5 Things That are Causing Your Bloating
Did you know that in Canada as well in the United States, 1 in 10 people experience bloating regularly? That means that out of the 37.5 million people living in Canada, roughly 3.5 million are suffering from bloating as you read this. That is enough people to fill up the ScotiaBank arena 176 times everyday.
Symptoms that often accompany bloating are:
Distention
Full feeling in the stomach
Gas
Stomach pain
Gurgling or bubbling in stomach
If you are bloated more than 3 times per week, you may need to explore your gut health further or you may be eating foods that don’t agree with you.
Regardless, bloating is not “normal” and should not be apart of your everyday life. Physical symptoms are our bodies navigation system, letting you know what you need to stay away from or consume more of.
Here are 4 things that are causing your bloating.
1. Carbonated Drinks
Carbonate drinks cause bloating because they contain carbon dioxide, a gas, which for the vast majority of the population will cause gastrointestinal symptoms to occur. If you want to eliminate bloating from your life, try and skip the nightly soda.
2. High Fat Diets
Eating the right type and amount of fat is important for body composition, health of the immune system, endocrine function and can lead to lower levels of inflammation (1). However, consuming too much dietary fat can lead to bloating.
Not only is fat calorically dense but it also moves through the digestive system slowly - if you don’t give the body enough time to process it, you may end up with some mild bloating. Further, dietary fat tends to make meals taste really good so naturally we want to consume more of it and we usually do! Overeating will also lead to bloating due to the sheer volume of calories the body needs to process.
Lets use a hypothetical day of eating for an average Joe - we will name him Charles:
Charles experiences bloating 3-5 times per week and doesn’t know why. He’s frustrated because he eats “healthy”. Let’s take a look at his diet.
Upon rising Charles makes his way into the kitchen and whips up his signature protein shake which he adds two tablespoons of peanut butter too. He then eats 2 boiled eggs because he’s trying to gain some muscle this summer. This equals out to approximately 25 grams of fat.
Today is a celebration at the office so for lunch he ends up ordering a Big Mac combo, but he holds off on the Coke and opts for water instead.
Add on another 45-50 grams of fat for the day.
Before he gets home from work he feels like he needs a snack. but he doesn’t want to choose an “unhealthy” option. He picks up a “healthier” option and goes for a LARABAR.
Add on another 11 grams.
When he gets home to eat dinner, he feels a bit guilty for eating McDonalds earlier, therefore, he decides to eat something really “healthy”, so he grills up 4 ounces of chicken breast, which he throws into a spinach salad. He then drizzles a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the salad and tops it off with an avocado because, hey, that’s what every other “wellness coach” seems to be doing now a days.
That adds another 45-50 grams of fat for the day
His total consumption of fat on that day is a whopping 125-136 grams.
It is highly likely that Charles doesn’t need to consume that much fat everyday to maintain his energy levels and lowering the amount of fat he consumes daily will give his digestive processes time to do their job.
Try and keep the amount of fat you consume at 0.8-1 gram per KG of bodyweight everyday while aiming to consume more mono and polyunsaturated fats from whole food sources. Consuming extremely high amounts of fat everyday can be hard on the liver and digestive processes.
How to calculate your daily fat requirements:
Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2
Take that number and multiply it by either 0.8, 0.9 or 1
That number will give you the gram amount of fat that you need to consume everyday
3. Coffee
Coffee has a very interesting reputation when it comes to bloating. Some studies show that it doesn’t cause bloating, whereas others show that it may cause some GI distress in individuals who are sensitive to it (2). One of the reasons as to why coffee may cause bloating is because it stimulates gastric acid secretion, which may lead to gut irritation and possible symptoms of bloating (3).
According to the Mayo Clinic, coffee can also cause heartburn, which indirectly could lead to bloating. The main thing to consider is whether or not you are sensitive to the effects of coffee. Some people can get away with drinking it daily, without any symptoms, while others may experience intense symptoms immediately after consuming it.
Next time you sip on that lovely morning cup of Joe, tune in and see how you feel. If you notice some bloating, then it may be time to cut down.
Another important thing to consider is that everyone has different responses to coffee based on their genetics. Some people are slow or fast metabolizers of caffeine and this can affect how you feel after consuming it (4).
4. Low Fiber Diets
Fiber is important fuel for the human microbiome. Our microbiome is mostly made up of microbes, over 100 trillion to be exact, which reside mostly in our large intestine(colon). According to the Centre of Ecogenetics & Environmental Health, our microbiome is the genetic material of the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live within us.
Why is the health of our microbiome important?
The bacteria within it help us to properly digest food, lower the amount of problematic bacteria, regulate our immune system and help us to produce important vitamins needed for optimal digestion and health. You might be wondering; what do low fiber diets have to do with this?
Well, fiber is resistant to digestion, meaning it bypasses it and then ends up in the colon ( large intestine). The bacteria within the colon end up feeding on the fiber, which then create short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s). SCFA’s play a crucial role in our overall gut health and immunity (5).
If you want to eliminate the occurrence of bloating, then feed your gut bacteria what they really want; fiber. Aim to consume 30 grams everyday. If you are not accustomed to consuming this much everyday then start with a low amount and increase slowly over the course of a week or two.
When adopting a diet that is rich in fiber, bloating may occur for a short period of time as the gut adapts. Fiber is extremely cleansing and will push old debris and undigested food out of the body. When this occurs some mild symptoms can pop up. Not to worry, it will all sort itself out as your gut bacteria become stronger.
Honourable mentions
Some common food triggers that may also cause bloating are:
Dairy
Wheat
Eggs
Legumes that have not been soaked or cooked prior to eating.
References:
Lowery, L. M. (2004). Dietary Fat and Sports Nutrition: A Primer. J Sports Sci Med., 3(3), 106–117. International Society of Sports Nutrition Symposium, June 18-19, 2005, Las Vegas NV, USA - Macronutrient Utilization During Exercise: Implications For Performance And Supplementation
Papakonstantinou, E., Kechribari, I., Sotirakoglou, Κ., Tarantilis, P., Gourdomichali, T., Michas, G., Kravvariti, V., Voumvourakis, K., & Zampelas, A. (2015). Acute effects of coffee consumption on self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms, blood pressure and stress indices in healthy individuals. Nutrition Journal, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-016-0146-0
Rubach, M., Lang, R., Bytof, G., Stiebitz, H., Lantz, I., Hofmann, T., & Somoza, V. (2014). A dark brown roast coffee blend is less effective at stimulating gastric acid secretion in healthy volunteers compared to a medium roast market blend. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 58(6), 1370–1373. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201300890
Guest, N., Corey, P., Vescovi, J., & El-Sohemy, A. (2018). Caffeine, CYP1A2 Genotype, and Endurance Performance in Athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 50(8), 1570–1578. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000001596
Silva, Y. P., Bernardi, A., & Frozza, R. L. (2020). The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2020.00025