Doesn’t it always seem that you get a bloated belly at the worst possible moments? Like when you need to dress up for a fancy dinner, or you’re doing a big presentation at work in front of the whole team? Feeling bloated can put a huge damper in your day, and sometimes it’s difficult to understand why it’s happening. Well, one woman, who has been bloated for most of her life, decided to find out exactly why it’s happening so that she could stop it for good.
Woman Experienced a Bloated Belly for 20 Years Discovers a Method for Relief
“That’s 20 years of feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed and isolated, upset, and frustrated because I had no idea what was causing it[1].”
She had tried seeing doctors, gastroenterologists, naturopaths, and chiropractors, and no one could pinpoint exactly what was wrong. At the time, she was living on a vegetarian diet consisting mainly of cheese and bread. At one point she tried giving up gluten to soothe her stomach pains but found that she felt the same way regardless. That’s when she decided to really start digging into what was wrong.
Through the process of trial and error, Jenny has discovered 5 daily habits that have helped her bloating disappear. Now, at 41-years of age, she finally feels as though she has control over her bloating, and she wants you to feel the same way by sharing all that she’s learned.
6 Daily Habits to Reduce Bloating
1. Ditching Dairy, Processed Carbs, and Sugar
In the past, Jenny had given up gluten in order to try and relieve her bloating symptoms, but quickly realized that this wasn’t the culprit, but that lack of fiber was. It wasn’t until she gave up dairy, processed carbs, and sugar that her gut began to feel much better.
“I haven’t had dairy in almost four years, and I can tolerate the occasional and very small amount of bread, pasta, dairy-free ice cream, or baked good, but if I have more than a few bites, I’ll balloon up within an hour[1].”
2. Skipping Breakfast
Jenny discovered intermittent fasting and reports that it has been a savior in controlling overeating that led to her bloating. She uses a 16:8 method (also called Leangains)[1]. This involves a 16-hour fasting window and an 8-hour eating window. An example of this would be to skip breakfast and eat from noon to 8 pm, consuming 3 meals per day consisting of healthy, whole foods.
“It’s helped me get a handle on sugar cravings, let’s me know what true hunger feels like, helps me honor my body’s “I’m full” signals, and gives my digestive system the break it needs to function normally[1].”
3. More Fiber
As a college student who mainly ate junk-food throughout the day, Jenny says that adding fiber to her diet made her feel significantly better overall.
“I wasn’t nearly as hungry as I had been, which helped me eat fewer daily calories, and in, turn to lose weight. Talk about a major win-win, people![2]”
She started focusing on consuming 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day to get the essential amount of fiber in her diet[2]. As a general rule of thumb, make sure that you’re getting fiber in every meal that you eat, whether it be through vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, or whole grains.
4. Eating the Same Meal Every Day
When Jenny was in college she describes herself as a junk-food vegan. Her diet consisted mainly of French fries, pasta, chips, dairy-free ice cream, vegan baked goods, and cereal. When she started incorporating more fruits and veggies into her diet is when she noticed a significant change in the health of her gut.
“When I started eating a huge salad for one meal a day, that’s when I was able to get my fill of fiber and stay regular[1].”
She now describes one of her go-to meals of the day as massaged kale, shredded carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, sunflower seeds, and marinated tofu.
5. Taking Probiotics
Probiotics have been proven to reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and soothe the gastrointestinal tract[3]. When Jenny discovered this, she began taking probiotic supplements every day, and immediately felt the difference in her body.
For those curious as to the brand of probiotics that she chose Ultimate Flora, the 50 or 30 billion[1].
6. Drink Lots of Water
Our bodies are made of water, and in order to maintain optimal health, it’s important that we nourish ourselves with enough water to keep us going each day.
Jenny always carries a 20-ounce water bottle with her throughout the day, which she fills up four times a day. She reports feeling a negative difference in her body if she doesn’t get the right amount of water intake each day.
So how much water should you be getting each day? The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determines that 2.7 fluids per day are sufficient for adult women, and 3.7 liters is desired for adult men[4].
It’s important to note that everyone’s body is different. We all react differently to the food and products that were exposed to, and something that may work well for one person may not work for another. Judging by Jenny’s success, it’s worth it to try out her tips, but don’t feel discouraged if your body does not react exactly in the same way as hers. Pay attention to your own body, and modify as needed.
More Helpful Tips to Stop Your Bloating
If you do try Jenny’s tactics and you find that nothing seems to be working for you, it could be that you have a more serious issue going on inside of your body that is causing your bloating. If that’s the case, read this article to learn about the gut disorders that are linked to bloating, and speak with your doctor to find out the cause.
Jenny mentions that a change in diet will affect the health of your gut and keep your bloating at bay. In order for you to minimize symptoms, it is beneficial for you to learn the foods that cause your bloating, as well as the foods that get rid of it.
Don’t let your bloated belly stop you from doing all of the things in life that you enjoy. Overcome your symptoms by putting these tips into motion and always pay attention to the way that your body feels. You know your body more than anyone else, and you are able to ensure that you’re feeling your best self every day.
[1] Jenny Sugar. I Haven’t Felt Bloated in 2 Months, All Because I Do These 5 Things Every Day. (May 29, 2018).
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/How-Do-I-Prevent-Bloating-44887495
[2] Jenny Sugar. The 1 Change I Made to Cure 10 Years of Feeling Bloated. (May 27, 2018).
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Why-Am-I-Always-Bloated-41636952
[3] Tina Didari, Shilan Mozaffari, Shekoufeh Nikfar, and Mohammad Abdollahi. Effectiveness of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome: Updated systematic review with meta-analysis. (Mar. 14, 2015).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4356930/
[4] Mayo Clinic Staff. Water: How much should you drink every day? (Sept. 6, 2017).