermeability, can lead to digestion issues and inflammation; both of which can contribute to bloating.
Harvard Medical School explained leaky gut may have large cracks or holes, allowing partially digested food and toxins to penetrate the tissue beneath.
Inflammation results, which can then upset the natural gut flora balance.
They noted emerging evidence suggest a diet low in fibre, high in sugar and saturated fats could be to blame.
Another possible culprit, which can be picked up by HealthPad’s functioning test, is “small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)”.
SIBO means more bacteria are fermenting the carbohydrates in food, releasing gas as a by-product.
John Hopkins Medicine added symptoms of SIBO include bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and fatigue.
Treatment for SIBO involves medication, such as the antibiotic rifaximin.
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