Is your belly swollen and uncomfortable by the end of the day?
Do you suffer griping gas pains and/or flatulence?
Aside from being uncomfortable and embarrassing, bloating and flatulence can make your pelvic floor symptoms worse, especially prolapse symptoms and bladder leakage.
Read on now for:
Imagine a balloon inside your belly being filled with gas and water – this is very much like what happens with bloating.
Your gut is designed to expand and contract – this is normal. Pain and discomfort can result if you have a lot of gas or if your gut is extra sensitive to stretching.
Diet-related bloating is caused when food or fluid is poorly digested in your small intestine so that it passes to your large intestine. These poorly digested foods ferment and feed your gut bacteria and draw extra fluid into your gut (hence those gurgly sounds). Fermentation and the action of your gut bacteria produce gas and your belly becomes bloated with gas and fluid.
It’s important to visit your doctor if you are suffering bowel symptoms to rule out other causes before making changes to your diet. Abdominal bloating can be caused by bowel diseases including inflammatory bowel conditions, Coeliac disease and some gynaecological conditions.
Studies have shown that some carbohydrates (sugars) in some foods and fluids worsen bloating and flatulence.
These carbohydrates are known as FODMAPS. While the term may sound complex at first glance, it simply stands for the different types of carbohydrates that aren’t well absorbed by some of us – particularly with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
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FODMAPS have been extensively researched by Professor Sue Sheppard and the team at the University of Melbourne. The low FODMAP diet is implemented by dieticians worldwide.
Don’t be confused by the term sugars – this article isn’t about sugar being bad for our health as some would argue; rather that some of the sugars found in everyday foods aren’t well absorbed and can bloating and flatulence in some individuals.
Fructose – e.g. apples, honey, pear, high fructose corn syrup
Lactose – dairy
Polyols – e.g. apples, apricots, cherries, sweeteners containing mannitol, sorbitol or xylitol, prunes, mushrooms
Fructans – e.g. artichoke, asparagus, chicory, wheat, garlic, onions
Galactans – e.g legumes (chickpeas, baked beans, lentils, soybeans)
This list of FODMAPS is by no means exhaustive see below for more information.
Not all the FODMAP foods bother everyone. Some individuals may just have an intolerance to one of the categories e.g. lactose intolerance.
To work out the problem foods, most individuals start out with an elimination diet where the foods identified in the FODMAPS diet are eliminated and then gradually reintroduced to test the effect on symptoms such as bloating, diarrheoa or constipation.
If you are planning on making changes to your diet it’s advisable to consult with an accredited practicing dietician. The low FODMAP diet can be a little restrictive in terms of maintaining adequate fibre and calcium intake when it is fully implemented.
There are a number of ways that bloating can make pelvic floor problems worse:
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