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Foods That Cause Bloating
Health | July 26, 2017
Bloating is when your stomach feels swollen or enlarged after eating.
When it comes to bloating, some foods are the more obvious culprits. That super salty bowl of popcorn from movie night, or a double bean and cheese burrito will have a stomach sticking out faster than you can say “food baby.” But sometimes it’s the foods which we consider to be “healthy” that are to blame…
Bloating is very common. In fact, about 16–30% of people say that they experience it on a regular basis, and it is usually caused by gas or other digestive issues brought on by diet.
Before we get into some of the foods that can cause bloating, here are some quick tips to avoid it in the first place!
- Avoid overeating. This is probably the most common cause of bloating. Smaller portions will help prevent and ease any future stomach pains that can come with bloating.
- Eating rich and fatty food will leave you feeling uncomfortably stuffed. Fat takes longer to digest than protein or carbohydrates, so it keeps the stomach full longer. Limiting fats in your everyday diet to help avoid bloating.
- Slow down! When you eat too fast, it only adds to the risk of bloating after a meal.
COMMON FOODS WHICH CAUSE BLOATING (and some alternatives)
BEANS are a type of legume which contain high amounts of protein and healthy carbs. Despite being rich in fibers and vitamins which are good for you, most beans also contain sugars called alpha-galactosides. These belong to a group of carbs called FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols) which are “short-chain carbohydrates.” These carbs escape the digestion system and are fermented by gut bacteria in the colon. Gas is a byproduct of this process. For someone with irritable bowel syndrome, another type of gas is formed during the fermentation process, which can cause major discomfort, resulting in symptoms like bloating, flatulence, cramping and even diarrhea.
Some beans are easier on the digestive system, like pinto and black. Looking for an alternative? Try replacing beans with grains, meat or quinoa.
YOGURT is sometimes known for its stomach-calming probiotics, but there are actually certain types of yogurt out there that could actually be doing more harm than good. This is because dairy products contain different levels of lactose, which gets fermented in your body and creates gas bubbles and bloating.
Plain Greek yogurt usually has around 12 grams of sugar and lots of protein, making it a better alternative to some of those nonfat and low-fat yogurts, which often contain close to 30 grams of sugar, making them a much gassier choice.
CARBONATED DRINKS are another very common cause of bloating. These drinks contain high amounts of a gas known as carbon dioxide, and when you drink one of these carbonated beverages, you end up swallowing large amounts of this gas in the process without even realizing it! This gas gets trapped in the digestive system, which can cause uncomfortable bloating and cramping.
Plain water is the best way to go! But if you’re craving something else that will go easy on the tummy, you can always drink some coffee or tea, even fruit flavored waters too!
CRUCIFEROUS VEGATABLES includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts and several others. While they are quite healthy and contain many essential nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron and potassium, like beans they too contain FODMAPs, and can cause bloating for some people.
Cooking these vegetables may make them easier to digest. Or consider some alternatives, like spinach, cucumbers, lettuce, sweet potatoes, or zucchini.
APPLES are among the most popular fruits in the world! Despite being high in fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants, they are also unfortunately known to cause bloating and other digestive issues for some people due to FODMAPs and their high fiber content. Fructose and fiber are fermented in the large intestine, and cause gas and bloating.
Cooking the apples can help make them easier on the digestive system, or other fruits such as bananas, blueberries, grapefruit, oranges or strawberries can be much friendlier on the stomach.
BEER is a carbonated beverage made from sources of fermentable carbs like barley, maize, wheat and rice, along with some yeast and water. It contains carbon dioxide and fermentable carbs, and often the grains used in the brewing process often contain gluten.
Are you familiar with the term “beer belly”? This term refers not only to the increase in belly fat that beer can cause, but the bloating that comes along with it as well!
Water is always a great and healthy alternative, but if you are looking for alcoholic ones try red or white wine, white.
GARLIC/ONIONS can be great for flavoring some of your favorite foods, to even being used as a healthy remedy. Both contain fructans, which are bloating causing FODMAPs. Other causes could be possible allergies or intolerances to the other compounds found in both.
Cooking helps mellow these effects, or try using some other herbs and spices when you cook. Parsley, chive, and even basil make for great alternatives!
WHEAT is an ingredient in most breads and pastas, as well as some of your favorite baked goods like cakes, pancakes and waffles. Wheat is also a major source of FODMAPs, and for someone with a gluten sensitivity, wheat can cause some serious digestive problems, including bloating, gas, diarrhea and stomach pain.
Look for an alternative to wheat, like pure oats, buckwheat, almond or coconut flour.
**If you are suffering from persistent digestive problems, aside from considering a low-FODMAP diet, make sure to visit your doctor to rule out any potentially serious medical conditions!
Private Member |
BUT…The question is …..Does Zuzka ever get bloated????
Private Member |
Im gonna say
Hellllllllllll no! Been following her for 10 years and I’ve never seen anything other than a washboard
Private Member |
uk
haha I think she mentioned in her period talk vlog maybe, she doesn’t bloat, and low carb helped with that. Perhaps portion control really is the answer…
Private Member |
uk
This article is very useful. I was recently diagnosed with IBS. The hardest part is having to avoid delicious healthy foods that are high in FODMAPs, like avocado, that I always ate in abundance! It makes being on a low carb diet more difficult, as all the extra fiber, even from low FODMAP vegetables, doesn’t help with the gas. However, I accept the bloating usually, and feel the benefits of being low carb and high fiber, are worth the after meal bloat..
I’ve been trying probiotics and peppermint capsules, but noticed the main benefits are from avoiding the worst triggers, which for me are apple, avocado, and raw garlic and onion. Hummus is the worst, but I love it. Its true that cooking helps break down the FODMAPs, stewing onion or garlic is fine for me, but raw in a salad and I pay a high price!
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
have you read the Plant paradox? I did check on FODMAPS last year ( did elimination diet) and from the IBS free at last book/website, there are only addressing the symptoms and not the cause.
while following over the last month the dietBetaTest with Chalene Johnson, a program of education to help investigate ourselves with scientific, psychologic and community support (very good), I learnt a protocol to help investigate myself . I am now in the stage that I have reset my gut microbiome, (doing ketogenic for 2-3 weeks, then a 3-day fast), and will now embark with lectin-free program of the plant paradox.
I am eager to see if my microbiome has changed (no bad bacteria that build up gas), if leaky gut is fixed (Dr. Gundry’s program helps to fix holes in the boat, instead of bailing)
I encourage anyone to look into those great tools, I am so tired for the last 25+ years of guesswork! I have great expectation on Dr. Gundry and DietBetaTest with Chalene’s amazing podcasts inviting all sorts of experts.
Private Member |
uk
Hi Laila,
Thanks for the recommendation. I haven’t read the Plant Paradox, but just read the blurb. It looks like an interesting book that I will read.
I noticed it mentioned flavouring white rice over brown, and peeling vegetables to reduce lectin content. It makes sense that this is kinder on the gut, but also isnt this just another type of elimination to improve the symptoms?
I agree that FODMAP elimination addresses symptoms, and not the cause. For many years I was on a high fibre low carb diet that worked for me (have PCOS and family history of diabetes). But last year after food poisoning and a period of stress, I developed IBS. Suddenly the diet that is good for improving insulin sensitivity and worked for me for years now gives me problems with all the roughage. I am also fed up of this guesswork. Did your symptoms improve whilst on keto?
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
you’ll learn with the whole first section of book the scientific background what lectins are , how they act on your microbiome and what is the incidence on the gut lining..and their consequence. It also has success stories.the infos are worth every penny. In the meantime you can watch on YT, look for Gundry MD. Just be mindful that some are old and relate to his previous book…he has since then evolved in some of the findings (scientific based, and patient-outcome based)
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
DrGundry’s Plant paradox and Dr. Chutkan’s Gutbliss, podcast on Chalene Johnson’s show with Dr.Zach Bush have all been amazingly useful.
More than my doctor and random pick-and-try things.
more outcome in the coming weeks/months if things work eventually.
Private Member |
santa cruz, ca
If anyone has issues with bloating with most of the foods they eat or have been diagnosed with IBS or any condition that you may even think is not related to the gut (!!), I highly suggest you research SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth). Find a doctor/medical practitioner that will test you for SIBO and get treatment. It’s very common in modern society for people to have flora in their small intestine (where they for the most part should not be), for many reasons I won’t get into here. One common complaint is “everything” or “so many foods make me bloated”, and that the bloating occurs shortly after eating, when the macerated food is leaving the stomach and entering the small intestine. FODMAPS are just foods that bacteria feast on, so they more strongly trigger/cause symptoms of bloating, gas, and bowel problems. If you have bacteria in the small intestine (again, they shouldn’t be there. They should be in the large intestine), they will go crazy if you eat FODMAPS. The root of the problem is not FODMAPS, typically–it’s that there is this imbalance in flora. It would be incredibly impractical to have to avoid FODMAPs for the rest of one’s life. That would be a huge loss of nutrition.
Taking care of this issue can help you address other health concerns because you will be addressing the core of your health–the place where you digest and absorb the nutrition your body needs in all its functions.