Your Health Detective: July 2018

Most of us have delighted in a delicious meal, whose delight to our palette weaned when you start to feel bloated. This condition usually manifests when gas builds up in your stomach or intestines – all connected to the way your body breaks down food through the digestive processes. Overeating is the number one culprit, but foods that are hard to digest (like ones fatty or high in fiber) or ones that create bubbles in your intestines – like that bubbly drink – tend to bring it on too. Bloating can also occur when your body retains too much water, usually thanks to high-sodium food.

Whatever the trigger, puffing up is more than just annoying; it can slow you down and drain your energy. But it’s also easy to avoid if you stick to the right foods and learn a couple of easy “tricks” of the natural health professionals.

Beer is full of bubbles, which will leave you with a bloated belly – it’s also bloats more than other carbonated beverages. Research has shown that alcohol can lead to an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, especially that of candida yeast, which can leave you feeling inflated and brain-fogged.

Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale & Cauliflower

Because these cruciferous veggies are extremely high in fiber they are often difficult for your body to break-down, therefore, causing gas/bloating because of gas in your GI tract.

Cruciferous veggies contain raffinose, a sugar that produces extra gas as it breaks down and can make you feel like you’re carting around some extra fluff. That said, veggies also bring a ton of nutritional benefits to the table, so there’s no reason to swear off them completely. If you’re prone to bloating, lightly steam your vegetables—the heat will help break-down some of the fibers, so your body doesn’t have to do all the work.

If you’re lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy (many of us are to some degree), you may notice that milk products cause you to feel bloated. When your gut bacteria break down milk, it releases gas, which can lead to that uncomfortably full feeling. There’s an easy way to figure out if milk and cheese are the culprits behind your bloat: Try an elimination diet for two weeks and see if you feel better eating dairy-free…