Your New De-Bloat Plan

Whether it’s the cold weather or all that comfort food we’re getting into, this time of year has got us feeling more stuffed than a roast on a Sunday. Relate? Yep. We’ve got the solution to your winter bloat blues.

- Hannah Ebelthite

There’s a certain feeling that, even if you have a rich and varied vocabulary at your disposal, is best described as “meh”. You have zero spare cash, your skin’s drier than the Sahara and, despite staying true to your workout schedule since January 2, your middle looks as if you’ve swallowed a balloon.

At least take comfort in the fact that, unless you’re seeing out the season in Far North Queensland, we’re all in this together. While there’s no evidence to suggest the drop in temperature is to blame for your rounder middle, research does show that you’re inclined to consume more kilojoules at this time of the year. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found people ate 360kJ more per day in autumn than they did in spring, and chose foods that were higher in fat. Plus, the foods you reach for when it’s gloomy outside are likely to be those of the stodgy, comforting kind – you know, the ones the human body isn’t that keen on digesting. To top it all off, back in the day there was a need to store fat during the colder months when food was scarce. Now, you can order grub direct to your bed in the deepest depths of winter!

Under pressure

Even if you’re not carrying any extra kilos, you can still feel fit to burst. “Bloating is a symptom, rather than a diagnosis in itself, so there is no medical definition as such,” explains Peter Whorwell, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Manchester. “The best way I can describe it is a feeling of pressure in the abdomen. Some people will report discomfort, others will experience distension of the stomach.”