10 Reasons You Are Always Bloated
1. You are not chewing your food enough.
Did you know that to properly break down food we must chew each bite 20-30 times?? Not only that but the act of chewing releases saliva enzymes that help break down food further, taking stress away from the digestive system. You should even chew juices! Chew, chew, chew, and you’ll have a soothed stomach in no time.
2. You are eating in a sympathetic (stressed) state.
When you eat while standing, cooking, or while doing any sort of multitasking, your brain doesn’t get the message that you are supposed to be digesting. For example, if you are driving and making millions of micro decisions every minute, your sympathetic nervous system is activated, you may know it as “fight-or-flight”. If you are eating in this activated stress state, your digestion gets put on hold. The longer your food sits in your stomach undigested, the more likely you are to experience bloating and leaky gut as a result. So pull up a seat, breathe, and enjoy your meals uninterrupted.
3. You eat too fast.
It can take 20 mins for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full, so when you eat fast you don’t allow for that satiety hormones to come through. Try putting the fork down in-between bites and being present more.
4. You aren’t drinking enough water.
This might seem like a catch 22, but the basic principles of osmosis entail that water must be coming in for more to be flushed out. Constipation and water weight can be an issue when you aren’t drinking enough water, so aim to drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, 140 lbs divided by 2 is 70 oz of water daily.
5. You’re eating too many High FODMAP Foods.
These kinds of fermentable carbs are digested near the end of your intestine, where good and bad bacteria feed on them. For some people, this can cause gas and fluid buildup, belly pain, and bloating. FODMAPs are in some fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy -- foods like cauliflower, asparagus, garlic, onions, peaches, wheat pasta, and legumes are all common examples. Keep a food diary to keep track of foods that negatively affect you to see if FODMAPs might be to blame for the bloat.
6. You’re on your period.
Your uterus enlarges and becomes enflamed so that it can shrink and shed its internal layer, so hormones can also play a big part in bloating during the menstrual cycle. Because of this surge in hormones, your body will be more sensitive to substances affecting the liver such as alcohol, coffee, and processed foods. Keeping these to a minimum during this time will help keep bloating at bay.
7. You may have SIBO or gut dysbiosis.
Tried everything but still not seeing results? You might want to get tested for SIBO, which stands for Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth. Basically, when the bowels are obstructed for a long time, bacteria can end up where it shouldn’t be… in the small intestine. This is where most of our nutrients are absorbed, and without proper balance, the digestive track can quickly become inflamed, causing things like IBS, Crohn’s, and chronic bloating.
8. You may have lactose intolerance.
It is estimated that about 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after the breastfeeding stage. If the milk sugar (lactose) moves through the digestive system undigested, it will bind to water and pull it into the stomach causing bloating. Also, lactose intolerance can happen suddenly and out of nowhere because the less you eat lactose, the less lactase enzymes your body will make to digest milk sugars. There are many cheeses that are fairly low in lactose like parmesan, swiss, and cheddar or switch to soy-free, plant-based products, or even non-cow animal products for complete lactose-free options.
9. You may have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance.
Having a bloated, swollen stomach is one of the most common signs of having celiac disease and/or gluten intolerance in general. Adverse reactions to gluten cause inflammation in the entire digestive system (even sometimes with people without a gluten allergy) due to refined flours being extremely processed. Gluten is the protein of wheat, and while in the past this has been encased by the wheat germ, allowing for easier digestion. However, today’s gluten is very exposed without the wheat germ and has been known to poke holes in the stomach lining causing damage. Avoiding gluten is a safe choice for helping eliminate risk of bloating and stomach pain. If you think you might have a gluten intolerance, talk to a doctor about getting tested.
10. You may have low stomach acid or indigestion.
As a nutritionist, this is my best kept secret: low stomach acid causes indigestion. This seems to be a very common occurrence in most people who experience bloating and gut issues, considering almost everything lowers stomach acid. Stress, antibiotics, alcohol, malnutrition, lack of B12, all contribute to low stomach acid levels, which we need to be high in order to properly digest food into tiny, absorbable particles. Antacids like Tums and Prilosec diminish and neutralize stomach acid even further, creating a more alkaline environment that feels good on the esophagus, but not on digestion. Careful supplementation of stomach acid under the care of a qualified nutrition professional may help grow back stomach acid producing cells, helping to relieve a stressed digestive system.
