Wondering how to relieve bloating?

Bloating is a common problem.

Many of us joke that our bloated stomachs are caused by ‘food babies’ when we’ve sat down to a meal and eaten too much. However, a bloated stomach can be caused by a range of things from constipation to food intolerance and serious digestive disorders. Today I thought I would discuss some of the more common reasons you may have a bloated appearance and what you can do to reduce bloating.

What are the causes?

Digestive disorders

Probably the most severe of the possibilities, there are a range of digestive disorders which can cause bloating. Examples include medical conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Ulcerative Colitis and Coeliac disease.

The wrong gut flora

I’m sure I’ve written it many times but the bacteria in your digestive system (your gut flora) have a big role to play in how food is broken down and what your body is able to and happy to digest. If the gut flora are not right, it could be that either the wrong bacteria or yeast are taking over. Yeast especially can often result in bloating and gas.

SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

Even though it technically falls into the category above, SIBO in my opinion needs to be discussed on its own. Caused by bacterial overgrowth and usually most common after somebody has taken a large dose of antibiotics or had long term digestive problems, SIBO is often linked to specific food intolerances and generally the recommendation is to change your diet to be FODMAPS friendly.

Fluid retention/dehydration

Fluid retention or water retention is actually one of the most common causes of bloating and it is often linked to dehydration. If dehydrated, not only does your body go into survival mode, storing all the water it possibly can, it also creates an electrolyte imbalance which halts digestion and actually causes bloating. As such, instead of opting for soft drinks at meal time, try and swap to water. Not only is it a healthier option but it will help keep you better hydrated and even eliminate toxins and waste products that have been building up in your body!

Constipation

Probably the first thing we blame (after a food baby from eating too much of course), constipation is commonly caused by a diet that has too little fibre, dehydration and even stress. Changing your diet to include lots of green vegetables and water will help to loosen stool, reducing the severity of constipation and the tender bloated feeling associated with it.

Food allergies/sensitivity

Often caused by having the wrong gut flora, food intolerances such as gluten sensitivity discussed above make the body think that it is under attack, leading it to mount an immune response that leads you to feel bloated and unwell. Some of the most common food intolerances to do this are dairy, certain fruits and nuts and one of the most prominent – gluten.

Gluten intolerance or sensitivity is caused by certain fragments in the grains which the body is programmed to recognise as harmful in some people resulting in a problem called leaky gut. This results in an immune response which includes digestive issues, inflammation, bloating, constipation and gas.

Read more on Leaky Gut here – and why your health problems probably started in the digestive system

Mixing the wrong foods together

Believe it or not, the combinations in which we eat food can have just as much of an effect on bloating and an upset stomach as what foods you eat. For example, mixing dairy and meat products requires different enzymes that work at different rates and make it harder for the body to break down the foods.

Infection

If you have been unwell, your body will naturally mount an immune response to help fight whatever the problem is. This response has a number of stages from a general, non-specific attack on the enemy all the way to a targeted, highly tailored attack. At the most general level, one of the things your body does is create inflammation as this rushes white blood cells (think of them as your soldiers) to wherever the body thinks they are needed. More often than not, inflammation occurs in the pelvic, urinary and gastrointestinal organs.

Hormonal changes

Any woman will tell you that at some point in her life, she’s felt quite bloated when she has her period. Whilst the exact point in a cycle that this can happen will depend on the woman, it’s quite common for a change in hormones to encourage the body to retain fluids which as discussed above, often results in a bloated feeling and appearance.

What can you do about it? 

Whilst some of the causes mentioned above can’t really be helped, a number of them can be addressed with changes in diet and balancing of your gut flora as discussed below.

How to relieve bloating – B vitamins and balancing bacteria

Boost your Bs

B vitamins can be a great way to treat bloating caused by a range of problems. B6 (found in fish, poultry and whole grains) is known to help counter bloating caused by mild fluid retention, B1 helps to break down carbohydrates and help with their digestion whilst also neutralizing symptoms such as bloating and gas and B12 (think high protein foods) helps to reduce inflammation in the stomach and to restore the balance of good bacteria in the digestive system.

Balance bacteria

One of the easiest ways to help reduce digestive problems is by balancing your gut flora. The introduction of a good probiotic such as ultraflora can be of great assistance in introducing the right bacteria back into your digestive system and helping to get rid of any bad bacteria or yeast that may be causing havoc. Another natural way to help balance your gut flora is by eating fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha which also act as natural probiotics which I discussed in more detail here.

Want to know more?

I believe in addressing your health concerns as effectively and naturally as possible to help get your health and energy back on track. Take the first step and book an appointment with me today.

Gut problems are common. Read on to find out more….

If Loo Troubles are Plaguing You

Nobody wants to talk about it, but your toilet habits can actually say a lot about your health. Do you spend way too much time in the loo or experience constipation, diarrhoea, bloating or flatulence? These symptoms may be a sign that you have a functional gut disorder. It is important to make sure that your digestive system is in great shape, as it affects the health of your entire body and how you feel each day.

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Functional Gut Issues

How well you move your bowels can be an indicator of how well your gut is functioning. Daily bowel motions are ideal. Less than three poos a week is consistent with a clinical diagnosis of constipation. Frequent stools may indicate diarrhoea. Symptoms of pain, bloating, flatulence, straining, feelings of incomplete emptying or even seeing undigested food, blood or mucus in the toilet can all indicate a need for an accurate diagnosis and specific treatment.

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What Causes Gut Problems?

Diet, stress and your past health may all play a part in the development of gut disorders. An imbalance in the gut microbiota (bacteria and other organisms in the gut), and irritation and inflammation from dietary or immune triggers may lead to increased permeability in the gut lining (leaky gut), exacerbating symptoms. You may even fit the criteria for such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

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Simple Ways to Improve Your Poo

Get your digestive system back on track with these easy tips:

1. Include two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables in your daily diet, plus wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Adequate fibre helps feed your healthy gut bacteria and keep you regular.

2. Drink plenty of filtered water to help moisten the stool.

3. Exercise regularly to encourage better circulation and movement to your digestive tract.

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The Strain is Over

See me for an individual assessment and treatment advice. Tests such as breath tests and the latest generation of microbiome genetic stool sampling can often help sort out underlying issues.

Curious about Paleo Diet Benefits?

This blog introduces some benefits of the popular Paleo Diet.

Delving deeper into the caveman diet

If you’re currently sitting at your desk, munching on a packet of chips or snacking on a chocolate bar, odds are you’re not following the Paleo diet.

In truth, Paleo (more properly referred to as the Paleolithic diet) is more a lifestyle rather than diet thing. Specifically it tries to recreate aspects of the lifestyle of our very very very old ancestors…cavemen.

According to the Paleo diet, if a caveman couldn’t eat it, neither can you.

Now, I can see you in a blind panic already, closing the door on the possibility of adopting a Paleo diet. There’s nothing you CAN eat after all!

Wrong.

Yes it means that the processed, packaged foods like pasta and cereal along with dairy products are cut out of the diet but there is still plenty you can eat. Think about it, our ancestors from the Paleolithic era still ate fish, meat, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables.

So why should you consider the Paleo diet?

If you want to lose weight, have no energy throughout the day, need eight cups of coffee, hate counting calories, and want to start turning your life around today, this diet could have great health benefits for you!

The simplest justification for adopting a paleo diet is that our bodies are not designed to digest most of the unhealthy foods we put in them.

Think about it, our caveman ancestors were tall, muscular, agile, athletic creatures, without a great deal of body fat. We however are for the most part wider than we are tall and muscular. In fact two thirds of the population are overweight and half of them are obese (statistics that just keep growing).

So how is it that we’re now overweight, out of shape, stressed out, sleep deprived, unwell and just downright not happy?

Believe it or not, much of it is because we became smart and lazy. In the same way we now turn to our computers and mobiles to do everything for us, agriculture provided us with a way to bring food to us instead of us having to go out and get it. The point where we stopped being hunter-gatherers and became farmers (a few thousand years ago) is the point where we lost our way.

By selecting foods that our bodies can digest more easily, the benefits begin to show themselves.

Some of the most common paleo diet benefits include:

• weight loss
• lack of hunger
• more energy
• some studies have shown it may help with conditions like type 2 diabetes

Believe it or not, on a paleo diet you can eat AS MUCH as you want. Most diets involve calorie counting because the foods we’re more inclined to select are usually high in calories or refined sugar (yes I’m looking at that bowl of pasta, the bread roll and the pastry sitting next to it). As an example, you would reach the same number of calories after say a mouthful of cake as you would a few bowls of stir fried vegetables. Which of those is likely to leave you feeling hungry after?

Because the foods you eat on a Paleo diet are nutrient dense and low in calories, you can keep eating and eating without putting on weight so you’ll feel fuller for longer and not suffer from cravings or the hunger pangs that come with many other diets.

So what exactly does one eat when following a Paleo diet?

That question is easy! Just ask yourself if the food occurs naturally!

Protein and Fat:

• Lean Meat – GRASS-FED (grain fed animals suffer as much as we do!)
• Things with wings – Chicken, duck, turkey
• Fish
• Eggs
• Oils – Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil (think natural)

What else?

• Vegetables – As long as they’re not deep-fried, eat as many as you want.
• Fruits
• Nuts and seeds

Read about How to Create the Perfect Paleo Shopping List 

Don’t think you can give up the carbs? Start slow

If you can’t give up all those carbs in one go, try and ease yourself into it. As someone once told me, it’s better to make a 20% change than to make none at all.

Alternately, try a 30 day trial. By this point your body will have adjusted to the change and you will have started to see the changes. One way to see the impact is to take before and after photos. You’re sure to be surprised!

Tell me more!

As a diet that is really gaining momentum, there are lots of new resources becoming available about the paleo diet and the many paleo diet benefits. Some of my favourites include:

• The Primal Blueprint –The Primal Blueprint is a fantastic place to get started on not only what to eat, but why you should be eating it.  It’s educational, funny and applies to the real world!
• Paleo Central- a mobile app with Paleo beginners in mind, Paleo Central removes all of the guess work in learning what to eat while trying to follow the Paleo Diet.
• Facebook groups:
• Nom Nom Paleo
• Against All Grain
• The Paleo Mom

My aim is to help you identify how nutrition is affecting your health and how improving your diet can lead to health benefits. Take the first step and book an appointment today.

Wondering how to stop cravings naturally?

Cravings are often hard to resist which is why when we’re learning how to stop cravings we often need all the help we can get!

Below are 6 great ways for you to learn how to stop food cravings, particularly carb cravings and sugar cravings – and understand the difference between hunger and cravings.

1. Change your perspective

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to do something when you make the decision rather than somebody else telling you? Finding a justification for why you’re giving up a certain food can be a great way to help you stop cravings. If you focus on the choice and the desired outcome it will give you a reason to fight back and leave that otherwise tempting junk food, ice cream or piece of chocolate cake on the bench.

2. How to stop cravings – wait it out

Anyone who has ever tried a new diet for weight loss or to improve health knows that the first week or two are the hardest because you’re being forced to make substantial changes. However, have you ever noticed that once you’ve gone without a food for a while, you almost forget about it and potentially no longer even enjoy the taste?

3. Break a bad habit

This is the idea that lead to the government’s ‘swap’ campaign in the fight for a healthier population. Basically, it recommends that instead of going cold turkey whcih can lead to binge eating, you gradually replace bad foods with healthy ones in your routine. For example, swap a processed sugar dessert with a piece of fruit.  Just remember that a new habit takes roughly 60 days to adopt so don’t expect this type of change to happen overnight.

Related: Are your cravings leading to bloating? Read about how to relieve bloating

4. Meet in the middle

Refuse to give up chocolate? Can’t live without salt? That’s fine, just try and find healthier versions of the foods you love. Try swapping sugary white or milk chocolate for an 85% dark chocolate of good quality or even try munching on cacao. Swap highly processed table salts for rock salts which are packed full of minerals. Instead of buying a cake, try making your own with less sugar, butter and a different flour (I recommend almond meal or other gluten free flours).

Related: Why your health problems may have started in the digestive system

5. Distract yourself

Ever get to the point where you want cake so badly you can’t think about anything else? This is the perfect time to look for a distraction! Put yourself in an environment that doesn’t have that naughty food. Try going for a walk or doing some other form of exercise. By finding something else to turn your mind to, it can become much easier to fight the cravings that seemed almost impossible to resist just minutes earlier.

6. Mindful eating

Finally, practice mindful eating. Mindful eating is about taking notice of the moment-by-moment experience, bringing full awareness to your food in the moment rather than eating mindlessly. You are focusing on the sensual experience of touch, taste, smell, sight, sight and sound. Mindful eating increases your sensation of fullness which can lead to higher satisfaction with meals and reduced cravings.

Addressing cravings can be a challenging process. I am here to help if you would like support in your journey.

 

How to create the perfect paleo shopping list. The paleo diet focuses on everything natural which means that it logically includes some fruit., vegetables, meat and protein, herbs and spices.

A while ago I wrote an article about how to prepare for food shopping to avoid situations where you buy junk food or spend too much because you were hungry when you went shopping.

As the paleo trend is growing substantially, I thought that today I would try and tailor some tips to help create the perfect paleo shopping list.

Fruit

The paleo diet focuses on everything natural which means that it logically includes some fruit.

Some of the fruits recommended for a paleo diet include apples, oranges, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, berries and grapefruit.

When deciding on quantity, try to buy enough for a maximum of one piece of fruit per person per day. This is because of the high sugar content and the fact that back in caveman days, fruit would have been uncommon and only eaten when in season.

Vegetables

In my mind you can never have enough vegetables, the challenge is finding the right balance and variety.

Lots of leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce and kale are fantastic. For extra carbohydrates I recommend sweet potato (this is one I use as a morning or afternoon tea snack). I would however try to avoid peppers, eggplant and tomatoes as these are nightshade vegetables and can be harmful to the digestive and immune systems.

Meats and proteins

When working out quantities, the amount of meat you will need will vary depending on your size and activity level. Depending on how big your freezer is, it can be great to stock up when produce is on sale (provided you remember you bought it).

Some great examples of proteins include beef, chicken, duck, fish and eggs.

Herbs, spices and oils

The best paleo cooking oils are extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and macadamia nut oil.

Spices such as cumin, thyme, basil, cinnamon and chili powder are great to keep in the cupboard as they get used in most paleo recipes.

Nuts such as walnuts, macadamias, cashews, almonds and chestnuts are great for morning or afternoon snacks however should be limited because of their high oil content.

Read about how supermarkets influence your shopping decisions in this blog.

Healthy eating is important. We know the importance of eating well, of staying away from processed foods high in sugars and bad fats. And yet, it can be so easy to come home, unpack the shopping and discover that a large portion of your weekly shop doesn’t look like fresh produce.

What most people don’t realise is how our eating habits are influenced by our environment without even noticing it. So to help encourage mindful eating and shopping, we thought we’d go through a few supermarket design secrets and tips to overcome them!

How supermarkets influence what you buy!

Our shopping behaviour is influenced the moment we step into a supermarket. From general supermarket layout to shelf position, the most popular items are strategically placed.

Shelf position

Our eyes naturally look at what’s straight ahead. This means we’re more likely to go for the item at eye level than to look at the shelves above or below. This is the reason so many snack foods are placed on the lower half of the shelves as the items are within reach for kids!

Location in the supermarket

One thing that supermarkets have been good about is ensuring that fresh produce usually appears as soon as you walk in the doors, before your trolley is full. However, if a supermarket is cleverly designed, you’ll still be encouraged to wander through each and every isle, distracted by impulse items you really didn’t need. Similarly, it’s quite common for junk food to appear in the isle right next to the fruit and veggies. This is because there’s a common spill-over effect or story many people tell themselves that means that once you’ve added healthy foods, it’s easier to justify reaching for the chocolate bar you wouldn’t otherwise select.

Discount/sale specials

When you consider how many different types of cereal or bread are sold in supermarkets, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by choice. One way we overcome this challenge is by looking for a feature that stands out. By making items specialsor offering discounts/sales, it encourages us to choose that item over others. The trap here is that often the discount is for when you buy a few of the item which can take up precious space in your trolley!

Lighting and visuals

We eat using all senses and so, how food looks has a great impact on whether we want to buy it. If there’s natural lighting, colourful displays or bright and cheerful visuals, we’re more likely to hover and take something. However, if the colours are drab, lighting an unpleasant fluorescent colour and the display uninviting, you’re guaranteed to stay away.

Smell

As with lighting, smells can be addictive which is why the bread isle is one of the most dangerous. The smell of baked goods is often enough to make mouths water and to tempt us to add that fruit loaf or cake to the trolley. In the same way, if ever you see people offering samples, think twice before approaching as it’s a very easy way to convince you to add unwanted items to your basket.

Tips for buying better

As you can see, we’re at a bit of a disadvantage the moment we step foot in the supermarket. So what can you do to limit the amount of unhealthy foods you buy?

Don’t shop when hungry

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but try to avoid shopping when hungry! Unfortunately, when we’re hungry, our rational mind seems to disappear and we seem to act in a more primal state of survival and foods. This means that foods which smell delicious (ie bread, chips, chocolate) become far more tempting than they otherwise might!

Shop at farmers markets

One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is to go to a farmer’s market. Not only do you support local farmers but your shop is free of the temptations of processed, sugary foods and you’re much more likely to stock up on great, healthy produce at a reasonable price!

Go in with a plan!

Being prepared can make a world of difference. One tip to stop you from buying a bunch of things you don’t need (and from forgetting the things you do) is to write a list of the things you need to buy. Another great trick is to in your mind, divide your trolley into sections. Having a section (ideally a large one) exclusively for fresh produce and healthy foods can limit the amount of bad foods you buy and make you consciously focus on the healthy foods you want to bring home.

Wishing you great health,

Dr Pete

PS. You are welcome to share this with friends and family

About Dr Pete

Dr Peter Holsman is a qualified Medical Practitioner, Naturopath and Professional Speaker based in Melbourne. An expert in his field with over 30 years experience, he specialises in treating people with fatigue related illnesses including stress, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid and adrenal hormone problems.