Feeling Bloated All The Time?

Living with daily bloating can quietly take a toll. You might be eating well, avoiding foods you think are causing the problem, or doing all the “right” things, yet the bloating never fully goes away. Chronic bloating is one of the most common digestive complaints, and while it is often dismissed as “normal,” it usually signals that something deeper is going on.

What is Bloating and When Is It Normal?

 Bloating is the sensation of pressure, fullness, or distention in the abdomen. It can be accompanied by visible swelling, discomfort, or even pain. For some people, it fluctuates throughout the day, while for others, it feels constant.

While occasional bloating can happen to anyone, chronic bloating is never truly “normal.” That said, there are common, usually harmless triggers, such as eating a large meal, eating too quickly, increasing fiber intake too rapidly, drinking carbonated beverages, or consuming a significant amount of water during or immediately after meals.

When Is Bloating Not Normal?

Bloating may not be normal if:

• It is increasing in frequency or occurs daily

• It affects your relationship with food, causing confusion about what to eat or negative reactions to multiple foods

• It makes you feel full too quickly and significantly reduces the amount of food you can eat

• It lingers throughout the day or worsens as the day goes on

• You appear visibly distended or experience pain

• It is accompanied by other digestive symptoms such as gas, constipation, loose stools, heartburn, indigestion, stomach cramping, or nausea

Reasons For Bloating

As someone who struggles with bloating, you have probably tried a lot of things already and realized it can be very difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the bloating. This is because there can be multiple triggers, less obvious food triggers, subtle patterns, or harder-to-identify factors such as stress. Let’s discuss some of the top causes I see with my patients:

1. SIBO 

I would estimate that about 50 percent of the patients I see with chronic bloating test positive for SIBO. SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, occurs when excessive bacteria accumulate in the small intestine, where bacterial levels are normally low. This overgrowth can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, nausea, indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea. Other common signs include feeling full or gassy soon after eating and bloating that worsens as the day goes on.

SIBO can be identified with a 3 hour breath test, which measures gases produced by the overgrown bacteria. People with SIBO often feel better on a low FODMAP diet, but this is not a long-term solution. It is a short-term strategy to manage symptoms until the underlying overgrowth is addressed.

2. Food Sensitivities or Intolerances

Food triggers, whether obvious or not, are one of the main reasons for digestive upset. Many different foods can cause symptoms for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common triggers for bloating include dairy, gluten, refined carbohydrates, high fiber foods, high FODMAP foods, sugary foods, and sugar alternatives. Food triggers can be difficult to pinpoint because symptoms may vary from day to day, even when eating the same foods. Factors such as stress, sleep, and other lifestyle habits can influence how your body reacts. It may also be less obvious because some foods within the same group affect you differently. For example, you might know that milk causes strong symptoms, but cheese may not trigger the same reaction, even though it is still dairy. Different proteins in the same food group, like casein versus lactose in dairy products, can also be responsible for reactions. Food sensitivity tests can be helpful, but they only reveal a few ways your body might react. A negative result does not always mean you tolerate a food, so it is important to pay attention to how you feel and track your own responses.

3. Gut Infections or Dysbiosis

Gut dysbiosis refers to an imbalance in your gut microbiome, the trillions of microbes that live in your digestive tract. Dysbiosis can occur from exposure to pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites through contaminated food or water, or from a general imbalance of low beneficial bacteria and an overgrowth of opportunistic bacteria or yeast, such as candida. You can assess the health of your gut microbiome with a stool test. I recommend the Gut Zoomer 3.0 stool test by Vibrant Wellness, which measures 170 different commensal species, 35 probiotic bacteria, and 67 pathogenic gut microbes, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, and worms.

4. Leaky Gut

Leaky gut can be a common cause of bloating because of its impact on food sensitivities. Leaky gut is also known as increased intestinal permeability. This occurs when the lining of the intestines becomes damaged, allowing undigested food particles, toxins, and pathogens to enter the bloodstream.

This breach in the gut barrier can trigger widespread inflammation and activate the immune system. The constant interaction between food in the digestive tract and the immune system increases the risk of food sensitivities, as the immune system may start to view certain foods as threats. As a result, you might initially react to just one or two foods, but over time it can feel like you are reacting to almost everything you eat.

5. Low Stomach Acid or Digestive Enzymes

Your body releases stomach acid and digestive enzymes every time you eat to help break down and absorb food properly. If food is not being digested efficiently, it can lead to a variety of digestive symptoms. These symptoms may not be linked to a single food, which can make the cause harder to pinpoint.

Digestive enzyme production is often low due to rushed or distracted eating, as well as general stress. When the body is stressed, it remains in the “fight or flight” state, also known as the sympathetic state. Proper digestion requires the body to be in the “rest and digest” state, or parasympathetic state. The Gut Zoomer stool test can help determine how much digestive enzymes you are producing and whether you are digesting certain food groups effectively, including meat, high fat foods, and vegetables.

6. Constipation

Infrequent or incomplete bowel movements can be a common cause of bloating, as stool and gas build up in the intestines, leading to increased fullness and discomfort. It is important to have a well-formed, easy-to-pass bowel movement at least once a day. Common causes of constipation include low dietary fiber, poor diet, reduced digestive enzyme output, food sensitivities, SIBO, dysbiosis, or sluggish thyroid function.

7. Hormonal Imbalances

It is no coincidence that two-thirds of individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are female. Certain hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, have a significant impact on digestion, including the speed at which food moves through the intestines and the amount of stomach acid produced. Research also suggests that fluctuating hormones and hormone-like substances during the menstrual cycle may affect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms. Many women notice digestive changes at specific times in their menstrual cycle, most commonly during the second half. The relationship between gut health and hormone health is bidirectional, meaning poor gut health can contribute to hormonal imbalances and vice versa. This is why it is important to address both when working to optimize digestive or hormonal health.

Steps to Reduce Bloating

Supplements can help with bloating, but the main goal is to identify the root cause. Once the cause is understood, supplements can be used strategically to support healing.

Making dietary recommendations can be challenging without testing because some foods that are usually beneficial, like fiber or probiotics, can make bloating worse. This often occurs when SIBO is present or when a person has difficulty digesting healthy foods, such as vegetables.

A 4-6 week elimination diet can help identify food triggers. The key to an effective elimination diet is to fully remove the foods you are testing, commit for the entire period, and reintroduce one food at a time. During the reintroduction phase, eat up to 3 servings of the test food on just 1 day and monitor symptoms over the next 3 days before testing another food. Make sure to wait until symptoms resolve after identifying a trigger before reintroducing another food.

Other dietary strategies include mindful eating. Avoid distractions, eat slowly, and chew your food thoroughly. Although this can be one of the most challenging things to follow, it often has a significant impact on digestion and bloating.

For many people struggling with chronic bloating, I often recommend starting with a SIBO test and a comprehensive stool test. These provide valuable insights into why bloating may be occurring and guide which dietary strategies and supplements may be most helpful. Hormone testing and food sensitivity testing can also be useful, but these are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Although extremely frustrating, chronic bloating is a signal that something is off and your body wants you to address it. If you have been struggling with bloating, irregular bowel movements, or other digestive symptoms, explore our gut health packages and book a discovery call today!