Bloating is a common digestive problem that can be caused by a variety of factors, including eating certain foods, drinking carbonated beverages, and having certain medical conditions. In her book, ‘The Bloat Cure: 101 Natural Solutions for Real and Lasting Relief’, Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a gastroenterologist and gut health expert, lists 101 causes of bloating and provides solutions for each.
Author’s background

Dr. Robynne Chutkan is a certified gastroenterologist and accomplished author of digestive health books such as ‘Gutbliss,’ ‘The Microbiome Solution,’ and ‘The Anti-Viral Gut’.

She earned her education at Yale, completed medical school and residency at Columbia University, and specialised in gastroenterology through a fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in NY. A faculty member at Georgetown Hospital and founder of the Digestive Center for Wellness, Dr. Chutkan’s expertise is well-respected.
What is the book about?

‘The Bloat Cure’ is a valuable resource for anyone who experiences bloating. It is divided into 101 short chapters, each of which focuses on a different cause of bloating.
Each chapter includes information on the cause, symptoms, and potential solutions. The book also includes a section on how to identify the cause of your bloating and a section on lifestyle changes that can help to reduce bloating.
Four key takeaways from ‘The Bloat Cure’

1Bloating can be a sign of a serious condition or disease
Bloating can be caused by a variety of factors, including harmless ones such as eating gas-producing foods or drinking carbonated beverages, and more serious ones such as ectopic pregnancy, cancer, liver disease, or heart failure.
So if you want to understand the cause of regular or severe bloating, we recommend you consulting professionals or seeking medical advice. If you have any concerns at all about whether your bloating may be due to something serious, don’t hesitate to seek immediate medical attention.
Some common causes include:
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Eating gas-producing foods, such as beans, broccoli, and cabbage
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Drinking carbonated beverages
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Swallowing air
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Constipation
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
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Celiac disease
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Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
More serious causes of bloating include:
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Ectopic pregnancy
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Cancer
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Liver disease
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Heart failure
2Correct your diet first to get rid of bloating
Dr. Chutkan shares simple and valuable tips on how to reduce bloating with the help of correct nutrition. These include:
1. Limit or eliminate dairy, gluten, sugar, soy, alcohol, and meat. These foods can be difficult to digest for some people and can contribute to bloating.
2. Eat more vegetables. Vegetables are a good source of fiber, which can help to regulate digestion and reduce bloating. Follow the 1-2-3 Rule: eat one vegetable for breakfast, two for lunch, and three for dinner.
3. Be mindful of your eating habits. Avoid eating too quickly, chewing gum, or drinking carbonated beverages, as these can all contribute to bloating.
3Stress can be a cause of bloating too, so try to relax
In her book, Dr. Chutkan recommends to manage stress in order to reduce the discomfort in your body. Stress can contribute to bloating, so it’s important to find healthy ways to manage it and control your mind, such as exercise, yoga, or meditation.
4Antibiotics can cause and seriously worsen bloating
‘The Bloat Cure’ discusses the devastating effects of antibiotics on the gut. Antibiotics can kill off beneficial bacteria in your digesting system, which can lead to bloating and other problems. If you need to take antibiotics, it’s important to take a probiotic to help replenish the good bacteria in your gut, although the powers of probiotics are overestimated.
Table of contents

- Copyright
- Introduction
- 1 • Acid Blockers
- 2 • Aerophagia
- 3 • Alcohol
- 4 • Anatomical Differences
- 5 • Anismus
- 6 • Antibiotics
- 7 • Appendectomy
- 8 • Artificial Sweeteners
- 9 • Ascites
- 10 • Belly Fat
- 11 • Birth Control Pills
- 12 • Bowel Obstruction
- 13 • Caffeine
- 14 • Cancer
- 15 • Candida
- 16 • Carbonated Drinks
- 17 • Celiac Disease
- 18 • Chronic Intestinal Pseudo-obstruction
- 19 • Clostridium Difficile
- 20 • Codeine
- 21 • Colitis
- 22 • Collagenous Colitis
- 23 • Colonic Inertia/Dysmotility
- 24 • Constipation
- 25 • Crohn’s Disease
- 26 • Cruciferous Vegetables
- 27 • Dairy
- 28 • Dehydration
- 29 • Depression
- 30 • Diabetes
- 31 • Diverticulosis
- 32 • Diverticulitis
- 33 • Dysbiosis
- 34 • Eating Disorders
- 35 • Ectopic Pregnancy
- 36 • Endometriosis
- 37 • Estrogen Dominance
- 38 • Fatty Foods
- 39 • Fatty Liver
- 40 • Fibroids
- 41 • Fructose Malabsorption
- 42 • Gallbladder Problems
- 43 • Gastroparesis
- 44 • Genetically Modified Food
- 45 • Giardia
- 46 • Gluten Sensitivity
- 47 • Helicobacter Pylori
- 48 • Hepatitis
- 49 • High-Fiber Diet
- 50 • Hormone Replacement Therapy
- 51 • Hysterectomy
- 52 • Infection
- 53 • Inflammation
- 54 • Interstitial Cystitis
- 55 • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- 56 • Lactose Intolerance
- 57 • Late-Night Eating
- 58 • Laxatives
- 59 • Leaky Gut
- 60 • Low-Fiber Diet
- 61 • Lymphocytic Colitis
- 62 • Meat
- 63 • Megacolon
- 64 • Menopause
- 65 • Menstruation
- 66 • Microscopic Colitis
- 67 • Multiple Sclerosis
- 68 • Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
- 69 • Opiates
- 70 • Ovarian Cancer
- 71 • Ovarian Cysts
- 72 • Pancreatic Cancer
- 73 • Pancreatitis
- 74 • Parasites
- 75 • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- 76 • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- 77 • Pregnancy
- 78 • Processed Food
- 79 • Radiation
- 80 • Rectocele
- 81 • Salt
- 82 • Scar Tissue
- 83 • Sedentary Lifestyle
- 84 • Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- 85 • Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
- 86 • Smoking
- 87 • Soda
- 88 • Soy
- 89 • Sports Drinks
- 90 • Steroids
- 91 • Stomach Cancer
- 92 • Stress
- 93 • Sugar
- 94 • Surgery
- 95 • Thyroid Problems
- 96 • Ulcerative Colitis
- 97 • Urinary Tract Infections
- 98 • Uterine Cancer
- 99 • Wheat Allergy
- 100 • Yeast Overgrowth
- 101 • Z-Pak
- Index
Strengths and weaknesses, according to readers’ reviews

Strengths
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Many readers found the book very informative and enjoyed the efficiency of ‘Problem/Symptom/Solution’ format of the chapters.
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Clear and understandable language.
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The book focuses on holistic methods for minimising bloating.
Weaknesses
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Some of the readers found solutions too obvious and simplified.
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Many readers mentioned that the chapters were too short as they expected longer introductions to each of the problems.
Best quotes from ‘The Bloat Cure’

“Destroying your gut bacteria with antibiotics and then trying to replace them with probiotics is like draining a full bathtub and refilling it with a single cup of water – literally a drop in the bucket.”
“Removing your gallbladder without changing your diet is unlikely to make your bloating go away; almost 25 percent of people have recurrence of symptoms after their gallbladder is removed. Try changing your diet instead – swap animal products such as meat and dairy for plants, and keep an eye on your fat intake. Your gallbladder – and your bloat – will thank you.”
“Sitting is the new smoking as far as your health is concerned, and that’s especially true for your GI tract, where sitting at a computer all day can slow your transit to a crawl.”
Final takeaway

‘The Bloat Cure’ by Dr. Robynne Chutkan is a compilation of short and efficient tips on how to identify the cause of your bloating and how to reduce it. Written in a very compact and to-the-point style, this book is especially helpful for people who have tried to self-treat their bloating without success.
Where to buy
You can buy ‘The Bloat Cure: 101 Natural Solutions for Real and Lasting Relief’ on Amazon, where it’s available in hardcover and Kindle formats.