Do You Suffer From Bloating?
Have you ever eaten too much, too fast and as a result had that fat feeling in your stomach? Yep, that’s bloating. Unfortunately, it affects everyone at some stage in their life!
What Conditions Can Cause Bloating?
Bloating can be induced by a number of different factors such as:
- Stress
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) & irritable bowel disease (IBD)
- Food allergies/intolerances (egg, fructose, lactose, wheat/gluten)
- Poor digestion
- Bacterial imbalance
- Hormone imbalance
What if I Don’t Suffer From Any of These Conditions? Why Does Bloating Still Affect Me?
Bloating can also be caused by numerous habits or eating behaviours many people do every day such as:
- Eating too quickly
- Not chewing our food enough
- Eating large meals
- Drinking more than 1 glass (240ml) of water with your main meals
- Consuming large quantities of high fibre foods (these have been shown to produce gas)
- Constipation
- Consuming sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners
- Dehydration
- Drinking through a straw
Does sleep, exercise and stress affect bloating?
All of the above factors play a massive role in bloating. During times of stress, your body produces fewer digestive enzymes (these help break down our food!)
Just think about it: If you’re running from a giant bear, the last thing your body cares about it whether you digest and absorb all of your nutrients from that pasta you ate at lunch.
To reduce meal time stress, eat with friends and family. Enjoy the food in front of you, chew your food and stay away from TVs and phones.
Low intensity exercise such as walking, and yoga can help reduce bloating. Gentle exercise can stimulate digestion and help keep things moving the way they are suppose too. This also prevents gas build up in our stomach which leads to bloating.
What’s the best way to beat the bloat?
Get to the root cause!!
Food sensitives, allergies, bacterial imbalance, enzymes deficiencies or hormone imbalance can all be helped by the right supplementation and nutrition!