How to Reduce Bloating When You Eat Fiber
Did you make the decision to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet? This is a smart move. Here’s how to prevent bloating problems that can come from increasing your fiber intake.
You already know how good fruits and vegetables are for you and if you’re making an effort to add more fruits and veggies to your diet, congratulations! Unfortunately, if you’ve increased the amount of produce you eat on a daily basis, you may be experiencing one of the most common side effects, excess bloating and flatulence. This is one of the “not so pretty” consequences of eating fiber that many fruit and vegetable lovers have to contend with initially. What’s the best way to deal with the bloating problems associated with eating fiber?
Excess bloating can be a more pronounced problem if you make the transition from eating a processed food diet to one that’s rich in fruits and vegetables too quickly. This is particularly true if you’re trying to adopt the new guidelines of eating nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day right away. The large fiber load can take its toll on your digestive tract, particularly if you’re not accustomed to eating a high fiber diet. The result can be bloating problems that may make you want to reconsider your choice of diet.
The key to avoiding excess bloating from eating fiber is to gradually introduce larger quantities of fruits and vegetables to your diet. Instead of going from two servings a day to nine, try adding an extra vegetable serving each week to give your intestinal tract time to adjust to the new fiber load. In most cases, you’ll experience less bloating problems if you give the intestinal bacteria living in your gut time to adjust to your new diet.
You may find that certain fruits and vegetables are more likely to trigger bloating problems. The most likely culprits are legumes such as beans since they contain an indigestible carbohydrate known as raffinose. It can help to use Beano tablets, available at your local drugstore when you plan on eating beans. It may also help to soak beans overnight and pour off the water before cooking them. This helps to remove some of the indigestible sugars that can cause gas. Other foods that are notorious gas formers include broccoli, cabbage, onions, and asparagus. Take note of which fruits and vegetables cause the most bloating problems for you and avoid them if necessary.
If excess bloating persists after several weeks despite introducing fiber slowly into your diet, see your doctor. Bloating problems can sometimes be a sign of celiac disease, food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, or other medical problems.
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