Bloating? Gas? Try this
Do you experience bloating, gas, or other digestive concerns?
Digestive issues are common. More than 40% of people in the US report experiencing digestive symptoms that have caused them to limit aspects of their regular routine.[1]
Brain-gut interaction disorders, like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which are often accompanied by bloating, gas, and irregular bowel habits, affect more than 40% of the US population and negatively impact the quality of life. [2] There is growing recognition of how our mental-emotional state and stress response influence many aspects of digestive function. Increasing numbers of people are being diagnosed with conditions like Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), IBS, and food sensitivities.
An increasing number of direct-to-consumer testing companies and supplement and pharmaceutical companies offer products guaranteed to help you track and treat these conditions. While some of these interventions can be helpful. I also find that simple low and no-cost approaches can vastly improve digestive symptoms in many (if not most) people.
Here are 12 suggestions (no supplements required) to improve digestion, eliminate bloating gas, and support regularity. Implementing some or most of these can improve many symptoms substantially and address some of the root causes of many digestive concerns.
As always, please consult your healthcare provider if you are dealing with severe or worsening symptoms or symptoms that are not improving.
Avoid multitasking when you eat. Digestion is an energy-intensive process for the body. We must be in a relaxed (aka parasympathetic) nervous system for optimal digestion. If you are scrolling the news or answering work emails, it is unlikely that you will digest food optimally.
Avoid cold foods and beverages. If you eat cold foods, your body must warm them to body temperature. The cold food is also a shock to the system. Various medical systems and traditions like Ayurveda and East Asian Medicine have clear recommendations that most foods, especially for those who may be weak or debilitated (or have weak and debilitated digestion) should be eaten cooked. Support your body and the digestive process by eating warm foods, especially in the colder months.
Eat wet foods. Wet foods are foods cooked with a large amount of liquid. Think soups, stews, porridges. While it goes by different names, most traditional cultures have some porridge or stew that is often a foundational part of the diet. While we often think of remaining hydrated as a function of drinking lots of water, eating foods cooked with lots of water is more hydrating, as the nutrients (especially minerals) they contain will be absorbed along with the liquids. Hydration is not just about water but a balance of fluids and minerals.
Use digestive-supporting spices. Culinary herbs and spices can do a lot to support digestion. Many have powerful effects in decreasing gas and increasing the digestibility of foods. This knowledge is often embedded in some traditional food preparations - such as caraway seeds to cut the gas-inducing qualities of cabbage—Dill to aid in the digestion of dairy products. One powerful combination widely employed in East Indian cuisine is cumin, coriander, and fennel (often with turmeric). This combination helps decrease gas and bloating, improve digestive enzyme secretion, and lower inflammation. Try adding more beneficial spices to your recipes if they are not already part of it.
Add flaxseed. Adding a tablespoon or two of fresh ground flaxseed (be sure to grind it rather than buy it preground as it spoils easily) to your meals can improve regularity. The fiber may also help lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and support hormonal balance.
Put some space between your meals. For optimal digestion, we need to have space between our meals. Frequent snacking can actually impair gut function by preventing the natural sweeping reflex (called the migrating motor complex) that helps ensure the smooth forward flow of intestinal movement, an important part of preventing issues like SIBO. Avoid snacking between meals and allow at least 3 (and ideally) 4 hours between meals.
Avoid eating when stressed. Stress eating will negatively impact multiple aspects of digestion. When we are stressed, gut motion is impacted, the microbiome is negatively impacted, and we tend to make food choices that may not align with our health goals.
Make lunch your largest meal of the day. Our digestive capacity is highest at midday. In many traditional cultures, the mid-day meal is the largest. Evening meals, e.g., Supper (derived from the French word souper - meaning soup), are for smaller/lighter fare. Most agrarian cultures adhered to this pattern of eating. This can take some doing logistically if one tends to skip lunch. Finding small ways to nudge your habits toward a larger, mindful lunchtime can be helpful as the capacity to digest foods you may not tolerate at other times of the day can be higher. In addition to the cultural and historical support for this practice, recent studies point to a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease by ending one’s eating earlier in the evening. [3]
Avoid eating hard-to-digest food combinations. Certain combinations of foods can be more challenging to digest. You can ease the process of digestion (especially if your digestion is sensitive) by paying attention to how you combine foods. While there may not be robust scientific evidence on the benefits of food combining, it is pretty easy to assess if employing it makes a difference. The rules of food combining vary somewhat but in general.
Avoid combining animal protein, dairy, and processed carbs (grains and breads). Instead, eat any one of these in combination with vegetables like leafy greens, mushrooms, and root vegetables.
Fruits are generally eaten alone between meals.
Make time to heed the calls of nature. If we do not heed the call of nature, our bodies will stop talking to us. When you first feel the urge to go, make the time to do so. Suppressing this urge or not being able to act on it can lead to dysregulated bowel habits, gas, and constipation.
Sip hot water. Sipping hot water frequently throughout the day is a simple practice with many benefits. Sipping hot water (akin to sipping tea) has a calming effect on the mind. Regular sips of water help keep the stomach lining hydrated and moist, which is optimal. It is felt to have a mild but substantial cleansing effect (especially for the body's lymphatic system) when employed consistently. Because the water is already at or above body temperature, it is easily absorbed.
Chew your food more. Many of us are in quite a hurry when we eat. We may not even realize how quickly we are eating. Most people would benefit from taking the time to chew our food a little more. It improves digestion by starting the process of digestion in our mouth. It also increases mindful eating and allows time to sense better when we are satisfied with what we have eaten.
So these are my top suggestions.
While many of these are pretty simple to describe, this does not necessarily mean they are easy to implement. Habits can be difficult to shift - like scrolling on your phone while eating lunch Ahem...
That said, one of the most significant ways to motivate yourself to make these changes is the benefits you notice when you do. So, pick a couple and give them a try and see what you notice. The benefits may be readily apparent for some like slowing down when you eat. In others, it may take some consistency of application to notice the changes.
Try some, and let me know your experience.
To your health
Dr. Nicole 🌿
References
[1] https://gastro.org/press-releases/new-survey-finds-forty-percent-of-americans-daily-lives-are-disrupted-by-digestive-troubles/
[2] https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(22)01393-2/fulltext
[3] https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/delayed-meals-tied-increased-cvd-risk-2024a10000ml?src=soc_lk_share&form=fpf
