According to many doctors, bloating is one of the most common problems in modern people. There are many reasons why people experience bloating, but once the cause is determined, the treatment is usually simple and easy.
Recurrent bloating can definitely cause discomfort, but for a huge number of women, this issue also creates negative effects for their self-confidence.
Bloating causes
The following is a list of the most common causes of bloating:
- Different food intolerances
- Overgrowth of intestinal yeast
- Insulin resistance
- Celiac disease and/or gluten sensitivity
- Irregular meal times
- Poor food combinations
- Digestive enzymes deficiency
- Small intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth
It’s good to point out that some of the conditions we’ve mentioned can be checked and tested for celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, food intolerance, and insulin resistance. The rest of the causes can be detected by taking a medical history and symptoms into consideration.
During this period of time, while you are looking for the exact cause of your problem, you should feel free to use some of these natural remedies to address bloating symptoms: Food intolerance
1. Food Intolerance
Many people believe that food intolerance is the same as food allergy, but that’s not right. Food intolerance is a delayed reaction to specific kinds of food.
These intolerances can lead to inflammation and immune stress and they can also result in intestinal tract irritation which ultimately leads to bloating. Most people are dealing with intolerance to specific fruits (pineapple, citrus, banana etc.), eggs, dairy products, certain nuts (peanuts, almonds etc.), gluten, wheat, corn etc.
Most people are dealing with intolerance to specific fruits (pineapple, citrus, banana etc.), eggs, dairy products, certain nuts (peanuts, almonds etc.), gluten, wheat, corn etc.
A blood test can show the level and type of food intolerances you have. In this way, you will know what you can eat and what to avoid. Food intolerances are common in people who have a medical history of eczema, allergies, and asthma and people with a family history of autoimmune disease.
In addition, food intolerances can be linked to a wide range of skin conditions, low energy, and digestive disturbances.
2. Overgrowth of Intestinal Yeast
Overgrowth of intestinal yeast is very common today and it typically comes as a result of long-term or frequent use of pharmaceutical antibiotics. In most cases, people take antibiotics to treat acne for a long period of time, children are given many rounds of these drugs to treat tonsil or ear infections or people use them frequently to treat UTIs.
The truth is that antibiotics are modifying the digestive flora, creating a favorable environment for yeast and as you probably know, this is an organism that uses every chance to grow and expand.
If the body is overwhelmed with yeast, you will definitely be gassy and bloated. That’s quite natural because yeast is here to ferment foods which lead to gasses. There are many people who will notice strong carbohydrates and sugar cravings, proneness to binge eating, fatigue, brain fog, vaginal yeast infections and even fungal skin issues.
By bringing back balance in the intestinal flora, people can treat this problem. Yeast cleanse is the best way to achieve this goal: simply follow a sugar-free diet, use supplements to eliminate yeast and make your intestinal flora stronger with the help of probiotics.
3. Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity
Intolerance to gluten and celiac disease, which represents an intense and more serious type of intolerance to gluten, are a growing problem around the globe. The main reason for that is the modification of wheat in the last five decades as well as increased intake of grain products.
There are a huge number of people who have gluten sensitivity and feel bloated. Some of them may experience gassiness, diarrhea or constipation. There are a huge number of people who have gluten sensitivity and feel bloated. Some of them may experience gassiness, diarrhea or constipation.
If you want to be sure that this is the reason why you are experiencing problems, you can take a testing for celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Keep in mind that even if these tests are negative, it’s still better to avoid gluten. There is another thing that can indicate gluten intolerance and that’s low levels of vitamin B12 in the body of people who are not following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
There is another thing that can indicate gluten intolerance and that’s low levels of vitamin B12 in the body of people who are not following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
In case you believe that gluten is causing problems in your stomach, it’s a good idea to conduct blood tests or to follow a five-week gluten free diet. Once these five weeks have passed, it’s vital to bring back gluten in your diet and analyze your body’s reaction. Don’t forget that there are some excellent gluten alternatives like quinoa, rice, sweet potato, squash, and millet.
Once these five weeks have passed, it’s vital to bring back gluten in your diet and analyze your body’s reaction. Don’t forget that there are some excellent gluten alternatives like quinoa, rice, sweet potato, squash, and millet.
4. Resistance to Insulin
Insulin represents a hormone produced and released from your pancreas as a response to sugar in the blood. So, it is natural for the level of insulin to increase right after consumption of a meal. Whenever the pancreas releases insulin in a healthy individual, it makes the cells in the body use fats and glucose from the blood.
On the other hand, insulin resistance emerges when the cells are unresponsive to this change or when their response is weak. As a result of that, the pancreas releases additional amounts of insulin and in the end, it leads to an extremely high, toxic level of glucose in your bloodstream. This means that you will have high blood sugar levels.
Some of the most frequent symptoms of this problem include intense sugar and carb craving, weight gain (unusually fast weight gain after two or three years), feeling bloated and/or tired right after eating a meal and increased appetite.
In case you’ve noticed any of these symptoms, or you have a history of diabetes in your family, there is a good chance that you are dealing with insulin resistance. This condition can be confirmed with the help of blood tests.
What you should know is that this health condition can be treated and reversed with simple changes to the diet and physical activity. The most important thing is to cut the intake of carbs and sugar and to consume more healthy fats, fiber, proteins, and veggies and to be more active.
5. Improper Food Combining
Are you aware of the fact that the kinds of foods you consume can have an impact on the quality of their digestion? The fact is that there are many individuals who are more sensitive compared to others. Whenever the foods are combined in an improper way, this leads to slower digestive process and can ultimately lead to indigestion and
Whenever the foods are combined in an improper way, this leads to slower digestive process and can ultimately lead to indigestion and bloating.
The most important thing about food combining is to consume fruits separately and not to mix them with other foods. This is especially true for proteins. The majority of people will feel improvement by following this simple rule. For instance, you should not eat melon or a mixed fruit salad right after you’ve consumed fish for dinner.
This is especially true for proteins. The majority of people will feel improvement by following this simple rule. For instance, you should not eat melon or a mixed fruit salad right after you’ve consumed fish for dinner.
There are different rules of food combining that can help. One of them is to avoid combining proteins and carbs. This rule can be difficult to follow especially if you are following a vegan/vegetarian diet. However, people who eat fish, poultry and meat should definitely try to consume proteins and starches separately.
They should feel smooth digestion after this change. For instance, you can eat a breakfast that consists of fruit juice, consume nuts as a mid-morning snack, consume a lunch that includes fish, poultry or meat and many veggies and
This rule can be difficult to follow especially if you are following a vegan/vegetarian diet. However, people who eat fish, poultry and meat should definitely try to consume proteins and starches separately. They should feel smooth digestion after this change.
For instance, you can eat a breakfast that consists of fruit juice, consume nuts as a mid-morning snack, consume a lunch that includes fish, poultry or meat and many veggies and eat a dinner rich in carbs like baked sweet potato and grilled veggies.
6. Irregular Meal Times
Now here’s another common reason why people feel bloated – they are not eating at regular times. In case you spend many hours without eating, or you eat a large quantity of food before you go to sleep, the digestion (metabolism) will experience problems. For instance, not having a breakfast and consumption of a rich lunch will definitely lead to bloating.
This is natural because you are causing a shock to the digestive system and you will boost insulin and blood sugar levels too. As a result of that, you will feel tired and bloated and you’ll be looking for caffeine to remain productive after 3 pm.
For instance, not having a breakfast and consumption of a rich lunch will definitely lead to bloating. This is natural because you are causing a shock to the digestive system and you will boost insulin and blood sugar levels too.
As a result of that, you will feel tired and bloated and you’ll be looking for caffeine to remain productive after 3 pm.
The human body works best with consistent meals taken at the same period of the day. The digestive system also works better when everything is consistent. Try to have a breakfast about one hour after waking up, a midday lunch at the same time of the day, and a dinner before 7 pm (given that you go to bed at 11 pm or 12 pm). You should also have mid-afternoon and mid-morning snacks in case you feel hungry.
Try to have a breakfast about one hour after waking up, a midday lunch at the same time of the day, and a dinner before 7 pm (given that you go to bed at 11 pm or 12 pm). You should also have mid-afternoon and mid-morning snacks in case you feel hungry.
7. Digestive Enzymes Deficiency
The pancreas is the organ in our body responsible for the production of digestive enzymes. These enzymes are used to break down food into pieces that are absorbed easily by the body. The enzymes are here to break down lactose, fats, carbs, and proteins.
There are cases when the body cannot create a sufficient amount of digestive enzymes which leads to pain, bloating, irregular bowel movements and indigestion. So, digestive enzymes deficiency can come as a result of bacterial overgrowth, low stomach acid, aging, chronic stress, overgrowth of yeast, bacteria or parasites, and food intolerance that lead to inflammation of the intestinal tract.
So, digestive enzymes deficiency can come as a result of bacterial overgrowth, low stomach acid, aging, chronic stress, overgrowth of yeast, bacteria or parasites, and food intolerance that lead to inflammation of the intestinal tract.
Lactose intolerance is a type of enzyme deficiency too. In this case, there is not enough lactase enzyme needed for lactose breakdown which leads to improper digestion of milk, cheese, and other dairy products. There are two ways to test lactose intolerance – a two-week dairy-free diet and getting back to the old diet for a few days to notice the changes and a simple breath test.
One short-term solution to this issue is to consume digestive enzymes with the help of your meal and to stay away from dairy products in cases you are dealing with lactose intolerances.
Keep in mind that you should spend some time searching for the main cause of this issue and address possible imbalances. In this way, you can help the body create the necessary amount of enzymes.
8. Parasites and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
It’s not unusual to experience an imbalance in the intestinal tract related to the organisms that dwell there. Besides yeast that we have highlighted above, there are many men and women who have too many pathogenic bacteria and in some cases parasites located in the digestive tract.
The chances are higher for individuals who have traveled abroad in South America, Africa or Asia. However, even a small change of scenery can lead to this problem. This kind of digestive imbalance usually leads to fatigue, weight loss, and diarrhea.
The good news is that you can test for parasites and bacterial overgrowth at any time – simple digestive stool analysis will do the job. After the organism/s that are causing the problem are identified, the treatment is easy.
Final thoughts
So, there is more than one cause of bloating, but once it is determined, the condition can be treated easily. You should not accept a situation where you have to loosen the pants after every meal or to be very bloated before you go to bed. We hope that this article will help you find a solution to your problem.
Source: The Healthy Soul
