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Home » Diet » This diet helps with bloatingbut there’s a catch – Well+Good

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If you have a bloat that wont quit (or if youre among the one in five Americans with irritable bowel syndrome, AKAIBS), switchingto a low-FODMAP diet can be truly transformative. Sure, you have to weed out a super-long list of foods, but committingto it can put an end to a whole host of gut probs, including cramps, gas, andreal talkless-than-ideal poop situations.

Soif eliminating FODMAP foods isworking, you should stick with it, right? No way, saysFood Coach founder Dana James, CDN. Its a treatment diet, and youre missing the point if thats the only way you can survive, says James.

James compares followinga low-FODMAP diet to resolve your gut issues to restraining from sex to avoid getting a UTI.

The other sticking point for her? Alot of the foods that are off-limitsare nutrient-dense(reminder: FODMAP stands for six different types of short-chain carbohydrates that are known for being poorly absorbed and hard to digest, whichare present in a variety of foods, evenfruits and vegetablesyou have to say goodbye to healthy must-havesbroccoli, cashew nuts,watermelon, and beets if youre going low-FODMAP), so the goal shouldnt be to avoid them long-term. You need to find out the underlying issue.

James compares followinga low-FODMAP diet to resolve your gut issues to restraining from sex to avoid getting a UTI: Its an adaptive response, and you arent getting to the heart of what the real problem is.

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James explains that of course cutting out FODMAP foods offers some reliefyoure only eating things that are super easy to digest. But, she adds, you really should get to the bottom of why youre having trouble digesting foods [in the first place], so you can work toward being able to eat them again.

The issue could really just be with gluten or dairy (or both). Many people make the mistake of going full-on low-FODMAP, she says, when you might get that bloat-free life by just avoiding thosetwoinflammatory food groups alone.

While better-for-youFODMAP foods like fruits and veggies should only be eliminatedfor a shorttime, James istotally fine with peoplecutting ties with gluten and dairy for good, if thats what makes your digestive tract healthy and happy.

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What if you cut gluten and dairy and are still experiencing GI drama? James says that more often than not, theres an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine or large colon. That can lead to some very uncomfortable bloating when you eat foods with fiber, she says.

She explains that you really dont want a lot of bacteria in the small intestine or large colon (unlike in the gut). If you experience an upset stomach, its either caused by a certain food or theres a microbe triggering it, she says. Another problem that could be going on is not having enough stomach acid in the gut. If you tend to reach for Tums or Rolaids on the reg, it could cause an unhealthy acid depletion.

To figure out exactly whats causing your bloating, constipation, or other digestive issuesand to eventually getoff alow-FODMAP dietyou have to work with a doctor who can run specifictests. Most likely, your MD willadministera Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO) test, which measures the amount of hydrogen and methane in the gutAKA gascaused by bacteria.

Once you know exactly whats going on, you can work togetherto come up with a plan that will work for your body, such as taking hydrochloric acida chemical released in the stomach during digestion that helps break down foodor aprobiotic with specific bacterial strains that your body needs.

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Heres the tricky thing: SIBO can be a reoccurring problemits not a one-and-done treatment type of deal. It can keep coming back, and the most common reason people get it in the first place is because the body is under stress, James says. (What isnt stress the cause of?)

So yes, working with a physician to determine what supplements will help bring back balance to the gut is important, but so is looking at the bigger pictureAKA how you can manage your stress. You would be surprised how much bloating can happen just because of the mind, James says. It literally changes the microflora in the gut. The plus side? It changes for the better quickly, too, so the effects of getting stress under control in the mind has an immediate effect for the better on the gut.

Figuring out the root cause of any gut problems can feel overwhelming, but knowing the low-FODMAP Diet is just a Band-Aid should come as a relief. Who wants to give up apples, watermelon, and (gasp!) avocadosforever?

To help you get your system humming again, here arenine secrets from Ayurveda that are great for digestion. And the most fun way to boost your gut health? Get out in that summer sun.

Originally posted here:
This diet helps with bloatingbut there's a catch - Well+Good

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Home » Diet » This diet helps with bloatingbut there’s a catch – Well+Good