I’ve had a lot of people in clinic lately who are complaining about feeling bloated, gassy and uncomfortable on a daily basis.
From my experience, these are the most common reasons why:
☁️ Bacterial overgrowth or dysbiosis which leads to changes in gas production and bloating. You may want to do some gut testing and if necessary antimicrobial herbs to reduce undesirable levels, while also promoting “good” bacteria through the diet.
☁️ Constipation is a huge cause for bloating and is due to the body’s waste sitting within the digestive tract for longer than necessary and fermenting. Fibre intake, water and potentially prokinetic herbs are really important for supporting constipation.
☁️ Endometriosis can cause significant bloating in the lower abdomen that can make you look pregnant, this associated with inflammation of the lesions/tissue growth. Reducing inflammation in the body through diet and herbs in recommended.
☁️ The diet is also a huge player with certain foods such as canned beans/lentils, cruciferous vegetables, alcohol, fermented foods and your specific trigger foods. When people switch to a plant based diet or significantly up their veggie intake, this can lead to a temporary increase in gas production but it should subside once the body is used to it.
☁️ Coeliac disease or food intolerances also lead to bloating, this will need to be diagnosed through testing and those foods must be avoided completely.
☁️ Eating too much, eating too fast or not chewing your food can also lead to abdominal discomfort, usually in the upper regions around the stomach. Eating mindfully and perhaps using digestive enzymes can help.
Working out why you are bloated involves assessing your symptoms, when they occur and if necessary doing some gut testing to see the state of your gut. From there we can work out a plan to stop that bloating for good!