Eat well but still feel bloated?

At least 70% of my clients experience regular, and sometimes painful bloating, even if it wasn't the primary reason they came to see me.

Bloating can not only feel uncomfortable but it can really knock your confidence and impact on what you want to wear.

For some people, waking with a flat stomach but looking 6-months pregnant by the evening has become a normal part of their daily routine.

But the impact it can cause on your life is noticeable. You might avoid social situations, don't want anyone to see you naked and are embarrased by the extra gas that sometimes follows.

You may feel silly complaining about it, but truthfully, it can actually have a real impact on your life and I've seen this time and time again.

I've been there too

I experienced hideous bloating myself when I had IBS. I was meant to be enjoying my career-building, work-hard-play-hard lifestyle in my 20's in London.

But the reality was I'd often wear what can only be described as a posh kaftan to work to hide the bloat and I missed lots of work socials to go straight home and avoid eating out as it was just too uncomfortable.

My IBS really impacted on my mental health and the bloating and pain that went with it was a big part of this.

So what causes bloating?

As with all symptoms, the root causes are different for each person.

But you might be surprised to know that it isn't always about WHAT you are eating but more about HOW you are eating it.

I've listed below the most common causes I see in clinic - which of these could be the cause of your bloating?

(1) Eating when stressed

Picture your digestive system like one of those big Chinese Dragons that dance their way down the street in festive celebrations. They consistently move in a rhythmic and repetitive motion.

You have nerves and muscles that control this motion in your digestive system, from your mouth all the way down....

If you are releasing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline because you're reading an email that's made you mad, these nerves and muscles misfire and your personal Chinese Dragon goes off piste.

When the rhythmic movement of food through your digestive tract gets disturbed, gas that would ordinarily be absorbed into the bloodstream or passed as wind gets trapped and stretches your bowel.

Food can stay in one place for too long and increased fermentation can occur (think stagnant swamp) creating more gas.

(2) Eating in a rush

Alongside the nerves and muscles controlling your digestive process you also have various digestive fluids that contain enzymes helping to breakdown your food.

These fluids operate in a domino effect fashion, starting with something called the 'cephalic phase' which begins before food even enters your mouth.

As soon as you start thinking about what you are going to eat this phase kicks-in and kicks-off your saliva, subsequently awakening your stomach acid and enzyme production, followed by your bile and pancreatic enzymes.

If you grab food on the go with very little thought, or throw it down you in a matter of seconds, this whole domino-effect system can't operate effectively.

If food ends up in your large intestine not effectively digested further upstream your gut bacteria are delighted to help...and you guessed it, ferment it to break it down. More food to ferment = more gas.

(3) Your gut bugs are imbalanced

Certain types of gut bacteria produce excess amounts of gases such as methane. If your gut microbiome consists of more of these than you might like you will have a tendency to create more gas and therefore bloating.

Notably, many of these bacteria also contribute to irregular bowel movements. Both constipation and diarrhoea can pair up with a bloated gut.

Antibiotics, artificial sweeteners and lots of ultra-processed foods can disturb our gut microbiome and give too much space to the bacteria we'd rather not have. Stress also kills off our friendlier bugs.

(4) Your digestive system never gets a rest

Those same nerves and muscles that operate your digestive Chinese Dragon don't go to sleep in between meals. They operate a kind of cleaning system known as the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC).

I think of this like a school caretaker coming through and sweeping away all of the debris from the previous day.

But the caretaker can't start work until all of the kids have gone home. Or in this case, until you've stopped eating for at least 3-4 hours.

If you keep grazing all day then the caretaker isn't at work and you have more chance of food 'debris' hanging around and, you guessed it, fermenting and creating more gas.

Could these things be impacting you?

Try eating 'mindfully'

Honestly, I have some clients who come to me convinced they have food intolerances or parasites who reduce their bloating from doing these things:

• Give more time and focus to eating

• Don't eat when stressed

• Take ten deep breaths before starting your meal

• Sit at a table and put your cutlery down in between mouthfuls

• Try not to snack and leave 4-5 hours between meals

  
  

If you try this for a month or so and nothing changes, come to me for a chat and we'll explore the other options.