You have replaced industrial dishes with mixed salads, bowls of quinoa, lentils, seeds and vegetables as much as you want. However, as soon as the meal is finished, your stomach seems to have doubled in size and your pants become uncomfortable. This phenomenon, far from being rare, affects many people… and particularly young women.
Contrary to popular belief, bloating is not necessarily a sign of a poor diet. They can also appear when we consume a lot of foods known to be excellent for our health.
The healthiest foods are also those that ferment the most
Professor Christian Sina, director of the Institute of Nutritional Medicine at the University of Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), explains, in the columns of WELTthat young women are particularly concerned, because they often seek to adopt a very balanced diet.
The problem ? The foods richest in fiber are also those that require the most work from our intestinal microbiota.
Legumes, whole grains, cabbage, onions and even certain seeds are fermented by bacteria present in the colon. This fermentation is completely normal, but it produces gas. When several of these foods are combined in the same meal, the amount of gas can quickly increase, causing a feeling of tight stomach, bloating and sometimes even digestive pain.
Eating quickly, swallowing air while speaking or drinking carbonated drinks during a meal can further accentuate this phenomenon.
Why are young women more affected?
According to Professor Christian Sina, hormonal fluctuations also play a role.
Progesterone, a hormone naturally present during the menstrual cycle but also at menopause, slows down intestinal transit. The gas then stays longer in the intestine, which promotes bloating.
To this is often added a desire to “eat perfectly”. Meals consisting almost exclusively of raw vegetables, whole grains, seeds and legumes can ultimately provide much more fiber than daily requirements.
However, nutritional recommendations are around 30 g of fiber per day for adults. Some very “healthy” diets can easily exceed 40 to 50 g daily, which is not always well tolerated by the body.
How to continue to eat healthy… without having a bloated stomach?
Good news: there is no question of eliminating fiber, essential for intestinal and cardiovascular health. The objective is rather to distribute them intelligently and to give the digestive system time to adapt.
In case of bloating, it may be useful to:
- Gradually increase legumes and whole grains rather than consuming a lot at once;
- Temporarily favor cooked vegetables, which are often better tolerated than raw vegetables;
- Chew each mouthful well to facilitate digestive work;
- Limit carbonated drinks during meals;
- Vary fruits and vegetables following the principle of
“Eat the rainbow”which consists of consuming plants of different colors to diversify nutrients; - Include fermented foods, such as natural yogurts or certain lacto-fermented vegetables, which can contribute to the balance of the microbiota.
Finally, regular physical activity also helps to stimulate transit and evacuate gas.
On the other hand, if bloating becomes very frequent, is accompanied by significant pain, blood in the stools, unexplained weight loss, fever or persistent diarrhea, it is essential to consult a health professional in order to rule out an underlying digestive disease.