7 Foods That Can Cause Bloating and Trigger Belly Fat

If you want to keep belly fat at bay, there are some foods you should avoid – and some of them might surprise you. “Sometimes the foods that you think are ‘healthy’ are actually wrecking your gut,” Dave Asprey, 4x NY Times Bestselling Author of Heavily Meditated, Health Science and Biotech Entrepreneur and “The Father of Biohacking’ tells us. Here are 7 foods that can cause massive bloating and trigger belly fat.

Oats

Oats offer many health benefits, but the grain can also lead to bloat. “Oats are full of compounds called lectins. Lectins are antinutrients that bind to minerals in your body and prevent you from absorbing them. They can also adhere to components in your gut lining and increase permeability, giving you leaky gut. Leaky gut can lead to symptoms like excess gas, bloating, and systemic inflammation. Instead of oats, have steak and eggs for breakfast for sustained energy and zero bloat! If you need carbs, go for cream of white rice. It doesn’t have all of the lectins and anti-nutrients that oats have,” says Asprey.

Raw Cruciferous Vegetables

Uncooked cruciferous vegetables are high in fiber and can lead to belly bloat. “If you’re going to eat cruciferous vegetables, cook them first. Raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage contain compounds that cause bloating and gas. Cooking can reduce these compounds,” says Asprey.

Final Note

One final piece of advice from Asprey? “It’s worth noting that if you’re getting bloated after every meal, this may be a sign that you have gut dysbiosis, a food intolerance and/or low stomach acid. You might want to try a 2-week elimination diet or take betaine HCl and digestive enzymes with your meals. Or try the Bulletproof diet, which has helped a lot of people heal their chronic gut issues!” he says.