miss the bloat - how to avoid bloating

Feeling bloated? Your diet and eating habits could be the cause

We've all had those miserable days when we can't even get our "fat" jeans to zip. Our stomach resembles a water balloon, and we feel like we've gained 10 pounds in two hours. We are uncomfortable, we are irritable, we are bloated.

There are many reasons why this happens, and most of them have to do with how we eat. We make poor food choices, try new fad diets, eat on the run, chow down on sugary energy bars, overeat or skip meals altogether. Then we expect our digestive system to take care of it all. When we were kids, it probably did work that way. But as we age, our system produces less of the digestive acids that break down food and can't handle the resulting imbalance and overload. And so we get bloated.

While this may sound depressing, there are a variety of natural ways to get rid of both the causes and the discomforts of bloating, and many of them are as simple as changing our diet. Herbs in the form of teas can soothe symptoms, but if the problem is chronic, we'll need to examine our overall lifestyle to get rid of the problem for good. But before we talk treatments, we need to understand what's going on inside.

First Things First

You should consult your physician to rule out a serious medical digestive disorder before you do or take anything or make any radical changes. If you feel bloated or have cramps or diarrhea, Barbara Kravets, CCN, LCN, clinical nutritionist and director of nutrition for a chain of natural food stores in Chicago, advises consulting a health professional to make sure you don't have an inflammation, yeast infection, malignancy or a disease like diverticulosis, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis or celiac. Kravets warns that food allergies--particularly to wheat, dairy, corn and soy--can also cause bloating, although the exact reasons are not understood. Once you rule out serious diseases, you can treat bloating with common sense (including patience), a healthy diet, good eating habits, acupuncture, herbs and supplements. There are several tricks to pinpointing the causes of your discomfort and then taking positive action to remedy them. It's worth doing because treating bloating is about more than just putting an end to the discomfort. Poorly digested food may pass inappropriately from the gut into the bloodstream and can contribute to inflammatory responses, among them arthritis, asthma, type I diabetes and fibromyalgia, says Kravets.

Gut Reaction

To understand what's making you swell, you must be on a first-name basis with your gastrointestinal (GI) system--and granted, that's not most people's best friend. "The digestive tract is a complex site of interactivity between foods and the digestive system," says David Riley, M.D., an internist, homeopath, yoga teacher and founder of MEDigy, a web site for integrative medicine. The digestive system includes the "gut flora"--yeast and bacteria--as well as chemicals that process the food. Different foods produce different reactions, and some of them, especially carbohydrates, will produce gasses that cause bloating, Riley explains.

When you alter the balance of what you normally eat, you can get bloated. If you switch to a vegetarian diet, for example, which usually means more carbs, your digestive juices and gut flora need time to adjust their output and work on the new family of foods you're feeding yourself.

GI Brewery

Eating a lot of refined carbohydrates, such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice, is one of the most common causes of bloating. These foods break down into sugar quickly, and sugar, when worked on by acids, ferments and creates gas. In addition, people who suddenly increase their consumption of fiber will often feel bloated because the gut reacts by producing additional acids and flora, a byproduct of which is gas. So if you've recently changed your diet to one that revolves around refined carbs or have increased your fiber by adding more fruits and vegetables, you're likely to be at even greater risk as your system struggles to get used to processing the different foods. When you alter your diet, Riley explains, "you have to re-educate your whole system. In the process of things sorting themselves out, you may have some symptoms of bloating." But most of the time, he says, the discomfort abates as the body adjusts.

Highly refined sugars cause bloating in the exact same way, says Kravets, "because sugar is easily fermented by bacterial and fungal organisms in the gut, which produces gas and alcohol." Grains and sugars are what cause beer and champagne to fizz, so you can imagine what the combination can do to your GI system. Studies have shown that as many as 61 percent of patients who suffer from chronic bloating and other GI discomforts have detectable levels of alcohol from maldigested and malabsorbed carbs, Kravets says.

So what is the proper diet? There isn't one across-the-board answer. But according to Kravets, bloating may be reduced--even avoided--by a few simple steps. First, cut back on (or eliminate) simple sugars. Then, take a probiotic (such as acidophilus, available in the refrigerated sections of natural food stores) to increase the beneficial organisms in your digestive system. If you do increase your fiber, do it slowly. Drink plenty of water, and strive to maintain good and frequent "bathroom" habits.

You've Lost That Bloated Feeling

Your mother was right when she told you to chew each mouthful at least 32 times. Digestion actually begins with chewing, since digestive enzymes are released in saliva. Moreover, good chewing eases the work of peristalsis, the constant churning action of your stomach and intestines. "Peristalsis changes its tempo with major dietary changes," Riley stresses, so the better you chew your food, the easier you can digest it and the less bloated you'll feel.

Another way to relieve bloating is to reduce the amount of air you swallow--so eat slowly and talk less while you eat. "Make meals as relaxed as possible," advises Riley.

On a larger scale, reducing your overall stress and getting plenty of exercise are ways to ensure good digestion for a lifetime. "The mind/body connection in the gut is well documented," Riley says. Mild exercise reduces stress, which disrupts the delicate balance of healthy gut flora and chemicals in the digestive system and actually leads to illness. That age-old wisdom of going for a walk after a meal truly works wonders, he adds.

Yoga and massage are both excellent stress busters, says Riley. They can work directly on the stomach and intestines. Any of the twist poses massage the digestive tract and tone it. Here's a good, simple yoga twist to try: Sit on a straight-backed, armless chair, facing sideways, with your legs planted on the floor. Twist your torso to face the back of the chair, keeping your pelvis square to the side. Exhale during the twist. Then do the other side. Do the twists two hours before or after eating.

Fueling the Flames

Ever wonder why you feel so tired and bloated after a big, greasy meal? Peter Stewart, M.Ac., O.M., a practitioner of Chinese medicine and an acupuncturist in Chicago, explains that according to the Chinese system, it's the "sweet, raw and greasy" foods that cause discomfort and create imbalance within our GI system. Because so much energy is needed to process such foods, the body's stores become taxed, leading not just to bloating but also to fatigue and sleepiness, which the Chinese attribute to a "spleen energy" deficiency. "Think of your stomach as the cooking pot and the spleen as the flame," says Stewart. "As you put sweet, greasy, cold and raw foods into the stomach, you need to turn the flame up." Without adequate fuel, food passes into the intestines incompletely digested, creating a lot of discomfort.

To turn up your flame, eat warm foods, drink warm liquids and don't switch suddenly to a salad and juice diet. Cold and raw foods chill the stomach, and instead of increasing its blood supply for effective digestion, they cause the stomach to contract, reduce its blood supply and inhibit its secretions. Large amounts of protein also tax the digestive system and force your body to "cook" the food, so don't overdo the high-protein soy shakes. Stewart also recommends getting acupuncture treatments to increase spleen energy.

Afternoon Tea

There are excellent Chinese herbal formulas dating back a thousand years (or more) that are used to treat digestive weaknesses and to energize the spleen. Astragalus, with or without ginseng, works well, says Stewart. You might also try Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan, a classical Chinese formula used to treat poor digestion due to disharmony in the liver. A practitioner trained in Chinese herbs will be able to prescribe the dosage appropriate for your condition.

David Riley suggests a few more familiar herbs, taken as teas, for temporary relief. Peppermint and ginger work wonders for intestinal complaints, and they taste great, too. Other herbs, including fennel, fenugreek, valerian and lemon balm, are antispasmodics that often ease GI distress. Sip a cup after each meal.

If you suspect you're low on acids, you can supplement them with a vegetarian digestive enzyme (available in natural food stores; follow the directions on the label). Interestingly, the symptoms for shortages of gut flora and acid are similar to heartburn, and one way to tell if your lacking is if popping antacids doesn't help (see "Do Rolaids Spell Relief?"). Be aware that most common digestive enzymes, like Pancreatin, are derived from animals, so read the labels carefully.

RELATED ARTICLE: Do Rolaids Spell Relief?

One common mistake people make to relieve bloating (and gas) is to pop antacids. And yet the symptoms of insufficient acid are identical to those for excess acid (e.g., heartburn). According to Barbara Kravets, CCN, LCN, clinical nutritionist and director of nutrition for a chain of natural food stores in Chicago, when you gulp antacids, you actually worsen the acid imbalance, sending food that isn't broken down into the small intestines. This leads to bloating, cramps and diarrhea. (Lack of proper acid in your stomach also means you have lost the ability to kill off the germs and unfriendly bacteria you ingest, she adds.) So in essence, you're back to where you started and may even have succeeded in making yourself feel worse. You and your health care professional may decide to order a stool test, which will bring your gut imbalances to light. A more sensible (and more likely) first step, though, would be to try digestive supplements and probiotics under the supervision of a health care professional--then he or she can fine-tune the dosage.

RELATED ARTICLE: Bloating and PMS

Most women who suffer from PMS are well aware of how bloated they feel the week before their period. Fortunately, there are several natural remedies you can take to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling. Try vitamin [B.sub.6], which is a mild diuretic that reduces fluid retention, swelling and even cramps, says Gary Null, Ph.D., author of For Women Only! Your Guide to Health Empowerment (Seven Stories Press, 2000). He recommends taking at least 200 mg. a day throughout the month. Other natural diuretics that frequently provide immediate relief include cranberry juice, kelp, parsley and watercress. And some people find that evening primrose oil supplements ease the discomfort. Changing your diet to limit salt, dairy and refined foods should alleviate the bloating, as will moderate exercise. But the best news is that bloating from PMS usually goes away as soon as you start your period.

--A.R.

OLIVIA WU is a journalist based in Chicago. Her book, Turning 50: Fifty Personal Celebrations (Andrews McMeel Universal), was released this year.

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