This post has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
Bloating can be an incredibly frustrating and painful experience. From ruining your outfits to causing discomfort, it can often feel like a hopeless problem that is triggered by an unidentifiable cause. While things like movement and dietary changes can improve your situation, how you’re cooking is just as important. The seasonings you use while preparing food could be making your bloating worse, just as much as the food you’re eating itself.
We asked Lisa Young, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, author of Finally Full, Finally Slim, and an adjunct professor of nutrition at NYU, Trista Best, a registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements, and Dr. Melina Jampolis, a board-certified physician nutrition specialist and author of Spice Up, Live Long: A Guide to Using Herbs & Spices To Live A Longer, Healthier And More Vibrant Life, what the worst seasoning is if you struggle with gas and bloating, and what you should try instead. They said that garlic is the worst seasoning for inflammation and that ginger can help boost your metabolism and reduce inflammation.
Garlic Is The Worst Seasoning For Inflammation
First of all, what causes bloating? "Bloating occurs when the gastrointestinal tract is filled with gas or air," Young says, "It can be due to a number of causes including constipation, weight gain, poor digestion, food intolerance, eating too fast, chewing gum, or a medical issue like irritable bowel disease." To understand your own unique root cause, you should speak with your doctor to analyze your symptoms and rule out any serious conditions or allergies.
As far as what seasonings will make bloating worse, Young says the worst seasoning for bloating is garlic. "Garlic may cause problems for some people due to an allergy, which may cause symptoms like bloating. Garlic also contains fructans which are not well absorbed in people who have irritable bowel syndrome." Although you may be tempted to throw garlic into dishes that you cook, it could be making your bloating and gas worse.
But, the good news is that if you like the taste of garlic there are lots of good alternatives that have a similar savory taste. A few that Young recommends are basil or chives. Another thing you could try is cutting back on how much garlic you consume and seeing if eating it in moderation reduces your symptoms.
There are other things you can do to heal your digestive system and reduce bloating and gas. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that all "healthy" foods won't cause digestive issues—there are many fruits and vegetables that could be making your bloating worse, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. Looking carefully at what foods you're eating the most, and researching if those things commonly cause bloating, is one way you can promote a digestion-friendly diet. Besides this, avoiding foods that are heavily processed or high in sugar, is also important for healing your digestive system from the inside out.
Ginger Is An Anti-Inflammatory Spice That Reduces Bloating And Gas
One spice that Best and Dr. Jampolis highly recommend is ginger. While ginger is not a perfect replacement for garlic, it can still be used for cooking to help reduce inflammation, bloating, and gas.
"Ginger is unique to weight loss in that it contains compounds known as gingerols and shogaols," Best tells us. "These compounds create an antioxidant effect in the body that reduces free radical damage in the body. This damage leads to an increase in oxidative stress that can both cause and exacerbate obesity. This damage occurs at a cellular level and once those damaged cells replicate the body's natural processes that maintain homeostasis can become disrupted leading to decreased metabolism, energy, and more."
"Ginger reduced the body mass index (BMI) of obese women in one study after they ate two grams (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) of ginger powder per day," Dr. Jampolis adds. "It slightly increases the number of calories we burn, helps with satiety (fullness) as it reduces the amount of food we eat, and improves the health of the gut microbiome."
The Bottom Line
So, experts agree that garlic is the worst seasoning for weight loss and that it's best to limit your consumption of this plant and opt for healthier spices and herbs like ginger and basil. However, it is important to note that everyone's triggers are different. There is no one size fits all method for healing your body, which is why, as stated previously, it's important to speak with a certified medical professional who can work through your symptoms and medical history thoroughly. This is the key to getting to the root cause of your digestive issues and coming up with a treatment plan that is right for you. And, if you're still suffering from inflammation, try these quick ways to reduce bloat fast. Your body will thank you for it!
