8 Reasons You Are bloated All The Time
Bloating is a condition where the abdomen feels full and tight, or hard and swollen. It usually occurs when there is a build-up of gas in the stomach or intestines, but bloating may also be from inflammation and/or constipation.
Occasional bloating is normal. It can happen after eating a large meal, having a large serving of raw vegetables, or eating foods that are known to cause more gas like beans or foods from the cabbage family.
Bloating is not normal when it occurs on a regular basis, causes pain or discomfort, or occurs after most meals. Understanding the root cause of your bloating is the first step in getting rid of it. Here are 8 common reasons you might be bloated – and, these reasons also contribute to constipation!
1. Not chewing
The mouth is where all digestion begins. Your teeth tear up food and grind it into particles small enough for the stomach to digest. Chewing also combines food with saliva which contains enzymes that start to break down starch found in plant and animal foods.
The less you chew, the harder it is for the rest of the digestive tract to break down your food. Food should be chewed into an applesauce-like consistency before swallowing. If you neglect this very important first step, food often sits in the stomach longer than it should, producing gas, bloating, and likely constipation.
2. Low stomach acid
The stomach is the next place food settles after you chew and swallow it. Food entering the stomach triggers the secretion of hydrochloric acid so that you can digest protein and liquify food. This acid also triggers the release of other digestive enzymes when the food mass reaches the small intestine. Here, digestion and absorption of nutrients continues.
Low stomach acid often results in maldigestion of protein, and poor absorption of fats and other essential nutrients. In short, most foods that are not digested properly break down through a process called fermentation. Fermentation gives off gas as a by-product resulting in bloating, abdominal cramps, and painful gas. If fermentation occurs in the stomach, you may experience heartburn. If it happens in the intestines, you may experience trapped gas resulting in bloating, abdominal cramping, and eventually flatus (farts!).
3. Junk diet
It’s no surprise to most people that the typical Western diet is far from healthy. Processed, mass-produced foods that contain refined sugars and carbohydrates, inflammatory vegetable oils, and a diet high in animal fat is the perfect recipe for a bloated belly.
This highly processed diet is low in nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, lacks fiber, and comes up short with omega-3 fatty acids. This results in the absence of nutrients that are needed to produce digestive juices like stomach acid and bile to facilitate digestion. The lack of fiber starves out the beneficial bacteria in the gut and leaves room for the opportunistic ones to thrive. And the highly-processed, refined foods lacking in omega-3 fatty acids increases inflammation in the body. The result? Bloating and a whole host of other digestive complaints.
4. Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis means there is an imbalance between the good bacteria and the bad bacteria in your gut. Most of the bacteria living in your gut are beneficial and will not cause you harm. The rest of the bacteria are "opportunistic" and generally do not cause harm as long as they are kept in check by the good bacteria. If the good bacteria become imbalanced, then the opportunistic bacteria become harmful.
Factors that may contribute to dysbiosis include poor diet, high animal fat intake, inadequate fiber, chronic stress, low stomach acid, poor bile flow, and antibiotics. (This is not an exhaustive list.) Digestive symptoms attributed to dysbiosis include indigestion, bloating after most meals, intestinal gas, diarrhea or constipation, and food sensitivities.
5. Slow motility
Gut motility refers to the movement of food from the mouth to the anus. In a healthy individual, your intestines use rhythmic contractions coordinated by signals from your brain to propel food through the digestive tract. When there is a disturbance in the gut-brain connection that facilitates this process, it may result in slowed gut motility.
Slowed gut motility is associated with gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and constipation. Factors that may improve gut motility include eating more fiber, staying hydrated with water, time-restricted eating, eating 3 meals a day with 3-4 hours between meals, and exercise or daily movement.
You can do a beet test to see if you have slow motility or not!
6. Stress
It’s normal to feel stress from time to time. Stress is a physiological response in the body that occurs when there is a perceived threat. In response, your brain sends signals to the rest of the body via stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help deal with the situation. In the short-term, this helps get things done, but when it becomes chronic, there are detrimental consequences from the constant release of stress hormones, such as dysbiosis and leaky gut.
When the body is in a stressed state, this activates the sympathetic nervous system, and blood and resources are shunted to the muscles, heart, and lungs – and away from digestive organs. Eating in this state leads to impaired digestion and often results in gas, bloating, and constipation due to slowed gut motility. To support optimal digestion, shift into a parasympathetic state, otherwise known as “rest and digest” mode.
It's important to remember that stress can be mental or emotional, such as from daily interactions at work, anger, sadness, grief or unresolved trauma. Stress can also be physical. Many people forget about physical stress which includes not getting enough sleep, drinking too much coffee, overconsumption of alcohol, eating too many processed foods, regular exposure to toxins from the environment or household products, and frequent, intense exercise.
7. Food triggers
Food sensitivities and food intolerances are common causes of bloating. A food sensitivity involves a delayed immune reaction to a food component and may result in inflammation depending on how often the food is eaten. A food intolerance occurs when the body lacks the enzyme necessary to break down a particular component of food, such as with lactose intolerance. Both types of food triggers may cause bloating, gas, abdominal cramps, and constipation or diarrhea.
A food, mood, and symptom journal can help identify individual food triggers. You can test for food sensitivities using lab testing. Typically, avoidance is recommended for food intolerances. Food sensitivities are often managed with a temporary elimination diet followed by a slow re-introduction phase after the immune system has had an adequate rest period. (You can learn more about that here.)
8. Medications/Supplements
If you struggle with bloating or constipation, medication or supplements are often overlooked. Overuse of fiber supplements (especially when not taken with adequate amounts of water) are a common cause for bloating and constipation as well as iron and calcium supplements. For the sensitive stomach, too much vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid can also contribute to bloating.
Medications that may contribute to bloating include antibiotics, birth control pill, anti-inflammatories, and anti-diarrhea medications. These medications have been shown to disrupt the gut microbiome, decrease diversity and richness in your good gut bugs, and facilitate an environment that allows opportunistic microbes to thrive. Acid reducers like antacids and proton-pump inhibitors decrease stomach acid and can impair digestion if used inappropriately.
Understanding why you are bloated and taking steps to get rid of bloating for good can feel miles apart from each other.
If you are looking for 1:1 support to get rid of bloating, relieve constipation, and improve digestion, please reach out. I offer private coaching to help you get to the root cause of your symptoms so you can stop using Band-Aid solutions and live bloat-free, have regular bowel movements, and enjoy more of the foods you love. Find out how here.
