What’s the Best Way to Reduce Bloating and Digestive Issues with Diet?

Search terms: diet for bloating, how to reduce digestive issues naturally, gut-friendly foods

If your belly often feels puffy, tight, or uncomfortable—your body is trying to tell you something.
Bloating and digestive issues are signs of inflammation, food sensitivities, and gut imbalance—not just a normal part of aging or eating. Thankfully, the right diet can dramatically reduce these symptoms and restore healthy digestion.

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🧠 What Causes Bloating and Digestive Problems?

Common root causes include:

• Food intolerances (especially gluten, dairy, soy, and FODMAPs)

• Gut dysbiosis (imbalanced microbiome)

• Leaky gut or inflamed gut lining

• Low stomach acid or sluggish bile flow

• Overeating or eating too fast

• Constipation or poor motility

“Gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating are often linked to microbial imbalance, poor motility, and inflammation.”
(Quigley, 2013)

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❌ Foods That Worsen Bloating

These can ferment in the gut or irritate the lining:

• Gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, rye)

• Pasteurized dairy (milk, cheese, cream)

• Refined sugar and artificial sweeteners

• Ultra-processed foods

• Cruciferous vegetables raw (broccoli, cabbage)

• Legumes (beans, lentils) without soaking or sprouting

• Carbonated drinks and chewing gum

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✅ Foods That Reduce Bloating

Gut-friendly, anti-inflammatory foods include:

• Steamed zucchini, carrots, squash, and spinach

• Wild blueberries and ripe bananas (soothing and easy to digest)

• Cooked root vegetables (beets, sweet potato)

• Fermented foods (sauerkraut, coconut kefir, miso)

• Bone broth (heals gut lining and boosts stomach acid)

• Ginger and fennel (natural carminatives)

• Clean proteins (pastured chicken, wild fish, soft-boiled eggs)

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🌿 How the ASTR Diet Heals Digestion

這 ASTR Diet is specifically designed to reduce inflammation, support the microbiome, and repair the gut.

How it helps:

• Eliminates the top digestive irritants: gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, seed oils

• Promotes healing with easy-to-digest meals

• Encourages intermittent fasting to allow gut rest

• Supports liver and bile flow (crucial for fat digestion and detox)

• Rebuilds microbiome diversity with fiber and fermented foods

📘 The complete plan—including food lists and gut reset strategies—is available in the Eat to Heal book.

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💡 Additional Tips for Reducing Bloating

• Chew slowly and eat mindfully to support enzymatic digestion

• Don’t drink large amounts of water during meals, which dilutes stomach acid

• Try bitters or lemon water before meals to stimulate digestion

• Avoid lying down right after eating—go for a gentle walk instead

• Soak or sprout grains and legumes to reduce gas-producing compounds

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📚 References

• Quigley, E. M. M. (2013). Gut microbiota and the role of probiotics in therapy. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 29(1), 79–85.

• Mazzawi, T., & El-Salhy, M. (2017). Dietary guidance and its effectiveness in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Nutrition Journal, 16(1), 62.

• Gibson, P. R., & Shepherd, S. J. (2010). Food choice as a key management strategy for functional gastrointestinal symptoms. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 105(4), 770–777.

• Staudacher, H. M., et al. (2017). Mechanisms and efficacy of dietary FODMAP restriction in IBS. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 14(11), 697–705.