Health and Well-Being

5 Tips to Defeat Bloating for Relief and a Flat Belly

I summarize practical steps to improve the digestive system and reduce bloating and abdominal distension with lifestyle choices.

Bloating and stomach distention are complex health issues with multiple root causes.

Bloating is a widespread disorder affecting millions of people and causing physical, mental, and emotional stress. It seems to be mainly caused by digestive disorders affecting patients’ physical and psychological health.

Literature indicates that bloating and distended abdomen occur due to gas-producing food in many people. However, it might be associated with underlying health conditions, such as fluid retention, irritable bowel syndrome, infections, inflammation, and food intolerances.

As mentioned in this source, “Abdominal bloating and distension can develop for multiple reasons, including food intolerances, a previous infection that perturbed the intestinal microbiota, disordered visceral sensation, delayed intestinal transit, or an abnormal viscera-somatic re-flux.”

This paper published in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility informs that “abdominal bloating is a common symptom affecting up to 76% of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders”.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “between 10% and 25% of otherwise healthy people complain of occasional abdominal bloating. As many as 75% describe their symptoms as moderate to severe. Up to 75% of women experience bloating before and during their period. Only 50% of people who experience bloating also report a distended abdomen.”

This paper mentions that “Abdominal bloating and distension are two of the most commonly reported gastrointestinal symptoms. Moreover, these symptoms frequently co-exist, although they can occur separately.”

There are treatment solutions for many people. However, these plans do not seem to apply to everyone. So, treatment methods require customization and support from qualified healthcare professionals.

For example, this paper points out that “treatment can be challenging to patients and providers — no regimen has been consistently successful. Successful treatment involves identifying the etiology, assessing severity, educating and reassuring patients, and setting expectations.”

The paper informs that therapeutic options include “dietary changes, probiotics, antibiotics, prokinetic agents, antispasmodics, neuromodulators, and biofeedback.”

Based on the review of the literature, my experience, and my interactions with others who solved their bloating problems, I summarize viable solutions with healthy lifestyle choices under six headings.

1 — Remove offending food and anti-nutrients.

Out of the five points, this item is the most common one. Therefore, this section covers more information than others. I summarize the key points.

A well-known culprit for bloating and stomach distension is food intolerance for many people. However, intolerances might vary from person to person. For example, food that gives pleasure to a person and gives grief to another.

A viable solution is to perform an elimination diet. This type of diet refers to removing food that might not align with your digestive system step by step in a systematic way.

The approach is removing suspected foods one by one, observing the effects, journaling them, and reintroducing carefully. Usually, qualified professionals like dieticians or nutritionists can help. In addition, getting support from an allergy specialist can be helpful.

Usually, accumulated toxins in plants might lead to food intolerances. The most common ones are lectins, oxalates, phytates, saponins, glucosinolates, and tannins.

In addition, FODMAP foods such as fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols might cause bloating. They might exist in wheat, nuts, legumes, garlic, onion, artichokes, kale, dairy products, honey, and some fruits such as mango, watermelon, pears, and apple.

Some friends and family members are intolerant to gluten and nuts, especially peanuts, which causes significant bloating and stomach distension for them.

Some people might also get intolerant to excessive fiber. I was one of them. For example, when I reduced fiber supplements and lowered plants with too much fiber, I gained significant relief. However, fiber seems to help some people with digestive disorders. There is no consensus on fiber in the literature.

Besides, certain carbohydrates, such as the ones in beans and dairy, can cause gas production in the colon. When I was on a plant-based diet, beans were my primary protein source, so I consumed them excessively. As a result, they gave me digestive nightmares.

If your diet needs legumes or nuts, you might consider digestive enzymes. For beans, friends mentioned that alpha-galactosidase helped them.

Some people also might be intolerant to animal products such as eggs, seafood, fish, or dairy.

There is also a specific digestive enzyme for dairy products addressing lactose intolerance. It is called lactase enzyme. Some digestive enzyme combos include lactase, alpha-galactosidase, pepsin, and protease digest animal and plant proteins for omnivores.

2 — Modify eating and drinking Behaviors.

Some of the common behavioral problems are talking while eating, not chewing the food adequately, and using a straw while drinking. Modifying these behaviors can be helpful.

Slowly eating and chewing our food as much as possible might bring other digestive benefits besides reducing bloating.

Let’s keep in mind that in addition to what we eat, the way we eat might also cause gas production in the digestive system leading to bloating.

There are also two known factors causing bloating. They are chewing gum and drinking fizzy beverages.

Gums and fizzy drinks might increase gas accumulation, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen in the digestive tract. So these behaviors might lead to additional bloating.

3 — Take some supplements with guidance from professionals.

Qualified naturopaths or nutritionists might create customized solutions for digestive disorders. There are also over-the-counter products, including ingredients such as fennel, coriander, peppermint, anise, and caraway, which might lower bloating for some people.

However, herbal medicine might not work for everyone. Therefore, it is essential to check with qualified professionals and only take them with their guidance and supervision.

In addition to digestive enzymes, probiotics, and prebiotics, cleansing supplements, such as activated charcoal, might help lower heavy metals that upset the gut.

Some people cleanse the liver by drinking MSM powder on an empty stomach, taking choline or NAC supplements, and believe detoxing it might reduce bloating. I know these supplements can support the liver but not sure whether they help with bloating.

Some people use diuretics, but we need to be extra cautious with them as they might lead to dehydration, a critical health issue. Therefore, unless prescribed by a qualified physician, we shouldn’t take them to remain on the safe side.

4 — Exercise regularly, consider yoga, and get restorative sleep.

After fixing the diet, the next important factor is moving the body regularly. Movement can significantly reduce gas and stop bloating.

The most effective workouts are walking, jogging, running, skipping, climbing ladders, hopping on a trampoline, and swimming.

I witnessed some friends significantly benefit from Pilates, especially some specific yoga positions. They mentioned that yoga postures like puppy pose, triangle pose, torso twist, sphinx pose, and cat-cow helped them lower bloating.

Sleep disorders are associated with functional gastrointestinal diseases, as documented in this paper.

For example, some people reported that they noticed bloating and weight heavier on the scale when they couldn’t have a night of restorative sleep. Thus, improving sleep might also lower bloating.

5 — Fasting by drinking water only.

I’d like to highlight intermittent fasting as it was one of the most effective ways to improve my digestive system and significantly reduce bloating.

In addition, long-term fasting has even further enhanced my digestive condition.

The previous actions helped a lot. However, only after using intermittent fasting for years and later starting a one-meal-a-day eating regimen I managed to eliminate bloating and have a flat tummy.

Fasting work for two main reasons. The first one is to rest the digestive system and clear it with water. The second one is initiating the autophagy process removing the pathogens from the body.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Abdominal bloating and stomach distension affect many people. Those with a bloated abdomen not only feel discomfort but also feel bad emotionally, lowering their mood and affecting their self-confidence.

Some people on weight loss programs eat less, but due to bloating, they cannot see the results.

Even though I touched on the common reasons for bloating, not all of them might affect everyone. So different people might have different causes of bloating, and they might show different symptoms too.

The most common cause is food intolerance for some people. So removing specific foods can be an excellent solution for those having food intolerances.

I believe exercise can be helpful for anyone who can do it. It is the same for intermittent fasting or skipping a meal. Some people cannot exercise or fast, so these solutions might not apply them.

Even though some people experience bloating occasionally, it might be constant for some. Those who experience such chronic situations need support from qualified healthcare professionals. These professionals can analyze, diagnose, and treat conditions timely.

Even though awareness of symptoms and eliminating them can be helpful, the critical point is identifying the root causes with support from holistic healthcare professionals. Causes might differ from person to person.

I’d like to conclude this post by summarizing the key takeaway points.

1 — Remove offending foods, especially anti-nutrients, from your diet.

2 — Modify eating and drinking behaviors. Chew your food as much as possible. Refrain from gums and too many carbonated drinks if they affect your digestive system.

3 — You might take some supplements with guidance from qualified professionals. There are also medication options for some situations that family doctors or specialists can prescribe.

4 — Exercise regularly, especially cardio workouts. You might try some yoga postures. Rest and get restorative sleep daily.

5 — Consider time-restricted eating or vocational fasting with support or supervision from professionals.

Besides bloating and stomach distension, loose skin after significant weight loss might adversely affect having a flat tummy. There is a different protocol for this unique condition. I documented my experience in a story titled Three Tips to Eliminate Loose Skin.

For more information, you might also check my recent story titled Here’s How to Make the Digestive System Healthier with 7 Lifestyle Methods.

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