Natural Remedies for Bloating.

Do you feel bloated all the dang time?? Bloating happens from having a weak and slow digestion. And there are many reasons why you could be bloated and struggling with digestion.

In this post, we are going to cover:
1. Why am I Bloated ??
2. Natural Remedies for Bloating

Why am I Bloated?

First, we need to answer the question “why am I bloated 24/7 ?”. Here are few reasons why you might be bloated.

1. Stress
2. Not Eating Consistently
3. Food Reactions
4. Eating Too Fast and Too Much
5. Gluten
6. Bacteria Overgrowth
7. SIBO
8. Constipated
9. Low Stomach Acid

Health is personalized and there can be so many things going on in your life and body that can affect your digestion. Where do you start? Here are the questions I like to ask to pinpoint the cause of your bloating and then we can dive into natural remedies for your bloating.

How is your Stress Level? 

Stress is a major factor in digestion. Stress slows digestion down and puts it low on the priority list.  You do not want to live in high stress mode all day long.  It is very important to take breaks and give yourself space to relax and fully eat your meal.

You can do this by:
1. Taking a lunch break.
2. Taking deep belly breathes for 5 minutes over the day.
3. Go to bed earlier.

Do what you can. Make the effort to add in simple small habits to tell your body it is safe and it can fully digest your food.

Are you Eating Consistently and Enough?

Most women don’t eat enough food. They run out the door with no breakfast. Eat a small salad for lunch and more coffee. Then they eat a normal size dinner and are done.  You have the belief that everyone eats too much and you feel guilty about eating that much at dinner. Even though in reality, you have not eaten enough calories for the day. And you find yourself bloated from eating a normal size meal…. They cycle continues as not eating = less bloat.

Bloating happens because you are used to eating less. Then when you eat a larger meal, your stomach is overwhelmed. Consistently eating a good size meal not only helps you get in enough calories, but your body is expecting to eat more regularly. You especially want to do this if you struggle with constipation because it can be eating itself that triggers a bowel movement. 

Action: Eat Balanced Meals Consistently. Make sure to include veggies, protein and fat at minimum for every meal. Add in starchy carbs for 1-2 meals. (possibly every meal depending on your specific case)

Are you Reacting to Gluten?

Cutting out gluten is not an easy task, but gluten is one of the most common gut irritants. It can be a high cause for stomach pain and bloating. And even if you don’t react to gluten…it could be invisible reaction. Personally, I do not always immediately react to gluten, but sometimes I do. When I did remove gluten, I released a lot of inflammation. It was a big reason behind my chronic constipation and inflamed digestion. Even though I ate a healthy real food diet, gluten was causing my digestion to bloat and slow down.  I will write a post soon about how to live the gluten free lifestyle.  I do not suggest purchasing gluten-free foods because many of those foods have corn. Corn is another common gut irritant so you may just be replacing one irritant for another.

Are your Reacting to Other Foods?

Food intolerances are becoming more and more common. This is due to leaky gut. You can read more about leaky gut and how you can get leaky gut here.  The reality is that there are so many foods that can cause bloating. It can be overwhelming. You can react to any food from lemons to avocados to bacon to coffee to green tea to apples. There are multiple methods and diets to figure out what foods you should avoid.

Here are the most popular diets you can try if you struggle with bloating.

Whole 30

If you are new to the scene, I recommend you start here. Whole 30 eliminates all the common irritants for 30 days and then adds them back in one by one. This way you can see what foods you need to avoid. Whole 30 is very popular and there is many recipes and books to support you on the journey.

Low-Fodmap Diet

If you have tried whole 30, and that didn’t fully work. You can try eating low fodmap. This diet includes avoiding a group of carbs that trigger digestive issues like gas, bloating, and stomach pain. Many of the foods under a whole 30 would have already been eliminated like wheat and dairy.  But low FODMap includes avoiding specific vegetables and fruit that are high in FODMAP like onions, cabbage, beets, peaches, plums, etc. You can find a full list here.

If you have tried these diets and are still struggling or you just want accelerated answers. I recommend skipping straight to food sensitivity testing. You can read more about food sensitivity testing here.

The truth is you can react to any food including healthy food. You might react to 20 different foods. Some foods might make you feel bloated while some give you a headache or make your heart race.

Do you have Low Stomach Acid?

Another possible reason for bloating is you have low stomach acid.  You need enough acid in the stomach to break down food. It is very important to chew your food and support stomach acid production.

Here are a few natural ways to support stomach acid production:

• Limit antacid medications

• Eat nutritionally dense food

• Eat fermented vegetables

• Avoid drinking ice water with meals and instead sip on warm ginger or lemon tea.

• Limit refined sugar
  
• Manage stress. As stress depletes stomach acid.
  
• Increase zinc. Zinc can be found in animal foods like beef, lamb, turkey, and crab. Pumpkin seeds are another great source of zinc.

These are the different questions to explore to figure out why you are bloated.

Beyond the Basics….

The next step is to look deeper into functional testing if you continue to struggle with bloating and digestive issues. SIBO, constipation, bacterial overgrowth, candida, can all cause bloating and digestive issues. I recommend investing in stool test, food sensitivity test, and HTMA test at a minimum to see what is going on in the body. Testing will accelerate your results because you have access to a custom protocol created specifically for your body! We will know exactly what food to eat, supplements to take that will help your body. You can read more about my experience here. I am now accepting 1:1 clients in my whole body healing program which includes functional lab testing. Apply here to learn more. 🙂

Next here are 12 natural remedies for bloating that can help you today!

1. Drink warm ginger lemon water. Ginger and lemon are both great to support the digestive system. Boil a slice of ginger root and add a squeeze of lemon.

2. Chew some fennel seeds or sprinkle on your meal.

3. Eat soup. Soup is hydrating and easy to digest.

4. Take a digestive enzyme. This is my favorite one.

5. Eat fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha tea.

6. Drink peppermint tea.

7. Rub digestive blend essential oils on your stomach.

8. Try a few yoga moves. Here is a simple yoga sequence to support digestion.

9. Eat hydrating water-based foods like cucumbers, celery, watermelon.

10.  Drink pineapple juice. It is rich in bromelain which is an enzyme that Is anti-inflammatory.

11. Eat papaya which has an enzyme called papain that supports digestion and gas.

12. Go for a walk to support detox of the lymphatic system.

So many different things you can do! My end goal for this post is to help you know that you don’t have to live with bloating for the rest of your life! There IS a solution. I know it can feel overwhelming and hopeless, but holistic and functional remedies like these can help you feel so much more confident and free!

If you have any digestion questions or bloating questions – leave a comment below and I would be happy to help you!

xox
Chelsea Jolene