Bloating has many causes, including overeating and under-exercising. This article will discuss the preventative measures that you can take to reduce bloating, ranging from recognizing when it may be happening to make lifestyle changes such as drinking more water and eating a more diverse diet. It is important to note that bloating is not just about weight gain, but about inflammation and discomfort in the stomach area.
We also made a video out of this blog in case you are more interested in watching than reading it.
It is the duty of your digestive system to break down food into tiny particles called molecules, which are then passed out of your body in feces. The small intestine absorbs about 50% of the food you eat and sends it through the rest of the digestive system to help with elimination. When a person overeats, their intestine is unable to handle all of the food that they have consumed (up to three times its normal capacity). If you eat too much, the excess undigested food is stored in the lower part of your digestive tract (the large intestine), where it can cause bloating. A recent study has shown that approximately 10% of people suffer from chronic bloating. This can cause abdominal discomfort, constipation, and dehydration.
An important factor in reducing bloating is recognizing when you are overeating and learning how to deal with it. When you consume food that causes bloating, you should try to avoid eating much more at your next mealtime or eating as much at meals for the next few days. Below are some tips for dealing with bloating:
Stress and anxiety have been found to be common causes of abdominal discomfort. To reduce bloating from stress, try yoga or meditation in your spare time. If these do not work for you, talk to a professional such as a psychologist.
Eat a diet that consists of a variety of natural, unprocessed foods. Many processed foods cause bloating because they lack fiber and contain preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and excessive amounts of sugar.
Drink plenty of water because if you are dehydrated your body draws water from your stomach and intestines to compensate. When the body is dehydrated it releases excess sodium into the bloodstream which causes bloating.
Take smaller meals several times a day instead of large meals twice per day. This will allow your body more time to digest food properly and decrease the likelihood that you will get bloated by eating too much at once.
Remove potential allergy and sensitivity triggers from your diet. Common causes of bloating include dairy, gluten, and alcohol.
Tight clothing can cause abdominal pain which is commonly mistaken for bloating. Bloated bellies are more likely to cause discomfort if you are constipated or if you eat too much at one sitting. Try exercising every day for at least 30 minutes to decrease the likelihood of getting a bloated stomach. If your stomach remains bloated after exercise, try eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
In conclusion, we have seen that several factors can lead to bloating including stress and overeating. These factors can cause discomfort in the stomach area and can lead to weight gain. It is important to remember that bloating does not only occur from eating too much, but also from other factors such as inflammation and constipation. As a result, it is important to remember that exercise, stress reduction, and diet alterations are essential for preventing bloating.
Causes of Bloating
There are many different causes of bloating, it's not just one cause. Let's look at the potential cause of bloating.
Stomach - If the stomach does not have enough acid or the pH of the stomach is too alkaline because you are taking an acid, you can experience acid reflux or indigestion. If you have bloating and indigestion or acid reflux then it's more likely that it is coming from the stomach. Think about the stomach as one of the places to help you start to digest and if you don't have enough acid like a lot of people, from that point on the food can go through the whole chain of events, and if it is undigested, these organs will have to work harder so it is very important to have enough acid on your stomach to start the process of breaking down the protein especially with the right amount of acid. If you need acid, you should take an apple cider vinegar either on empty stomach or with food. You take 1 or 2 tablespoons with some water to help your digestion.
Gall Bladder - The purpose of the gall bladder is to concentrate bile which is like a detergent that helps you break down fat. It helps to concentrate the bile so when you eat it release into the small intestine and it mixes with the pancreatic enzymes to help you break down certain things. If the gall bladder does not have enough bile cells, you'll get burping, belching, or bloating. If you bloat, belching or burping, and if you have a full sensation underneath the right rib cage or you have pain going in the right shoulder or on your neck then suspect a gall bladder and you need some purify bile salt or gall bladder formula to help assist gall bladder.
Pancreas - If you don't have enough enzymes because of various reasons like being a diabetic or having a lot of carbs in the past and you getting a loss of function in the pancreas. You can get diarrhea, floating stool, or bloating. If this is the case, you need more enzymes and you want to get more supplements that have a wide variety of enzymes. You also wanna make sure that you consume food with enzymes maybe some salads to get more enzymes to help you digest as well as fermented food like cabbage to help you take the pressure off the pancreas. The pancreas also improves when you cut down the high carbs because the more sugar you have the more insulin produced, the more pancreas has to work harder.
Small Intestine - Center of the digestive system where you have 90% of all the digestion. The small intestine also has enzymes but it's not supposed to have a lot of bacteria. A lot of people get bloating in the small intestine due to fermentation. Fermentation is the action of micro in the food like a carbohydrate, fiber, or sugar. In a fermentation process, you will get a lot of gases that are released like carbon dioxide. When you have excess fermentation going on in your small intestine, that gas is going to produce a lot of distension and bloating. You can have either fluid retention going on the small intestine or gas because if you're not able to digest certain foods in the small intestine you'll gonna retain fluid and that's one version of bloating. This condition in the small intestine is called SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth), this situation occurs when you have bacteria that normally should be in the large intestine but it's in the small intestine, so it is in the wrong place. The food coming down is being fermented in the wrong place and you're gonna get a lot of gas and fluid retention.
How do we know you have SIBO? If you consume probiotics you gonna feel worst, you'll gonna get more bloated or if you consume more salad or fiber you'll get bloated. What to do if you have SIBO? Avoid probiotics and fiber, just do carnivore for a while. You can take oregano and garlic to act as natural antibiotics. You can do fasting as well which will help to reset and clean the small intestine.
Large Intestine - You can have an excessive amount of fermentation giving you bloating and gas. If you have this situation, it could be you just have an imbalance in microbes and you have the wrong amount of certain microbes versus the other. In this case, a wide range of vegetables might be helpful.
Bloating is not something that should be ignored. It can be prevented with the use of medicine and diet modifications. If you suspect bloating and an odd sensation under your ribs, take a deep breath and relax to find out what exactly is causing the discomfort. Having a positive attitude can aid your body in recovering faster from bloating.