Your gastrointestinal (GI) tract doesn’t have words to tell you that it is overtaxed, unbalanced, or inflamed, so it sends you symptoms like bloating, belching, and gas instead. When you can read these symptoms as signals, you gain the opportunity to truly nourish and support your unique body without judgment. Clara didn’t need to uproot her life and eat “perfectly” to banish her bloat, she simply needed to listen to her body and compassionately give it what it was asking for: rest, balance, and nutrition. If you, too, are struggling with bloating, it’s time to look at the 800-pound gorilla in the room: your gut microbiome. Your gut microbiome is the collection of microbes, bacteria, and fungi hanging out in your GI tract. These billions of strains of bacteria are responsible for absorbing nutrients from your food and breaking it down. Contrary to what your mother may have told you, you are not what you eat; you are what your gut microbiome can absorb. The good news is that the composition of your gut can change within just 24 hours 6when we change our food quality and stress levels. Here are some strategies to help you do so: But there is a catch: Some people eat all of the healthy, fiber-rich food and still struggle with nagging bloat after their kale, cabbage, and black bean salad. We call this the fiber pendulum. Too little fiber (usually under 25 grams) is associated with low energy, constipation, high cholesterol, and bloat, but loading up on too much fiber (or too much fiber too fast!) can lead to gas, bloating, and constipation. Raw vegetables, though incredible sources of vitamins and minerals, can be difficult to digest in large amounts. (Specifically looking at you, cruciferous vegetable family.) If you notice that raw foods are contributing to your bloat, try shifting a few meals over from raw to cooked, steamed, puréed, or boiled veggies, and see if it leads to easier digestion. Ayurvedic wisdom teaches the mindfulness practice of chewing your food 30 times before swallowing. For reference, the average American chews each bite four to seven times! If this feels like a stretch for you, simply chewing your food from solid to liquid can do the trick. I’ve found that when clients are struggling with unresolved chronic stress, it will usually manifest as GI discomfort, impaired digestion, cramping, and bloating. If your body is primed to fight or flight, digestion becomes a nonpriority. To combat this, you can start by practicing deep, diaphragmatic breathing before eating, which can shift your body into a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for the hormones in your stomach to signal to your brain that you are full. If the pace of your day requires your lunch to take five minutes, it is likely that you will feel overfull or bloated no matter what you ate. Challenge the pace of your meals by decreasing distractions, slowing down, chewing enough, and listening to your body’s hunger and fullness signals. Studies on peppermint show 10a 50 to 70% decrease in abdominal pain and digestive discomfort when subjects consumed peppermint oil or tea daily. Ginger is known to decrease inflammation and stimulate the digestive tract11 while easing nausea and bloating. Turmeric, nature’s most potent spice for promoting healthy inflammatory actions, can decrease pain and bloating12 and even improve mental health markers like depression and anxiety13. Lindsay graduated from Liberty University, Precision Nutrition, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and the Functional Nutrition Alliance. Lindsay believes that health is more than just the food we eat. It is the way we live, move, stress, commune with others, and engage with the great outdoors.
