IS YOUR 5 A DAY MAKING YOU BLOATED?
Stomach bloating is the result of gas or fluid accumulating in your GI tract, or when bacteria in your large intestine have a hard time breaking down certain foods. The most common type of foods that cause stomach bloating are high FODMAP foods. FODMAP is an acronym that stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.
Since your body is unable to completely digest these sugar molecules, they travel through your GI tract and reach your colon undigested, where the bacteria that live in your colon begin to ferment them. The fermentation can produce gas and bloating.
Raw Cruciferous Vegetables (Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage) Cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc.) cause bloating and gas when eaten in their raw form - extremely high in insoluble fibre, which can be difficult for your body to break down. Cooking vegetables helps break down the fibres they contain, which makes them easier on the digestive system because they’re already partly broken down. Cruciferous veggies also contain raffinose, a sugar molecule. Raffinose cannot be broken down in the small intestine as humans lack the alpha-galactosidase enzyme required to break it down. It passes through your GI tract completely undigested. Once it reaches the large intestine though, the bacteria there thrive on it and ferment raffinose into large volumes of hydrogen, methane and other gases.
Fermented Veggies: Sauerkraut, kim chi are excellent alternatives for people with gut issues. First, the fermentation process “pre-digests” the vegetables and makes them easier to absorb. Second, fermented veggies contain probiotic microorganisms that help heal the gut.
Alternative Treatments:
Bloating can be significantly be improved by the use of probiotics, but I often find that people are taking the wrong types of pro-biotics and simply not getting the benefits. When taking supplements like these you have to consider:
The current state of your gut microbiome
Your daily nutrition
Gut pathogens (harmful bugs that live in your digestive system)
Leaky gut - Is your digestive tract damaged?
Stress and other metabolic factors
If you struggle to eat these foods and want to focus on improving your digestion message me and I can send you a health assessment and recommend a pro-biotic based on your body type.
Mark – Optimal Health and Performance Practitioner
LIFE DOESN’T GET EASIER OR MORE FORGIVING – WE CAN STRONGER AND MORE RESILIENT
References 1) Bloating and functional gastro-intestinal disorders: where are we and where are we going? - PubMed - NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2... 2) Bringing Up Broccoli | Berkeley Wellness. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healt... 3) The Monash University Low FODMAP diet. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro...
