Bloating During Fasting: Why Do You Bloat While Fasting? Is It Normal?

While intermittent fasting offers numerous benefits such as improved sensibility, weight loss, and cellular renewal, it also brings with it unpleasant side effects, one being bloating. If you are bloating during fasting and want to know how to tackle it, you’ve come to the right place. 

Here we will explore the reasons why you might feel gassy while fasting and provide tips to prevent bloating during fasting, ensuring you fully enjoy your fast and achieve your health goals gas-free.

Is Bloating While Fasting Normal? 

Intermittent fasting consists of alternating between periods of eating and fasting. During fasting periods you can only drink zero-calorie beverages, and during the eating window, you can eat whatever you please for there are no food restrictions. 

Bloating while fasting is quite normal, particularly during the first weeks. You may suffer from bloating and other side effects as your body gets used to the changes in diet, eating times, and overall routine. Other digestive issues that may arise during fasting are diarrhea, nausea, and constipation. 

Why Do You Bloat During Fasting?

Bloating during fasting can be due to various reasons, let's go over them.

Changes in Eating Patterns

A sudden change in meal timing or frequency can negatively impact your body’s digestive system because it may struggle to adapt to new eating habits. Changing your everyday routine may also affect hormones, such as insulin and cortisol, relevant to stress and hunger regulation.

Overeating Too Quickly

Overeating too fast during eating windows can overwhelm the body. Some intermittent fasting protocols have long eating windows, like the 16:8 or the 14:10, but if you are doing the 20:4 fast, for example, consuming your daily food intake in one sitting will make it difficult for your stomach to digest the food properly. 

Not Eating Enough Fiber — Or Too Much

Fiber is a tricky component to adequate digestion fasting or not. Lack of fiber in meals can cause constipation and gas because food is not moving smoothly through the digestive tract.  On the other hand, eating excessive fiber can cause bloating. Gut bacteria consume undigested carbohydrates and fiber, where excess fiber consumption can increase fermentation and gas production.

Inadequate Hydration Levels

Poor hydration levels can cause constipation, resulting in excess gas and bloating. Dehydration is one of the most common causes of chronic constipation. Maintaining adequate hydration promotes good digestion by helping break down food and softening stools. 

Ingesting Gas-Producing Foods

If you are gassy while fasting, it might be due to foods and drinks that are known to cause bloating, such as:

• legumes (beans, lentils, whole grains)

• raw vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, onions)

• carbonated beverages (soda, sparkling water, beer)

• dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)

• artificial sweeteners in foods (sorbitol, mannitol)

Chewing Gum… and Using Straws

Although chewing sugar-free gum during fasting to manage hunger is a great tactic, it can cause bloating. This occurs because while chewing you are also swallowing air. Using straws also causes the swallowing of air while sipping.

Stress

Stress has been scientifically proven to cause bloating due to the alterations of the brain-gut interaction, leading to the development of gastrointestinal disorders. Combining everyday stress with potential stress from fasting will certainly negatively impact your body.

Bloating Symptoms During Fasting

Are bloating symptoms different while fasting? Bloating symptoms while fasting are nothing out of the ordinary, you might experience abdominal discomfort, feeling of fullness, and gas accumulation. 

If your symptoms are persistent and become too uncomfortable to manage, seek medical attention immediately, for it might be due to an underlying medical condition such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

How to Prevent Bloating During Fasting

1. Pre-fast meal planning

Plan your meals beforehand to avoid eating gas-producing foods. Use the Fastic app’s meal-planning tool to enjoy a fasting-friendly menu. Create your meal plan and shopping list, and stay organized toward your dietary goals. 

2. Keep track of food choices

Monitor what foods you eat during fasting and when you notice bloating. Take note of what ingredients you use in your meals to help you determine what food may be the culprit. 

3. Prioritize mindful eating

Mindful eating is an effortless way to avoid overeating and triggering bloating. Use smaller utensils and plates, eat slowly, and eat smaller portions. Spread your meals and snacks evenly throughout the eating window to help digestion and avoid stressing your stomach.

4. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) during fasting supports digestive processes and enhances acidity levels in the stomach. Poor stomach acid levels can cause food to be partially undigested, causing bloating and discomfort. Enhance your digestion by taking some ACV before your meals. Mix a tablespoon of ACV with water — any amount will work!

5. Optimal hydration 

Ensure proper water intake during fasting, drinking 2-3 liters of water per day will promote nutrient absorption and smooth intestinal movement during digestion. Drinking a healthy amount of water softens stools and prevents constipation.

6. Manage stress

Tackling stress during fasting is recommended and easy to do. You can manage stress while fasting by doing breathing exercises, meditation, walking, yoga, and ensuring adequate sleep quality and quantity. 

7. Incorporate probiotics

Probiotics can aid in balancing bacteria in the gut and ultimately improve digestion. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods like yogurt. Incorporating probiotic-dense foods or taking probiotic supplements during fasting can help prevent or reduce bloating. 

How to Manage Bloating During Fasting

• Drink lots of water, this will encourage smooth transit in your gut.

• Enjoy peppermint oil to alleviate bloating and relax intestinal muscles.

• Do light exercises to promote bowel movement and prevent constipation.

• Gentle abdominal massages can also help relieve bloating and encourage bowel movement.

• Going for a walk or doing light stretches can help stimulate digestion, aim to do so after eating.

How Long Does It Take for Bloating to Dissipate During Fasting?

There is no specific time it takes for bloating to go away, however, it may take a few hours. A good way to manage bloating during fasting is to write down what you ate and how long it takes for bloating symptoms to disappear. 

Don’t Let Bloating Deter You from Achieving Your Fasting Goals

Let's recap. Fasting itself does not cause bloating, but factors pertaining to the practice may be the reason for your bloating during intermittent fasting. Maintaining a close eye on your food and beverage choices, practicing mindful eating, and incorporating light exercise, stress management techniques, and proper water intake will propel you toward a successful and pleasant fasting experience.

Download the Fastic app now to effectively supervise all the parameters that might trigger bloating such as monitoring water intake, planning fasting-friendly meals, and eating your meals on time.

Disclaimer: It is advised to speak with a health professional before beginning intermittent fasting or a diet program. There may be side effects for people with certain medical conditions.