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Writer's pictureErin Walker

8 Powerful Bloat-Busters

Updated: Jul 29, 2021



We all feel a little bloated from time to time, and that’s normal. I have had my own struggles with occasional bloating. However, there could be a bigger problem if your bouts with bloating become more frequent than the occasional full feeling. As a functional medicine practitioner, I know that to really resolve any issue, you need to find the root cause.


The cause of your bloating could be something as simple as eating the wrong foods. Or it could be something bigger such as leaky gut or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Regardless of what causes your bloating there is a solution to reduce it!


Bloating in women is often a sign of congestion in the large intestine or liver. Once you trace the root of your problem, you can employ some belly-rescuing cures to help you win the war against bloating and take back control of your body. If you want help pinpointing your specific root cause(s), schedule a free health consultation with me!


Powerful bloat-busting treatments:

  • Remove inflammatory foods from your diet such as corn, gluten, dairy, and eggs. You should also remove gas-causing foods such as legumes and cruciferous vegetables. You’ll also want to limit the fats you consume. Fats take longer to digest than protein or carbs, so they stay in your stomach longer and cause bloating. While they do keep you satiated because they hang around, that’s the very same reason that rich and fatty food can be a cause of your bloating.

  • Take a digestive enzyme: Once we hit our 30's, our bodies naturally start to produce less stomach acid to digest our food. Almost everyone needs a good digestive enzyme with meals and it's one of the easiest ways to minimize bloating. Digestive enzymes help aid the digestive process by ensuring your food is completely broken down into usable components by the body before it reaches your small intestine and soothes the intestines thereby minimizing bloating.

  • Drink fennel tea [or eat just the vegetable itself]: Fennel is a natural digestive aid and bloat-reducer

  • Dandelion tea is a mild diuretic that will also help get rid of the water your body is holding onto. It stimulates bile to help break down fatty meals that also make you bloated. It's great for supporting your liver functioning! Try drinking one cup per day.

  • Try taking 200 milligrams of magnesium daily to fight fluid retention and to expel gas. This crucial mineral eases constipation by relaxing the muscles in the intestinal walls. You can also find magnesium in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, legumes (beans and peas), nuts and seeds, whole grains and fish (such as halibut).

  • Potassium ensures that all cells, tissues and organs are operating properly. It can provide relief from bloating by balancing and circulating body fluids. Try eating potassium-rich foods such as bananas, kiwis, and strawberries.

  • Feasting on fiber-rich foods can push stomach-clogging materials out of the body. Fiber moves food through the gastrointestinal tract quickly for better digestion. About 25-30 grams of fiber is recommended per day, but most people usually get only 10-12 grams. And yet, too much of a good thing can be bad. Too much fiber can cause bloating because it remains in the body for a relatively long time. Incorporate fiber into your diet by including foods like green leafy veggies, oatmeal, flax seed [which also helps with hormone balancing], raspberries, lentils, and artichokes into your meals. You can also try fiber supplements that contain psyllium, a soluble fiber that can help regulate digestion and prevent constipation.

  • Probiotics are made up of “good” living bacteria similar to those that naturally exist in the body and aid with digestive health. Probiotics regulate the amount of healthy bacteria in your system and normalize bowel movements. Reinoculate the beneficial bacteria in your gut with high-potency probiotics to re-establish a healthy microbiome. If you do have SIBO, I recommend taking a soil-based probiotic that’s free from lactic acid that can make your SIBO symptoms worse. Also consider incorporating probiotic-enriched food sources like yogurt, miso, kombucha, and juices. Look for “live and active cultures” listed on their packaging labels.


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