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Kris Carr

Wellness

How to Get Rid of Belly Bloating

Hiya Gorgeous,

When you’ve got the bloat, ya feel like a float. You know the drill—wearing sweatpants whenever possible, unbuttoning your waistband under the table, feeling like you just want to stay at home because you don’t feel up to going out into the world.

Being “bloated” is that overly full, gassy feeling in your tum that makes your stomach seem swollen. And while it’s not usually a sign of anything serious, it’s uncomfortable, can kill a good mood and do a number on your energy level.

There are a lot of different reasons why you might feel this way. Today, I’m going to walk you through the five most common triggers and give you strategies for blasting bloat for good. And be sure to leave your tips and questions in the comments, I wanna hear from you!

 

5 Reasons You’re Bloated + How to Get Relief

Reason #1: Crappy food choices.

This one’s a no-brainer. Eating fatty, fried and heavy foods makes us stay uncomfortably full longer. Plus, it takes extra gas-producing reactions in your digestive system to break down these types of foods. Sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol, xylitol and maltitol) that are found in artificially sweetened, sugar-free or “no sugar added” foods are also problematic. They can cause a great deal of gas and bloating because our bodies can’t digest them.

How to get relief:

  • Choose whole foods more often and sweeten your foods naturally. Focus on whole plant foods like whole grains, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, since they’re lighter and easier to digest. Enjoy them in smaller portions throughout the day to allow your body to get used to this shift. And on that note, follow the other tips below on easing fiber in slowly. Lastly, avoid artificially sweetened foods, and instead sweeten foods with whole or dried fruit, dates or a little maple syrup.

Reason #2: Eating too quickly and overeating at meals.

When you eat quickly, you swallow lots of air, which ends up getting trapped in your digestive system. In addition, bigger pieces of poorly chewed food land in your stomach, leaving you uncomfortable and making digestion more difficult. Overeating is also taxing on your digestive system—whether you’re eating unhealthy or healthy foods. So whether you’re eating too fast, too much or a combo of the two, you’re getting in line for gas, bloating and feeling crummy after a meal.

How to get relief:

  • Slow down, partner! It sounds simple, but so many of us just need to chew more and swallow smaller bites while eating to decrease bloating. Also, having small meals more frequently throughout the day (rather than stuffing yourself because you’ve become ravenous) can help digestion tremendously. Enjoy small snacks between meals of easy-to-digest lighter foods, such as apple slices and sunflower seed butter, a green juice and a handful of pumpkin seeds or hummus and carrots.

Reason #3: Adding certain healthy foods to your diet too quickly.

Not all of us have stomachs of steel, and there are certain foods that can be especially hard to digest when they’re first introduced into your diet. While sometimes this is caused by true food allergies or intolerances (see my food allergies and intolerances blog here, plus Reason #4 below), this may just be the result of not giving your digestive system enough time to adjust. Foods that are more likely to trigger this issue include legumes, onions and cruciferous veggies because their natural sugars are difficult for your body to break down when they’re first added to your diet.

How to get relief:

  • Add legumes, cruciferous veggies and onions to your diet slowly over time: If you’re new to beans and lentils, broccoli, kale and onions, start with a 1/2-cup serving every 1-2 days for a week so that your body can get used to them. Add an additional 1/2-cup serving daily for another week to help your body acclimate. The more of these foods we eat, the more efficiently our bodies create the enzymes we need to digest them. Legume tip: Stick to little guys like lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas and black beans. They tend to cause less gas and bloating compared to larger beans. Cruciferous veggies and onions tip: Choose cooked over raw at first.
  • Try digestive enzymes: If you’re experiencing bloating at any time, you may need a digestive enzyme booster. Some people make too few of the important digestive enzymes, which can easily lead to chronic bloating. But even for other folks, digestive enzymes can really help prevent bloating, especially when adopting new, healthy diet changes. My favorite one is from Pure Encapsulations here.
  • Take probiotics daily: Bloating and gas can be a sign of too much bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria. Eating fermented foods, such as tempeh, kombu, kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchee, can help your gut stay happy and healthy. If you don’t eat these foods on a daily basis, try taking probiotics (I do, regardless of how much fermented foods I eat). My go-to brand is Dr. Ohhira’s.

Reason #4: Eating foods that trigger food sensitivities.

While you’re probably aware of your true food allergies, you may not be aware of your food sensitivities or intolerances. Figuring out which foods you may be sensitive to can help you eliminate bloating and other digestive woes. Common food sensitivity culprits include: gluten, dairy, eggs, nightshades and foods high in fructose, such as high-fructose corn syrup, raisins, honey, agave nectar, mangos, apples, pears and watermelon.

How to get relief:

  • Try an elimination diet to determine the culprits. Eliminating suspect foods for 14-21 days and then adding them in one at a time can help you pinpoint which foods might be problematic. This will also help you determine which ones can stay in your everyday diet. (Read more tips in my food sensitivities blog).
  • Ditch dairy: The milk sugar, lactose, is a common culprit in gassiness. Avoid dairy foods and reach for unsweetened, non-dairy milks made from almonds, hemp, flax or rice. They’re just as creamy and delicious!

Reason #5: Too much fiber, too fast.

While dietary fiber is wildly important, jumping into a high-fiber diet (30+ grams daily) when your system is used to a low-fiber Standard American diet (15 grams or less) can be an express ticket to bloat town.

How to get relief:

  • Add high-fiber foods in slowly. Adding high-fiber foods at a rate of no more than 5-10 additional grams of fiber daily for one week at a time should help you avoid any increased gas or bloating. That’s 1/2 cup of beans or lentils, 1 slice of high-fiber bread, 1/2 cup of cooked veggies or 1 cup of raw veggies.
  • Get moving: Exercise promotes healthy digestion and the release of trapped gas. And it doesn’t need to take long—even a 15-minute walk can help banish your bloat. Also, if you’re sitting at your desk for more than 2 hours at a time, make a point to get up and do a few jumping jacks as a digestive booster.

Wanna reduce bloat but not sure what to do first? Review the reasons I’ve listed above and get real about which ones align with your typical eating habits. Then, take a look at the accompanying tips for relief and see how many you can integrate regularly into your diet and lifestyle. The more you can embrace at once, the quicker you’re going to reduce or eliminate bloating. Keep in mind that the most time-consuming tip is probably identifying food sensitivities, so just make sure you’ve blocked out 3-4 weeks of time to tackle that one.

Your turn: What leaves you feeling bloated and what have you found to be the best fixes? Let me know in the comments below.

Peace & little bites,

Add a comment
  1. Marie says:

    Helllllllllllloooooooooo

  2. Dorothy Manganella Rodrigues says:

    Thank you I have chronic pancreatitis & chronic serious gastrointestinal issues. I see a nutritionist when I feel its necessary I’m on a specific diet do to my illnesses. I lived in a ALF that was sited for a filthy and other citations. One moring I got up doubled off in so much pain I could barely walk, my doctor happened to be there & sent me to the hospital. I was diagnosed with a Parasite in my entire gastrointestinal tract. I harldy ate at that ALF with the exception of toast & hard boiled egg. Once I was released I move out to an A place where now I can either cook for myself or the cook here is outstanding and knows my illnesses and takes good care of me if I have a flare up. I did learn something form you that you can take a Probiotic, Prebiotioc along with a digestive enzyme. Thank you Dorothy ???? God Bless ????

  3. 3Hcare says:

    You always bring the best out of you and I appreciate it!

  4. It is generally recommended that women begin with the least invasive option, which would be lifestyle changes. Particularly if the bloating is caused by excessive intestinal gas, some dietary changes can be extremely beneficial

  5. Renee N says:

    Thank You for the tips. I’ve been suffering for years. Funny it stopped when I was in pain meds for my herniated discs. Now I’m off them and back to extreme bloating and gas. I started changing my diet for a couple months now. All while fresh foods it’s exhausting cooking all the time I get worn out. My body can’t take eating 5 meals a day of fruits and vegetables. I cut down to 3. I use to eat 1 time a day. But trying to loose weight and found out how I needed to eat to get my body in fat burning mode. Plus trying to drink a gallon a water each day I’m way to full. I was using veg and fruit in my smoothies. I think I’m going to try to stick to one group at a time separately. I’ve been to dr several times. They just say the same thing. All laxatives don’t work. Even a prescription for IBS. It’s been a week and bloat won’t go down. I had a flat stomach and look like 9 months pregnant. I tried gluten free take probiotics good ones digestive enzymes. Not helping. i thought getting healthy was going to make me feel great. It hasn’t. It makes me sick. I had severe bipolar depression with extremely painful discs in my back and hip. Barely got out of bed for 2 years. Finally got new dr’s. that changed my life. Had a procedure done on my back and pain much better. Was on pills for years. Now off pain meds quit smoking was up to 2 packs day in summer. Never could cook. Now cooking more. It’s been 5 months. And was obbesed with dieting and excercise from 3 different trainers online. But started hurting my back had to stop. Now I’m starting to get depressed and not being active cause of the bloat. Very uncomfortable. I sometimes just don’t want to eat. I also don’t eat dairy . Only thing I didn’t try is fennel tea. I don’t like fennel. I have fennel seasoning can I put it in regular tea? Yes and I don’t drink soda. So what am I doing wrong? I give up! Funny thing is I have lost 25 lb in a year . I weigh a little less each day but stomach is huge. I’m 47. Periods skip a lot. Never did before. For my issues now drs can’t help me.

  6. Elaine F. says:

    I tried Ohhira’s probiotics; however, they contain carrageenan, which can be a problem for the intestinal wall. I did have some issues with loose stool, so will not ever take that brand again. Dec. 27, 2016

  7. Carrie says:

    I’m so happy to see this article because I have been bringing healthier foods to work such as vegetables from my home garden to share with my co-worker. She has just been so open about her bloat feeling after eating that I knew something was up. I am emailing her a copy of this post and highlighting Reason #3 and taking full responsibility. I want my eating habits to reflect kindly on her as I feel eating healthy, happy food makes for a positive work environment!

  8. Helen says:

    I love Dr Ohhira probiotics and used them for years and recommended them to family and friends. When I discovered they had carrageenan and carmel color in them I chose not to use them anymore. I am curious as to why that doesn’t bother you.

    • Kris Carr says:

      Thank you for your question as many other folks may have the same concerns! There’s actually been a lot of research on this, and as it turns out, carrageenan is safe at levels far above those typically consumed by humans (study: http://bit.ly/2ao6Rz9). However, if you’re concerned or feel that it has an effect on your digestion, you can certainly try another probiotic. I love Ohhira’s because it’s the one brand that always works for me without fail. Here’s Dr. Ohhira’s information on the carrageenan in their products: http://bit.ly/2a9hDMT. And regarding the caramel color, the one used in this particular probiotic is not an additive. It is a result of the natural processing. More info here: http://bit.ly/2a7seEi. I hope that’s helpful! xo

  9. Lindsay says:

    Probiotics and digestive enzymes have made such a huge positive difference in my life. Spirulina as well! When I’m bloated, I make sure I’m taking all of these and cut out processed carbs and sugars for at least a few days. Always seems to do the trick for me! Massage helps as well. Get a reflexology chart for your feet and start stimulating!

  10. KARYN MIRACLE says:

    Hi Kris! I was curious about the Dr. Ohirra’s Probiotic. I hear all the time that we should look for CFU’s in the billions (the one I take now is 50 Billion CFU’s) with at least 10 strains. It looks like Dr. O’s are only 900 Million.. is this enough? I hear great things about this probiotic too. What’s the difference? Thank you!

    • Kris says:

      Great question! The general recommendation for probiotic CFU’s is in the billions because many of the bacteria are dead by the time you take them. Since the Dr. Ohhira’s brand is not freeze-dried at any point in the process, the probiotics are especially strong, viable, alive, and more likely to survive through your stomach acid (therefore less CFU’s are needed). Our Crazy Sexy Dietitian has been recommending this particular probiotic with her patients for years and has seen more success with digestive relief than with many of the other probiotics out there. Dr. Ohhira’s isn’t the only high-quality probiotic. There are a bunch of others as well, including Renew Life Ultimate Flora and Jarro-Dophilus EPS.

  11. Penelope says:

    It may also be from a clogged lymphatic system. This can also cause breast pain. I was referred to a lymphatic therapist by the place where I go for digital breast exams. After my second treatment, a years worth of breast pain was gone. In my last session I was complaining about belly bloating and she discovered I not only had a lot of inflammation and sluggish lymph nodes, but my liver was also not a happy camper. May have been brought on by not drinking enough water.

  12. Lee says:

    I love and agree with all of these. As a healthful eater (gluten, dairy, soy, meat, refined sugar free) with severe IBS, I know allllll about bloating.

    To prevent bloating when I’m in a really bad flare up state, I avoid mixing food groups and eat only cooked veggies. I keep all sugars to a bare minimum (cube of 85% dark chocolate but that’s for my chocoholic soul :p)

    Another tip that I’ve found to help me is either peppermint or fennel tea (or combo of both). They both work very well when trying to reduce the uncomfort that comes with bloating.

    Thanks for all your great tips!

  13. Jennifer says:

    Hummus tends to make me bloated and gassy. The overeating and eating to fast tip really resonates with me, I’m definitely guilty of that. Thank you for the reminder to slow down!

  14. Elizabeth says:

    Helpful post Kris!!! Despite a very clean vegan diet I was always bloated. Turns out I really can’t handle grains. Agree with all of these tips. Too much of even the healthiest foods can throw us off. Listen to your body.

  15. Great post Kris! I’ve had tummy issues for many years and my ND found (via blood test) that I’m sensitive to gluten, dairy and eggs. I’ve been on an egg free, dairy free and gluten free diet for about a month or so with 5 more to go! She told me that I’d need to be off these foods for 6 months to heal my gut. I have other health issues too so I think eliminating these inflammatory foods is supposed to help with my immune function as well. I feel better but not 100% just yet.

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