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Writer's pictureSara Childers, RD, LDN

10 WAYS TO NATURALLY REMEDY BLOATING + GASTRIC DISCOMFORT


A Bit of Background on Bloating

Good News! If you are a human, you have experienced bloating. Bad News– if you are a human, you have experienced bloating. If someone told me that they have never struggled with bloat and discomfort of the abdominal area, I would gladly consummate and document the occasion– because it would mean that I have met a unicorn. 


At this moment, It is Valentine’s Day week and the Super Bowl just ended as well. You know what that means. I have been surrounded by sugary sweets, cream-cheese stuffed everything, and what doesn’t have cream cheese or sugar on it is likely deep fried. I live in the deep Southern United States, these foods are delicacies here. 


And my bloating has never been worse. Until I remedied it with a few tricks that I have up my sleeve from years of being a health enthusiast, registered dietitian, and just someone who flat-out hates feeling less than amazing. 


So this leads me to the actual point of this blog post: Ways to Naturally Remedy Your Bloating. As a holistic junkie who loves all things natural, it is only right that I remedy bloating through natural ways instead of popping laxatives and drinking my weight in “detox teas”. 


There can be many reasons for a person’s bloating: constipation, periods, IBS, hormonal changes/imbalances, pregnancy, underlying conditions, or just plain ‘ole eating too much. 


If you are constantly in a state of bloating, I would contact your primary provider, or sign up here for a consultation with me to test your nutrient levels in order to start you journey back to getting on track with gut health. 


If you know why you are likely bloated, that really helps with remedying the issues! Keep reading! All of these components listed below can potentially help with bloating and discomfort.


Fasting Intermittent or Prolonged

Sometimes, the gut just needs to reset. Sometimes doing some intermittent fasting for a few days can help. But you can also do a fast for a day or two. Doing fast can help your gut rest, which is great for gut health. This will lead to a more supported gut the next time you go to eat and you may not feel as bloated later. It is also important to note that while you fast, you should drink calorie-free clear liquids in order to stay hydrated and to help wash out the gut. Which brings me to my next point…


Drink Enough Liquids 

Most often than not, we do not drink enough water throughout the day. This is not me telling you that you have to go buy the newest Stanley cup. Just make sure that you are drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day! Also, things like bone broth, coffee, and tea also count towards liquids. Extra liquids often help to keep us regular, especially when we are moving along with drinking liquid. 


Exercise before or after meals

Movement after meals can be a game changer. If you are someone who leans more towards the constipated side. This is a great practice for you. After meals, or even snacks, just make sure that you are doing some sort of movement for at least 10 minutes after eating. This can be just walking. If you do harder exercise, maybe wait a while after eating to do these. We want to avoid getting sick. But simple things like walk can help our bowels get to moving a bit so we aren’t bloated. This can also help us to pass extra gas that may be trapped in our stomach from when we were eating and possibly consumed just as much air as we did food. Excessive gas is often a primary factor to abdominal bloating and discomfort. 


At-Home Abdominal Massaging

Don’t have anywhere to exercise after a meal? Try abdominal massaging. I did an abdominal massage the other day when I was having horrible cramps in my lower abdomen. After doing abdominal massages for around 10 minutes, the cramps went away and have not been there since. Abdominal massaging helps to move the bowels and helps the abdominal and digestive muscles. It personally helps me with my posture to lay flat on my back and focus on the alignment of my back, while focusing on my breathing, and massaging my most-used muscle. This is a huge life-saver when it comes to bloating and trying to remedy it in a pinch. I searched for abdominal massaging on YouTube and have found a few different videos that are good to use. This one was my favorite. 


Castor Oil Pack Overnight

When massaging, people often use oils so that their hands glide smoothly over the skin and the best massaging can be achieved. Castor oil is a great oil to use on the abdomen no matter if you are massaging it or not! In fact, the best way to use castor oil for abdominal support and digestive relief is by putting the oil on an organic cotton cloth and wrapping it over your liver/abdomen for at least an hour in order to seep into the skin and reach the liver and intestines. 


You can order the best-quality, highest-grade castor oil here for a great price! This is the kind that I use and I also recommend to all of my clients, friends, and family. You can read more about castor oil in my blog soon.


NUTRITION SUPPORT


Eat More Fiber-Rich Foods

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Both help with bowel support and both are often found in an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Things like berries, leafy greens, root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, and fruits with skin on them are great sources of fiber. Beans and lentils are also great sources of fiber as well. More fiber means that, in your intestines, the fiber will absorb the excess water and make your feces larger and softer, so that it is easier to pass.  


Avoid sugary Foods and carbonated beverages

Sugary foods should always be eaten in very restricted portions. Simple sugars have almost no nutritional value other than they help your blood sugar when it has already dropped. Eating sugar can lead to inflammation which can present itself as bloating or it can be a contributing factor to constipation if you are constantly eating sugar without eating fibrous foods. 

Carbonated beverages are also a means to having extra bloating since most carbonated beverages are sugary, but they also cause you to consume excessive amounts of air in the stomach, leading to bloat and discomfort. Drinking beverages that are not carbonated is a good way to avoid bloating. 


Avoid deep fried foods and foods with seed oils

Similar to sugar, seed oils are very toxic for the body and should be avoided as much as possible, generally speaking. I talk all about seed oils in this post. Seed oils create an environment for inflammation, which can lead to swelling and feelings of bloat. Seed oils can often be found in highly processed packaged goods and in deep fried foods. Both of these foods not only have seed oils but they also have excessive amounts of salt in them. Salt is great in small quantities to help keep us alive and hydrated, but it also can cause fluid retention that makes us feel bloated everywhere on our bodies, from the fingers to the stomach. Avoiding fried foods, junk foods, and fast foods can help to mitigate bloating. 


Eat More Fermented foods + Take a Probiotic

In order to have a good gut, you must have good gut health. Gut health starts and ends with a health gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is the system of microbes in your intestines that help you to break down food even further before digesting. It also helps with nutrient absorption, blood sugar, and the protective layer of her intestines that helps fight against harmful substances. 

One of the best things that you can do for your gut health is to take a probiotic and to eat foods that are fermented and contain probiotics. Examples of these include: yogurt, kefir, sourdough, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, pickled vegetables, and other fermented products. These feed your good gut bacteria and help to protect against what you sometimes may eat that is not the healthiest option for you.


Practice Mindful Nutrition when Eating

Mindful Eating using your knowledge of nutrition to choose what foods you need to put on your plate in order to be nourished well. The biggest component of mindful eating is to chew slowly and completely and to not rush meals. This can often lead to over-eating the wrong foods, not chewing completely (which can lead to an overworked gut that has slower digestion), and not paying attention to satiety cues, which are the nerve signals in your body that tell your brain that you are full. 


Using all of these tools is a great way to avoid or to remedy bloating when you are having gut issues or trying to look your best. If you would like more information on gut health or help with healing your gut, you can book a consultation with me here, where I see clients one-on-one. I accept out of pocket costs, but I also accept insurance for those that live in Mississippi, Texas, or Illinois with certain health insurance policies. 



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