The Real Reason You're Bloated After Eating

Transcript:

Kara: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. We're a company specializing in nutrition counseling and education, and our podcasts touch on a variety of health and nutrition topics each week. Today we're going to be discussing why you still feel bloated after eating. Have you ever started the day with a regular stomach that didn't feel distended, and then after the first meal you ate, you immediately felt like you gained an instant five pounds around your belly?

Or maybe your stomach feels fine earlier in the day, but as the day goes on, you just notice feeling more full, more bloated, more distended, and really uncomfortable. Some people refer to this feeling in their stomach as a food baby that just, it's kind of like the sensation of a pregnant belly, but it happens after eating instead, and it's usually very uncomfortable and can create a lot of other symptoms.

So our podcast today is discussing the real reason you're still bloated after meals. I'm one of your hosts, Kara Carper. I'm a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist, and my awesome cohost today is Brandy Buro. Brandy is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Brandy, it's great to be together again hosting today. Can you let our listeners know what they can expect from today's show?

Brandy: Yeah. So this is a, I think, a really important topic. It probably impacts quite a few of our listeners, especially, if you chose this episode out of a lineup of episodes related to digestion issues or gut health, you're probably looking for answers.

And today we hope to give you some, or at least give you some starting points, some places to start to find relief. So we're going to explore some of the root causes of bloating and what you can do to start feeling better. And I thought it was interesting to learn that, you know, gastrointestinal issues or gut health issues are really the number one reason that most Americans end up seeking out medical advice.

Because digestion issues, especially bloating, can have a huge impact on your quality of life. So, I mean, I can see why that's a big motivator for people to start looking for answers and get some help. And if you are one of those people that have gone to the doctor to get some answers, one of the most common diagnoses for gut or intestinal issues is IBS.

Now, IBS stands for irritable bowel syndrome, and that's really just a general term that describes a list of lots of other symptoms. So it could include constipation or on the other end of the spectrum, diarrhea. It could also mean, you know, lots of gas or severe bloating that's very painful or unexplained reflux. You know, it's kind of an umbrella term for anything and all digestion related when you're having problems in that area.

Now, the problem with this is that if you've been diagnosed with IBS, you still really don't know what the problem is. You still don't know why you feel this way. Why am I constipated? What's causing that bloating? And especially when it comes to bloating, The Journal of Gastroenterology reported last year that nearly one in five Americans suffers from regular bloating. It's a lot.

Kara: That's a big number.

Brandy: Yeah, it's a common issue. So that's what we're going to tackle today. Today Kara and I are going to talk about what are some of the main reasons you feel bloated after eating, and we're going to give you some tips on how to relieve some of that uncomfortable bloating.

Kara: Bloating is when your abdomen feels full, tight or swollen. And it's often because of gas buildup. It might be fluid retention or slow digestion. You know, even being constipated, which the definition of constipation is not having a bowel movement daily.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: So even if you're going every couple of days, that's considered constipation. Constipation itself can create more gas and bloating. Bloating, it's an annoying symptom that nobody wants. Sometimes it's annoying, but sometimes it can become really debilitating and people aren't able to live their normal everyday lives.

And that might be due to being in pain, discomfort, having severe flatulence or gas and being more self-conscious about clothes not fitting, or overall appearance. And if you know you're going to get bloated from eating a certain food or drinking a certain beverage, you're probably going to avoid those.

And if it gets down to the point where you have a very limited variety of foods and drinks, that might lead to loss of weight, which includes loss of muscle. And it can also create some nutritional deficiencies in the body, key nutrients that your body needs.

Brandy: Yeah, definitely. You know, that's a really good point. I recently just met a client last week who wanted to start nutrition therapy for a very similar reason. The digestion issues they've been experiencing have kind of gotten to the point where he's only eating one meal a day. He's waiting to eat when he gets home after work, so that he doesn't have to deal with all the digestive discomfort during his workday, so that he's not interrupted.

He can lead a meeting, he can drive many hours in the car without needing to address all of these uncomfortable digestion issues. So, yeah. You can really think about how that can all spiral into quality of life, but then thinking about what are you missing when you're not eating all day?

Kara: Yeah.

Many aspect of health are impacted by digestion

Brandy: Yeah. So it's good to bring up that, you know, nutrient deficiencies as a potential outcome of all of this. And, you know, many aspects of our health are impacted by our digestion. The integrity of our gut kind of feeds into lots of aspects of our health. So even if bloating may seem just kind of like an annoyance or a superficial problem where maybe your, your pants don't button quite as well, or you don't look quite as good in this dress, you know, I think it's a clue that there could be something more serious going on.

It could be a sign that there's a more serious underlying issue that's causing that bloating. So just ignoring it or maybe masking it with certain medications. Maybe you pop a Beano or a Gas X just to kind of get through the day, it could just be masking a deeper issue that down the line could be causing more complications down the road.

Kara: Right. And like you said, our intestinal health is related to so many different parts of the body. And our, our organ systems, I mean, our intestinal health is closely related to our immune system, our brain function, including things like depression and anxiety, memory, even more long-term chronic health issues like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. You know, a lot of, I'm not saying like bloating is going to lead to that, but bloating is one sign of possibly a bigger issue that could be more systemic in the body, in the brain long term.

Brandy: Exactly. Yeah. All of these symptoms are just, it's one way our body is talking to us and sending us some signs that something's a little off balance here, needs a little attention. And, you know, other things we may not think about when it comes to our gut health is, you know, weight management and metabolism.

Or it could even impact the foods that we crave. You know, sugar cravings, carb cravings are highly connected to the state of your gut health. Even things like joint pain and inflammation throughout the whole body can be traced back to the integrity of our gut.

Kara: We won't do a deep dive into all of that today because we're going to be a little bit more narrowly focused. But a takeaway from our podcast is you need to be looking at your intestinal health seriously because it can affect the rest of your body.

What foods & beverages can be triggers for bloating?

Brandy: Definitely. So let's take a look at the different types of foods or beverages, or even we'll get down to the granular, specific ingredients that could be triggers for that bloating after you have a meal or after you have something to drink.

Sometimes bloating will happen immediately after you eat something or drink something. Sometimes it could be a more gradual progression throughout the day. But if there's a specific ingredient that's triggering that bloating, it could happen, you know, immediately after you eat. So we're going to talk about some of those common troublemakers.

Kara: There are foods and drinks and certain ingredients that do tend to produce more gas in the body. Now, this is really interesting. Our bodies, they don't make gas.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: It's certain bacteria in our intestinal tract that feed, basically they're eating foods or beverages or ingredients that we eat.

Brandy: Yep.

Kara: And then that creates the gas. So it's just kind of interesting. And Brandy and I will talk more about bacteria in the gut because we don't want you to think of all bacteria as bad because we definitely have a fair amount of good, positive bacteria. It's really that imbalance that can create issues. And we will talk more about that.

Brandy: That's right.

Kara: But of course, this excess gas that's created in the gut can lead to more bloating and that sense of fullness or tightness in the abdomen.

Brandy: Yeah. And there are some foods that I think will often cause bloating or gas for most people. So some of the foods I think of would be beans and legumes or raw vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower.

Those tend to be more gas producing in a lot of people. Other common triggers could be carbonated beverages. And the things that are in carbonated beverages like sugar, sugar alcohols, or there are certain ingredients like thickeners or emulsifiers, even fructose, could be problematic for some people.

Kara: Foods containing gluten and dairy can also cause gas and bloating and sometimes other gut issues for people. Sometimes gluten and dairy can cause those issues as well.

Remove trigger foods & keep a food journal

Brandy: Right. So when it comes to any symptoms related to the gut or intestinal tract, the first rule of thumb is to remove the foods that are triggering those symptoms in the first place. And if you don't really know what your triggers are, I recommend keeping a food journal for, you know, a week or two just to try to understand if there is a pattern in your case.

So writing down what you eat, what you drink, and then making a note of when that bloating occurs, and then the severity of it. That's going to give us a lot of insight on what the trigger foods might be. Is there a pattern related to your routine? When does it occur? How often does it occur? That kind of thing. You know, kind of fill in some of those missing links when we have it written down and we can really see what's going on.

Kara: That might sound like kind of a lofty goal for some of you, but if you give yourself two or three weeks and just focus on journaling and like Brandy said, paying attention to how you feel after eating and drinking certain things, that's going to give you so much information. It's a really, really good place to start.

Brandy: Yep, exactly. I think even just the act of writing things down, you'll sometimes just start to see the pattern emerge without really over analyzing it. Yeah. It might not take that long either. It may only take maybe a week of jotting down things to figure it out.

Kara: So here's just one example. When you can't break down the dairy protein, which is called casein, or the dairy sugar, which is called lactose, it's basically a milk sugar, you will have the tendency to become more bloated and gassy. Dairy is also notorious for causing loose stool and diarrhea.

So a two or three week trial of eliminating dairy from your diet, that's going to give you really great information. Like how much of an impact is it having on you when you eat dairy?

Brandy: Definitely.

Kara: It's in a lot of foods. The most common ones are going to be milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese; I'm sure there's more. But those are kind of the ones that have the most dairy.

Brandy: Yep. Those are the big hitters. And I think you could have a similar experience with feeling just kind of inflamed or puffy, kind of a fullness in the midsection after eating foods that contain wheat or gluten. So think bread, pasta, muffins, you know, a lot of, a lot of those processed foods. So very similar to what Kara was just describing about dairy.

If you have this reaction to these foods, it could indicate a sensitivity to gluten. So you would do a similar process by eliminating foods with gluten for I'd give it at least three weeks. That's going to give you information, you know, based on how you feel when you remove gluten. If you feel better, your body has spoken. So if you experience less bloating, less distension, you might even notice other things start to improve, then, then we kind of have an idea that gluten could be one of those trigger foods for you.

And gluten is basically a protein that's found in wheat products. So you are going to find it mostly in processed foods, breads, pastas, bagels, cereal. So because it's in a lot of processed foods, it does involve reading the labels to see where that gluten might be hiding. And this is where it might be helpful to get the support of a dietitian or a nutritionist just to help you walk through that process, come up with a meal plan that is gluten free so that you don't feel so overwhelmed when you try to take on a three week trial without gluten.

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Sugar alcohols can lead to bloating

Kara: And if you do struggle with bloating and abdominal distension, really take a look at the ingredients in your chewing gum. This is such an important one that I don't think people think of.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: Are there sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol, maybe mannitol.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: Now sugar alcohols are not considered unhealthy by nature. Some people tolerate them just fine. I'm fortunate that I do so I can have a piece of gum. I try to get gum that doesn't have aspartame and sucralose and the bad artificial sweeteners. So I can chew gum that has xylitol, which is a natural sweetener and I'm fine. But for some people that can cause a lot of digestive distress.

Brandy: Yeah. Yeah. Chewing gum is definitely a place that you'll find those sugar alcohols. But I've actually seen sugar alcohol in a lot of different products lately. You know, sugar free is very popular with for good reason. But I'm starting to see sugar alcohols in things like protein bars, even flavored yogurts. I've also seen it in electrolyte powders and different beverages, energy drinks, different, you know, carbonated sodas.

So definitely watch those labels. Look for all those sugar alcohols. They're going to end in an -ol like you said, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol. Erythritol is another one you can watch for.

Carbonation or high fructose corn syrup can also cause bloating

One other trigger for bloating could be the carbonation in some of those beverages. So sometimes it's the carbonation that's causing the gas. It could be some of those other ingredients like the sugar alcohols or high fructose corn syrup. Or there could even be other artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose. Yeah. So, basically, if it comes with a label, you have to really scrutinize it for some of those trigger ingredients.

Kara: Well, we need to take just a quick break. You're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. I'm Kara Carper here with Brandy Buro, and today our podcast is titled The Real Reason You Are Bloated After Eating. We'll be right back.

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Brandy: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. My name is Brandy Buro and I'm here with Kara Carper. Our topic today is the real reason you're bloated after eating. So Kara and I have just been reviewing some of the top food triggers for bloating. So far we've discussed dairy and gluten as common food triggers.

Also a couple food additives, artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols. They can be quite problematic for a lot of people. And I know there are a couple that we haven't gotten to. What, what else is on your list, Kara?

More possible bloating triggers: the thickener & emulsifier category

Kara: So other ingredients that some clients have trouble tolerating are the thickener and emulsifier category.

Brandy: Yes. Yes.

Kara: Some common ones: I'm just going to name a few: carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum. Really any ingredient that says the word gum on it, that's being not chewing gum. This is gum that's being used as an ingredient, as a thickener. Now I don't have a lot of dairy in my diet, and so I have unsweetened almond milk in my refrigerator. Now I do notice that there is a gum, an emulsifier in that.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: And that's very common for a lot of non-dairy beverages. Even coffee creamers.

Brandy: Yes.  

Kara: So again, like Brandy said, if there's a list of ingredients on your package and you're struggling with digestive issues, you really need to look through the ingredient list.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: Important to read labels and take inventory of what you're eating by doing that food journal for three weeks. Everyone's sensitivities are different. So you need to get down to the root cause of what's creating issues for you personally.

Brandy: Right. Yeah. And that food journal can be so eye-opening. If anything, it's just going to build a little bit of awareness around what your typical habits are around food and beverages. And if you're noticing that you do have a lot of the common food triggers that we have discussed today, you know, maybe it is worth doing some experimentation around your diet.

Some of the low hanging fruit would be eliminating dairy and gluten and shifting to an eating pattern where you are focusing more on real foods or eliminating a lot of those suspect additives like artificial sweeteners and gums. You know, working with a, a dietitian to help you put together that meal plan can be very helpful.

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So if you're not quite sure what your triggers are, you know, there's a starting point. We can always do a meal plan that eliminates some of the more common trigger foods. See where the dust settles, see what your symptoms are like after that, you know, two or three weeks without those common troublemakers.

The gut microbiome’s role in managing bloating

And after that point, if you are still dealing with some discomfort, you know, things aren't completely resolved, then we might take a deeper look and consider what is going on with your gut microbiome. This is where we're going to start talking more about possibly probiotics or maybe digestive enzymes, because bloating and other digestion issues can often be traced back to an imbalance of the good bacteria compared to the potentially harmful bacteria.

It could also be connected to low stomach acid or low production of digestive enzymes. And when it comes to bacteria, you know, this is really an important topic because humans have over three pounds of bacteria in the gut. We have almost as much, if not a little bit more bacteria than we do human cells in the body.

Kara: Wow.

Brandy: So when that balance, it's a really delicate balance; when it gets thrown off, that's when we start to see some symptoms, some uncomfortable symptoms. In a healthy gut, the beneficial bacteria should outweigh the potentially harmful bacteria. And you've probably heard us talk about different families of beneficial bacteria on the show before. Bifidobacteria and lactobacillus are a couple families of bacteria that we've talked about a lot here on Dishing Up Nutrition.

Kara: Mm-hmm. And there are many other families of good bacteria, but those two are very prevalent in a healthy microbiome. And I like to think of good bacteria, beneficial bacteria as being protective. 90% of our immune system resides in the gut. Are you somebody who's constantly catching a cold or you get the flu, or you seem to come down with strep or ear infections several times per year? If so, chances are your intestinal health is compromised and more vulnerable.

Brandy: Yeah. Yeah. If anybody's struggling with immunity, the gut is one of the first places I go, like, what's going on in the gut? And it can be a catch 22 because we do need that good bacteria to protect against the harmful bacteria. We don't want that harmful bacteria to sort of take up too much real estate. That's when we can end up with some of those infections and a compromised immune system.

But if you do come down with something like strep, the treatment is usually going to be an antibiotic. Antibiotics, they do their job, they actually kill bacteria. But that can also lead to some issues with our gut microbiome. Right?

Kara: Right. And some antibiotics are going to be necessary depending on the circumstances, but they're often overused.

Brandy: Yeah.

Kara: And you may notice, or maybe in the past, you've noticed that being on a round or two of antibiotics or maybe you were hospitalized for a procedure or a surgery and afterwards you noticed having more gut issues, more gas and bloating, undigested food in the stool, heart burn or reflux, alternating constipation and diarrhea.

You know, I, I'm going to just share a quick story, a personal story of one reason that I discovered I had bloating. Kind of what my personal root cause was. And growing up I did, I had a history of very frequent ear infections.

And I recall getting antibiotics, you know, that's kind of the first line therapy. But at the time, my family didn't really know about replenishing that good beneficial bacteria right after a round of antibiotics. So it was just kind of, I was stuck in that cycle of low immune system worsened by antibiotics.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: Killing off the good bacteria, and the more likelihood that I would catch the same bacteria again leading to another ear infection. So, I, as a kid, I was very chronically bloated and constipated. Now that went into my teen years when I started having acne. And I remember trying everything for that acne. I started with topicals and then I got so frustrated with it not going away that I ended up on some pretty heavy antibiotics.

Brandy: Yeah.

Kara: Which did not clear the acne up. And I ended up doing something even more harsh called Accutane.

Brandy: Yep.

Kara: So these are all really intestinal gut disruptors. Kind of, again, exacerbating the root cause.

Brandy: Exactly.

Kara: So I was still constipated. I was still bloated. The acne wasn't going away.

Brandy: Yep.

Kara: Fast forward, I'm working at the front desk at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. I met with Darlene, who is our owner, and she said, Kara, you need to stop eating gluten. Let's get you some good probiotics, some supplements, some beneficial bacteria. Another thing that I was taking was digestive enzymes with hydrochloric acid really to help break down and digest my food, because I had a vulnerable disrupted gut. So that was, it was just a lifesaver, really.

Brandy: Yeah.

Kara: Because my gut started getting flatter. You know, for my size, I was very petite when I discovered this 20 years ago. But I had this large abdomen. And so my gut kind of got to be more the size of the rest of my body.

Brandy: Yeah. Yep. Everything is in proportion.

Kara: In proportion. So that's kind of my journey.

Brandy: Yeah, that's a great story. Thank you for sharing that, because I think a lot of people, including myself, can relate to that story. Another case, horrible acne as a teen was prescribed antibiotics to treat that for years and years and years.

Did it help? I don't know. Kept taking it. And I've met with so many clients who have, you know, decades of antibiotic use for similar reasons, not really understanding the impact that it has on their gut health. But your, your story is great because even though you have that long history of antibiotic use, you were able to turn things around.

Kara: Yeah. Even later in life.

Brandy: Yeah, that's right. So there is, even if you have, you know this in your history, there's still things that we can do to repair and heal. And get your gut health back on track.

Kara: Yeah, absolutely.

Brandy: So I think that's, that gives us all hope. I bet a lot of our listeners can relate. And in your situation, it wasn't just reintroducing some of those beneficial bacteria with the probiotics, but you also removed some trigger foods. So for you it turned out to be gluten.

Kara: Yeah.

Brandy: Sounds like digestive enzymes were also helpful and today, is that something you still do today? The digestive enzymes.

Kara: I do when I'm eating a larger meal. Yeah. And often a meal that has protein because I take the Key Digestive Enzymes at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. They have some hydrochloric acid, which in particular helps to break down and help absorb proteins.

Brandy: Yeah. That's such a, such a good tip. And that's something I might suggest to somebody that does have more of like, just a heavy feeling in their stomach after eating like a, a protein rich meal. Digestive enzymes can help quite a bit with that. You know, but everybody's different. Everybody's journey is a little different and the, the strategy that's going to work the best for you with your bloating might be different from Kara’s.

But hopefully you're getting some good ideas and if digestive enzymes do sound like something that would be helpful for you, we have a great “Ask a Nutritionist” episode all about digestive enzymes, what they do, how they work, how to take them. That exact episode aired March 18th in 2024. That was an episode Britni did. It was called Digestive Enzymes. So look that up if you want more information about digestive enzymes and if they could be helpful for you.

Kara: And on that note, I just want to give out another additional resource for listeners because we can't possibly cover everything here today in 40 minutes. But there is a great article on our website, weightandwellness.com. It's called Nutrition for Healing Gut Issues, February 28th, 2023. So it's a great article that gives meal ideas that are going to be, you know, not creating more inflammation and issues in your intestinal tract and discussing common gut issues. And of course it includes bloating as a symptom.

Brandy: Mn-hmm. That's right.

Kara: So as we've been talking about what your root cause is for bloating after eating and what the solution could be for you, sometimes it's a simple solution. Other times, like Brandy had mentioned earlier, we need to keep gathering clues and do more investigating with a different treatment plan really to get to the root cause of that gas and/or bloating.

SIBO: another consideration for bloating if previous steps aren’t creating resolution

Brandy: That's right. And if you're somebody that you've been struggling with chronic bloating for years, it's just getting worse and it doesn't seem like anything's helping. One thing that you could look into is a condition called SIBO. SIBO is an acronym called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. So this, this is a, a pesky condition.

You know, it can cause a lot of digestion issues. Bloating is usually one of the symptoms most people experience. But to help us all understand SIBO a little bit better, I thought we could kind of walk through the digestion process and see what could go wrong and what could eventually contribute to the development of SIBO.

So, you know, let's start from the top. When you eat a meal, when you eat a food, the very first part of digestion begins in your mouth when you chew. And we also have enzymes in our saliva that actually help break down that food before it even reaches our stomach. So this is one reason that adequately chewing your food is so important for overall digestion and absorption of those nutrients because we need our food to be broken up in small little pieces so that further on down the line we can absorb what's in it.

So when you swallow your food, it is further churned up in your stomach and digested with stomach acid and digestive enzymes. So we should naturally produce some digestive enzymes to help break down our food. Stomach acid also is part of that picture, and then from there we move into the small intestine.

Kara: Yeah. So the next part of digestion is the small intestinal tract. The reason it's called small is because it's quite narrow, but it's actually more than 20 feet in length.

Brandy: Wow.

Kara: Yeah. And the small intestines are where the nutrients from your food are absorbed into the bloodstream, your vitamins and your minerals, and then the remaining waste moves into the colon, which is also known as the large intestine, and that's expelled as feces. Although there are some good beneficial bacteria in the small intestines, the majority of beneficial bacteria are located in the colon again, which is the large intestine.

Brandy: Right. And if too many bacteria start creeping from the colon into the small intestines, that could create a lot of uncomfortable symptoms. Bloating is usually one of them. There's often gas, sometimes abdominal pain, and from there it could just kind of spiral into a lot of different digestion issues.

Kara: That bacterial overgrowth in the small intestines can even lead to poor nutrient absorption and unhealthy weight loss. People sometimes report being constipated, but some have diarrhea, so if you suspect that SIBO could be an issue for you, this is a scenario where adding in a probiotic supplement could make things worse at least until later when you know the SIBO has cleared up. And of course there are tests for SIBO that your provider can order. Typically it's called a breath test.

Brandy: Right. Yeah. It's kind of interesting. You'll, you'll, you'll be asked to just breathe in some tubes, but what they're doing is they're measuring the gas, they're measuring the kind of like the off gassing that those bacteria are producing.

And that's how they can kind of determine if you have SIBO. It kind of reminds me of one client I had who, you know, they had kind of a collection of pesky digestion issues, severe bloating was one of them. One clue that I picked up on was that every time he had a kombucha, I mean, his guts just went wild.

Kara: Oh, interesting. Fer

Brandy: You know so…

Kara: Fermented beverage.

Brandy: Mm-hmm. So, yeah, kombucha is a natural source of healthy, beneficial bacteria. But in his case, he already had so much overgrowth of bacteria that adding more to the party was just making it worse.

Kara: That's fascinating.

Brandy: That was just one clue. And then he ended up going on to get that SIBO test and that was confirmed. And then from there it was a very different treatment plan, you know?

Kara: Sure. Right. That's why it's really important to talk to your doctor, your nurse, your provider, really if you're not certain, you want to get tested. So, so that you can know how to move forward.

Brandy: Mm-hmm. Yep. And if you do have that diagnosis of SIBO, the treatment plan is often going to include antibiotics or in some cases, herbs that act as natural antimicrobials. One example of the herbs that could be used is oregano. Another one, another common treatment is allicin, which is actually from garlic.

So basically, you know, if you have an overgrowth of bacteria, we have to kill off some of that overgrowth, and once that SIBO or that overgrowth is addressed, that's when we can introduce some of those probiotics or the beneficial bacteria.

Kara: We've had clients with SIBO who have come to Nutritional Weight & Wellness because they got the diagnosis and were told to eat a low FODMAP meal plan. FODMAP is an acronym and you know, this is the feedback that we will often get from clients is it seems like a lot. Having a professional licensed dietitian walk you through that process can be really helpful.

And what FODMAPs are, they're short chain carbohydrates and they can be difficult to absorb. And so again, these are not always problematic, but as particularly if there is SIBO, these tend to be problematic. And once these carbohydrates reach the colon, they produce hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane and that's what's causing the gas and bloating and sometimes other digestive issues.

Brandy: Right. So yeah, by eliminating some of these foods that produce this gas, we're, you know, and some people helping reduce the bloating, but we're also starving the bacteria that eat those things.

Kara: Yeah, that’s a great way, I'm glad you added that as an explanation.

Brandy: So I think that's why the FODMAP diet or the low FODMAP diet is sometimes used in part of that treatment plan for SIBO. So in general, those FODMAPs can be found in dairy, grains, certain fruits, starches, certain sugars and sweeteners. It is not intuitive, you know, it's, it's a difficult plan to follow without some support. A really great resource to learn more about what specific foods are highest in FODMAPs is Monash University. They even have an app that makes it a little easier to follow a low FODMAP diet. And that's something that, we work with clients one-on-one here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness.

Kara: I'll just spell that out for people if you have not heard of that, because I had not until recently. It's Monash, M like Mary, O, N, like Nancy, a, s like Sam, h, University.

Brandy: And I just want to clarify if you have been instructed to follow a low FODMAP diet, maybe your doctor or your nurse recommended that as a way to manage these symptoms. It's important to know that this diet is not intended to follow long term. Because when you follow this diet, you are eliminating a lot of healthy foods and not all of them could be causing issues for you.

Our goal is always to keep your diet as liberal as possible. The longer you reduce the variety, the more you might be putting your gut health at risk. So it is important that you're working with a dietitian who can help you through the reintroduction phase of FODMAP so that you're not limiting your diet longer than you have to.

Kara: Yeah, that's great advice because there could be some nutritional deficiencies long term.

Brandy: That's right.

Kara: From staying on that for an extended period of time. So as we've been discussing, you know, there's a lot of factors involved that can lead to gut issues and this bloating and distension and uncomfortable feeling after meals. Sometimes it is a really simple solution like eliminating dairy or eliminating gluten, and I say a simple solution. Not easy, but simple.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: Or maybe you just need to add in a daily probiotic supplement and some digestive enzymes that have some hydrochloric acid to help break down and digest your meals.

Brandy: Right.

Kara: You know, and other things that we talked about today are looking at foods like vegetables that tend to create more gas, legumes specifically are one, cruciferous vegetables. Also, we touched on thickeners, like the xanthan gum, guar gum and carrageenan, and how those can create issues, as well as sugar alcohols like xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and what was the other one? Oh, aspartame.

Brandy: Mm-hmm. Artificial sweeteners.

Kara: Artificial sweeteners, sugar and fructose. So that's a big list.

Brandy: Yep.

Kara: But if you feel like you've exhausted all that and you've kind of played around with eliminating those or reducing those and you're still having issues, it might be a little bit more of a complex root cause.

Brandy: Mm-hmm. And we can help you figure that out. You know, it, don't, don't feel discouraged. There are answers. You don't have to live with this forever. It might take a little trial and error, but there are solutions. If you're listening today and you just want a starting point, what could I eat to help address this bloating?

Meal plan ideas to reduce bloating

How do I address this low hanging fruit of eliminating dairy, gluten, some of these additives that are common triggers? So maybe we could just run through a meal plan that theoretically could help somebody reduce their bloating.

Kara: Yeah. Great idea.

Brandy: So let's start with breakfast. You know, I'm a fan of eggs, so maybe two eggs with two ounces of ground turkey sausage. You could add in, this is what I had for breakfast today, some sliced zucchini that I sauteed in olive oil.

Kara: Mm-hmm.

Brandy: With a little bit of salt and pepper. That was a really great breakfast for me and easy to digest.

Kara: Yeah. No trigger foods.

Brandy: No trigger foods. Gluten-free, dairy free. No weird additives.

Kara: Yeah, that sounds like a meal that's not creating any gut inflammation. And unless there's another separate underlying cause, should not cause any bloating after eating. Now, something for lunch, a couple different options for like a canned protein. I like to do this. It's just a simple recipe with either canned tuna or canned wild caught salmon. Just, you know, drain that. I usually eat the whole can, which ends up to be four to five ounces of protein.

Brandy: Mm-hmm.

Kara: Mix with tablespoon, tablespoon, and a half of a preferably healthier mayonnaise. Like a Primal Kitchen. Maybe an avocado based mayonnaise.

Brandy: Perfect.

Kara: Chosen Foods is another great brand. Just add some diced up onion and celery. And so then it's, you know, maybe add a couple spices, a little basil or oregano, salt and pepper. Mix that all up and put it on a bed of greens and it's a pretty satisfying meal, you know? And light, but, you know, adequate with the protein, healthy fat, and some vegetables.

Brandy: Wonderful. Now for dinner, I'm thinking, you know, it's soup season and I think a soup is actually a great recipe to make if you're struggling with bloating. Because we've got cooked vegetables in there, which should be a little easier to digest.

So maybe one of my favorite recipes that I actually made this weekend is ground turkey with some greens. You could do spinach, maybe some kale. There's also cooked carrots, a little celery. And then, just some basic herbs, a little tarragon, parsley.

Kara: Is this kind of a one pot meal?

Brandy: It is.

Kara: Ooh. I love a good one pot meal especially in the fall.

Brandy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And, this weekend I put in a little bit of wild rice.

Kara: Okay. I was just going to ask, I'm like, do, I don't know, is there some kind of a starch. Oh, that sounds delicious. Love that.

Brandy: So really hearty. Yeah. And it makes a lot. So I've got leftovers for lunch or you know, dinner tonight.

Kara: Great.

Brandy: Yeah. So takeaway being, you know, just trying to focus on real food. If you can eliminate, take a break from dairy, gluten for a few weeks. I think that's a good call. And striving to have like well cooked, ground meats, cooked vegetables if you can. I think that's a good start.

Kara: And all the ingredients for the three meals that we just listed, there's very few items coming from like a package or a, a box. And so there's just fewer overall ingredients. So there's going to be less problematic things sneaking into your food sources that are going to create that gas and bloating.

Brandy: Definitely.

Kara: So we want to thank you for listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Please take a moment to share this podcast with someone in your life who may benefit from the information. Have a wonderful day.