Don't Let the Bloat Stop You

Bloating is probably the number one digestive complaint that we come across here at SFIM.

Occasional bloating can be normal but if you are experiencing bloating after every meal, when you first wake up in the morning, and if it's accompanied by other symptoms, there's probably something that needs to be addressed.

Don't jump to worst case scenario.  If you start to experience bloating, there are some common reasons why you could be bloated and there are some steps you can take to reduce it. 

Reasons for Bloating

The mere fact that you eat food and have abdominal organs could alone can cause some bloating

What's not normal to have a completely flat abdomen all day long while you're nourishing yourself properly with enough calories to sustain good health.  So, now that we've gotten that out of the way. There are also some other functional, but not problematic reasons why you might be bloated.

Here are just a few of them:

• eating too fast
• eating too much
• diet high in sodium and carbs 
• drinking carbonated beverage 
• Menstrual cycle is about to begin

If you've crossed all those off your list and are still bloated, here are some other health-related reasons for bloating you can consider doing a deeper into:

• lactose or gluten intolerance
• constipation
• gut bacteria imbalance
• low in stomach acid
• food sensitivity

To know if one of the factors above are truly at play, working with our digestion specialist Dr. Bezjak will provide you insight, education, testing evaluation, and a treatment plan.  

Click Here to Book a Phone Consult with Dr. Bezjak to Discuss Further

Practical Tips for Attacking Bloating

​If there's a serious underlying cause for your bloating, these tips will only get you so far. But if they don't help, it can also be a litmus test that the issue is more complicated and its time to bring on a professional.  

Tip #1 - Dial in your good eating habits.
Bloating is often a result of your body struggling to properly and efficiently digest your food. When food moves through your digestive tract before you can digest it all, your gut bacteria get free reign at it, which can result in bloating. So to minimize this, make sure to engage your parasympathetic system (that good old, rest and digest) while eating. Don't eat on the run, taking 2-3 deep breathes at the table before eating, and chewing your food thoroughly 

Tip # 2 - Eliminate bloat triggers.
Unfair fact - some foods will cause bloating no matter who we are. Foods like gluten, dairy, sugar alcohols, and starches just tend to make us more bloated than other foods.  If bloating is messing with your day, try eliminating these foods from your diet for a time and monitor for improvement.

Tip # 3 - Determine what foods you're sensitive to.
If you have any underlying food sensitivities, those are bound to cause bloating. By using a food journal you can try to identity what sensitivities you may have. When you're sensitive to a certain food, eating it creates inflammation in your GI tract, leading to issues digesting and absorbing all your food, the symptom - bloating arises. 

Tip # 4 - Address underlying gut infections.
Imbalance in the microbiome is a prime culprit when it comes to bloating. Whether that's a bacterial imbalance, parasitic infection, or something else, figuring out what's actually happening in your gut and treating it is your best bet for clearing up that bloating. 

​If you're struggling with bloating and other digestive issues, know that you're definitely not alone. We hope you learned something that can help start you on your journey to better digestive health.

If you still need some help and guidance after implementing these tips, drop us a line, we're more than happy to help!