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The Daily Ritual That Helped Relieve My Persistent Bloat
Everyone has stomach bloat here and there, but it was happening to me far too frequently. I would feel bloated almost every day, even if I ate completely whole and natural foods for all three meals.
I know some healthy foods can trigger bloating, but I didn't really want to make a lengthy list of plants to cut out of my diet—it just seemed unproductive and a bit too calculated for my personal liking.
Instead, I looked to what I could add to my diet to support less bloating and an overall easier digestion experience. To come, what helped me beat my bloat.
What I was dealing with
My bloating was certainly less intrusive than that of someone who's allergic to a certain food or someone with a highly sensitive digestive system. But while it may not have been the most severe, it was still quite annoying.
Not only did I notice the bloat every time I walked past a mirror, but it was also just uncomfortable. I found that the persistent bloat was most intrusive before bed, preventing me from falling asleep with ease and having a truly restful night.
Lastly, it was making me think a bit too much about my food intake. Every time I felt bloated, I'd wonder things like: Was it the bread I ate? What about the chickpeas? Maybe the black beans? Could it be the onions and garlic? And so on.
While some people may enjoy counting calories and keeping a food journal, I'm just not that person. If I'm eating a plant-based diet rich in whole and natural foods, that's good enough for me.
In essence, the constant bloating triggered a part of my brain that was hyper-focused on which healthy foods are better than others, and it just wasn't great for my mental or physical health.
What helped relieve my bloat
After doing my own research into the nuances of constant bloating and taking into account all of the things I was doing right like consuming highly processed foods in moderation, taking a probiotic supplement, and eating a few hours before bedtime, I landed on one area of improvement: My fiber intake.
I figured there was a pretty high chance that my fiber intake was on the lower side, given that a shocking 95% of the U.S. population1 fails to get adequate fiber in their diet each day. So, to easily up my fiber intake without cutting any foods out of my life, I tried the mindbodygreen organic fiber+ with prebiotic support supplement, and wow did it make a difference.*
After putting the fiber supplement in my morning smoothie every day for two weeks, my bloating significantly improved—both in terms of severity and frequency.* It even held up after I ate foods that previously aggravated my bloat such as beans, onions, and garlic. The fiber kept my stomach happy all the while.*
What's more, I felt fuller longer after introducing this tasteless powder into my routine (seriously, I can't taste it in my smoothie one bit). This makes sense given that fiber enhances feelings of satiety2, but I assumed I'd be left out of that benefit as my hunger is persistent, to say the least.*
This helped me to consume healthy foods in the fashion I prefer: Without overanalyzing which fruits and vegetables are better than the next.
In summary, putting a scoop of the mindbodygreen organic fiber+ with prebiotic support in my smoothie every day has significantly reduced my daily bloating and kept me fuller for longer—two goals I never thought would be possible with one simple solution.*
The takeaway
I was dealing with frequent and uncomfortable bloat and thought I was doing everything right until I realized my fiber intake was low. I tested my theory by taking a fiber supplement daily for two weeks and realized I was correct, and I'll never go back to a low-fiber menu again.*
2 Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124841/#:~:text=Although%20adequate%20intake%20of%20all,consume%20recommended%20amounts%20of%20fiber.
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/postmeal-perceivable-satiety-and-subsequent-energy-intake-with-intake-of-partially-hydrolysed-guar-gum/6FD3F90EE9FD67BDDEDD583421B573E8
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