9 Reasons Why You're Bloated (And What To Do About It)

Why am I always bloated?

This is a question I get asked all the time in my nutrition practice. The answer isn’t always as straightforward as we’d like but often a combination of a few different things. The good news is, once identified, there are things we can put in place, with our diet, lifestyle and supplements (if relevant) to help bring things back into a more balanced and less bloated state.

Food Intolerances

York Lab has reported that over 45% of people have a food intolerance and one of the most common symptoms of a food intolerance/sensitivity is bloating, especially right after eating. There may be foods you already suspect you have a sensitivity to or you might not be sure what exactly is causing digestive discomfort for you. The best and more accurate way to find out if you have a food intolerance is with an IgG blood test. This functional test can be arranged with your healthcare practitioner, I do these in my clinic and you can find out more about that here.

Eating Too Quickly

A simple but very common reason for bloating. Eating quickly disrupts digestion by overwhelming the stomach and digestive enzymes with a lot of food which hasn’t been chewed very well, essentially making the job of breaking down your food a bit harder. The answer? Take time to focus on what you are eating and chewing your food for at least 15 chews before swallowing. Not talking with your mouth full, yes, your mum was onto something all those years, can also help reduce bloating.

Lack of Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes have the very important job of breaking down the food that we eat so that our body can pull out the essential nutrients we need to create hormones, energy and everything else. Sometimes, our digestive enzymes can slow down or not work quite as well as they should, this can be from some health conditions, medications and age. We can stimulate digestive enzymes eating foods like honey, pineapple, kefir, ginger, kimchi, mango, avocado, bananas and apricots. Avoiding drinking during, 20 minutes before and after a meal can also help to avoid diluting digestive enzymes. You can take digestive enzyme supplements but it is best to work alongside a practitioner to pick the right one and dosage for you.

Constipation

Constipation causes us to become ‘backed up’ with stool collecting in the digestive system. This can lead to hard and painful stools as well as bloating. High fibre foods like flaxseeds, prunes, pears and stewed apples can help to reduce constipation and bloating.

Dysbiosis/SIBO

We have a whole world of bacteria living in our digestive system. Sometimes, after medications, stress or poor digestion, the balance of bacteria can become a bit off. This can lead to symptoms like bloating so including foods which feed bacteria in our diet can help restore balance. High fibre foods mentioned above as well as leeks, onions and garlic help to feed our bacteria. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir contain bacteria that contribute to our microbiome.

Hormonal Changes

This one may come as no surprise for female readers. Bloating in the run up to a period is very common due to oestrogen levels rising which results in water retention increasing. For some women, this can also occur for the two weeks post ovulation right through to mensuration. In this instance, working on supporting hormonal balance can be helpful to reduce these long time periods of bloating.

Dehydration

Have you ever noticed you get more bloated after eating salty foods? This is usually a result of dehydration. When you eat lots of delicious salty chips or popcorn, your body will hold onto excess water to prevent dehydration. So, keeping yourself well hydrated with 2-3 litres of water throughout the day helps to keep down bloating.

Want to learn more about how this could apply to you? Get in touch to arrange a free discovery call, today.