{"id":3468,"date":"2023-01-01T06:59:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T19:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=3468"},"modified":"2023-09-03T00:34:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T14:34:54","slug":"managing-bloating-simple-changes-digestive-comfort-naturopath-nutritionist-central-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/managing-bloating-simple-changes-digestive-comfort-naturopath-nutritionist-central-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Bloating: Simple Changes for Digestive Comfort"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Diana Arundell \u2013 University Qualified Naturopath & Nutritionist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloating is a very common digestive complaint and often making simple changes can make a significant difference. Although there can be more rare and serious causes of bloating that may need further investigation, it\u2019s worth trying the simple things first and observing changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether the bloating is felt more in the upper abdomen or lower abdomen can already shed some light as to what may be going on. Also, the timing of feeling bloated can provide added information. For example, if bloating is felt more in the upper stomach area it may be a sign of stomach acid and\/or digestive enzyme insufficiency and perhaps protein isn\u2019t being broken
down in the stomach as effectively as it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things that may help include: slowing down and chewing food mindfully, relaxing \/deep breathing before eating and not eating if feeling stressed or anxious (stimulating the rest\/digest nervous system rather than the fight\/flight nervous system), drinking lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in water or swedish bitters before meals. All these things can help stimulate saliva production and this in turn stimulates the body\u2019s production of stomach acid then in turn, digestive enzymes further down the gastrointestinal tract, preparing it better for the assimilation of food. In more severe cases, taking digestive enzymes before meals may also assist in breaking down food more effectively and reducing upper digestive tract bloating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloating that occurs in the lower abdomen could be more indicative of intestinal issues such as dysbiosis (unbalanced gut flora\/microbiome) although can still be related to under functioning of digestion further upstream in the stomach and duodenum (small pouch that joins the stomach and small intestine). If food is not effectively broken down into smaller particles in the upper digestive tract by good hydrochloric acid and enzyme function, it can pass through the lower digestive tract in larger than ideal particles which may irritate the gut wall, lead to increased fermentation and gas production that can result in bloating. If there is under functioning stomach acid production, protein may not be broken down adequately, including bacteria which could then contribute to gas formation and bloating further downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observing the timing of bloating can also be helpful. Bloating and feeling tired within 30 minutes of eating a meal may be a sign of digestive enzyme insufficiency, too large portions or the consumption of food that is not ideal for the individual and sensitivities may be present. If there is a pattern of bloating with a particular food, it is worth eliminating that food for 2 weeks and observing any changes experienced. The most common culprits for bloating due to sensitivity include wheat based food (anything containing flour such as bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pastry etc) or dairy foods (anything containing cow\u2019s milk including yoghurt, cheese, cream, ice\u2013cream etc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specific food related bloating in some people can also be caused by high \u2018FODMAP\u2019 containing foods which includes some fruit (apples\/dried fruit) and vegetables (onion\/garlic), legumes (lentils\/chick peas) as these particular carbohydrates may not be well absorbed and can affect bacteria in the intestine resulting in gas and bloating. \u2018FODMAP\u2019 is an acronym for Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols which are groups of short\u2013chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols which exist in larger amounts in some foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slower moving bowels may also contribute to bloating as food\/faeces are stagnant in the gut for too long resulting in fermentation and further gas producing bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swallowing air by eating too fast or not chewing sufficiently can lead to bloating often associated with burping and noisy flatulence. The more odorous or \u2018silent and deadly\u2019 flatulence may be more associated with fermentation of food further down the gastrointestinal tract due to maldigestion of food or an imbalance of healthy gut flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the bloating doesn\u2019t improve after making adjustments to how and what you eat or it\u2019s associated with a change in bowel habits, including blood or mucous in the stools or severe pain then it may warrant further investigation sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diana Arundell<\/strong> is a university\u2013qualified naturopath and consults from her Avoca Naturopath clinic. She has a special interest in fertility and pregnancy health, digestive health, immune function and family wellness programs. She was a nutrition lecturer at Macquarie University for 10 years, and is an accredited Journey Practitioner. For further information or to make an appointment please contact Diana Arundell at Avoca Naturopath on 0410 465 900.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Diana Arundell \u2013 University Qualified Naturopath & Nutritionist Bloating is a very common digestive complaint and often making simple changes can make a significant difference. Although there can be…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[75,42],"series":[115],"class_list":["post-3468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellbeing","tag-article","tag-diana-arundell","series-coffee-with-a-coastie"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/11\/Feeling-bloated.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"

Managing Bloating: Simple Changes for Digestive Comfort<\/a><\/blockquote>