We have all experienced gas and bloating at one time for another.
Bloating is obviously that uncomfortable sensation of experiencing distention or trapped wind.
Estimates suggest that anywhere from a fifth to a third of people routinely experience
bloating and while occasional bloating is usually short lived there are those who experience
bloating of a chronic nature and this can severely impact their quality of life.
So in todays video we discuss 10 easy ways to relieve stomach bloating.
Roll the titles.
Hey everyone, welcome back to the channel, as always just a quick reminder that I'm now
offering the stool test, SIBO test…..
Number one is that you need to identify the route cause.
Now as obvious as this sounds I can’t tell you have many people overlook this and either
try and ignore the problem until it gets too bad or they start following extreme dietary
patterns or start taking weird supplements.
Gas and bloating can be cause by issues with the stomach, pancreas, the gallbladder, and
also with infections in the gut such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or from a
lack of diversity of bacteria in the colon.
You may have heard me say many times that you need upwards of 600-1000 bacterial species
in the colon and a lack off diversity can cause all issues from gas and bloating to
constipation.
So first and foremost if you have consistent bloating don’t ignore it.
Work with someone, look at doing some testing and figure out where your problems originate
from before your digestive issues potentially get much worse.
Number 2 is that you need to move your body.
If you are someone that is very sedentary then you are much more susceptible to digestive
issues and gas and bloating.
There are obviously many studies in the literature that show the benefits of exercise but not
many people connect these benefits to improved digestive health.
Many health organisations around the world advocate 10-15 minutes walks after meals to
kick start the digestion if you are someone who consistently experiences bloating.
I suspect one of the main reasons why exercise is so go for alleviating gas and bloating
in some is that it helps reduce stress it it can help improve mood.
And if you are chronically stressed and chronically anxious or have a low mood then just think
about the consistent effect that this will have on your digestive system.
The consistent flow of stress hormones in the gut is going too do you know favours.
So keep yourself active.
Number 3 is chewing your food properly.
I mad a video specifically on this a couple of weeks ago, so check that out if you haven’t
already done so, but if you are someone who eats food like it is going out of fashion
then this can cause more undigested food to hit your small intestines and colon which
can then trigger excessive fermentation and ultimately increased gas and bloating.
Eating too fast for some people can also cause them to swallow a mot more air that can become
trapped air pockets within the can that can further exacerbate the issues that you are
experiencing.
Number 4 is to regularly consume probiotic rich foods.
On your car you would regularly change your oil to keep the engine in optimal condition.
This of eating fermented foods this way.
Like I said before if you don’t have a diverse range of bacteria in the colon then any time
fibre and carbohydrates hit the colon then they won’t be fermented correctly and this
can lead to not only gas and bloating but also a slowing down of your transit times.
If your food and fasces travels too slowly through the colon not only will it cause increased
gas and bloating bit in many people it will lead to chronic constipation.
By regularly consuming fermented foods you will help keep the diversity of the bacteria
high and it will keep your digestive tract ticking over at an optimal level.
I would recommend a couple of portions of fermented foods a week.
So that can be things like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and so on.
And by a portion I mean a couple of large table spoons of fermented foods and you also
need to ensure the fermented foods are raw and unpasteurised because if they have been
pasteurised then they have been heated and the beneficial bacteria have been removed.
Number 5 is making sure that you have having regular and consistent bowel movements.
The average person will have one to 3 bowel movements per day and just because you are
having this frequency it doesn’t mean things are normal.
I speak too many people each month who they may be having 1-3 bowel movements per day
but they never feel that they are fully evacuating correctly.
Often this can be resolved by making simple changes.
Reducing the amount of alcohol that is being consumed.
Removing the amount of processed refined foods in the diet and the most obvious one to ensure
that you are getting at least 35 grams of fibre in your diet a day.
The other thing that is often overlooked is hydration.
Many people may be doing all of the right things in terms of diet and fibre but they
may not be taking on sufficient fluids and they may be chronically dehydrated.
Number 6 is that if your noticing consistent bloating from eating fruits then you may want
to get testing for fructose intolerance.
Estimates suggest that approximately 1 in 20-30,000 people may experience hereditary
fructose intolerance.
Now this sounds fairly low and it is but when you think about it at a population level then
it tends to affect 5-10,000 people per year in somewhere like the uk.
Frutose intolerance is is the inability to digest fructose in fruit due to an enzyme
deficiency in enzyme 1 fructose-1-phosphate adolase.
Soo if it is abundantly clear when you are eating fruit and you are experiencing a lot
of gas then get tested to see if you have this problem.
Number 7 is that you have issues with stomach acid.
If the PH of your stomach is not low enough then when your eat food it won’t be liquified
correctly and then when the food leaves the stomach you are potentially getting a lot
more undigested foods hitting the small intestines and colon which can cause increased gas.
Obvious symptoms to look for to spot if you have issues with stomach acid are not only
gas and bloating but also a lot of acid reflux and indigestion.
For many people a quick experiment of taking 650mg of HCL 15-20 minutes before each meal
will give you a clear indication within a day or so if you have an issue with stomach.
If it becomes clear that part or all of your issues are coming from stomach acid issues
then please do not become hooked on HCL to mask your issues.
Work with someone the route cause of this issue and the stomach acid issue doesn’t
end up causing issues further down the digestive tract while being propped up with supplements.
Number 8 and this is another obvious one in that you need to limit or avoid the more processed
refined foods.
Often I speak to people and they will say I am getting a lot of gas and bloating but
I eat a healthy balanced diet.
Then when I sit down with them and look at their diet there may be a lot of carbonated
beverages, artificial sweeteners, processed refined foods and sugars that contain a lot
of lot of additives and preservatives.
Depending on your medical history and use of things like antibiotics, some peoples tolerances
to processed refined foods is somewhat diminished.
Now I would obviously always recommend limiting processed refined foods where possible, but
you have to be honest with yourself.
If a particular food is causing you a lot off problems then don’t just keep it in
your diet just for the 2 second pleasure you get from eating it.
Number 9 is to cut down on the amount of salt your your diet.
Now often salt can creep into the diet from any different sources especially if you are
buying ready made meals from the supermarket even if you believe them to be healthier choices.
When some people eat foods containing more salts it can cause their bodies to hold on
to more of the fluids, particularly around the gut, from the foods and beverages that
you are eating and drinking.
Believe it or now just the simple change of reducing a persons salt intake in often enough
to help the person feel considerably less bloated.
Number 10 is another obvious one that many people overlook and that is that you need
to look at the supplements that you are taking.
For many people protein powders, iron supplements, and a whole host of other supplements can
cause a direct impact on the speed at which your food and feaces is travelling through
the gut which will ultimately again lead to gas and bloating.
Often these supplements are produced in incorrect ways for the supplements may contain additives
and preservatives, fillers or binders that for many people can trigger digestive issues.
There are also many different medications that can trigger gas and bloating that the
person may not correlate the issues with.
So if you think there maybe a connection here then speak to your Dr.
Ultimately whatever your cause of gas and bloating don’t leave it or mask it with
digestive support supplements.
You may just be kicking a much bigger problem into the future.
So that’s the end of todays video.
If you enjoyed this video then be sure to check out this one up here.
And remember to look after your body because its the only place you have to live.
And I'll see you next time.