I get this question A LOT! Both from clients and from friends and family. The short answer is - NO, bloating is NOT NORMAL. It can definitely feel normal to you though, especially if you friends and family talk about it often. Just because something is COMMON, it doesn’t mean that it is NORMAL.
Why is it NOT normal?
Well, your digestive tract works in a North to South fashion. If everything is functioning properly, you really should not have any symptoms. However, if something is off down South (AKA bloating — which is in your intestines), it is from something going on up North.
This could look like:
Not chewing your food enough
Not having enough stomach acid
Eating in a hurry
Eating while arguing with your spouse or kids
Not having enough digestive enzymes
Having an illeococal valve issue
Having slow motility (Not pooping frequently enough)
Having bacterial overgrowth
Not drinking enough water
Your bloating isn’t just happening for no reason — there is a root cause issue going on.
If you are bloated, you are more than likely not digesting well.
Your intestines should be absorbing nutrients, not trying to digest food. If there is undigested food in your intestines, some of that is just going to pass right through you and down the toilet. This means less nutrients for your body. The body that does ALL. THE. THINGS — like you running around taking care of everyone else! You deserve to have more energy and to feel nourished - not feeling like an inflated balloon.
What is happening when I feel bloated?
Did you know that digestion actually starts in the mind? Have you ever thought about something super tasty and you started salivating? That is your mind starting digestion! Your brain is saying, oh yeah, we are getting food soon…better start digesting. This is why it is so important for you to be relaxed and fully present for your meal times. Digestion actually starts before your food even enters your mouth. Even though, once it does enter your mouth, that is super important too!
A main cause for bloating is having undigested food in your intestines. Your intestines are not made to digest food, they are made to absorb nutrients from already digested food. And the more liquefied, the better. You really want to take your time, chewing your food fully — about 20-30 chews per bite — before swallowing.
Your stomach is the main organ that does all the heavy lifting in your digestive tract to make food available to the body. However, first your food must be properly masticated by your teeth — your stomach does not have teeth! The more you grind your food down, the easier it will be for the rest of digestion to take place. When your food enters your stomach, it undergoes further digestion by way of stomach acid. If you have low stomach acid, this could be an area of concern. You especially need stomach acid for protein digestion — protein needs stomach acid in order to be broken down into usable amino acids. Something tangible to watch out for could be undigested food in your poop (minus corn - that doesn’t really get digested and is actually a good way of testing your transit time or time that it takes your food to go through your intestines). There are a slew of symptoms for low stomach acid production, which we can discuss more fully at a later date. However, here are a few:
bloating within one hour of eating
burping within one hour of eating
loss of taste for meat
bad breath
sense of fullness after meals
stomach pain or cramps
etc
If you are eating under stress or in a hurry, not chewing your food and you have low stomach acid? More than likely, you will have undigested food making it’s way into your intestines. You are asking your intestines to do a job that they were not designed to do. However, bacteria do a GREAT job at breaking down food! That undigested food can be easily fermented by the bacteria that inhabits your intestines — even good bacteria will ferment undigested foods. When the bacteria ferment or digest those food particles, they release gas which makes you feel bloated!
When I went to the GI doctor complaining of my chronic bloating, he told me that nothing was wrong with me and that I probably just have IBS. What he didn’t dive into was WHY I was feeling this way — WHY did I supposedly have IBS? He just prescribed me a pill to take for inflammation and sent me on my merry way. He didn’t discuss next steps to take or anything, just, here take this pill. I was so frustrated!
Luckily, i DID find a solution to my bloating. It took me many years of trial and error, gut healing and elimination diets but, I can tell you that it is POSSIBLE! You don’t have to deal with bloating forever.
You don’t have to feel so uncomfortable.
You don’t have to try that next diet fad.
You don’t have to keep restricting yourself to find relief.
I can help you get rid of your chronic bloating and on the path to healing! Schedule a discovery call with me today :)