One of the most common causes of bloat is when people eat a diet high in fiber. This does not mean you should not eat high-fiber foods but it could mean you are sensitive to some of the foods you are eating. You can take a food allergy and food sensitivity test, which are called an IGE and IGG test to determine which foods your body does not tolerate. Once you get these results it is a good idea to cut out the foods you are sensitive to for a period of time to see if the bloat gets better. Some high-fiber veggies such as cruciferous veggies are better digested when they are cooked rather than eaten raw.

Eating too fast can also cause bloat as some people swallow too much air when they are eating or drinking out of a straw. When someone has had chronic bloat for years, it is a good idea to get a gut biome test done. This test will decipher what type of good and bad bacteria in your current microbiome has. With these results you and a practitioner can decipher what types of supplements such as digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics etc you should be on. From this test your practitioner can decide if something more serious is going on such as small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) which is often a culprit for ongoing bloat and other small intestine related issues.

There are a variety of different treatments for bloat. However understanding the root cause of why someone is experiencing bloat is the most important component for effective treatment of bloat. For instant relief often these methods help relieve bloat: going for a walk, taking an antacid or simethicone pills, trying peppermint tea or capsules, putting a hot pack on your stomach, massaging your stomach in circular motions, or taking a warm bath.

Long-term solutions for bloat would be firstly to find the root cause however there are some natural treatments you can try immediately such as: cooking your veggies, avoid raw veggies, increasing your fiber intake slowly, replacing soda or sparkling drinks with flat drinks or just water, avoid chewing gum and straws, try a LOW-FODmap diet, avoiding foods with excess fiber such as beans, get more active on a day to day basis, eat smaller meals throughout the day, avoid alcohol sugars and thickeners found in many diet foods, reduce salt, and lastly rule out any medical conditions. Most people will need to try a few of these suggestions and rule out what works for their body and what does not work for their body. Sometimes long-term relief can take months to figure out what will actually help reduce the bloating