2019 Why you get bloated and what to do about it – part six

Summary

The microbiome is very complex, and its balance depends a great deal on what we eat.
We need to feed the microbes, but not overfeed them.
Fibre in food acts as a prebiotic and a lack of fibre intake can reduce the quantity and diversity of friendly microbes in the gut.
Processed carbs and sugars, alcohol, etc. can encourage the overgrowth of bad bugs.
Good bugs can also be affected by antibiotics, stress, and other influences (see next video).
We can overeat fibre if we’re not careful – it can cause as many digestive problems as it solves.
Good foods are situational and contextual.
If your digestive system is well-balanced, then eating fibre will likely be really helpful in keeping it that way.
but if bad bugs have already overgrown in the gut, and you already have a lot of bloating, then higher fibre foods that would usually be helpful can actually cause a lot of problems.
Unless you run the appropriate testing, it’s hard to know how to individualise your diet.
Fibre and prebiotic supplementation can be helpful in some cases, but again, they can also cause problems in some people.
TIP: try experimenting with high and low amounts of fibre: if your digestion feels worse (more bloated) when you eat more fibre and carbohydrate (cereals, grains, fruits, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.), then it would be wise to run some testing for bad bug overgrowth.

Watch the other videos in this series

Video 1 – What causes bloating––introduction

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Best,

Dave.