How to Get Rid of Bloating

An Overview

Are you feeling bloated? Do you want to get rid of the bloat today? What if there was a way to fix your bloating problem? There is a way, and we’re going to tell you about it.

Bloating can be unpleasant to deal with, but it doesn't have to be this way. Swelling in the stomach and upper abdomen can be painful and significantly impair your lifestyle.

Understanding how bloating occurs, what causes it, and how to control it is essential for living a fulfilling life.

Bloating is something most of us have to deal somewhat regularly, which can be annoying. There are real ways to get rid of bloating, because even though bloating is common, it’s not normal. Being bloated isn’t something we should experience regularly.

Bloating is a common problem for women, and is often dismissed as 'normal'. However, 75% of women report bloating at least twice per month.

The truth is bloating is a sign of a deeper inflammatory response or imbalance in the gut that we can address to reduce bloating - for good.

Why does society normalize bloating and dis-ease? We see it reconfirmed via marketing advertisements for some miraculous de-bloat supplement or tea. We hear it from the mouth of fitness and lifestyle influencers expounding on why they get bloated too, or a doctor ignoring it as a symptom.

All these “normalizing” factors numb us to accept feeling average. But this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.

If you're looking for some relief, there are tangible ways to get rid of bloating, to reduce bloating, and how to stop bloating for good - let’s get into it!

What Causes Bloating?

If you're like so many people out there, chances are good that you've had to battle bloat at some point in your life.

Most likely due to the fact that our diets are filled with processed foods and the fact we're not getting enough of the right nutrients.

Our poor diet and lifestyle choices have weakened the body's digestive system and hindered its ability to extract valuable nutrients from the foods we eat.

Did you know bloating is not just caused by eating too much? There are other factors that contribute to bloat and it can be hard to identify what they are.

We try to eat the healthiest diets we can, but a lot of people suffer from digestive discomfort, gas, and bloating, so there must be something more to it.

What causes bloating bloating can be broken down into numerous underlying pathologies, and food and lifestyle factors. These may include;

• Food intolerances, food sensitivities, food allergies
• Eating a diet rich in pro-inflammatory and pro-bloating foods
• Existing gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, IBS and gut inflammation
• Constipation / infrequent bowel movements
• Microbial digestion (as they munch our undigested starches and create gas which causes pressure and distention)
• An overactive immune system (auto-immunity)
• SIBO / SIFO (small intestinal bacterial / fungal overgrowth)
• Parasites or candida overgrowth
• A lack of pancreatic enzymes
• Low stomach acid
• An overburdened liver
• Underactive thyroid
• Hypersensitive nerves within the GIT
• Eating in a stressful environment, eating on the go and/or not chewing food properly

If we proactively work to address these causes, we can learn how to get rid of bloating fast.

One of the most important factors is to look at your diet and the key foods you eat. Thee foods are often the main cause of bloating.

These bloat-promoting foods are usually pro-inflammatory; triggering gut inflammation and immune activation, or their unhealthy compounds are further digested by bacteria within the gut and cause gas creation which can result in bloating.

If you suffer from a case of severe or chronic bloating, it's important to seek medical treatment in case you may be suffering from a serious gastrointestinal disorder. Seek our further medical advice to learn more about how to reduce bloating. 

Foods That Cause Bloating

There are many foods that cause bloating. Acidic foods, overeating, fiber-rich foods and irritable bowel syndrome are all common causes of bloating. In many cases, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is the cause of the problem.

If you want to stop bloating, these are key foods that you might try avoiding:

• Dairy and dairy products (cheese, milk, ice cream, cream whey, whey protein, casein etc.)
• Wheat (bread, pastries, biscuits, breakfast cereals, etc.)
• Wheat gluten (maltodextrin, yeast, yeast extract, caramel colour)
• MSG
• Carbonated drinks and chewing gum (soft drink, energy drinks etc.)
• Fructans (wheat products—such as bread and pasta—onions, shallots, garlic, barley, cabbage, broccoli, pistachio, artichoke, chicory root, and asparagus)
• Histamine rich foods (alcohol, wine, tomatoes, ferments, cured meats etc.)
• Cruciferous veggies - broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts etc.)
• Legumes and Beans
• Nightshades (eggplant, capsicum, cayenne etc.)
• Salicylate rich foods (dried fruits, fruit juices)
• Gluten containing grains (this is only relevant to some) rye, spelt, and oats
• Corn and soy products
• Natural and artificial flavours, gums (xanthan, guar) and artificial sweeteners

How do I know if these foods will cause bloating in me?

I get all my clients to start a food diary. Each day they will note down what they eat and how they feel after each meal. This daily assessment will allow you to identify which foods may be triggering for you.

Once you've identified these bloating foods, you can swap them out for another safer food. This will help prevent bloating, improve gut health and digestive health, and start to get rid of bloating altogether.

As a side note, if you're dealing with IBS, the best mushroom for IBS is considered Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). It's the only type of edible mushroom that is regarded as a low FODMAP food.

 

How Medicinal Mushroom Supplements Help to Reduce Bloating

When you’re experiencing symptoms of bloating, this means there’s often an underlying inflammatory and immune response happening in the body.

When it comes to natural remedies to reduce bloating, medicinal mushrooms offer unique ways to get rid of bloating.

Gut inflammation, leaky gut and dysbiosis are three key reasons why chronic bloating occurs. The science demonstrates that the addition of specific gut loving mushrooms like Reishi, Chaga, Lion’s Mane and Turkey Tail mushroom can all help to reduce bloating.

We know 80% of our immune system is located within the gut, which makes sense if you consider that the outside world is directly brought inside us through our mouth.

We eat foods that contains microbes, parasites, plastics, pesticides and other compounds that can potentially cause damage and harm to us. Our immune cells are there first to sample what's coming in and organize an appropriate immune response.

The occurrence of bloating in the body is the manifestation of an immune response. The body recognises there’s a foreign compound within the gut that the immune systems deems to be either a threat or it causes a downstream inflammatory response, damaging our gut cells.

How to relieve bloating?

Medicinal mushrooms are most well known for their immune modulating properties - the ability to either ramp up or calm down the immune system. Through their immune modulating properties, medicinal mushrooms are able to lower inflammation and thus, support the healing of the gut and reduce bloating.

One of the ways to reduce bloating with medicinal mushrooms is via their natural prebiotic and probiotic effects.

Gut loving mushrooms like Reishi, Chaga, Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Maitake and Shiitake, all contain polysaccharide compounds that stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria, whilst inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts such as candida that commonly cause gas and bloating.

Can You Get Bloated From Stress?

The short answer is: yes. Stress is one of the main causes of gas and bloating. As we all know, eating when we’re stressed is not a good idea for many reasons.

When the body is stressed out, it enters the “fight of flight” state, also known as the sympathetic state. This is when the adrenals release stress hormones–cortisol, noradrenaline and adrenaline to help combat the stressful event that is taking place regardless if it is caused by physical, emotional, or environmental stress.

In fight or flight mode, our digestive juices are shut off and this causes food to stay longer in the digestive tract they normal. This causes the food to ferment in the gut which leads to gas and bloating.

Medicinal mushrooms work to relieve stress by nourishing and protecting the adrenals and HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) which allows the body to switch into that “rest and digest” state, also known as parasympathetic state, where digestion is working optimally.

Relieving stress and anxiety in the body helps improve stomach acid production, and overall digestive health, making mushrooms one of the best ways of how to get rid of stomach bloating.

Best Mushrooms to Improve Digestion and Reduce Bloating

Scientific studies suggest that medicinal mushrooms are some of the best foods to reduce bloating quickly.

When you incorporate medicinal mushrooms into your diet regularly, you’re consistently supporting the gut microbiome and digestive health.

When the gut is healthy and thriving, you can enjoy favorable health benefits such as increased energy levels, brighter moods, stronger immunity, less stress, better skin and a sharper brain and mindset.

These are the best mushrooms to improve digestion and reduce bloating.

Reishi Mushroom

Reishi mushroom benefits (Ganoderma lucidum) can help with bloating by stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, improving gut health, immunity and bloating (6).

Reishi mushroom is highly regarded as one of best mushroom for immune system, it’s also rich in antioxidants that decrease inflammation, and has been shown to strengthen the gut barrier; decreasing gut sensitivity and bloating (6).

Chaga Mushroom

Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is one of the most potent antioxidants on the planet and has been used for thousands of years for gastrointestinal issues - making it helpful for relieving bloating as it reduces systemic and gut inflammation.

Chaga mushroom also contains immune modulating polysaccharides, stress buffering benefits, whilst also having prebiotic effects and antimicrobial properties that fight dysbiosis and work to reduce bloating (6).

Lion's Mane Mushroom

Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is an amazing superfood that can help reduce bloating.

Lion’s Mane mushroom benefits works on the Enteric Nervous System - the superhighway of nerves that connects our gut and our brain. When we have nerve sensitivities within our gut, we can experience bloating.

Lion’s Mane is neuroprotective and gastroprotective – protecting the gut from inflammation helps with bloating (7).

Turkey Tail Mushroom

Like Reishi and Chaga, Turkey Tail Mushroom benefits (Trametes versicolor) have also been shown to stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria species Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, through its polysaccharide compounds PSP and PSK.

Turkey Tail also modulates the immune system and fights off the growth of dysbiotic bacterial species like Staphylococcus, improving overall gut diversity and function (8).

Maitake Mushroom

Maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) is another potent functional mushroom for bloating and gut health, as it contains prebiotic compounds (as do all the mushrooms!).

Mushroom prebiotics act as food for bacteria - enabling them to grow, replicate and colonise within the gastrointestinal tract.

The thing is, prebiotic fibres in general, feed both the good and bad bacteria - which isn’t ideal.

However, because of their fungal makeup, Maitake and other medicinal mushrooms contain immune modulating properties and glucans, have shown to only positive influence beneficial bacterial species replication, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains.

This makes Maitake an important mushroom prebiotic fibre and beneficial to supporting bloating and gut health (9).

Shiitake Mushroom

Similar to Maitake, Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) are rich in mushroom prebiotic fibres as well as digestive enzymes amylase and cellulase, that stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria and contribute to what’s called “alpha diversity”.

Alpha diversity within the gut relates to a plethora of species, as we don’t want a few species dominating as this causes dysbiosis, dysfunction and opportunistic bacteria and organisms to overgrow and cause GI upset and disease states.

Shiitake is able to feed the beneficial bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes that keep dysbiotic bacteria at bay and unable to reproduce, as well as boosting the immune system (10).

It’s known that 80% of the immune system resides within the gut. This is where immune cells are called into action in the case of leaky gut, overgrown bacteria, yeasts or parasites.

Shiitake mushroom is a potent immune tonic and contains the immune-supportive compound– lentinan– which helps stimulate white blood cell function and immune activity.

How to Use Medicinal Mushrooms to Stop Bloating

How to relieve bloating using medicinal mushroom extracts?

Functional mushrooms are best taken on an empty stomach to get rid of bloating bloating. Consuming mushrooms first thing in the morning is one of the best ways to reduce bloating. This will improve absorbability and increase their chances of reaching the digestive tract, colonize the gut and promote healthy intestinal flora.

This is where we want the mushrooms to travel to help get rid of bloating.

Superfoods for Gut Health

Medicinal mushroom benefits are not the only foods to reduce bloating quickly. Over the centuries, many ancient cultures have utilized a variety of plant medicines and superfoods to improve gut health and digestive health.

These five key superfoods for gut health help benefit digestion, feed the microbiome, increase energy, elevate mood and are some of the best ways to reduce bloating.

The following list are the best superfoods for gut health. Consider adding them into your diet on a regular basis alongside the best mushroom for digestion.

Marshmallow Root

Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) is a flowering plant that has played a role in herbal medicine for centuries. It contains mucilage that coats the inner lining of the stomach, protects the gut, supports the GI tract and relieves heartburn, acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation.

Marshmallow root acts like a cooling, soothing herb, improving gut motility, nutrient absorption and reducing inflammation.

Turmeric Root

Turmeric root (Curcuma longa) has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine for it’s wide ranging health benefits.

This ancient gut healing adaptogen is most known for it’s potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help with gut inflammation and gut permeability.

Within the gut, turmeric has been shown to be neuroprotective, improve microbial diversity and richness, help restore balance in individuals with dysbiosis, and improve mood and cognitive function via it’s positive influence on the brain-gut-axis (or enteric nervous system / vagus nerve) (11, 12).

Licorice Root

Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is one of the world’s oldest herbal remedies and original superfood for gut health.

Licorice root is known to be a demulcent - relieving gut inflammation and irritation, soothes the GI lining, as well as possessing potent anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions.

Ginger Root

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most commonly used spices and culinary herbs around the world with great medicinal value.

The plant has a number of chemicals responsible for its medicinal properties, such as anti arthritis, anti inflammatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, anticancer and more (13).

As a superfood for gut health, ginger is known as a carminative (relieves gas and bloating), digestive stimulant, improves circulation, improves gut motility and inhibits H.pylori - a bacteria that’s often heavily present in GI diseases.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family and native to central and southern Mexico. Chia seeds act as a cleansing agent for the digestive system and its prebiotic fibres help the stomach produce good bacteria.

Chia seeds are also rich in anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids, contain amino acids to support enterocyte (gut cell) function, improve gut motility, bowel movements and draw water to the bowels which helps enhance detoxification.

In Conclusion

Have you ever experienced abdominal bloating? Does the thought of bloating make you feel gross? We've got great news for you! You can beat bloating with simple lifestyle changes and the advice here will guide you on how to reduce bloating.

There are some key ways on how to get rid of bloating. The first step is to identify which proinflammatory and bloat triggering foods are causing you digestive discomfort and bloating. and adding in anti-inflammatory foods such as medicinal mushrooms.

Adding in medicinal mushrooms and superfoods for gut health to your daily diet is a key way to help prevent bloating, promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, support digestive health, reduce stress and nourish the central nervous system.

Superfoods and medicinal mushroom benefits the gut, overall health and longevity in so many ways.

Reishi, Chaga, Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail and Shiitake make up our list of the best mushroom for digestion and gut health.

Happy guts equals a long, happy life.

References

1. 12 Great Ways to Get Rid of Bloating - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/proven-ways-to-reduce-bloating
2. How to Reduce Bloating - https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/ss/slideshow-tips-to-reduce-bloating
3. Top 5 Causes of Bloating- Your guide to beating the bloat - https://deslardnerorganic.com.au/top-5-causes-of-bloating-your-guide-to-beating-the-bloat/
4. 4 Best Medicinal Mushrooms for Gut Health - https://ommushrooms.com/blogs/blog/4-best-medicinal-mushrooms-for-gut-health-m2
5. Pathophysiology, Evaluation, and Treatment of Bloating - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3264926/
6. A Critical Review on Health Promoting Benefits of Edible Mushrooms through Gut Microbiota - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5618583/
7. Gastroprotective Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) Extract against Ethanol-Induced Ulcer in Rats - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835629/
8. Trametes versicolor extract modifies human fecal microbiota composition in vitro - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23435630/
9. Prebiotic Effect of Maitake Extract on a Probiotic Consortium and Its Action after Microbial Fermentation on Colorectal Cell Lines - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34828817/
10. Lentinula edodes-Derived Polysaccharide Alters the Spatial Structure of Gut Microbiota in Mice - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0115037
11. Curcumin, Gut Microbiota, and Neuroprotection - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835970/
12. Interaction between Gut Microbiota and Curcumin: A New Key of Understanding for the Health Effects of Curcumin - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551052/
13. Zingiber officinale - https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/zingiber-officinale