Superfood powder drinks are very VERY good for you. They are packed with vital nutrients that are almost impossible to get from whole food. Eating whole superfoods such as blackberries, whole oats and kefir is a big step in the right direction but even if you eat whole superfoods at every single meal, you won’t get as many nutrients as you’ll find in one serving of superfood powder.
I started using superfood powder a little under a year ago and, honestly, I feel like a new woman as a result! Find my guide about superfood powder here.
I’ve lost weight, I have no real sugar cravings or hunger between meals, my skin and hair look healthier than I can ever remember, I have boundless energy, and my immune system is so strong I haven’t had a cold in months. In addition, my digestive system is working like clockwork which is a very important indicator of health. All in all, I feel GREAT!
However, the first few days of using superfood powder were a little rough. When I first started using superfood powder, I experienced some digestive discomfort, bloating, and gas. It was nothing too serious but enough of a problem to make me wonder if superfood powders were actually as super as I was lead to believe.
Because I have an enquiring mind, I fired up my trusty computer and googled “bloating and gas with superfood powder” and was relieved to discover that I wasn’t the only person who suffered these symptoms; a lot of superfood powder newbies experienced the same thing.
Relieved, I did more research to find out the causes and the solution of these problems.
Causes
Many of us do not eat enough fiber and nutrients, even if we follow a seemingly healthy diet. You may well eat 3-5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day but, honestly, that really isn’t very many. One way around this nutritional deficit is to start using a superfood powder.
The thing is, superfood powders are very concentrated and deliver a big dose of fruit, vegetables, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients. For many, this big increase in nutrients is a shock to the digestive system.
Your body doesn’t respond very well to big changes and as a result, sort of “revolts” against all these extra nutrients.
The good news is, this gas and bloating indicate that your superfood is working – it’s just working a little too well!
The main culprits for causing gas and bloating are fiber and probiotics but, don’t worry, any mildly unpleasant side effects will soon disappear after a few days of use. Another possible cause of digestive upset is fructose or fruit sugar; superfood powders contain a lot of concentrated fruit and if you add your superfood powder to a fruit smoothie, your body has to deal with way more fructose than you are used to. Undigested fructose ferments in your stomach which is what causes gas and bloating.
While these symptoms are usually pretty mild and short-lived, they are unpleasant enough that they might make you stop using your superfood powder altogether or question how healthy these products actually are. Luckily there are some good ways to reduce or even avoid these problems all together.
Solutions
Because your body is not used to superfood powder, the best way to avoid the symptoms of gas and bloating is to introduce them into your diet slowly. That’s what I did and I must say it worked really well.
Firstly, I stopped taking my superfood powder altogether for a few days to allow my symptoms to disappear. Then, when I no longer felt bloated and gassy, I started taking my superfood supplement again but only used it every second day – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday etc. I did this for two weeks. Then, after two weeks, I increased my doses to every day.
While there was a little bloating for the first two days, it was nowhere near as bad as before and soon disappeared altogether. By the end of the first week, I had no bloating at all and starting feeling the benefits of my superfood powder. My energy was up, my skin and hair were beginning to look brighter and healthier and my sugar cravings were beginning to disappear. And remember, this was after just three doses of superfood powder!
Other people I have spoken to tried a different solution; they reduced the size of their superfood serving by half but still took it every day. After the first week they increased the size of each serving to three-quarters and then, for the third week, they moved up to the full-sized serving. Again, there were fewer side-effects, and any bloating that did occur soon disappeared.
It’s clear to me that both options work so it’s up to you which one to try. Taking superfood powder every other day means less fuss with measuring but, honestly, both options work.
I would like to add that not all superfoods are the same and some can cause more bloating than others. This is because some products are very good quality and others are less so. In my article “Best Superfood Powder” I reveal my top superfood choices and these are products I know are less likely to cause bloating in the first place.
Conclusion
Superfood powders are awesome and I really do recommend you add some to your diet. Introduce them slowly and use a top-quality product and you should have very little problem with bloating.
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3 Comments
Awesome! I googled this because after taking the super green powder for a few days, I experienced the discomfort of gas and bloating. Thanks for sharing because I almost stopped taking it.
Very good information! I, too, was about to stop the Super Greens! After taking it consistently for several days, I’ve had major gas and bloating. I will stop for a few days, then start back gradually. Thanks for your help!
Hi mine has been so bad for 5 days straight I thought it was the hair vitamins I was taking but it must be this super greens I been taking it for 2 weeks now . I was worried I had sibo or something as even if I eat something now or hurts my tummy . When you stopped it for a few days which I want to try how long til the bloating stopped and did you eat normally whilst doing this or fast ? Thank you