A leading Australian gut health expert has revealed the five common supermarket foods he would ‘never touch’ while suffering from bloating.
His warning comes after many of the so-called ‘healthy’ options lining shelves may actually make symptoms dramatically worse.
Dr Paul Froomes, a gastroenterologist and microbiome doctor with more than 71,000 Instagram followers, has built a loyal audience online by breaking down the science behind digestion and exposing the hidden ingredients he believes are quietly wreaking havoc on people’s guts.
Now, in a new video, the doctor shared the foods he cuts out completely when dealing with an inflamed gut, explaining that bloating is far more complex than simply feeling full after a meal.
‘A bloated gut is doing three things at once – building up gas, pulling in water, and slowing motility down,’ he explained.
‘These five foods all make these three things worse.’
Topping his list were onions and garlic, despite the fact he acknowledged they are generally considered extremely healthy foods.
‘Raw, cooked, and the versions of these hiding in dressings, sauces, soups and stocks are unfortunately loaded with fructans, which is a fibre that humans struggle to fully digest,’ he said.
Leading Australian gut health expert Dr Paul Froomes (pictured), has revealed the five common supermarket foods he would ‘never touch’ while suffering from bloating. Onions and garlic are loaded with fructans, which he says is a fibre that humans struggle to fully digest
According to him, when fructans are poorly absorbed they can ‘pull water into the bowel and ferment hard’, causing painful bloating and distension in some people.
‘If you’re flaring, even a trace amount of fructans in a salad dressing or in a salad can be the difference between a flat or a distended belly.’
The next item may come as a surprise to many health-conscious shoppers, in the form of inulin and chicory root fibre.
While commonly promoted as gut-friendly prebiotics and frequently added to protein bars, powders and ‘healthy’ snacks, Dr Froomes said people already struggling with bloating may react badly to them.
‘Don’t get me wrong, if you can tolerate them, they’re a fantastic prebiotic,’ he explained.
‘But people with severe bloating generally can’t, and it’s hiding in nearly every gut-friendly bar, prebiotic soda and protein powder on the shelf right now.’
He compared the effect to ‘putting petrol on the gas fire’ for people already experiencing excessive fermentation in the gut.
Dr Froomes also urged Australians to watch out for sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, which are commonly found in sugar-free gum, lollies and protein bars.
Next, inulin and chicory root fibre added to protein bars and powders can trigger bloating, as well as sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, which are commonly found in sugar-free gum, lollies and protein bars
These include ingredients such as sorbitol, mannitol and erythritol.
‘These aren’t absorbed properly in the small intestine in many people, so what they do is they pull water into the bowel and they ferment gas fast, and this is exactly the opposite of what a bloated gut needs.’
He advised shoppers to check ingredient labels carefully, warning that many polyols can be identified because they end in ‘-ol’.
Packaged supermarket bread also made his blacklist, particularly highly processed loaves.
‘The standard supermarket preserved breads are a triple problem,’ Dr Froomes said.
‘The wheat’s high in fructans, the refined flour ferments fast and turns to sugar, and most loaves are loaded with dough conditioners, emulsifiers and diglycerides that have been shown to disrupt the gut.’
Packaged supermarket bread also made his blacklist, particularly highly processed loaves. ‘The wheat’s high in fructans, the refined flour ferments fast and turns to sugar, and most loaves are loaded with dough conditioners, emulsifiers and diglycerides that have been shown to disrupt the gut,’ he added
However, he said properly fermented sourdough is a major exception.
‘The long ferment breaks down most of the fructans before it even reaches your gut,’ he explained.
Despite the warnings, he stressed that many of the foods on his list are not inherently ‘bad’ and can actually benefit people with healthy digestive systems.
‘Some are quite good for a healthy gut, but when you’re already bloating, you’re not feeding a healthy gut, you’re feeding an inflamed and over-fermenting one.’
For anyone struggling with chronic bloating, he recommended temporarily removing the foods for several days to see if symptoms improve.
‘Just pull these things out for three to five days and see how you feel.’
The latest video comes after Dr Froomes previously went viral for sharing the supermarket staples he always buys for better gut health, including organic rolled oats, blueberries, extra virgin olive oil and dark chocolate.
Across both videos, he warns that what’s hidden inside food often matters far more than the marketing claims splashed across the front of the packaging.
