July 25, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, we address a listener's question about common bloating culprits like carbonated drinks, straws, and smoothies. We dive into the science behind bloating, distinguishing it from distension, and explores various causes such as gas-producing foods, constipation, and microbiome imbalances. We discuss practical advice on managing these triggers and emphasizes the importance of personalized approaches to gut health.
⏱️ Chapters:
- (0:00) – Welcome & Intro
- (1:06) – Listener Q&A: Noura’s Bloating Question
- (1:44) – What Is Bloating vs. Distension?
- (2:23) – Common Causes of Bloating
- (3:23) – Backup Bloat & Constipation
- (5:30) – Carbonated Drinks & Bloating
- (7:22) – Stepwise Approach to Fizzy Drinks
- (8:37) – Straws: Myth or Trigger?
- (9:57) – Why Smoothies Can Cause Bloating
- (12:50) – Tips to Make Smoothies Gut-Friendly
- (13:55) – Personalized Approaches to Bloating
- (16:08) – Gut Harmony Method Program & Final Takeaways
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Gut Fit NutritionPodcast, the show where we dive
deep into the world of gut health, nutrition and fitness to
help you unlock your best self from the inside out.
I'm your host, Lee Morado, a registered dietitian, gut health
expert, long distance runner, and movement enthusiast on a
mission to empower you with science backed whole body
strategies to fuel your body, heal your gut, and thrive in
(00:22):
your active life. Whether you're here to finally
break free from IBS and digestive symptoms, optimize
your fitness performance, or learn how to support your gut
health with natural strategies, you're in the right place.
Each week we'll explore topics like conquering digestive
symptoms, building a gut friendly lifestyle, enhancing
endurance and strength performance, and more.
So grab a cup of your favorite gut friendly tea and settle in
(00:45):
because we're about to get gut fit together.
OK Hello everyone and welcome toanother listener Q&A episode on
the Get Fit Nutrition podcast. So these episodes are quite
literally where I take the questions that you, the
listeners send me and I answer them directly right here on the
(01:05):
podcast. So today's question comes in
from Nora from Ontario, Canada. And she asks, I avoid certain
things like carbonated drinks, sipping through a straw or
drinking smoothies because I've heard that could make my
bloating worse. Should I actually be avoiding
them or are these just gut health myths?
So great question. And I definitely get a lot of
(01:27):
clients who note that these can be potentially triggers for them
but aren't always sure. And they have seen like online,
whether it's on social media, etcetera, that these are common
bloat culprits. So let's get into what you know,
whether you should be avoiding them for today's question.
So just to set the stage, let's get into more around what
(01:47):
bloating actually is and what can cause bloating.
So bloating refers to a feeling that your abdomen or your tummy
feels full of air or like there's a balloon in it.
This is different from distension, which means that
there is an actual visible increase in your abdominal
girth. So dissension is where your
abdomen visually looks bigger versus bloating is the sensation
(02:11):
that there's a lot of air in your abdominal tractor, in your
tummy. So they can occur together, but
not always. Sometimes you can have bloating
feeling like you've got a lot ofair in there without distension
or vice versa. So what actually causes
bloating? So there can be a lot of
different factors that cause bloating and most of them are
harmless. But the most common ones that I
see in practice, especially withnew clients, includes eating gas
(02:35):
producing foods. For example, foods like beans,
broccoli, cauliflower contain raffinose and raffinose is a
complex sugar that the body has a hard time digesting and it can
cause gas and bloating due to its malabsorption.
Constipation or backup bloat is a really, really common 1.
(02:55):
So what is Constipation? So Constipation is essentially
infrequent stool or very pool poor stool quality output,
meaning you're just not getting enough stool coming out.
And this can lead to stool getting backed up in your colon.
And then the longer that stool sits in your colon or your large
bowel means that bacteria can ferment it more and this can
(03:17):
lead to more gas production, which then can lead to feeling
more gassy and bloated. When you have stool backup.
This can also make it harder foryou to pass gas.
So backup load is actually something I see very common in
in practice. Some people think that they're
maybe moving their bowels every day and don't realize that
they're constipated because they're getting the urge every
day, but it may not be sufficient volume or output to
(03:40):
help them actually feel like things are moving through and
not get that bloating. So definitely if you're not
pooping effectively, this can lead to bloating.
And this is known as backup load, which I see very commonly.
And then introducing excess air into the digestive tract can
occur when we have things like chewing gum, carbonated drinks,
or even sipping through a straw,which we'll get into more food
(04:03):
intolerances like fructose or lactose intolerance, which are
different types of FOD. Maps Celiacs disease, when it
goes unmanaged can lead to bloating, slow motility.
So things are not moving throughyour GI tract as they should.
There may be something going on with your migrating motor
complex, which is usually a result of a bigger issue can be
due to things like diabetes, different medication, hormone
(04:25):
imbalances, thyroid issues, slowiron.
So there can be lots of things that impact your motility in
your gut and then also microbiome imbalances.
So your gut microbiome is like the population of all the
different microbes primarily housed in your large bowel.
But if something's gone off track, there's not enough of the
good to many of the bad. And there's potentially even an
(04:47):
overgrowth like a SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
or IMO intestinal methanogen overgrowth.
This can lead to more bloating. So as I said, most causes of
bloating really are harmless. However, if it occurs, you know,
once in a while, it's probably not something for concern.
It can happen to all of us. A little bit of occasional
(05:07):
bloating is normal. But if it's happening on a
regular basis and it feels painful, hard to touch, and it's
impacting your quality of life, it's impacting your mood and
your ability to wear different clothes and maybe keeping you
from enjoying social situations,then this means it's it's time
to seek help and get something, you know, really figure out
what's actually contributing to your bloating and get to the
(05:29):
root of it. So let's get into Norah's
question more and these common bloat culprits that she's asked
about. So the first one we'll chat
about are carbonated drinks. So carbonated drinks include
things like our sodas, pops and sparkling water.
Some of them may contain high amounts of sugars like regular
pop, and then some maybe not contain any sugar like sparkling
(05:52):
water. But what they all have in common
is that they contain air bubbleswith carbon dioxide, which can
introduce excess gas into your digestive tract when you consume
them. So this air has to pass somehow
when you take it in. So this could lead to more
belching or burping coming up through your esophagus, or could
lead through more flatulence coming out the other end as a
(06:14):
result. And for those with visceral
hypersensitivity, which is quitecommon in IBS as well as
conditions like IBD and GERD, this means that the nerves in
your gut have an increase sensitivity to the fermentation
and the stretching of the gut wall.
So this excess gas could cause this excess gas could cause more
(06:35):
discomfort for you. There's also double trouble for
drinks that have a very high added sugar like your regular
pops, as a lot of sugar in a sitting can sometimes lead to
diarrhea, more water being pulled into the small bowel, and
loose stool. And of course, if they make up a
large portion of your diet and your caloric intake, then they
(06:56):
can also feed the pathogenic bacteria that can then result in
a unhealthy digestive tract too.So multiple reasons why they can
be irritating. Again though, carbonated drinks
can be a very individual trigger, so I wouldn't look at
it as all or nothing. So either you have tons of them
or you don't have any at all. If we're thinking about maybe
exploring whether they are bloatculprit for you, I would think
(07:18):
about it in a stepwise approach and something I would do with my
clients. So first, I would try reducing
your intake. If you're having multiple fizzy
drinks per day. You're one of those people that
has a soda stream and all you drink is sparkling water.
Maybe you try taking it down to one or two cans a day, about
2:50 to 300 mils in a sitting and see how that feels for a few
(07:39):
days. Does that help reduce your
sensations of bloating? If you're still getting the same
amount of symptoms, then maybe you try letting your drink sit
out for a few minutes so that itcan help the air bubbles to sort
of diffuse and help the dark carbonation count decrease.
After that, maybe you can also try having a drink with a small
snack rather than with a full meal, so you avoid adding too
(08:02):
much volume into your digestive tract at once.
So you add less volume in the form of fluids and food without
adding in addition to adding that extra carbonation.
And then if you still find that your fizzy drinks are
irritating, then maybe you can try out herbal teas.
Peppermint or ginger tea is verysoothing for bloating.
Or flat water instead for a fun drink, you can maybe try ice
(08:25):
with water and a splash of juiceinstead of fizzy drinks.
So it can be very individualizedand I wouldn't cut it out
entirely. I would explore maybe these
stepwise approaches to see if it's potentially A culprit for
you. The next one is using a straw.
So this is another one you'll commonly see.
If you look up like how to reduce bloating online, you'll
find lots of lists with different bloat culprits and
(08:48):
typically using a straw is on there.
So why is this So when you drinkthrough a straw, whether it's
using one of those reusable water bottles that has a straw
there or you're using a straw tosip through your cocktail on a
hot day, you actually do introduce a bit of air into your
digestive tract. And this process is known as
aerophagia. So for most people this effect
(09:08):
is very minimal and it probably isn't the cause of your
bloating. So this can actually have less
of an effect. I would say then even the
carbonated drinks in my practiceI would say that probably
chewing gum, the Constipation orbackup bloat and then eating too
fast and bacterial overgrowth orimbalances in the microbiome are
(09:31):
much more significant causes of bloating to dress first.
That said, like anything you could experiment with some straw
free days and see if it makes any difference for you.
And then the third one are the smoothies.
So while smoothies are deliciousand they definitely can be a
great way to pack in nutrition in a convenient form, I know
(09:52):
that many with IBS and sensitivestomachs do find that they can
irritate their digestive tract. And I do get people telling me
that sometimes they have a reaction after a smoothie
doesn't always feel great for them and they're not sure why.
So I'll go through the main reasons for this.
So their first one potentially could be a high fiber content in
your smoothie. So if you're packing in a ton of
(10:15):
berries, maybe even some of themare very high FODMAP, like your
blackberries, nuts, seeds, and even fiber powders like you're
adding your Metamucil, your psyllium, your sun fiber in
there, it may be stacking up to a very high fiber amount and
this could lead to more gas production.
So if you're not used to as muchfiber and then you have a lot in
a sitting, this can definitely lead to more gas and bloating.
(10:37):
Or just for some people, like I said, with visceral
hypersensitivity, consuming a lot of fiber can then lead to
more stretching of the gut wall.And this sends a message of pain
to the brain and it can feel quite uncomfortable.
So it could just that you're overdoing the fiber, you're not
used to it yet. The other culprit could
potentially be volume. So smoothies can contain a lot
(10:58):
of liquid if you're adding a lotof water or milks to it as well
as you know the ingredients thatyou blend in.
So for, again, those with visceral hypersensitivity,
having a lot of volume can lead to pain sensations and this can
cause stretching of the stomach and then the intestinal wall and
lead you to feeling very, very full and feeling very bloated.
So it could just be the volume of everything together.
(11:21):
The other, the third culprit could potentially be a lack of
stomach acid production. So if we're having a smoothie on
its own, this means that you aren't chewing, you're just
drinking, right? Because the smoothie is a liquid
meal. But when we chew, this actually
gets our digestive processes going and it stimulates stomach
(11:41):
acid production, which is very important for helping to break
down our food. So this could mean that maybe by
just drinking your meals, you may not be getting as much
stomach acid production and it could lead to a little bit less
efficient digestion. Actually, even though we know
that food is blended and broken down in a smoothie, it can be
sometimes easier to digest. But potentially with the lack of
stomach acid, this could be irritating for you too.
(12:04):
And then the 4th culprit I wouldoften see is that air can be
introduced through the blending process, especially if you're
adding any sort of powder like aprotein powder.
When you do blend it, it can also add like introduce more air
bubbles into the smoothie and the same concept as carbonated
drinks being irritating. This could also be another
culprit for the smoothies too. So what I would suggest if you
(12:27):
do find that smoothies are irritating for you is
potentially using low FODMAP ingredients.
If you have IBS, things like unripe bananas, blueberries are
great, spinach is excellent, pineapple, oranges, and then
adding small amounts of the healthy fats like chia,
flaxseed, and also choosing a good low FODMAP gut friendly
(12:48):
protein powder. I would also try to keep the
fiber content maybe no more than10 to 15 grams or less if you're
just trying to build up your fiber slowly.
I would add protein powders after you blend the other
ingredients and just do a quick whiz at the end to prevent
adding that excess air. And then you could also consider
maybe a smaller smoothie alongside some solid food for a
(13:11):
meal. So that way you can have some
chewing as part of the digestiveprocess to get that to stimulate
stomach acid production. So that's it.
I have many clients who love their smoothies and they have no
issues with them. We usually work on balanced
breakfast versions of smoothies so that they have all the
components, protein, healthy fats and fiber so that they're
balanced and they are feeling nourished and they have good
(13:32):
blood sugar balance with them. So again, it's personal
tolerance and these could be some things to consider
exploring with your smoothies ifyou do want to enjoy them.
So that takes us to sort of the take away.
So really what I want you to understand from this is that
bloating is complex and there can be different things going on
(13:53):
in your individual situation. So that's why the culprits that
I mentioned today could be individual culprits but may not
be yours exactly. And A1 size fits all approach
does not usually work. So I would be careful of
listening to different influencers or uncredentialed
people online claiming differentbloating culprits are ways to
(14:15):
fix your bloating because it maynot be exactly right for you.
And sometimes it can contribute to more fear and anxiety around
what you're doing rather than actually helping you to solve
the situation. So it's always best to be
experimental with your food and your lifestyle rather than
fearful about the cause of your bloating.
(14:35):
So something that I recommend isreally important if you want to
get to the root of things is to keep a detailed food and symptom
journal to help get more insightinto the trends.
So in my Gut Harmony Method program, which is my
personalized high touch IBS and gut health coaching program, I
always have new clients keep a detailed food and symptom
(14:57):
journal, including everything from their bloating levels to
their bowel habits to the food they eat and where they eat it
for at least a week. So that we can look at different
contributors to their symptoms and begin to highlight the
trends in order to help them reduce their bloating and
getting to more of the real drivers of their bloating rather
(15:18):
than just surface level contributors.
So like I mentioned with the case of carbonated drinks, you
may find that you're more sensitive because of visceral
hypersensitivity. But why do you have visceral
hypersensitivity? Is there something going on
between your gut, your brain connection, or you lacking
different types of nutrients? Is there an imbalance in your
gut microbiomes? Even digging a little bit deeper
(15:39):
so that you're not as sensitive to those bloating culprits too.
So that we can really help to get you more long term relief as
well, which is really important.So when I look at a client's
journal, I'm looking at everything from nutrient intake
on average to the timing of their meals, where they're
eating their meals, stress, movement and more.
As there can just be so much going on.
(16:01):
And it can be helpful to have that real insight and
personalized look at your full picture to help address what's
going on. So if you're looking for high
quality support and a partner inyour IBS and gut health journey
to really help you get to the root drivers of your bloating,
I'd love to work for you. So if you're looking for high
quality support and a partner inyour IBS and gut health journey
(16:23):
to really get to the root drivers of your bloating, I'd
love to work with you. So you can apply for coaching
from the show notes in the description, and we will hold a
free Clarity call to chat more about your health history and
the next steps if it is a good fit to work together.
So that brings us to the end of today's episode.
(16:44):
Thank you again to Nora for sending in this question today.
It was a great one. If you have any questions you'd
like for me to cover on future listener Q&A episodes, please,
please, please leave them as a comment on this episode.
That's a wrap for today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening and being a part of our
community here. If the Gut Fit Nutrition podcast
(17:07):
is giving you value, helped yourdigestion and fitness, made you
rethink how you approach your gut health, consider leaving a
review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you're getting your
podcasts. If you have questions for my
listener Q&A episodes, you can submit them as a comment on this
episode or send me an e-mail at lee@leemorado.com.
For more digestible IBS gut health and fitness tips, be sure
(17:30):
to follow me on Instagram at LeeMorado under score Rd. and to
apply for coaching, shop the resource suite or grab a
freebie, visit gutfitnutrition.com.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll be in touch soon.
Welcome to the Gut Fit NutritionPodcast, the show where we dive
deep into the world of gut health, nutrition and fitness to
help you unlock your best self from the inside out.
I'm your host, Lee Morado, a registered dietitian, gut health
expert, long distance runner, and movement enthusiast on a
mission to empower you with science backed whole body
strategies to fuel your body, heal your gut, and thrive in
(00:22):
your active life. Whether you're here to finally
break free from IBS and digestive symptoms, optimize
your fitness performance, or learn how to support your gut
health with natural strategies, you're in the right place.
Each week we'll explore topics like conquering digestive
symptoms, building a gut friendly lifestyle, enhancing
endurance and strength performance, and more.
So grab a cup of your favorite gut friendly tea and settle in
(00:45):
because we're about to get gut fit together.
OK Hello everyone and welcome toanother listener Q&A episode on
the Get Fit Nutrition podcast. So these episodes are quite
literally where I take the questions that you, the
listeners send me and I answer them directly right here on the
(01:05):
podcast. So today's question comes in
from Nora from Ontario, Canada. And she asks, I avoid certain
things like carbonated drinks, sipping through a straw or
drinking smoothies because I've heard that could make my
bloating worse. Should I actually be avoiding
them or are these just gut health myths?
So great question. And I definitely get a lot of
(01:27):
clients who note that these can be potentially triggers for them
but aren't always sure. And they have seen like online,
whether it's on social media, etcetera, that these are common
bloat culprits. So let's get into what you know,
whether you should be avoiding them for today's question.
So just to set the stage, let's get into more around what
(01:47):
bloating actually is and what can cause bloating.
So bloating refers to a feeling that your abdomen or your tummy
feels full of air or like there's a balloon in it.
This is different from distension, which means that
there is an actual visible increase in your abdominal
girth. So dissension is where your
abdomen visually looks bigger versus bloating is the sensation
(02:11):
that there's a lot of air in your abdominal tractor, in your
tummy. So they can occur together, but
not always. Sometimes you can have bloating
feeling like you've got a lot ofair in there without distension
or vice versa. So what actually causes
bloating? So there can be a lot of
different factors that cause bloating and most of them are
harmless. But the most common ones that I
see in practice, especially withnew clients, includes eating gas
(02:35):
producing foods. For example, foods like beans,
broccoli, cauliflower contain raffinose and raffinose is a
complex sugar that the body has a hard time digesting and it can
cause gas and bloating due to its malabsorption.
Constipation or backup bloat is a really, really common 1.
(02:55):
So what is Constipation? So Constipation is essentially
infrequent stool or very pool poor stool quality output,
meaning you're just not getting enough stool coming out.
And this can lead to stool getting backed up in your colon.
And then the longer that stool sits in your colon or your large
bowel means that bacteria can ferment it more and this can
(03:17):
lead to more gas production, which then can lead to feeling
more gassy and bloated. When you have stool backup.
This can also make it harder foryou to pass gas.
So backup load is actually something I see very common in
in practice. Some people think that they're
maybe moving their bowels every day and don't realize that
they're constipated because they're getting the urge every
day, but it may not be sufficient volume or output to
(03:40):
help them actually feel like things are moving through and
not get that bloating. So definitely if you're not
pooping effectively, this can lead to bloating.
And this is known as backup load, which I see very commonly.
And then introducing excess air into the digestive tract can
occur when we have things like chewing gum, carbonated drinks,
or even sipping through a straw,which we'll get into more food
(04:03):
intolerances like fructose or lactose intolerance, which are
different types of FOD. Maps Celiacs disease, when it
goes unmanaged can lead to bloating, slow motility.
So things are not moving throughyour GI tract as they should.
There may be something going on with your migrating motor
complex, which is usually a result of a bigger issue can be
due to things like diabetes, different medication, hormone
(04:25):
imbalances, thyroid issues, slowiron.
So there can be lots of things that impact your motility in
your gut and then also microbiome imbalances.
So your gut microbiome is like the population of all the
different microbes primarily housed in your large bowel.
But if something's gone off track, there's not enough of the
good to many of the bad. And there's potentially even an
(04:47):
overgrowth like a SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
or IMO intestinal methanogen overgrowth.
This can lead to more bloating. So as I said, most causes of
bloating really are harmless. However, if it occurs, you know,
once in a while, it's probably not something for concern.
It can happen to all of us. A little bit of occasional
(05:07):
bloating is normal. But if it's happening on a
regular basis and it feels painful, hard to touch, and it's
impacting your quality of life, it's impacting your mood and
your ability to wear different clothes and maybe keeping you
from enjoying social situations,then this means it's it's time
to seek help and get something, you know, really figure out
what's actually contributing to your bloating and get to the
(05:29):
root of it. So let's get into Norah's
question more and these common bloat culprits that she's asked
about. So the first one we'll chat
about are carbonated drinks. So carbonated drinks include
things like our sodas, pops and sparkling water.
Some of them may contain high amounts of sugars like regular
pop, and then some maybe not contain any sugar like sparkling
(05:52):
water. But what they all have in common
is that they contain air bubbleswith carbon dioxide, which can
introduce excess gas into your digestive tract when you consume
them. So this air has to pass somehow
when you take it in. So this could lead to more
belching or burping coming up through your esophagus, or could
lead through more flatulence coming out the other end as a
(06:14):
result. And for those with visceral
hypersensitivity, which is quitecommon in IBS as well as
conditions like IBD and GERD, this means that the nerves in
your gut have an increase sensitivity to the fermentation
and the stretching of the gut wall.
So this excess gas could cause this excess gas could cause more
(06:35):
discomfort for you. There's also double trouble for
drinks that have a very high added sugar like your regular
pops, as a lot of sugar in a sitting can sometimes lead to
diarrhea, more water being pulled into the small bowel, and
loose stool. And of course, if they make up a
large portion of your diet and your caloric intake, then they
(06:56):
can also feed the pathogenic bacteria that can then result in
a unhealthy digestive tract too.So multiple reasons why they can
be irritating. Again though, carbonated drinks
can be a very individual trigger, so I wouldn't look at
it as all or nothing. So either you have tons of them
or you don't have any at all. If we're thinking about maybe
exploring whether they are bloatculprit for you, I would think
(07:18):
about it in a stepwise approach and something I would do with my
clients. So first, I would try reducing
your intake. If you're having multiple fizzy
drinks per day. You're one of those people that
has a soda stream and all you drink is sparkling water.
Maybe you try taking it down to one or two cans a day, about
2:50 to 300 mils in a sitting and see how that feels for a few
(07:39):
days. Does that help reduce your
sensations of bloating? If you're still getting the same
amount of symptoms, then maybe you try letting your drink sit
out for a few minutes so that itcan help the air bubbles to sort
of diffuse and help the dark carbonation count decrease.
After that, maybe you can also try having a drink with a small
snack rather than with a full meal, so you avoid adding too
(08:02):
much volume into your digestive tract at once.
So you add less volume in the form of fluids and food without
adding in addition to adding that extra carbonation.
And then if you still find that your fizzy drinks are
irritating, then maybe you can try out herbal teas.
Peppermint or ginger tea is verysoothing for bloating.
Or flat water instead for a fun drink, you can maybe try ice
(08:25):
with water and a splash of juiceinstead of fizzy drinks.
So it can be very individualizedand I wouldn't cut it out
entirely. I would explore maybe these
stepwise approaches to see if it's potentially A culprit for
you. The next one is using a straw.
So this is another one you'll commonly see.
If you look up like how to reduce bloating online, you'll
find lots of lists with different bloat culprits and
(08:48):
typically using a straw is on there.
So why is this So when you drinkthrough a straw, whether it's
using one of those reusable water bottles that has a straw
there or you're using a straw tosip through your cocktail on a
hot day, you actually do introduce a bit of air into your
digestive tract. And this process is known as
aerophagia. So for most people this effect
(09:08):
is very minimal and it probably isn't the cause of your
bloating. So this can actually have less
of an effect. I would say then even the
carbonated drinks in my practiceI would say that probably
chewing gum, the Constipation orbackup bloat and then eating too
fast and bacterial overgrowth orimbalances in the microbiome are
(09:31):
much more significant causes of bloating to dress first.
That said, like anything you could experiment with some straw
free days and see if it makes any difference for you.
And then the third one are the smoothies.
So while smoothies are deliciousand they definitely can be a
great way to pack in nutrition in a convenient form, I know
(09:52):
that many with IBS and sensitivestomachs do find that they can
irritate their digestive tract. And I do get people telling me
that sometimes they have a reaction after a smoothie
doesn't always feel great for them and they're not sure why.
So I'll go through the main reasons for this.
So their first one potentially could be a high fiber content in
your smoothie. So if you're packing in a ton of
(10:15):
berries, maybe even some of themare very high FODMAP, like your
blackberries, nuts, seeds, and even fiber powders like you're
adding your Metamucil, your psyllium, your sun fiber in
there, it may be stacking up to a very high fiber amount and
this could lead to more gas production.
So if you're not used to as muchfiber and then you have a lot in
a sitting, this can definitely lead to more gas and bloating.
(10:37):
Or just for some people, like I said, with visceral
hypersensitivity, consuming a lot of fiber can then lead to
more stretching of the gut wall.And this sends a message of pain
to the brain and it can feel quite uncomfortable.
So it could just that you're overdoing the fiber, you're not
used to it yet. The other culprit could
potentially be volume. So smoothies can contain a lot
(10:58):
of liquid if you're adding a lotof water or milks to it as well
as you know the ingredients thatyou blend in.
So for, again, those with visceral hypersensitivity,
having a lot of volume can lead to pain sensations and this can
cause stretching of the stomach and then the intestinal wall and
lead you to feeling very, very full and feeling very bloated.
So it could just be the volume of everything together.
(11:21):
The other, the third culprit could potentially be a lack of
stomach acid production. So if we're having a smoothie on
its own, this means that you aren't chewing, you're just
drinking, right? Because the smoothie is a liquid
meal. But when we chew, this actually
gets our digestive processes going and it stimulates stomach
(11:41):
acid production, which is very important for helping to break
down our food. So this could mean that maybe by
just drinking your meals, you may not be getting as much
stomach acid production and it could lead to a little bit less
efficient digestion. Actually, even though we know
that food is blended and broken down in a smoothie, it can be
sometimes easier to digest. But potentially with the lack of
stomach acid, this could be irritating for you too.
(12:04):
And then the 4th culprit I wouldoften see is that air can be
introduced through the blending process, especially if you're
adding any sort of powder like aprotein powder.
When you do blend it, it can also add like introduce more air
bubbles into the smoothie and the same concept as carbonated
drinks being irritating. This could also be another
culprit for the smoothies too. So what I would suggest if you
(12:27):
do find that smoothies are irritating for you is
potentially using low FODMAP ingredients.
If you have IBS, things like unripe bananas, blueberries are
great, spinach is excellent, pineapple, oranges, and then
adding small amounts of the healthy fats like chia,
flaxseed, and also choosing a good low FODMAP gut friendly
(12:48):
protein powder. I would also try to keep the
fiber content maybe no more than10 to 15 grams or less if you're
just trying to build up your fiber slowly.
I would add protein powders after you blend the other
ingredients and just do a quick whiz at the end to prevent
adding that excess air. And then you could also consider
maybe a smaller smoothie alongside some solid food for a
(13:11):
meal. So that way you can have some
chewing as part of the digestiveprocess to get that to stimulate
stomach acid production. So that's it.
I have many clients who love their smoothies and they have no
issues with them. We usually work on balanced
breakfast versions of smoothies so that they have all the
components, protein, healthy fats and fiber so that they're
balanced and they are feeling nourished and they have good
(13:32):
blood sugar balance with them. So again, it's personal
tolerance and these could be some things to consider
exploring with your smoothies ifyou do want to enjoy them.
So that takes us to sort of the take away.
So really what I want you to understand from this is that
bloating is complex and there can be different things going on
(13:53):
in your individual situation. So that's why the culprits that
I mentioned today could be individual culprits but may not
be yours exactly. And A1 size fits all approach
does not usually work. So I would be careful of
listening to different influencers or uncredentialed
people online claiming differentbloating culprits are ways to
(14:15):
fix your bloating because it maynot be exactly right for you.
And sometimes it can contribute to more fear and anxiety around
what you're doing rather than actually helping you to solve
the situation. So it's always best to be
experimental with your food and your lifestyle rather than
fearful about the cause of your bloating.
(14:35):
So something that I recommend isreally important if you want to
get to the root of things is to keep a detailed food and symptom
journal to help get more insightinto the trends.
So in my Gut Harmony Method program, which is my
personalized high touch IBS and gut health coaching program, I
always have new clients keep a detailed food and symptom
(14:57):
journal, including everything from their bloating levels to
their bowel habits to the food they eat and where they eat it
for at least a week. So that we can look at different
contributors to their symptoms and begin to highlight the
trends in order to help them reduce their bloating and
getting to more of the real drivers of their bloating rather
(15:18):
than just surface level contributors.
So like I mentioned with the case of carbonated drinks, you
may find that you're more sensitive because of visceral
hypersensitivity. But why do you have visceral
hypersensitivity? Is there something going on
between your gut, your brain connection, or you lacking
different types of nutrients? Is there an imbalance in your
gut microbiomes? Even digging a little bit deeper
(15:39):
so that you're not as sensitive to those bloating culprits too.
So that we can really help to get you more long term relief as
well, which is really important.So when I look at a client's
journal, I'm looking at everything from nutrient intake
on average to the timing of their meals, where they're
eating their meals, stress, movement and more.
As there can just be so much going on.
(16:01):
And it can be helpful to have that real insight and
personalized look at your full picture to help address what's
going on. So if you're looking for high
quality support and a partner inyour IBS and gut health journey
to really help you get to the root drivers of your bloating,
I'd love to work for you. So if you're looking for high
quality support and a partner inyour IBS and gut health journey
(16:23):
to really get to the root drivers of your bloating, I'd
love to work with you. So you can apply for coaching
from the show notes in the description, and we will hold a
free Clarity call to chat more about your health history and
the next steps if it is a good fit to work together.
So that brings us to the end of today's episode.
(16:44):
Thank you again to Nora for sending in this question today.
It was a great one. If you have any questions you'd
like for me to cover on future listener Q&A episodes, please,
please, please leave them as a comment on this episode.
That's a wrap for today's episode.
Thank you so much for listening and being a part of our
community here. If the Gut Fit Nutrition podcast
(17:07):
is giving you value, helped yourdigestion and fitness, made you
rethink how you approach your gut health, consider leaving a
review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you're getting your
podcasts. If you have questions for my
listener Q&A episodes, you can submit them as a comment on this
episode or send me an e-mail at lee@leemorado.com.
For more digestible IBS gut health and fitness tips, be sure
(17:30):
to follow me on Instagram at LeeMorado under score Rd. and to
apply for coaching, shop the resource suite or grab a
freebie, visit gutfitnutrition.com.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll be in touch soon.
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