“Bloating can be caused by a number of things, such as rushing through your food which contributes to poor digestion, not regularly eliminating, and an imbalance of bacteria, or dysbiosis in the gut” explains naturopath Rebekah Russell.
Thankfully, there are some simple dietary and lifestyle-based steps you can take to help improve your gut health and beat abdominal bloating.Here are 5 of the best natural ways to get started.
“There’s something we term the ‘green zone’, which is when your parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, and healing, restoration and digestion takes place,” says Russell.
“And that’s the zone you want to be in when you eat, compared to the sympathetic state where you’re anxious and rushing and blood actually gets diverted away from the stomach.”
To help improve the balance of good to bad bacteria in the gut, eating probiotic-rich foods will help reduce digestive complaints. Try adding probiotic-rich yoghurt or traditional fermented foods and drinks such as miso, tempeh, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut to your daily diet.
You don’t need to spend hours at the gym to make a difference: a UK study into the effects of exercise and irritable bowel syndrome suggests that aiming for 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five days per week may help to get you more regular which will help you keep bloating at bay.
“You can make your own ginger tea by adding chunks of ginger root to boiled water and letting it steep for 20 minutes before drinking the brew,” suggests Russell. “It’s very soothing for the stomach and can help if there’s any discomfort.”
“That in itself will exert some pressure on the digestive system and help keep things moving, as well as switching your nervous system into the parasympathetic ‘green’ zone, which aids digestion,” says Russell.
To practise diaphragmatic breathing, simply inhale through your nose, so that your belly moves outward. Then, breathe out slowly through pursed lips, letting your stomach muscles fall inward as you exhale.
Try doing this for five minutes, three times a day (or whenever you catch yourself shallow breathing).