Why you're bloated (+ how to fix it)π€°π»
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into common causes of bloating and offers practical solutions for relief. It explains the digestive process and how undigested food contributes to gas production. The script suggests remedies like ginger, fennel seeds, peppermint, and kiwi to ease discomfort. It also addresses the impact of certain foods, like legumes and high-FODMAP foods, on bloating. The importance of fiber, water, physical activity, and stress management for digestion is highlighted. Additionally, it touches on the effects of salt intake and swallowed air on bloating, providing a holistic approach to understanding and managing this common digestive issue.
Takeaways
- π½οΈ Bloating is a common digestive issue often caused by the gas produced after eating, particularly when food isn't fully digested and reaches the large intestine.
- π΅ Consuming ginger, fennel seeds, peppermint, and kiwi can help alleviate bloating by promoting digestive tract movement, relaxing the digestive system, and aiding in food breakdown.
- π± Legumes like beans and lentils can cause bloating due to their oligosaccharide content, which isn't easily broken down and contributes to gas production in the colon.
- π° A high-fiber diet, including both soluble and insoluble fibers found in plant-based foods, is crucial for healthy digestion and can help prevent constipation-related bloating.
- π§ Staying hydrated by drinking enough water is essential, especially when consuming high-fiber foods, to prevent constipation and support comfortable digestion.
- πΆββοΈ Physical activity, such as a short walk after meals, can significantly improve digestion and reduce abdominal bloating.
- π§ The gut-brain axis highlights the connection between psychological and digestive health, suggesting that stress management can be beneficial for digestive issues.
- π§ Consuming too much salt can lead to water retention and bloating, with the remedy being increased water intake to flush out excess salt.
- π¬ Swallowing air, which can happen during quick eating, drinking carbonated beverages, or chewing gum, contributes to bloating and can be mitigated by mindful eating.
- π A low FODMAP diet may help identify food intolerances and reduce discomfort for some individuals, particularly those with IBS, but should be followed under professional guidance.
- π The video provides an in-depth look at the causes of bloating and offers practical advice for relief, with additional information and research available in a linked article.
Q & A
What is the primary cause of bloating?
-Bloating is primarily caused by the gas produced in the large intestine, where healthy bacteria consume undigested food and create gas as a byproduct.
What is a prokinetic and how does ginger help with bloating?
-A prokinetic is a substance that promotes the movement of the digestive tract. Ginger, being a prokinetic, helps to relieve pain from built-up gas by aiding in the movement of the digestive system.
Why are fennel seeds beneficial for digestion?
-Fennel seeds contain a compound called anethol, which can help relax the digestive tract, release gas, and reduce inflammation.
How does peppermint affect the digestive tract?
-Peppermint has a calming effect on the digestive tract. Research suggests that peppermint oil extract can be effective, and there is anecdotal evidence that peppermint tea might also help.
What role does the enzyme actinidin in kiwis play in digestion?
-Actinidin, an enzyme found in kiwis, helps to break down food, which can positively impact the gut by promoting bowel movements and relieving pain from distension.
Why can legumes cause bloating?
-Legumes contain a type of carbohydrate called oligosaccharides, which are not easily broken down by the digestive tract and thus move to the large intestine, where they feed beneficial bacteria and produce gas, leading to bloating.
What is the significance of rinsing canned or jarred legumes before use?
-Rinsing canned or jarred legumes before use helps to wash away some of the oligosaccharides that contribute to gas production and bloating.
How can a low FODMAP diet help with bloating?
-A low FODMAP diet can help identify foods that individuals are intolerant to, as certain FODMAPs are poorly digested and end up feeding gas-producing bacteria in the large intestine, causing discomfort.
Why is fiber important for digestion and how does it help with bloating?
-Fiber is crucial for digestion as it can be found only in plant-based foods and comes in two types: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber helps soften stools and makes bathroom trips more comfortable, while insoluble fiber bulks up stool and helps move things along, reducing bloating.
What is the relationship between water intake and fiber consumption?
-When consuming high-fiber foods, it's important to also increase water intake. If fiber intake is increased without a corresponding increase in fluid intake, it can cause constipation.
How does physical movement affect digestion and bloating?
-Physical movement, such as a 10-15 minute walk after meals, can help stimulate the colon and improve digestion, which in turn can relieve abdominal bloating.
What is the gut-brain axis and how does it relate to digestive problems?
-The gut-brain axis is a two-way communication network between the digestive system and the brain. Psychological or social stress can trigger the fight or flight response, slowing down digestion and potentially causing digestive discomfort.
Why does eating too much salt lead to bloating?
-Eating too much salt causes the body to retain water, leading to excess water weight that can feel uncomfortable and result in bloating.
How can drinking more water help with bloating caused by high salt intake?
-Drinking more water helps flush out excess salt from the system, which can alleviate bloating caused by the body retaining water due to high salt intake.
What is the connection between swallowed air and bloating?
-A significant amount of gas in our system comes from the air we swallow, which can happen when eating too quickly, drinking carbonated beverages, using straws, chewing gum, or sucking on hard candies. Eating mindfully and chewing well can help reduce this type of bloating.
Outlines
π½ Understanding Bloating and Dietary Solutions
The first paragraph introduces the common issue of bloating and its relation to digestion. It explains the digestive process, from food entering the stomach to the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine and the role of the large intestine in gas production due to the activity of healthy bacteria. The paragraph then suggests four foods that can help alleviate bloating: ginger, which promotes digestive tract movement; fennel seeds, containing anethol to relax the digestive tract; peppermint, known for its calming effect on digestion; and kiwi, containing actinidin to aid in food breakdown. It also touches on the discomfort caused by certain foods like legumes due to their oligosaccharide content, which is hard for our bodies to digest, and offers tips on how to gradually introduce them into our diet.
π₯¦ The Role of Fiber, Water, and Movement in Digestive Health
The second paragraph delves into the importance of fiber, soluble and insoluble, in maintaining comfortable digestion and regular bowel movements. Soluble fiber helps soften stools by absorbing water and forming a gel-like substance, while insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool and aids in its movement through the digestive tract. The paragraph also emphasizes the necessity of water intake when consuming high-fiber foods to prevent constipation. It suggests that increasing fluid intake to one and a half to two liters daily is crucial, especially since most of our salt intake comes from processed foods, leading to water retention and bloating. The benefits of physical movement, such as a post-meal walk, are highlighted for their positive impact on digestion and bloating relief. Lastly, the paragraph introduces the concept of the gut-brain axis, explaining how stress can affect digestion and the potential benefits of stress-relief techniques.
π§ Excessive Salt Intake and Its Impact on Bloating
The third paragraph addresses the impact of excessive salt intake on bloating. It explains that salt causes the body to retain water, leading to an uncomfortable feeling of bloating. The suggested remedy is to drink more water, which helps flush out excess salt. The paragraph also points out that most of our daily salt intake comes from processed and takeout foods, rather than from table salt, and encourages mindful consumption of these items.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Bloating
π‘Digestion
π‘Prokinetic
π‘Fennel Seeds
π‘Peppermint
π‘Actinidin
π‘Legumes
π‘FODMAPs
π‘Constipation
π‘Gut-Brain Axis
π‘Hormonal Fluctuations
π‘Salt Intake
π‘Mindful Eating
Highlights
Bloating is a normal part of digestion but can be uncomfortable.
Exploring five common reasons for experiencing bloating and ways to relieve it.
Basic anatomy of digestion and how it can cause bloating.
Ginger as a prokinetic to promote digestive tract movement and relieve gas pain.
Fennel seeds containing anethol to relax the digestive tract and reduce inflammation.
Peppermint's calming effect on the digestive tract and its anecdotal effectiveness as tea.
Kiwi's actinidin enzyme aiding in breaking down food and relieving distension pain.
Legumes causing bloating due to oligosaccharides and how to introduce them slowly.
Rinsing canned legumes and soaking dry ones to reduce oligosaccharides.
FODMAPs and their impact on individuals with IBS or lactose intolerance.
The importance of fiber for digestion, distinguishing between soluble and insoluble fibers.
The necessity of water intake when consuming high-fiber foods to prevent constipation.
Physical movement aiding digestion and relieving abdominal bloating.
The gut-brain axis and how stress can cause digestive problems.
Hormonal fluctuations affecting digestive system function and when to seek professional help.
Excessive salt intake leading to water retention and bloating.
Drinking more water to flush out excess salt and alleviate bloating.
Swallowed air contributing to bloating and the benefits of mindful eating.
A comprehensive article accompanying the video for further exploration.
Transcripts
bloating is a normal part of digestion
but sometimes it can be uncomfortable
when it doesn't have to be
so today we're going to explore five
common reasons why we experience
bloating from time to time and what we
can do about it to relieve discomfort
we've also created a simplified article
to go along with this video in case you
want to geek out and delve deeper i'll
link that article for you below but for
now let's dive in
so let's explore the basic anatomy of
how the food we eat becomes digested and
how it can cause bloating which is that
tight and gassy feeling in our abdomen
so when we eat food it goes into our
stomach where it gets broken down into
smaller pieces and that then goes on to
our small intestine where the nutrients
get absorbed for our body to use
whatever doesn't get absorbed then moves
on to the large intestine which is also
called the colon and this is where a
huge colony of healthy bacteria live
those bacteria then eat that undigested
food as food for themselves and then
they create this byproduct which is gas
and that can be often why we experience
bloating a little while after we've
eaten something so in the case that
you're feeling a little bit of
discomfort from the gas that's produced
there are four things and four foods
that you can consume that can help a
little bit the first is ginger which is
a prokinetic meaning that it helps to
promote the movement of our digestive
tract and that can help to relieve any
pain from built up gas ginger is great
to add to curries or smoothies or just
to add to some hot water fennel seeds
are another one and my parents actually
used to snack on a few of these after
meals sometimes and now i get why they
contain a compound called anathol which
can help to relax our digestive tract it
can help to release gas and it also
reduces inflammation fennel can be added
to teas but it's also something you
could add to a soup or a salad then
there's peppermint which has been found
to have a calming effect on the
digestive tract now most of the research
on the effectiveness of peppermint has
been in relation to peppermint oil
extract but there is some anecdotal
evidence that peppermint tea might also
work and just a quick note to anyone
who's pregnant just be cautious with or
avoid altogether these herbal medicines
unless small amounts have been okayed by
your doctor or your midwife and then
finally there's kiwi kiwis contain an
enzyme called actinidin that helps to
break down food which can positively
impact our gut it can help to promote
bowel movements and it can help to
relieve pain from distension
[Music]
foods are incredibly nourishing of
course but some of them can promote gas
and discomfort if our bodies have a hard
time digesting them so take for example
legumes some people just have a hard
time digesting beans and lentils and it
can be a cause of bloating this is
because legumes contain a type of carb
called oligosaccharides for the most
part oligosaccharides can't be broken
down by our digestive tract so it moves
on to the large intestine where it feeds
and supports the growth of those
beneficial bacteria so beans and lentils
are great for our gut health but it can
make us feel unpleasant because of the
gas that might be produced so if you're
having trouble enjoying legumes just
consider adding them more slowly start
with eating only a couple of spoonfuls
consistently for a few days before
gradually increasing to larger
quantities this just gives our bodies
time to adapt and adjust and if larger
beans are causing discomfort you might
want to consider switching to smaller
legumes like lentils because they
actually have a lower oligosaccharide
content and so it can also help ease our
bodies into enjoying legumes more often
and here's another tip if you're using
jarred or canned legumes always rinse
them well before using them when using
dry legumes consider soaking them first
even something like lentils which
traditionally you don't have to soak it
still helps if you do the
oligosaccharides leech into the soaking
water and when we drain this off we wash
some of them away
so oligosaccharides are just one type of
carbohydrate that come from a group of
carbs that are known as fodmaps and
fodmaps can promote discomfort too
especially in individuals with ibs or
irritable bowel syndrome for some people
certain fodmaps are poorly digested and
they end up as food for those
gas-producing bacteria in the large
intestine so think of the lactose in
dairy for example which can cause a lot
of discomfort for people with lactose
intolerance so a low fodmap diet can
actually help to identify which foods
some people are intolerant to but i'd
only recommend following such a diet
under the direct supervision of a
dietitian just be aware that a low
fodmap diet restricts a lot of super
nourishing foods and it's only meant to
be followed for a short period of time
chronic constipation is one of the most
common digestive problems that affects
hundreds of millions of people globally
and it often goes hand in hand with
abdominal pain and bloating so if you're
not going to the bathroom as often or as
comfortably as you'd like to there are
four things that can help so first up is
fiber fiber is the king of digestion and
fiber can only be found in plant-based
foods there are two types of fibers
soluble fibers and insoluble fibers
soluble fibers are those that dissolve
in water they swell up and they create a
gel-like substance this helps to soften
stools which makes bathroom trips more
comfortable so think for example of how
oats soak up the milk that they're being
cooked in to make a thick and creamy
porridge or you might have seen me do
this in a video before sometimes i like
to add a little bit of chia seeds to my
drinking water the chia seeds they swell
up they soak up the water that they're
in and this is also a great source of
soluble fiber some soluble fibers also
get eaten by the bacteria that's in our
large intestine which helps to ensure
that we have a healthy colony of
bacteria
insoluble fibers on the other hand these
don't get eaten by the bacteria in our
colon and they don't really swell either
but what they do is they help to bulk up
stool which helps to move things along
insoluble fibers can be found in plenty
of plant foods like green beans nuts
corn and zucchini together both soluble
and insoluble fibers helps to keep us
comfortable and regular
and then there's water which is very
important when we're enjoying high fiber
foods so that our bathroom visits are
more comfortable if we increase our
fiber intake without also increasing our
fluid intake this can actually cause
constipation for most adults we want to
aim for about one and a half to two
liters of fluids every day which can
sound like a lot but it's only about six
to eight cups and i think a lot of
people think that a cup looks something
like this when in fact a cup is only 250
milliliters so it's not as much as you
might think and if you enjoy something
like soups and smoothies this also
contributes to our overall fluid intake
for the day and then this one i'm
personally guilty of so a lot of us sit
for long hours for our work and just
like we're sitting still so does our
colon so enjoying physical movement can
work wonders for both digestion but it
also can help to relieve abdominal
bloating research suggests that even a
10-15 minute walk after meals can really
help and then in recent years i find
this stuff so incredibly fascinating
there's been more and more research
emerging that's outlining the importance
of the gut brain axis essentially this
is a two-way communication network
between our digestive system and our
brains what this means is that
psychological or social stress can
actually cause digestive problems and
vice versa when we become stressed
enough to trigger our fight or flight
response our digestion can slow down
because it's trying to divert energy
towards whatever the perceived threat is
and this can actually cause some
digestive discomfort so exploring stress
relieving techniques might really help
hormone fluctuations can also influence
how our digestive system functions and
while a small amount of emotional stress
or monthly hormonal fluctuations around
the time of month is completely normal
and natural having excessive amounts of
stress or hormonal fluctuations isn't so
if you think you might be experiencing
that speaking with a therapist or doctor
might help
[Music]
eating too much salt is another reason
we can often feel bloated and this is
because salt makes our bodies retain or
hold on to water and that excess water
weight can sometimes feel uncomfortable
and so the remedy which does sound a
little bit counterintuitive is to
actually drink more water and this is
because water helps to flush the excess
salt out of our system so drinking water
has a multitude of benefits and just as
an aside about 80 percent of our total
salt intake usually comes from things
like takeout or things that we might buy
in boxes or bags so that's not to say
not to enjoy those items it's just that
that's where most of the salt intake in
our day comes from things like iodized
table salt as we've talked about in the
past that can actually be very helpful
so you don't necessarily need to
decrease that that's only about 10
of our total salt intake on average
[Music]
by now we've learned that a lot of the
gas in our bodies is produced by the
bacteria in our colon but did you know
that a lot of the gas that's also in our
system comes from the air that we
swallow it is suspected that we swallow
at least one if not multiple liters of
air in a day air can be swallowed when
we eat too quickly for example when we
drink carbonated beverages when we drink
through straws or when we chew gum or
suck on hard candies at the very least
eating more mindfully and just taking
the time to eat slowly and to chew well
it can all really help and so gas
bloating abdominal discomfort this is
all like a huge topic that we only
scratched the surface of in today's
video but i hope you enjoyed and that
you learned something new if you did
feel free to give the video a thumbs up
it always means a lot if you want to
geek out further again we've got a whole
article that we've written to accompany
this video that's also where you can
find a lot of the research papers that
we referenced in making today's video as
well so i'll link that for you below
thanks so much for hanging with me i
really appreciate it pick up limes
signing off and we'll see you in the
next video
when in fact a cup is only two hundred
okayed by our midnight midway midnight
and hormonal function fluctuate
functuations if we increase
if we
[Music]
if we
if we
if we gotta get those squiggles just
right
hold it up i want to see it
[Music]
you
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