Key Takeaways
🙋🏾Does it feel like there's a 🎈 balloon inside your stomach? Is it causing you discomfort? 😕
Belly bloat can be a result of Gastroparesis, indigestion or constipation but can also be a consequence from eating a "very healthy" diet that consists of bulky, high volume, high fiber foods. 🥗
How Your Stomach Works
🤷🏽♂What does that look like? Let's first talk about how your stomach works!
✨Your stomach is like a blender ➡its job is to blend, mix, + break down food using muscle contraction + acid. Food is then liquified + sent to small intestine where most nutrients are actually absorbed.
🥕🍎🥦 🥜 If you're eating a lot of insoluble, fibrous fibers throughout the day, that could be a lot, maybe too much work for some people's stomach.
✨Here is what a sample day might look like for someone who is experiencing belly bloat from a diet that consists of too much bulk, fiber, and volume:
🍽 Breakfast: High-fiber cereal w/ raspberries
🍽 Snack: Yogurt sprinkled w/ wheat bran + sliced apple (skin on)
🍽 Lunch: Large kale salad w/ pumpkin seeds, carrots, radishes, walnuts + shredded chicken
🍽 Snack: Bowl of popcorn + pear (skin on)
🍽 Dinner: Black beans tacos w/ carrot + cabbage slaw + a side of romaine salad
✨What if you were to lay all the salad ingredients out on a table? What would the volume + texture of that food look like compared to, say, a kale smoothie? That's how much work your stomach has cut out for it! Wouldn't the smoothie be a much meal to process?🙄
🚨📣 It's not about these foods individually, but how MUCH of these types of foods you're eating throughout the day that can correlate with the level of belly discomfort you're experiencing!
✨Tips for less belly work:
👍🏼 Blended/softer foods (sushi, smoothies, soups)
👍🏼 Sub soups or smoothies for salads
👍🏼 Nut butters for nuts
👍🏼 Sub pureed fruits or fruits with skins removed for whole fruits
👍🏼 Roast veggies whose skin can easily be peeled off: bell peppers and tomatoes
👍🏼 Add in more soluble fiber-rich foods like oatmeal and sweet potatoes (without the peel)
🗣If you experience loss of appetite, early satiety, nausea, or vomiting, you may want to reach out to your gastroenterologist!👨🏾⚕
