Bloating is one of the most common problems that people complain about today. The good news is that once you have determined what is causing your stomach to bloat, that it is almost always treatable. Bloating is uncomfortable, especially for women, because it affects their confidence and how they feel about their bodies.
Here are some of the most common things that cause bloating:
- Intestinal yeast overgrowth
- Food intolerances
- Gluten sensitivity or celiac disease
- Insulin resistance
- Poor food combining
- Irregular meal-times
- Deficiency of digestive enzymes (including lactose intolerance)
- Other causes of dysbiosis – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or parasites
Some of this causes may be tested, but the others are treated based on the symptoms and history.
1.Irregular meal-times
Another common cause of bloating is eating whenever you can. When you spend long hours without meals, and then overeat before bedtime, your digestion (and metabolism) will slow down. For example, when you skip breakfast, and then have a large lunch will nearly always make you feel bloated – this comes as a shock to the digestive system, and will also increase blood sugar levels as well as the insulin level as described in the text bellow. At the end you will feel bloated and tired, consuming coffee to stay awake in the afternoon.
We need to have regular and consistent meal times so our bodies could function properly, and our digestive system will work better as well. Have breakfast within 1 hour after waking up, a regularly timed mid-day lunch, and dinner before 7pm. Consume mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks if you want.
2.Intestinal yeast overgrowth
Intestinal yeast overgrow is quite common condition, and in most cases it comes as a result of prolonged antibiotic use. And these are the most common reasons – excessive use of antibiotics in the childhood against ear or tonsil infections, using antibiotics against acne in a longer period of time(tetracycline or minocin), as well as for persistent urinary tract infections. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to changes of the digestive flora which allows yeasts to win the fight against good bacteria
Too much yeast in your body will make you feel bloated and gassy. Gassiness is caused by yeasts that ferment food. There is also a possibility that some people will have greater desire for sugar and carbs, fatigue, brain fog, vaginal yeast infections, binge eating disorder and perhaps fungal skin infections.
Luckily this condition is curable but you need to rebalance your intestinal flora and clean the yeasts with: taking supplements against yeast, no-sugar diet, and restoring the intestinal flora with probiotics.
3. Gluten sensitivity or celiac disease
Gluten intolerance and celiac disease, a more serious form of gluten-intolerance, are on the rise, mainly because of the great changes in wheat over the past 50 years.Another cause for this condition is the high consumption of grain products. A lot of people with a gluten sensitivity will complain of bloating, with or without gassiness, constipation or diarrhea.
Gluten intolerance and celiac can be tested. However, many people who test negative, still feel much better off gluten. There are various markers for gluten intolerance, such as low vitamin B12 levels without a vegan or vegetarian diet.
In a case you think that gluten may be a problem for you, firstly you need to do appropriate blood tests to confirm, or to start a 5 week strict gluten-free trial. Some of the best alternatives to gluten are millet, rice, sweet potato, quinoa, and squash.
4. Insulin resistance
Insulin is the hormone that is released from the pancreas in response to glucose (sugar) in the blood. The levels of the insulin increase after eating a meal. In a healthy person when insulin is produced it activates the body’s cells to use the sugar and fats from the bloodstream. Insulin resistance happens when the cells do not react tothe insulin signal.
Common symptoms of insulin resistance are: weight gain (often rapidly in a period of 2-3 years); intense cravings for carbohydrates and sweets; increased appetite; and feeling tired and bloated after eating.
The good thing is that insulin resistance is treatable and reversible with diet changes and exercise. The most important thing is to lower your intake of sugar and carbohydrate foods, and consume more vegetables, proteins, fiber and healthy fats; and also to start exercising regularly.
Many people do not know that food combining can also cause bloating. When you combine your food improperly it slows down your digestive process which can cause bloating.
The first rule when it comes to combining food is to eat your fruits alone, and not to combine them with other foods, especially proteins. For example, never eat melon or a fruit salad directly after a fish dinner.
Other combinations you should avoid is proteins and carbohydrates. This may be difficult for vegetarians, but for those of you who eat meat, poultry or fish, try separating your starches and proteins and see how it feels. You will be able to notice much more ease of digestion. For instance, have a breakfast consisting of juicy fruits; have a mid-morning snack of nuts; eat a lunch consisting of meat, poultry or fish with lots of vegetables; and then have a more carbohyrate-heavy dinner such as a baked sweet potato with grilled vegetables.
6. Intolerance of certain types of food
Food intolerance unlike food allergy is a postponed reaction to a food, rather than an instant response like swelling, itching or anaphylaxis. Immune stress and inflammation are caused by food intolerances and in that way the intestinal tract is irritated as well which results in bloating. Foods that mostly cause intolerances are: eggs, certain fruits (citrus, pineapples, bananas) dairy, wheat, gluten, corn, sometimes nuts (peanuts and almonds are most common) etc.
In order to find out which foods you cannot tolerate you need to run blood tests so you need to choose wisely what to eat. This condition is most likely in people with a history of eczema, asthma, allergies a family history of autoimmune disease as well as can be linked with numerous skin conditions, lack of energy and problems with digestion. It is expected that the bloating will disappear in 4-6 weeks with excluding any food that is not good for you.
7. Lack of digestive enzymes
Pancreas secretes digestive enzymes which breakdown food into smaller parts that can be absorbed by your body. Enzymes dissolve carbohydrates, proteins, lactose and fats.
When body is not producing enough digestive enzymes, indigestion, bloating, pain, and irregular bowel movements can appear as a result. A deficiency of digestive enzymes can be caused by: 1) overgrowth of bacteria; 2) food intolerances causing low-grade inflammation in the intestinal tract / yeast / parasites; 3) chronic stress; 4) low stomach and 5) aging.
Another form of enzyme deficiency is Lactose intolerance, where there is insufficient lactase enzyme to dissolve lactose, which causes problems with digestion of dairy products.If you want to know if you suffer from Lactose intolerance you can take a breath test, or within 2 weeks to avoid dairy products, after which you should start consuming them again (so you can see what will happen)
You may take digestive enzymes as a temporary solution within your meals, and not to consume dairy products if you suffer from lactose intolerances. But it is very important to find out the root of the problem, and solve it in order to encourage the body to produce enough enzymes on its own.
8. Other causes of dysbiosis – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or parasites
Digestive tract imbalance is very common condition, and together with yeast as written above, a lot of people also carry many pathogenic bacteria and even parasites in their digestive tracts. This happens mostly in people who travel (especially to Asia, Africa or South America), but even if you eat outside you can pick up some nasty germs. This digestive imbalance typically goes with diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss.
You can run some tests for bacterial proliferating and parasites with a suitable digestive stool analysis in order to find out what is in the intestines. Once the organism(s) are identified the treatment is then much simpler.
Overview
To conclude many things can cause bloating, and this condition can be easily treated. It is not normal if you unbutton your pants each night after dinner, or to feel bloated when the day ends. After reading this article you can improve your digestive health by yourself!