We all love our hearty comfort foods in our cold dark UK winters. We need that steaming mug of tea or hot chocolate in the evening, while staying snuggled up indoors. But even though winter can be oddly comforting with all the love and warmth of holiday season approaching, it brings with it a not-so-welcome guest: stomach problems. It’s not just your imagination – stomach discomfort and bloating does get worse in the colder months. But why does this happen, and how can we prevent it? If you want to enjoy the winter holidays without worrying about bloating and feeling gassy, we’ll help you out.
Why Does Bloating Get Worse in Winter?
This is partly because of normal diet changes in the winter – we end up eating heavier meals and indulging in festive foods. But we can’t help it, the temptation to reach for rich processed foods is higher when it’s chilly outside. Something about the winter air that increases cravings maybe.
But some of the actual reasons for bloating and indigestion are:
• Lack of Exercise: We tend to move less in the winter, so there’s a lack of physical activity and exercise. Physical activity regulates digestion and prevents build-up of gas. So the lack of it can create stomach issues and bloating.
• Reduced Water Intake: You might not realise it, but drinking water is very much a seasonally-influenced habit. We definitely don’t drink enough water during the winter compared to summer months.
• Effect of Temperature: In cold temperatures, your metabolism and digestion can naturally slow down. It’s this slow digestion that causes feelings of gas and bloating.
• Seasonal Effect on Gut: Everyone has a gut microbiome – trillions of microbes, like bacteria and fungi, living in our gut. This can influence digestive problems and bloating. Studies have shown that our gut microbiome can be affected by seasonal changes (1).
All of this can slow down our regular digestion and leave us feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. Some people might turn to their comfort foods to feel better about the heaviness in their stomach, like we do for most of our problems. But this might end up worsening the effects of bloating.
Simple Lifestyle Tweaks to Help Bloating
Before we get into specific foods to reduce bloating, let’s cover a few tried-and-true habits that can make a big difference to prevent a gassy stomach:
1. Stay hydrated: Your body constantly needs plenty of water to keep things moving. We should be all-the-more attentive to our daily water intake during the winter when we tend to have lesser. Try to have at least 8 glasses of water everyday. Warm water with lemon, herbal teas like peppermint or ginger, and avoiding fizzy drinks can all help soothe your stomach and aid digestion.
2. Eat smaller, more frequent meals: Having lighter meals more often instead of large, heavy ones can ease the load on your digestive system and prevent bloating. So opt for smaller portions throughout the day instead of heavy meals.
3. Keep active: Even just a brisk walk, gentle yoga, or stretching indoors can support healthy digestion and prevent gas build-up in the stomach.
4. Chew thoroughly and eat slowly: Have you ever heard that you should chew a bite 32 times? Well, that number doesn’t really have a scientific backing but you should be chewing food thoroughly to make digestion easier. This also reduces the risk of swallowing air, which can contribute to bloating.
5. Manage stress: Stress can lead to irritable bowel syndrome, which brings a lot of stomach problems like diarrhoea, constipation, and bloating (2). So learning how to manage stress is important to prevent bloating. There are some teas you can try that have a twofold benefit for stress as well as bloating, like ginger tea, so you can kill two birds with one stone (or cup!)
What to Eat When Bloated
Some foods like probiotics and prebiotics can reduce bloating by directly reducing gas production (3). But there are some other foods to reduce bloating that you should add to your winter meals:
1. Probiotic foods: These encourage good bacteria, aid digestion, and keep bloating in check. Try adding foods such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented pickles to your diet.
2. Prebiotic foods: These are basically high fibre plant foods that the good bacteria in our gut feed on – like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, tomatoes. This way, these foods support digestion and reduce bloating.
3. Papaya: This fruit contains “papain enzyme”, which aids digestion and reduces bloating. It also supports healthy gut bacteria.
4. Quinoa: High in fibre and protein, quinoa helps relieve bloating and supports gut health. It’s also a generally good alternative to starchy grains.
5. Warm Soups: This winter comfort food is easy to digest, helps keep you warm, and can be made packed with gut-friendly veggies. Try a clear vegetable soup with celery and ginger as one of the most winter-friendly cures for bloating.
6. Herbal Teas: Peppermint and ginger teas can soothe the stomach and reduce bloating. They’re not only warm comfort drinks, but also provide digestive comfort.
7. Potassium-rich foods: These help balance sodium and reduce water retention. Eat bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, etc.
Pro-tip: Increase your fibre intake gradually to avoid extra gas, and drink plenty of water to help fibre do its job.
Bloating Foods: What to Avoid
Some foods are notorious for causing bloating, especially when eaten in large amounts or if you have a sensitivity. Here’s what to watch out for:
1. Fizzy drinks, alcohol, and caffeine: Fizz is basically extra gas getting added to the stomach. Drinks like caffeine and alcohol may add more gas to your digestive system, making bloating worse. So try to have less of them, especially if you’re already feeling uncomfortable.
2. Gas-producing vegetables: Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, beans, and lentils are healthy but can cause gas for some people. If you notice these veggies triggering a bloating sensation, try reducing your intake or cook them thoroughly to make them easier to digest.
3. Processed, sugary, and fatty foods: These are harder for your body to digest and can slow down your gut, leading to bloating and discomfort.
4. Chewing gum and hard sweets: These make you swallow more air, leading to trapped wind, which causes bloating.
5. Foods you’re intolerant to: If you have lactose or gluten intolerance, no matter how mild, try to avoid these foods especially in the winter as they can trigger bloating and other symptoms, on top of seasonal bloating.
Smart Swaps for a Happier Gut
If you love your beans on toast or a hearty stew, you don’t have to give them up – just make a few simple tweaks to your diet to avoid bloating:
• Soak beans and lentils overnight and cook them well to reduce their gas-forming properties.
• Try lactose-free dairy if you’re sensitive to milk.
• Add spices like cumin, fennel, ginger, and turmeric to your meals – these have natural digestive benefits and are staples in many warming winter recipes.
Final Thoughts
Winter in the UK is all about comfort, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with bloating and digestive discomfort. By understanding what to eat when bloated and avoiding bloating foods, staying hydrated, moving your body, and making a few simple swaps, you can keep your gut happy all season long. Here’s to a winter of hearty meals, happy tummies, and fewer days feeling bloated!
FAQs
Q1. What foods cause bloating?
Foods that cause bloating are beans and lentils, vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, dairy products, wheat, and certain fruits like apples and pears.
Q2. What tea helps bloating?
Peppermint tea is known for its ability to soothe digestive issues like bloating. Ginger tea is also a great way to soothe your stomach and alleviate issues like gas, bloating, or even nausea.
Q3. How to reduce stomach bloating?
To cure stomach bloating, try eating smaller, more frequent meals, gradually increase fibre intake gradually, and remember to stay hydrated.
Q4. Why is bloating common in winter?
Our gut microbiome can vary seasonally. Cold weather also slows down digestion. These together can contribute to feeling bloated during the colder months.