What causes bloating? Food choices play a central role in bloating there’s no doubt, but there are other lifestyle factors that also contribute.
5 REASONS FOR BLOATING THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE CONSIDERED
There are many lifestyle factors that contribute to an imbalance in your microbiome. There are many reasons for that uncomfortable bloated belly feeling, that extend beyond the realm of your diet. Ultimately, it’s important to get testing to know your root cause.
WHAT CAUSES BLOATING #1:
LIVER OVERLOAD
Detoxing is one of your body’s natural processes that is essential to your overall health. When your liver is burdened with too many toxins (hello alcohol, medications, food intolerances and chemicals) it can’t effectively detox if the volume of nutrients needed are not available. These excess toxins end up inflaming your gut and body. This can cause unwanted symptoms like bloating and can also lead to more severe digestive issues overtime if not sufficiently addressed, such as IBS, leaky gut, candida or SIBO.
WHAT CAUSES BLOATING #2:
STRESS
Ever gone through a period of high stress and had no appetite? Simply put, stress disrupts healthy digestion. In order for digestion to be optimized, our parasympathetic system, also known as our “rest” and “digest” system, has to be activated. When under stress, our bodies do the opposite and enter a sympathetic state (which is basically “survival mode”.
This is when it releases cortisol (your stress hormone), preparing you for mental/physical activity (like running from a tiger!). This survival mode signal, sends resources to your primitive brain, muscles, heart and lungs and in the process shuts down digestion. Cause who needs to be digesting their burger when they’ve gotta run for their life?
WHAT CAUSES BLOATING #3:
LACK OF QUALITY SLEEP
When we achieve a high quality sleep, our body is in heal, repair and digest mode, and this is when our body breaks down any food in our stomach/intestines, detoxes and makes sure there isn’t anything for your bad bacteria to feed on. This is also when our gut lining is repairing itself! Insufficient sleep, on the other hand, can affect our digestive enzymes, stomach acid and healthy bacteria, all of which we require for digestion.
WHAT CAUSES BLOATING #4:
EATING “HEALTHY” FOODS
There are many foods that provide nutritional value and are considered healthy, but they may not be the best if you are trying to avoid bloating. These foods are high in FODMAPS. This means they contain the type of carbohydrates that those bad bacteria (mentioned above) love to eat! This causes fermentation in your stomach, making creating that gas and distension. Examples include chickpeas, lentils, beans, garlic, wheat and greek yogurt. It’s also possible to have an intolerance or sensitivity to even healthy foods, so it’s important to keep track of what causes you discomfort, regardless of whether or not it’s considered “healthy”.
WHAT CAUSES BLOATING #5:
HOLDING ONTO EMOTIONS
Holding onto negative emotions can have a physical toll on your body. Research shows that chronic bloaters tend to ruminate over conversations or feelings and have a hard time letting things go. Bloaters are also likely to hold onto a lot of “clutter; both emotional and physical. Even having too many tabs open on your computer and phone is linked to bloating symptoms!
BLOATING IS NOT NORMAL
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM DR. BHAT
I suffered from chronic bloating for YEARS and YEARS. The truth is, there ISN’T a magic bullet that will solve bloating. The internet is FULL of “do this”, “take this”, and empty promises that make you feel like you HAVE tried all the things and half the time we all just throw our hands up and say “well maybe I just have to live with it”.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO FEEL BLOATED ANYMORE. WE HAVE ANSWERS.
I would have done anything 15 years ago if someone told me they could heal my bloating. Instead, I thought I’d try to figure it out myself. I’m here to tell you, figuring it out yourself will take you MUCH LONGER and make you MORE FRUSTRATED in the meantime.
We have helped 100s of patients mitigate their bloating for good. It is NOT all about giving up foods, it’s about gaining insights on what the body and mind want! It’s food combining, it’s about stress management, it’s about thoughts, it’s about healing the gut, it’s about shifting the microbes, it’s about nutrient deficiencies, it’s about dealing with pent up emotions, it’s about relationships, it’s about purpose, it’s about movement and so much more.
WE HAVE FOUR BLOATING PROGRAMS HERE AT TMB
CLEAN GUT DETOX
I have designed them all personally based on the WINS I have seen personally, as well as with 100s of patients in our practice. They WORK.
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