Bloated and Stressed
- Do you often feel bloated after eating?
- Do you have irritable bowel syndrome-type symptoms that get worse when you are stressed?
- Do you have food sensitivities?
- Have you been on long-term steroid medications, anti-inflammatories and/ or antibiotics?
- Are you prone to headaches?
- Is your diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates?
If this is your stress type, many of your problems are caused by insufficient beneficial bacteria in your gut, triggering sugar cravings and digestive problems such as IBS and weight gain.
What to do: Increase your intake of natural probiotics, which help promote good bacteria. They are found in veg (particularly Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, bananas, garlic, onions and leeks) or use supplements. Take digestive enzyme capsules at the start of each meal to help your body break down food.
Chew everything properly and wait an hour after eating protein before having fruit as it can cause gut fermentation and gas.
Cut down on sugars, alcohol and caffeine, which can reduce levels of beneficial bacteria and lead to gas, poor immunity and yeast overgrowth (candida).
Eat slowly and chew thoroughly to give your digestion the best chance to work effectively. Get tested for food intolerances (dairy, eggs, fish and grains) as low levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut can make it over-sensitive.