Bloating

Bloating is very common amongst both men and women. Bloating is often absent upon waking and becomes increasingly predominant over the duration of the day. Symptoms can be very uncomfortable or more mild, they can include:

Distended abdomen
Feeling of fullness or tightness around the stomach
Abdominal pain – generally sharp pains that aren’t strictly isolated to the abdomen area

Pathophysiology

The pathophysiology of bloating and gas is complicated and takes into consideration many different bodily processes. It involves an understanding of:

The microflora within the gut
Intestinal transit
Volume of intra-abdominal contents
Sensory function of the gastrointestinal tract
Gas production and excretion from the intestine

Why am I bloated?

There are a number of factors that can contribute to bloating and most are quite manageable once they have been pinpointed. The following are the most common causes:

Constipation – this is a very common one!
Gastro-oesophageal reflux
Food intolerance e.g. lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption
Irritable bowel syndrome
Weight gain
Coeliac disease – this can be serious if left untreated
A lazy bowel
During the week leading up to menstruation

There are a few other, more serious causes of bloating that are uncommon but should not be overlooked. If you have been experiencing bloating for a long time and find that altering your eating habits does not help, talk to your doctor as they may want to investigate further.

Lifestyle alterations

There are a few changes you can trial with your eating habits and lifestyle that may provide some relief:

Avoid carbonated drinks and chewing gum – these can both lead to the ingestion of gas
Eat your meals slowly and take your time chewing food properly. Although you may not be aware of it, scoffing food down can also lead to the swallowing of air.
Cessation of smoking
Avoid overeating
Drink lots of water
Exercise regularly

Food causes

There are certain foods/ ingredients that can be common triggers of bloating for some people due to excess gas production:

Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Legumes e.g. beans, lentils
Onions
Garlic
Spicy foods

Whole seeds
Highly starchy foods e.g. rice, corn, bread, pasta
Fatty foods e.g fried foods or creamy sauces
Dried fruit
Carbonated drinks
Sweeteners e.g. sorbitol

It is important to not exclude too many foods unnecessarily – this can cut out important nutrients from your diet and can make eating difficult! For this reason, it is a good idea to work out exactly which of the above foods may be causing you an issue and which ones do not – this will involve some trial and error.

Treating constipation

This is one of the important roles of fibre. To find out more, see my blog on ‘Increasing Your Fibre Intake’.

It is essential to remember that an increase in fibre should be done gradually and must be matched with an adequate fluid intake – failure to do this can make constipation even worse. This rule applies when taking fibre supplements too.

Contact us for results focused nutritional advice

This article was written by our Dietitian Belinda Elwin who is a Dietitians Association of Australia member and Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist.

We can help you determine the foods that potentially cause bloating.