I am Gwyneth Paltrow’s doctor. I have the antidote for bloating in women

Bloating is a regular but unfortunate part of the lives of millions of Americans.

An estimated one in seven people regularly suffer from the problem, characterized by tightness, fullness and extra pressure that a person feels in their stomach weighing – especially women.

Dr. Will Cole, a specialist in holistic medicine who works with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, told DailyMail.com that these problems can be solved by meditating and cutting a few basic foods from one’s diet.

Dr. Will Cole has suggested that meditation can be used to help someone stop bloating. He is pictured above interviewing Gwyneth Paltrow ahead of the release of his book Gut Feelings this week

Dr. Cole, who is not a licensed physician or registered dietitian, points to stress, breathing in too much air while eating and substances called fructans for bloating.

Ms. Paltrow has been getting attention lately for her outlandish wellness routines of questionable value, though some followers swear by her methods.

Try meditation

Taking a deep breath and relaxing yourself can help with bloating.

In his new book Gut Feelings, released this week, Dr. Cole writes: ‘Have you ever eaten a perfectly “healthy” meal and ended up so bloated and with a stomach ache?

Meditating can help prevent bloating, nutritionists say

“Often it’s because you sat down stressed and anxious, ate while distracted or still in fight-or-flight mode, and then went back to your hectic day without a moment of rest or quiet.

“Like food, our thoughts and emotions have the power to make us feel awful or provide our bodies with vibrant health.”

Stress triggers the release of the hormones epinephrine, more commonly known as epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

Both hormones accelerate the growth of bacteria in the gut. This leads to the production of more gas than normal, causing bloating.

Mr. Cole points to mediation as a way to reduce the body’s release of these hormones.

He adds, “Studies have shown that mindfulness practice can reduce the symptoms of [irritable bowel syndrome].

“In fact, one particular study showed that patients showed significant reductions in abdominal pain, flatulence and bloating one year after implementing a mindfulness practice.”

Little scientific research has been done on whether meditation can help people avoid bloating.

But in a widely quoted small study from 2002people who meditated for a year had significant reductions in abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence – and bloating.

The technique used in this study was relaxation response meditation.

This is when someone sits in a relaxed position with eyes closed and repeats a word or sound while breathing for 10 to 20 minutes.

Some experts recommend performing it once or twice a day to relieve symptoms of stress.

Dr. Cole told DailyMail.com that he has a number of patients whose bloating problems only resolved after they added meditation to their routine.

Cut out onions, garlic and wheat

The usual source of bloating lies in one’s diet.

Dr. Cole said cutting out garlic, onions, and some grains from your diet can be valuable.

They are high in fructans, a carbohydrate found naturally in many fruits, vegetables and wheat products.

The small intestine will sometimes not absorb the substances properly, leading to a buildup of gas in the stomach, which causes bloating.

Some people also have a fructan intolerance, which researchers suggest may be behind a food sensitivity — rather than gluten.

These specific foods fall under the category of FODMAP foods, which are foods rich in substances classified as fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

Fructans are considered oligosaccharides.

Dr. Cole said these shouldn’t be excluded from the diet indefinitely because of the food’s other health benefits, including helping a person avoid heart disease and cancer.

Cutting out onions and garlic — which are high in FODMAPs — can help reduce bloating

“Look for higher FODMAP (germinable sugars) foods like onions, garlic, and some grains,” he explained.

“There’s nothing wrong with these foods, but bloating could be a sign that you have a FODMAP intolerance, for example due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

“The goal is not to eliminate these foods forever, but to address the SIBO.”

Low FODMAP diets have been scientifically researched as an aid in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, a digestive problem that affects 25 to 45 million people in the US.

A study published in 2015 found that the diet plan can help reduce bloating and symptoms of the condition in some cases.

However, all nutritionists say that the foods should not be banned indefinitely, but reintroduced gradually.

Onions are linked to a number of health benefits, including fighting cancer, heart disease and stroke. There are even suggestions that they may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Nutritionists also recommend omitting some cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, to avoid bloating.

Chewing slowly can help a person avoid indigestion because it breaks down food better, nutritionists say

Chew slowly

How quickly you chew your food can also cause bloating problems.

When eating, food is broken down in the mouth and stomach before passing into small pieces in the intestine.

Taking more time to chew leads to food breaking down into smaller pieces, releasing more digestive enzymes to help break them down.

But chewing quickly causes larger pieces of food to pass into the digestive system.

Dr. Cole cautioned that when these reach the gut, the larger pieces force bacteria to work furiously to help break them down, causing bloating.

He told DailyMail.com, “Chewing slowly allows the body to digest things properly.

“Digestive enzymes can help support healthy digestion.”

Avoid caffeine

This may be every coffee lover’s nightmare, but the drink can be the cause of bloating.

Dr. Cole recommended that you consider leaving it out altogether.

The caffeine in coffee may also cause indigestion by irritating the intestines and causing spasms, it has been suggested

In his book, he said that bloating can be caused by caffeine, which “you know, gives you anxiety and interferes with your sleep.”

Caffeine is known to increase the risk of stress and anxiety, which can trigger reactions that create an imbalance in the gut microbiome.

It can also disrupt sleep, further increasing stress levels.

The caffeine in coffee also has physical effects on the gut.

It can irritate the surface of the small intestine, increasing the risk of bloating.

It can also stimulate the digestive tract to contract more often or become ‘overstimulated’, increasing the rate of bacterial growth.

Dr. Roger Gebhard, a gastroenterologist at Saint Paul Hospital in Minnesota, adds that it “can overstimulate the digestive tract and stimulate spasms in the gut that cause bloating.”

Nevertheless, coffee has been associated with a number of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and increased insulin sensitivity.