We all know the uncomfortable feeling of feeling bloated after eating.
It is difficult to sit, and our pants are just bursting at the seams!
But is not eating the answer?
Can intermittent fasting help with bloating?
Yes, intermittent fasting can help with your bloating if the bloating occurs due to a reaction to eating caused by either irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, and food intolerance.
But it may not help you if the bloating is caused by constipation.
Generally speaking, bloating can be caused by eating gassy foods or drinks, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, food intolerance, and constipation.
Intermittent fasting may help subside bloating due to IBS or eating gassy foods and drinks because it promotes the migrating motor complex or the cleansing mechanism in your digestive system.
That way, your intestinal contents can move efficiently through your digestive system.
It can also help you stop bloating if you suffer from celiac disease or have gluten sensitivity.
It was shown that intermittent fasting could help reset your digestive system and induce autophagy, where your old cells will be recycled, and your body will produce new ones.
This will help with bloating and other symptoms of celiac disease.
This mechanism also helps with other food sensitivity by resetting the body and boosting the immune system.
On the other hand, if your bloating is due to constipation, you might want to consume more fiber instead of fasting.
Drinking more water and avoiding processed foods should also help subside bloating due to constipation.
How Do I Stop Bloating For Hours?
You can stop bloating for hours by avoiding gassy food and drinks, exercising regularly to improve your digestive system, drinking plenty of water, eating more fiber, eating smaller meals, and massaging your stomach.
Some suggest intermittent fasting could help you reset your digestive systems and reduce bloating.
You might want to cut out food and drinks that could cause bloating for a little while, such as carbonated drinks, beer, beans, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, dairy products, wheat, onion, and garlic.
You should also try to determine if you have any food intolerance by monitoring your eating pattern, so you can avoid them next time and avoid bloating.
Exercising and massaging your stomach could also help you reduce bloating by passing the gas inside your gastrointestinal system.
Just by light exercise or massaging it from the lower right abdomen to the middle of your stomach just below the ribs, you can help the muscles contract and move the gas.
If your bloating happens to be caused by constipation, it will help if you include more fiber into your diet, eat in smaller portions and drink more water.
This way, the stomach will have appropriate time to digest between meals, and the fiber and water will help the food to pass along the gastrointestinal tract more easily.
Lastly, intermittent fasting is shown to help you subside bloating that is caused by food consumption and other digestive issues such as celiac disease, food intolerance, and irritable bowel syndrome.
You can reset your digestive system by inducing the cleansing mechanism by fasting.
What Happens To Your Body When You Fast For 16 Hours?
When you fast for 16 hours, your body will burn fat and protein storage instead of glucose and undergo cellular cleanup.
This could ultimately lead to many beneficial effects, such as weight loss, mental clarity, and reduction in bloating.
When you’re fasting, you’ll be sparing your body from calories, and you will run out of glucose and ultimately go into ketosis.
Ketosis could happen after only 12 hours of fasting, and this is an excellent idea for weight management and controlling your insulin levels.
In addition, it has also been shown that fasting could lead to cellular cleanup.
This could happen because fasting will force your body to recycle your old cells and make new ones.
The process can lead to a boost in your immune system, reducing inflammation and reducing your risks of contracting degenerative diseases.
Aside from that, you’ll also experience cleansing effects in your digestive system through the migrating motor complex.
This is when your body will start moving your intestinal contents through your digestive system, which can improve bloating and other digestive issues.
You might think that your body will be very tired and lethargic from lack of glucose, but generally, your energy demands remain similar in the 16-hour mark.
You can still do normal activities such as working, exercising, or interacting with others.
Fasting for 16 hours is called the 16:8 fasting, where you don’t eat anything for 16 hours and then eat in the other 8 hours left.
Consult your doctor or dietician to plan your fasting menu and if it’s the right move for you.
Why Am I So Bloated While Intermittent Fasting?
It depends on what you are consuming during your eating window.
You may be feeling bloated during intermittent fasting because you consumed gassy or processed foods before you started your fast, or you’re not drinking enough water when you’re fasting.
Although one of the beneficial effects of intermittent fasting is that it can help you get rid of bloating, it can also induce it if you’re not doing it correctly or not consuming the right foods and drinks.
Consuming something that could cause gas, lacking fiber, or being high in sodium before fasting could lead to bloating when you fast.
Aside from the gas, you’ll feel bloated because the sodium will retain water and dehydrate you.
Not drinking enough water could also cause the digestive system to slow down, which then causes constipation which leads to bloating.
Bloating from constipation also happens when you don’t consume enough fiber.
If you’re planning to do intermittent fasting, you should avoid carbonated water, gassy foods, and processed foods that are high in sodium.
Instead, stock up on high-fiber and fresh food before you do intermittent fasting and drink lots of water.
How Can I Reduce Bloating In 24 Hours?
You can reduce bloating in 24 hours by avoiding the consumption of gassy foods and drinks, drinking some ginger tea, drinking more water, going for a walk or exercising, and taking an Epsom salt bath.
First of all, avoid foods and drinks that cause more bloating, such as carbonated drinks, beans, processed foods, and cruciferous vegetables.
Ginger tea is a potent drink packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents that can calm your stomach and soothe the gastrointestinal tract.
It also helps your bowel movement, which can aid in bloating caused by constipation.
If ginger is not your flavor, you can also opt for other teas, such as peppermint, chamomile, and green tea.
During the 24 hours, you should also drink more water because not enough water can cause your body to slow down its bowel movement and cause bloating.
Drinking more will kick start your bowel movement and avoid bloating.
Then, make time to go for a walk or exercise even for as little as 15 minutes.
Exercise will contract your muscles, especially your stomach muscles, which then helps you pass the gas along your gastrointestinal system.
Lastly, take a short Epsom salt bath which has been shown to reduce constipation, swelling, and bloating.
How Do You Get Rid Of Extensive Bloating?
To eliminate extensive bloating, you can change your dietary habits and exercise more.
Also, be sure that you don’t have an underlying issue that is causing the bloat, like a food intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome.
Consult your doctor and examine if there are any underlying conditions for your bloating.
This way, the doctor might be able to solve it by giving you a certain medication or telling you to avoid a type of food.
If you tend to consume more processed foods rich in sodium or carbonated drinks, switch to a diet filled with fresh food products and drink more water.
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.