5 Reasons Why You're Bloated & How to Fix It

If you have ever asked yourself “why am I bloated” and gone down the rabbit hole of googling your symptoms you know how confusing it is to get a clear answer. In this blog I’m going to break down the 5 most common causes of bloating that I see in my practice and some tips that you can use to help manage your symptoms.

Low stomach acid

We are often lead to believe that our digestive symptoms are caused by having too much stomach acid but the reality is a majority of us don’t have enough and that's a problem! 

Stomach acid is a crucial part of the digestive process. It's made up of gastric juices, hydrochloric acid (HCL), and enzymes that help break down and digest the foods you eat. It’s also your body’s first line of defence when it comes to fighting off unwanted invaders before they can enter your system.  

How low stomach acid can make you bloated 

When food enters your stomach it mixes with these gastric juices that break it down into smaller particles so that it can enter into your small intestine to be absorbed. If your stomach acid levels are low, food can’t be broken down far enough and is unable to enter into the small intestine to continue on its digestive journey. This means that the food sits in your stomach for longer than it should where it starts to ferment which increases gas and bloating throughout the digestive tract. Click here to read the blog "The importance of stomach acid" and how to test your stomach acid levels at home.

How to increase stomach acid to reduce bloating 

If you suspect that your stomach acid levels may be low, a good way to increase stomach acid and support digestion is using a digestive bitters. Digestive bitters increases the production of HCL to help break down your food and they also stimulate the gallbladder to increase bile production to break down and digest fats in the diet. This is one of my favourite digestive bitters supplements to use.

Dysbiosis

Dysbiosis refers to an imbalance of organisms in the gut. There are trillions of bacteria and other organisms that make up your gut microbiome but there needs to be harmony within this chaos. Amongst the bacteria you have keystone bacteria (good bacteria) and opportunistic bacteria (bad bacteria - we do need a small amount of these guys in a healthy gut). When the amount of keystone and opportunistic bacteria is off balance this is where digestive issues start to occur.

This imbalance can present in a number of different ways. You can have high amounts of bad bacteria and not enough good guys, you can have an overgrowth of good bacteria or all of the bacteria in your gut, both good and bad, can be out of whack!

How to rebalance the your gut microbiome 

Before taking supplements like probiotics and antimicrobials it’s crucial to run a functional stool test, like the GI Map test, to know exactly where your bacteria levels are at. This test shows bacteria, yeast, parasites, digestive functions and so much more information that is key to healing your gut.

Taking probiotics when your overall bacteria levels are high is like adding fuel to the fire and taking an antimicrobial when your beneficial bacteria levels are low further depletes the small amount of good bacteria you have left, which is why it’s so important to know where your levels are at.

The GI Map Interpretation package includes a GI Map test to show you exactly what's going on in your gut and helps you get to the root cause of why you’re bloated. Click here to learn more about how the GI Map test can help you. 

Poor Meal Hygiene 

How you eat is just as important as what you eat. You can be eating the cleanest, healthiest, whole foods diet but if you’re doing these 3 things, you’re making your bloat worse. 

Eating too quickly 

Chewing is the first step in the digestive process that helps manually break down food. Inhaling your food or loading your fork immediately after each bite means that your digestive system has a lot more food to break down and digest which can lead to digestive discomforts like bloating, cramping, indigestion and gas. 

Instead, aim to chew your food 15-20 times (or until it is a paste consistency) and put your fork down between each bite to remind yourself to slow down. 

Eating while distracted 

Scrolling your phone, watching tv, driving, or answering emails while you eat all impact digestion. When your attention is taken away from the task of eating your body no longer prioritizes digestion, especially if you’re doing something stressful like driving or working. It can also cause you to eat more quickly and over eat because you’re not paying attention to your body’s hunger cue. 

Instead, try taking 5 deep breaths before eating and bring back quiet, undistracted meal times.

Chugging liquids with meals 

Chugging liquids with your meal dilutes your stomach acid levels and compromises digestion. If you suspect that your stomach acid levels are low, you’re diluting the small amount you have left which can make your symptoms worse. 

Instead, take small sips throughout your meal and save beverages like alcohol until 15-20 minutes after you finish eating. A great way to help stimulate HCL is to sip on ginger or peppermint tea during your meal to aid in digestion. 

Stress

Stress has a major impact on digestive functions through the vagus nerve. This nerve allows bidirectional communication between your gut and brain, which means whatever’s going on in your brain, affects the gut and vice versa. 

When your brain perceives stress it activates the fight or flight (sympathetic) nervous system. Now an important thing to keep in mind is that this stress response can be trigger by a number of different things like stress at work, at home, or financial stress but it can also be triggered by less obvious factors like under eating, scrolling social media, nutrient deficiencies, and even imbalances in your gut or other health related conditions. Regardless of how big or small the stressor is, your body doesn’t know the difference, it just knows stress. 

When your fight or flight nervous system is activated blood is rushed to your extremities, your pupils dilate, your heart rate increases and your digestive functions slow down because your body no longer prioritizes digesting your food when it thinks it’s in danger.

I know it’s impossible to avoid stress completely but the goal is to try and incorporate things into your daily routine that are going to help your body handle any type of stress that comes your way. Some great examples of this might be things like scheduling an afternoon walk , vagus nerve exercises, breath work, meditation, journaling etc… 

Mineral Deficiency

Things like chronic stress, medications, processed foods and low sodium diets deplete our body’s mineral stores, not to mention the soil our food is grown in is low in these incredible nutrients as well. When it comes to improving digestion potassium, magnesium and sodium play an important role. Potassium increases peristalsis which are muscle contractions throughout the GI tract that help move debris, while magnesium relaxes the muscles to improve the elimination of waste.

Sodium is often ridiculed for increasing blood pressure but it’s an essential nutrient that has so many amazing benefits in the body. It supports optimal cellular function by ensuring water gets inside the cell and helps balance fluids and pH levels. Sodium alone is rarely the problem as research has shown that individuals with high blood pressure respond well to increasing levels of potassium meaning that the real issue stems from low potassium paired with a high sodium diet. 

A great way to ensure that you’re replenishing these nutrients is using something like an electrolyte powder that has a good ratio of sodium, potassium and magnesium. I love the Jigsaw Adrenal Cocktail formula another amazing alternative that you can make yourself is adding a pinch of celtic sea salt to celery juice

Start Healing Today

If you're bloated and struggling to see improvements in your symptoms it's time to get to the bottom of what's going on inside your gut. The GI Map test acts as a window into your microbiome to find the answers behind your symptoms and is something I run with each and everyone of my clients. Get started and learn how the Total Gut Repair 1:1 coaching program can help or book a complementary discovery call if you have any questions