Laura Minford is a health writer, nutrition and lifestyle coach, and the main squeeze of Sydney-born Urban Remedy.  

Bloating is a common problem and one that varies from that ‘jeans a little too tight’ feeling to a stomach so distended you can’t get on with your daily activities. The key to managing it is getting to the root cause.
 
Ruling out any serious medical conditions, let’s take a look at the common culprits:
• Food intolerances, particularly to yeast, gluten and dairy
• Dysbiosis, aka overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut (namely candida)
• Stress, anxiety and depression
• Poor lifestyle and bad habits

 

Food intolerances can be easily identified through an elimination diet (no need for expensive tests). Simply cut out one food at a time for 2-3 days and then reintroduce, monitoring your symptoms throughout.
 
Bloating due to excess bad bacteria is caused by the gas they produce as they ferment (ew!) and feed off sugar inside of you. We all have these nasty creatures in our gut; the challenge lies in maintaining the correct balance of good and bad bacteria, thus avoiding bacterial overgrowth.
 
Stress and emotional turmoil can worsen bloating. They are not usually the primary cause but more of an aggravating factor, particularly in IBS sufferers.

Poor lifestyle and bad habits are also to blame. Sedentary living, shallow breathing, drinking water with meals (which dilutes digestive enzymes), chewing gum and knocking back the cans of fizzy drink can all contribute to a bloated tummy.
 
Regardless of the primary cause, all fellow bloatees should make sure they get on top of their bacteria levels as dysbiosis can itself trigger food intolerances (and leaky gut) and worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression – a vicious cycle. Sometimes a probiotic is not enough to address the problem and you may need to get rid of the bad bacteria first. We recommend the ‘weed, seed and feed’ approach: ‘weed’ out (aka kill) the bad bacteria with a potent anti-bacterial/fungal supplement, ‘seed’ or replenish the good bacteria with probiotics, then ‘feed’ the good bacteria with a healthy diet and prebiotics.

10 golden ‘beat the bloat’ rules:
1. Eat your meals in a relaxed setting, preferably at a table
2. Chew your food properly to activate digestive enzymes
3. Minimize your water intake with meals (1/2 glass max) to avoid diluting your digestive juices
4. Drink filtered water as tap water kills off good bacteria
5. Boost your good bacteria with probiotics (in natural yoghurt or in supplement form)
6. Avoid lentils, beans, cruciferous veggies (cabbage, cauliflower etc), onions (red are OK for some people) and garlic until symptoms subside
7. Replace wheat with other grains such as rye, spelt, quinoa and millet until symptoms pass
8. Minimize your intake of yeast (pizza, bread, pastries, yeast added to condiments and sauces, wine, beer) and malted foods (soy sauce, malt added to drinks such as soy milk)
9. Avoid artificial sweeteners (sorbitol, mannitol, aspartame etc) and sugar
10. Say no to chewing gum; when you chew gum, you swallow air!