It’s not always food intolerance that causes bloating…
A lot of my clients believe that a particular food (or foods) is the biggest culprit when it comes to their bloating and abdominal discomfort.
Whilst this is often true, it’s not always the case.
As a dietitian, I may uncover a number of other causes upon completion of a nutritional assessment. I look at when, what and how much the person is eating – and also take into account environmental factors.
Over the years I’ve found that our gut health can be impacted by so much more than just the food we eat. As a dietitian who specialises in the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (you can find a blog post about I can help you with that here), it is my job to put on my detective hat and explore all avenues of what is causing your dreaded daily bloating.
There are three additional factors which can cause bloating and which are worth checking out before jumping to conclusions about having a food intolerance…
Pace of eating
If you think about, it makes perfect sense that eating too quickly would cause problems with your digestive system.
The faster you eat, the less chance you have of breaking down the food with each chew – which makes it difficult for your body has to digest. This can cause bloating.
You often inadvertently take in gulps of air when you’re eating fast, too – that doesn’t help either!
If you think you might be eating your food too quickly, try slowing down – and chewing your food for longer – and see how your stomach feels. Are you more comfortable? Pay attention to your body. It may be that this simple change has a huge effect.
Portion sizes
Like eating too quickly, eating too much can also place huge pressure on your digestive system and cause bloating.
Over the last few decades our portion sizes have increased dramatically, and this can lead to more than weight gain. We actually need considerably less food than most of us eat!
My advice would be for you to eat as intuitively as possible – see how your body feels if you eat less. It may be that you can reduce your portion sizes without feeling uncomfortable.
Anxiety around food and related symptoms
Are you someone who gets an upset stomach when you’re stressed or anxious?
This possible reason for bloating is often overlooked. If you’re not feeling relaxed when you’re eating then your body may not be able to break down the food effectively.
Although it’s not uncommon for people to have anxiety specifically related to food, bloating can also be caused by stress that isn’t food related i.e. work stress, family stress.
But sometimes it’s because people become more anxious around what they are eating, worried that it will upset their stomach. It can be a case of chicken vs egg – which came first: the stress causing the symptoms, or the food causing the symptoms? So it can sometimes be psychological – and for good reason! A lot of my clients no longer trust that the food they eat will agree with them.
Try paying attention to how you feel when you’re eating. Are you thinking about something else? Are you worried about something and just shovelling your food down mindlessly?
For a lot of my clients, their bloating is caused by a combination of both anxiety and the food they’re eating.
I’ve tried all these suggestions and I still get bloating. What now?
It’s important to remember that a little gas and bloating are actually signs of a healthy gut and digestion.
When fermentable sugars reach our large intestine, they act as a fuel for the beneficial bacteria. It’s when the bloating leads to discomfort and abdominal pain that limiting certain foods may be beneficial.
I specialise in using the Low FODMAP approach with my clients where appropriate, but it is important you see your GP first to exclude other possible causes of the bloating.
A dietitian can assess your diet to see if you would benefit from the Low FODMAP diet. Sometimes this diet isn’t required, and a few lifestyle changes can be all that’s needed to reduce your symptoms. Each person is very unique and therefore different advice is provided to each person.
If you think I might be able to help you, get in touch!
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