Bloat Busters

7 Major Causes And What You Can Do About It

1. The stress connection- stress makes you swallow air more frequently - even though you may not be aware of it. Every time you swallow when you are not eating extra air winds up in your stomach and may eventually end up in your intestines. If excessive that can make your belly expand.
   
   relaxation techniques - 10 minute time-out. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, read or just look out the window. Imagine a pleasant experience.
   
   
2. Hormone Havoc - A rise in sex hormones estrogen and progesterone during the last 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle triggers a buildup of water in the lower abdomen. These hormones also disrupt the regular movement of the digestive tract, making you feel even more bloated. Once hormone levels go down things are back to normal.
   
   Exercise 30 minutes a day at least 3 times/week before your period. Activity speeds the movement of food and water through the digestive tract counteracting the effects of the hormones. Try to stick to a regular sleep schedule. Lay off salt - salt can increase fluid retention. You can try OTC premenstrual syndrome medicines which contain mild diuretics to draw water out of the body.
   
   
3. Food Fights - High fiber fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes are important parts of a healthy diet that may or may not cause gas. Carbonated beverages can cause gas. Many people are lactose intolerant. They experience bloating, gas and diarrhea after eating dairy products. Chewing gum allows you to swallow air which causes gas.
   
   Increasing your intake of dietary fiber to 25-50 grams/day is recommended, but go slow in increments of 5 mg day. If you continue to have gas, especially with foods like cabbage, broccoli, legumes etc. Try a product called Beano and OTC enzyme supplement that helps you to digest these kinds of foods.
   
   
4. Lactose intolerance is common and there is a lot you can do about it and still eat dairy. Lactaid is enzyme enriched milk, Lactaid pills taken with food helps you to digest. You are missing the enzyme - Lactaid and comparable products are the enzyme you need.
   
   
5. You can skip the gum and carbonated beverages - there's not nutrition there anyway.
   
   
6. Dieting Don'ts - Strict diets, irregular eating habits cause bloating. When your body is deprived of food your digestive tract slows drastically because of lack of stimulation - the result - even the smallest amount of food causes bloating.
   
   Aim to lose pounds gradually, cut back only 250 -500 calories day. Eat three to four times routinely - your digestive tract can't work properly unless you stimulate it routinely.
   
   
7. Medicine Mistakes - Some medications like cough syrup and antacids often contain large amounts of sorbitol, an artificial sweetener that can cause gas. Likewise certain OTC pain relievers namely aspirin, ibuprofen and naprosen can irritate the stomach and intestines and antacids can contain aluminum which is constipating.
   
   Try non-bloating substitutes. Treat a headache with acetaminophen instead of aspirin. Take prescription drugs with meals as indicated.
   
   
8. Love Handles and Weak Abs - 50% of new weight gain is stored as belly fat. This leaves less room for the intestines to expand comfortably. Weak abdominal muscles add to the problem by not providing enough support. As a result intestines full of food and digestive juices can sag and push forward making you feel like your stomach is bloated. People who complain of bloating frequently have experienced weight gain.
   
   Lower your fat intake, reduce portion size and increase your physical activity to reduce pounds. You can also do modified sit-ups called crunches. Lie on your back with your hands behind your head or crossed in front of your chest, then raise your shoulders and head until your shoulders are about 4-6 inches above the floor. Lower and repeat five times. Work your way up to 25 repetitions, 5-6 times a week.
   
   
9. Jet Plane Blues- The lower air pressure in a plane can cause intestinal gas to expand; some people are more sensitive to it than others. Stress, eating high fat foods and drinking carbonated beverages can make it worse.
   
   Walk up and down the airplane aisle after eating to move food and gas out of your system. Try not to stray from your usual diet. Drink juice or bottled water and avoid carbonated beverages and chewing gum.
   
   

When to Seek Professional Help

Persistent bloating can be a sign of illness such as intestinal obstruction, an ulcer or inflammatory bowel disease or in rare cases ovarian cancer. Talk to your doctor if you have: persistent or frequent bouts lasting longer than ten a day or occurring several times a week and accompanied by:

• Sharp stomach pains
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Unexplained weight loss

Other bloat busters:

• Geranium oil in your bath water
• Dandelion tea
• Magnesium - vegetables, nuts, etc. (or 200mg/day)
• Calcium - 3 servings of skim milk dairy/day (1000-1500 mg/day)

Donna Tinnerello, MS, RD, CD/N

Donna Tinnerello MS, RD,, CD/N is registered dietician with more than 10 years experience in HIV and nutrition. She works at Cabrini Medical Center in lower Manhattan,in private practice and the community.Her subspecialties are cardiovascular, renal, and gastrointestinal disease, diabetes and weight loss. Donna is available for private consultation by referral only.