No one likes to deal with gas and bloating. Whether it’s chronic or just a once-in-a-while issue, we’d all like to banish a bloated stomach for good. And while that may not be a realistic possibility for most of us, there are a few changes you can make to limit the issue as much as possible—starting with cutting certain foods out of your diet.
To discover the worst type of food that you should avoid as much as possible if you want to keep bloating and other digestive issues at bay, we spoke to Dr. Bill Cole, functional medicine expert and creator of the Cellular Health Accelerator program. He told us that sugary, processed foods are some of the biggest offenders due to the fact that they often lead to gut dysbiosis. Read on to learn more!
Sugary, processed foods
As delicious and convenient as sweet treats and sugary breakfast foods like pastries, cereal, cookies, and more can be, Dr. Cole warns that these high-sugar, high-calorie foods can take a serious toll on your health and should especially be avoided if you struggle with chronic bloating. "The food to certainly avoid when gas and bloating are a problem is any food with processed sugar," he tells us. This is because
Dr. Cole notes that "the most common cause of gas and bloating is a poor diet full of empty carbohydrates or sugar-laden foods, which are both often combined with gut dysbiosis." Say it ain't so! What exactly is gut dysbiosis, though, and how does sugar lead to and exacerbate the issue? As Dr. Cole explains, it's "an imbalance of good and bad bacteria primarily in the small intestine," and according to him, it's "an epidemic condition in our society" which is only worsened by a high intake of processed sugar. He goes on to say that an imbalance like this in the gut microbiome, when combined with the refined sugar found in many of your favorite sweet treats, "produces a byproduct of sugar digestion."
But the digestive risks of processed sugary foods don't stop there; it can also worsen a condition called Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, or SIBO, which is another major cause of bloating after meals. "The bacteria consume the sugars in our diet and produce a nitrogen gas, which causes severe distention of the stomach," Dr. Cole explains. Yikes! Guess we'll lay off the donuts, then...
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Tips for avoiding gas and bloating
In addition to cutting out sugary, processed foods, there are a few other healthy habits you can implement in order to keep gas and bloating to a minimum. First off, it's vital that you prioritize nutritious foods. "My recommendation for chronic gas and bloating is to first eat only whole foods and avoid processed ones," Dr. Cole suggests. "After that, most people do well with foods such as grass-fed beef, pastured chicken, and wild-caught fish."
Additionally, remember that it isn't only what you eat, but how you eat that affects your digestion. That means you should take your time while savoring your meals. "It’s also important to chew the foods well as digestion actually starts in the mouth," Dr. Cole concludes.
At the end of the day, the most important step in solving your gut issues is to get to the root of things. If you're unsure about what's disrupting your digestive system, talking to a doctor is always your best bet. But when in doubt, keeping your diet in check by cutting out processed foods is never a bad idea!
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