Key Takeaways:
- Bloating is a common issue caused by excess gas, overeating, or food intolerances.
- Eating too quickly, consuming carbonated drinks, or excess sodium can contribute to bloating.
- Conditions like IBS, leaky gut syndrome, or SIBO can trigger persistent bloating.
- Food intolerances, such as FODMAPs or gluten, are common causes of bloating.
- Strategies to reduce bloating include eating smaller meals, avoiding carbonated beverages, and taking probiotics.
- Dietary changes like incorporating low-FODMAP foods or avoiding trigger foods can minimize bloating.
- Herbal teas and digestive enzymes can help soothe the digestive system and reduce bloating.
- Maintaining a balanced diet and hydration are key to preventing and managing bloating effectively.
Understanding Bloat
Bloating is that uncomfortable feeling of fullness or tightness in the stomach, often due to gas, overeating, or indigestion. It can also result from certain food intolerances or underlying medical conditions. While common, bloating affects about 18% of people globally, making it a widespread issue.
As a medical professional, I've seen countless patients looking for solutions to debloat and get relief. More recently, it's become a hot topic across social media, with many people seeking quick remedies to debloat. That’s why I want to dive deeper and offer practical tips for anyone experiencing this discomfort.
Read on to discover how you can debloat, detox, and feel great again!
What Is Bloating and Why Does It Happen?
Abdominal bloating is often a short-term discomfort when excess gas gets trapped in the stomach, usually after eating a meal. This bloating typically subsides after burping or passing the gas. However, when bloating persists or happens frequently, it may be due to other factors like constipation, food intolerances, or digestive conditions.
What Are Common Triggers of Bloating?
Common triggers are eating too quickly during meals which allows air to become trapped and expand your stomach. Or when eating too much food which makes it hard for you to digest the amount of food consumed. This extra volume taking up space in both cases in your stomach causes "bloating" or that "bloated" feeling.
Drinking carbonated beverages can contribute to excess air or gas in the stomach making you feel bloated and full.
Other triggers for bloating are eating food that your body can't digest or tolerate or is allergic to. Examples are people intolerant to FODMAP which stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols are forms of carbohydrates that are hard to digest for people intolerant to these. Foods such as garlic, onions, beans, lentils and certain fruits and vegetables will make these people experience abdominal bloating and discomfort.
People who are allergic (coeliac disease) or intolerant to gluten or wheat can experience bloating when they consume foods such as bread and pasta which are made from wheat.
What is really common now amongst the population is a leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and even bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO) which affects your digestive system and can trigger symptoms of bloating.
With a lot of the mentioned triggers above the food choices you make will have an overall impact on bloating.
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Common Triggers of Bloating
- Eating too quickly: Swallowing air while rushing through meals can lead to trapped air and bloat.
- Overeating: Consuming large portions makes digestion harder, which can leave you feeling bloated.
- Carbonated beverages: The bubbles in soda and sparkling water can cause gas buildup.
- Excess sodium: Consuming foods with too much salt or are high in sodium can cause your body to retain water, leading to belly bloat and a feeling of fullness.
- Food intolerances: Some people can’t tolerate FODMAPs (which stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols aka certain carbs) or foods like garlic, onions, beans, or dairy, which can lead to bloating.
- Gluten and wheat: For those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, foods like bread and pasta can cause discomfort.
- Gut conditions: Conditions like leaky gut syndrome, IBS, IBD, or SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) can all trigger bloating.
Your food choices greatly impact how bloated you feel, so understanding these triggers is crucial for relief.
Signs You Need to Debloat: Are You Experiencing These Symptoms?
What Are the Common Symptoms of Bloating?
Other symptoms associated with bloating is pain and distention in the stomach, flatulence or farting, burping or belching, rumbling sounds in the stomach and having a bigger than usual stomach. Which isn't great when you're trying to look cute!
Symptoms like constipation or diarrhoea can also be associated with bloating and when these symptoms persist a lot of people along with my patients feel really tired and lethargic all the time.
Which leads me to emphasise that if your symptoms persist and some of these other symptoms are presenting, then it's really important you seek out medical advice to investigate if there are any underlying issues causing these symptoms.
Please do not suffer in silence and put it off! Your health is your wealth so be proactive and get it looked at!
How Can You Differentiate Between Bloating and Other Digestive Issues?
Simple bloating as mentioned earlier is due to say excess air or eating too much which can be easily remedied when you burp or pass the air and avoid eating big meals and eating quickly. If you find these symptoms disappear quickly once you've done these and it isn't affecting your quality of life then this isn't something too concerning.
When it becomes more than just bloating is when you feel constantly bloated or the frequency is noticed after every meal and is noticeable for more than a few weeks, and you start to experience other symptoms mentioned above, this may be likely due to a digestive issue that needs further investigation. It is now you should book in to see your health care professional and let them know of your symptoms.
Effective Debloating Strategies: What Can You Do?
Here are some strategies to help you debloat and feel more comfortable.
- When about to sit down for a meal, take your time and do not scoff down your food to avoid the air getting trapped leading to bloat. Also be mindful of how much food you're consuming, eating too much can lead to bloating!
- Avoid carbonated beverages as they contain extra gas that you don't want to have bubbling away in your stomach
- Avoid foods you are intolerant or allergic to such as FODMAPs, gluten, diary etc
- Before each meal, eat a salad or your vegetables first as the bitterness from the veggies will help to stimulate your digestive enzymes that will break down the food you're about to consume
- Go for a walk after each meal to help your body digest the food and move any trapped gas that may be causing the bloat
- Make yourself a cup of herbal tea such as peppermint, camomile, dandelion or lemon & ginger. These herbs are great with digestion, especially after a meal
- Eating pineapple or paw paw/papaya after a meal. These fruits contain enzymes that help break down the food you just ate to support your digestion
- Taking a digestive enzyme that contains herbal extracts can help alleviate your symptoms and debloat you
- Taking a daily probiotic that can help to re-establish your gut microbiome to support your digestive system.
What Dietary Changes Can Help Reduce Bloat?
Certain foods and beverages can contribute to gas and bloating or exacerbate pre-existing conditions.
Therefore to debloat or reduce bloating, removing what we put into our mouths is the first step.
- Eating smaller meals
- Avoid drinking carbonated drinks like soft drinks, sparkling water, beer and sparkling alcohol. To relieve abdominal bloating, it’s best to avoid carbonated drinks and opt for still water or herbal teas instead.
- Eating a low FODMAP diet by limiting or removing garlic, onion, whole grains, beans or legumes
- Try a gluten-free (GF) or dairy-free (DF) diet for those with food allergies or intolerances and replace with GF and DF options. These days there are a variety of great choices to choose from that don't compromise taste or texture compared to back in the days
- Avoid or minimise cruciferous vegetables and certain fruits you don't normally eat - it may require keeping a journal of what fruits and vegetables that don't sit well with you causing you to bloat
- Avoiding processed foods and beverages
- Drinking enough water to keep you hydrated and keep things moving - bowel wise (this amount will vary from person to person 6-8 glasses of water is a standard volume)
The above dietary changes may not be needed for everyone as we are not one size fits all. I recommend keeping a food diary to document what you've eaten, how much food was consumed and how you felt after each of your meals. This will really help you identify what to avoid or keep in your daily diet.
How Do Food Intolerances Differ from Food Allergies When It Comes to Bloating?
Food intolerances and food allergies can both cause discomfort, but they differ significantly in how they affect the body. A food intolerance typically leads to digestive issues like bloating, gas, or diarrhoea because the body struggles to break down certain substances in the food. This is often due to a lack of specific enzymes needed for digestion (e.g., lactose intolerance), or the fermentation of certain carbohydrates (e.g., FODMAP intolerance).
A food allergy, on the other hand, involves the immune system. It triggers a response where the body treats the food as a harmful substance, which can result in symptoms like hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, or anaphylaxis. While bloating may occur with a food allergy, it’s usually accompanied by more serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
What Role Does Probiotics Play in Debloating?
Your digestive system is comprised of an ecosystem of different organisms all serving a purpose to help your body function, either with digestion support, immunity support or even brain support (gut-brain axis) keeping these organisms alive and well is imperative to your being.
When these organisms are destroyed or are out of balance either through poor diet, medication or illness, these are when symptoms of bloating can emerge. Therefore replenishing the good bacteria with probiotics into your gut can be beneficial to your overall health but more importantly, your gut health to help debloat you.
However, not all probiotics are created equal, and some may not be well tolerated by individuals with sensitive gastrointestinal systems. Therefore finding the right one that is high quality with the well-studied strains is important when choosing the right one. You can read more here in our article on the best probiotics in Australia.
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Detoxing for Better Digestion: What Does It Mean?
Assuming there are no underlying conditions and you are simply just feeling bloated and sluggish and not feeling your best. Detoxing your body to reset the system is a way to debloat and feel better.
What Are the Benefits of Detoxing for Your Gut Health?
When we don't look after our body and fill it with processed foods, no fresh fruits or vegetables, sugary drinks and snacks and one too many glasses of wine or liquid confidence, this is all attributed to bad gut health and in your case feeling bloated.
Giving your body a break with a detox is great to:
- remove bloating or digestive discomfort
- remove feeling sluggish or tired
- improve skin health
- improve your immune health
- helps reset your body by eating foods that are nourishing and drinking beverages that keep you hydrated and feeling good
How Can You Safely Detox Your Body?
Here are some easy steps to help you detox safely ;
Here are some quick and easy steps for a safe detox to help reset your body and alleviate bloating and digestive discomfort (assuming you have no underlying medical conditions and are doing this for a short period of 7 -10 days):
1. Hydration is Key
- Start your day with warm lemon water: This helps stimulate digestion and hydrate your system.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day: Aim for at least 2 litres (or more) to flush out toxins and reduce bloating.
2. Incorporate Herbal Teas in place of caffeine drinks like coffee or energy drinks
- Opt for peppermint, ginger, or fennel teas: These are known to soothe digestive discomfort and reduce bloating.
- Consider dandelion or green tea: They act as natural diuretics, aiding in detox and reducing water retention.
3. Eat Clean, Whole Foods
- Focus on fibre-rich foods like leafy greens, berries, and whole grains (avoid if on a low FODMAP diet) to keep digestion smooth.
- Incorporate probiotic-rich foods (e.g., yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut) to balance gut bacteria.
- Avoid processed foods, sugar, and dairy if they cause inflammation or bloating.
4. Include Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients
- Add turmeric, ginger, and garlic to your meals: These ingredients reduce inflammation and promote gut health (if on low FODMAP avoid garlic or limit garlic quantity)
- You can also try a shot of apple cider vinegar before meals to stimulate digestion. NGL might not be fun, but I'm sure we've all downed grosser drinks!
5. Gentle Movement and Stretching
- Engage in light exercises like yoga, walking, or stretching to aid digestion and relieve bloating.
- Poses like twists or forward bends can stimulate digestion and ease discomfort.
6. Prioritise Rest and Sleep
- Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep to allow your body to reset and detox naturally.
- Consider relaxing activities like meditation or breathing exercises to reduce stress, which can impact digestion.
- A warm Epsom salt bath may also help relax the abdominal muscles and provide some relief from bloating.
7. Limit Alcohol, Caffeine, and Carbonated Drinks
- These can irritate the digestive system and contribute to bloating. Stick to water, herbal teas, or matcha.
8. Short Intermittent Fasting (12-16 Hours)
- Allow your body a break from constant digestion by practising intermittent fasting to give your gut time to reset.
9. Support with Detox Supplements
- Incorporate Milk Thistle (or St. Mary’s Thistle): This well-known supplement supports liver detoxification, improves digestion, and helps with debloating. It promotes liver function, which plays a key role in clearing toxins from your body.
- Other supplements like digestive enzymes, activated charcoal, or probiotics can further enhance digestion and gut health.
These steps should help your body detox naturally and reduce digestive discomfort and help with debloating effectively.
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FAQs
How quickly can I expect to debloat after making dietary changes?
The time it takes to debloat depends on the underlying cause. If your bloating is related to eating too quickly or consuming carbonated drinks, you might feel relief within a few hours of making changes. For more complex issues like food intolerances, bloating may take a few days or weeks to improve as your digestive system adapts to the new diet and habits.
Can I debloat overnight?
While full relief might take longer, some steps can offer quick relief. Drinking warm water with lemon in the morning, engaging in light exercise (like a walk or yoga), and avoiding heavy or difficult-to-digest foods at dinner may help reduce bloating by the next day. Herbal teas such as peppermint, green tea or ginger also offer rapid debloating effects, soothing your stomach and helping gas pass.
What foods should I eat to reduce bloating in the long term?
Stick to high-fibre foods like leafy greens, berries, and whole grains (unless you're following a low-FODMAP diet), which promote smooth digestion. Probiotic-rich foods, such as yogurt and fermented options like kimchi and sauerkraut, can also support gut health. Avoid processed foods, sugary snacks, and excessive dairy if they tend to trigger bloating for you.
How to reduce bloating quickly?
Here's typically what I've done that has helped me debloat. If I've eaten a big meal for example going to a fancy buffet, I would get some pineapple and eat a few pieces after that meal and order myself a peppermint tea. Both of which help with digestion and I find it works pretty quickly to get the process moving. I would then "walk it off", instead of heading home right away, go for a nice walk after the meal really helps. I find my stomach starts to digest and sometimes burp pretty much immediately which gives me relief straight away.
Conclusion: What Are Your Next Steps for a Happier Gut?
Now that you’ve learned about the common triggers and causes of bloating, as well as how detoxing can help reset your system, you have a better understanding of how to debloat and maintain a happier, healthier gut. By making small yet powerful adjustments—such as slowing down during meals, avoiding carbonated drinks, and adding more probiotic-rich and anti-inflammatory foods—you can ease bloating and improve digestion in your everyday life.
The key is consistency. Start by incorporating a few of the debloating strategies mentioned into your daily routine and see how your body responds. Whether it’s beginning your day with warm lemon water, adding digestive-friendly herbal teas, or practising intermittent fasting, these steps can help you feel lighter, more energized, and less bloated.
Hopefully, some of the suggestions above will help alleviate your symptoms. You may need to try different things to see what suits you more. Ultimately, by taking proactive steps and making thoughtful adjustments to your diet and lifestyle, you'll be well on your way to a more comfortable, balanced, and happy gut.
Remember, it’s about listening to your body and finding what works best for you.