Many people suffer with a bloated gastrointestinal tract every day. So much so that it often becomes normal to them.
There are many different reasons why you could feel bloated, especially after eating.
Here I am just going to give you some basic tips that should help you feel better. Anyone is different, and the origin of the bloating might be more specific for some people. But if you start applying those easy tips, you can give yourself a chance to get over that excessive bloating.
1. Food sensitivities
The best way to track food sensitivities is to keep a food diary and write down how you feel daily: digestion, sleep, bloating, cramps and even mood, fatigue… Your body may react to some foods you have been eating 2 days ago. So it is important to fine tune your own diet.
Next best thing is to eliminate the most common sources of allergies or sensitivities:
- Gluten (be grain-free for at least 1-2 months)
- Dairy (choose coconut milk instead)
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts (walnuts, cashews…)
- Soy
- Eggs
- Tomatoes
- Corn (and high fructose corn syrup as well…)
- Sugar and Yeast
Usually, eliminating those foods truly makes a big difference quite quickly. People start feeling more energized and… less bloated. If you tend to have migraines or headaches, avoiding those foods could help as well.
2. Fungus and Parasites
No one likes to talk about it but still. Fungus overgrowth and parasites infection can dramatically impact your digestive system, and overall health. So yes, if you are having a real big problem with your digestive tract, I would advise you to get tested. In the meantime, make those organisms starve by going on an anti-fungal diet. I would advise you to read the book “The Fungus Link” of Doug Kaufmann for a good understanding of what it really is. To start with, cut out all sugar and starchy foods, and add good healthy fats, especially coconut oil (potent anti-fungal food).
3. Chew your meals, and drink before and after meals, not during meals
Your stomach is meant to be an acidic environment. This is crucial to protect you from outside parasites or harmful bacteria, but also to continue the process of digestion by breaking down the foods (which started with your chewing and saliva). If you drink too much while you are eating, you are diluting the acid gastric juices and therefore making digestion much more difficult. That is why I would advise you to drink 15-20 minutes before eating (this can trigger the acid production in your stomach), and wait 15-20 minutes after your meal to drink again. Keep on drinking good quality water all day long. That way, you don’t impair the natural process of digestion. Also, take time to really chew your food and be mindful during your meals. Enjoy those moments and get in touch with how your body reacts to what you are eating.
4. Manage your stress
Whenever you are stressed, you are in a “fight or flight” mode that pushes your blood flow towards the extremities of your body, out of your organs. And this is why you can’t have a good digestion if you are stressed on a continual basis. It is mostly important to manage your stress, whatever the sources of stress are: emotional, mental, physical, spiritual… Adrenal fatigue can impact you way before you get relevant signs like chronic disease or burn-out.
A good way to start dealing with it is to do deep belly breathing every day, starting with 5 minutes and up to 10-15 minutes. Meditating is also a very efficient way to help you deal with your daily stressors. Don’t let yourself overwhelmed. Be mindful and use those simple tips to help your body do what it wants to do: keep you healthy and happy.
5. Move your body gently
Many people think they have to work out in order to be fit and often to out-exercise a bad diet. Well this is a wrong approach to what “being active” means.
If you are too stressed, then overexercising, especially doing hours-long cardio, could potentially make things even worse. This increases your stress hormones levels (cortisol especially) and is catabolic, which means you are not building muscle mass, but losing it. When you are over-stressed, your cortisol levels are already too high. Add cardio exercises or wrongly prescribed exercises, and the results won’t be what you were expecting.
Many people just need to rest, and make gentle movements, like some stretching, or Tai Chi, or Xi-Gong. Those gentle movements keep you active, pump your fluids and help your body regenerate by moving the oxygen around. Gentle exercise is often what people need to become fitter – and healthier. Many simple exercises like breathing squats for example can help your digestive system function better. Ask a professional to help you and design a personalized home-workout for you that will make you feel better rather than deplete your energy levels.
CONCLUSION
There are many things you can do to help your digestive system work. If you have pain, cramps, feel bloated more often than not, you have to address it as it can evolve in a much more serious condition. Being bloated most of the time is just the sign that something is not going well, and you shouldn’t wait long before addressing it. All diseases start in the gut. These first basic steps should help you feel better. If symptoms persist, you should seek advice to a holistic health practitioner that will help you boost your own immune system and entire body’s natural functions.
Medication or other pharmaceutical drugs will only inhibit the symptoms, but won’t treat the root cause of those symptoms. On top of that, there are often side effects that drive you straight into a health downward spiral. So stay away from them as much as you can, and trust nature’s real powers. There are many natural ways to heal, with no side effects besides strengthening your body and making you feel better.
In Health and Happiness,
Stephanie