Does Giving Up Sugar Help With Bloating?
After Giving Up Sugar, Fruit, and Flour For 1 Week, My Before-and-After Pics Shocked Me
Over the Summer, my bloating issues got out of control. Admittedly, I wasn't following my major rule, which was to limit my intake of sugar and refined carbs. It was hard with all the traveling, parties, BBQs, and campfires — I am looking at you, marshmallows. I was also eating so many smoothies, frozen fruit ice cream, and fresh fruit since it was in season, and that bothered my belly, too. I felt like there had to be a way that I could live and still be able to eat a little sugar without my belly ballooning up.
What 2 Experts Recommended and What I Did
Since I didn't have great luck with doctors helping me with bloating in the past, I saw a naturopath. I told him that when I eat sugar, I get super bloated. He thought it sounded like a classic case of candida overgrowth, which he sees with most of his vegan patients since they eat tons of carbs. He wanted me to pay $400 to test my poop to prove he was right, and then go on a strict anti-candida diet. That seemed a little extreme, so I got a second opinion (good call, right?!).
Instead of seeing my primary care physician, I made an appointment with an osteopath. She shook her head when I told her the naturpoath's diagnosis. "Everyone has candida in their bodies," she informed me, and in a nice way, she basically said that candida overgrowth is BS.
I went on to explain that I've ditched sugar in the past and felt great, but every once in a while, I want to enjoy treats with my kids. The only issue is that when I get a little taste, I can't stop. Sugar cravings take over, and I end up eating half a loaf of homemade banana bread in one sitting. I feel so painfully stuffed, yet I still want more.
I admitted that I didn't think it was the sugar necessarily causing my bloating issues, but the amount I've been consuming lately. When I swap sugary treats for fresh or dried fruit (hello, LARABAR addiction!), it triggers my sugar cravings, and I end up overeating those foods, too.
What I Ate
My doctor smiled and just wrote down the title of a book, Bright Line Eating. She said, after you read this book, you may never want to eat sugar again.
I Amazon Primed that title as soon as I made it to the car. The book basically says that certain people are more susceptible to an addiction to sugar, and the first half of the book explains the science behind how the brain reacts to sugar, and sees it as a drug — it all made so much sense to me. The author says the only cure is to set up a "bright line." It's basically a line you do not cross, and that line is to not eat sugar or flour (flour is just as addictive as sugar, the author thinks). It's the same line an alcoholic would make about alcohol. They avoid alcohol for the rest of their lives, even on special occasions and holidays.
My osteopath said, "It sounds like you know that sugar causes bloating, but maybe after reading this book, you'll understand more about why your brain can't shut down the cravings." She suggested ditching sugar, fruit, and flour for one week, seeing how I feel, and then slowly introducing them again, starting with low-sugar fruit, like berries.
Here's a list of the foods I stopped eating:
- White sugar, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup — sweeteners of any kind
- Fruit
- Dried fruit
- Flour, refined carbs, and baked goods
How I Felt
1 Week Later
Now What?
I took before-and-after pics, just to remind myself what I looked and felt like when I was bloated from overeating those "trigger" foods, and I was shocked when I compared the two. After one week of no sugar, fruit, or flour, I kept going for another two weeks. I continued to feel good, not only because I was limiting my sugar and refined carb intake, but because passing on those foods made my diet shift to healthier options.
Aside from getting my bloat under control, it also felt refreshing not to be gripped by sugar cravings. I went to a party and instead of obsessing about wanting to eat a piece of the cake, I was able to fully immerse myself in the amazing conversation I was having with a fellow mom. When working from home, I felt more focused with fewer distractions of food calling me from the kitchen.
After three weeks, I wanted to start incorporating fruit again. With this experience under my belt, I knew I couldn't go back to eating a three-cups-of fruit smoothie. I started by adding blueberries to my salad, mixing raspberries into my almond milk yogurt, and snacking on half a banana with peanut butter. My belly felt fine and I felt emotionally satiated.
Fast forward almost two months later, and I'm able to eat small amounts of fruit each day, a bit of pasta, a slice of bread here and there, and even a homemade piece of lemon almond cake without any bloating. The difference is that this little experiment changed my mindset. I'm in control of the food, not the other way around. I know if I eat too much sugar (fruit included), I'll feel terrible the next day, and that's the motivation I need to avoid overeating.
