Simple bloat-busting strategies
BATHING SUIT SEASON IS COMING.
IT’S TIME TO BANISH THE BLOAT (WITHOUT THE DIET!)
When it comes to bloating, we tend to blame food, when really, there are several other root causes that can easily be addressed.
When you know how to optimize your digestive power, you can stop stressing about bloating or whether you’ve actually gained weight) and wear your favourite clothes, with confidence!
The top 3 causes of bloating are:
Constipation
Digestive deficiencies
Gut bacteria
Today I’m going to dive into digestive deficiencies, which include low stomach acid, low digestive enzymes and insufficient bile, all of which are extremely common, and easily treatable.
People who have these digestive defieincies also tend to be:
constipated
have indigestion, heartburn or reflux
We’ll be diving into more detail on constipation and gut bacteria inside my free, 3 day challenge, the Bloat-Free Me Challenge, April 12 to 14th.
Learn more about the challenge HERE.
Let’s start with stomach acid.
Stomach acid is produced by the parietal cells in your stomach in order to digest your food, and prevent infections from bacteria or parasites.
Unfortunately, due to our stressful lifestyles, low stomach acid is quite common; when we are in a constant state of “fight or flight”, our body goes into survival mode, which means digesitve functions are not prioritized - your body is just trying to survive.
That means you’re producing less stomach acid and have less peristalsis (intestinal contractions), which can lead to constipation, indigestion and malabsorption of nutrients from your food.
So what causes low stomach acid?
Stress is by far the most common cause I see in my practice.
This is why I consider stress management practices to be a foundational piece of gut healing, and it’s why I require all of my clients to be open to adding daily practices into their lifestyle including deep breathing and meditation.
Other causes include:
Antacids: prescription strength antacids are handed out by doctors for everything from heartburn to IBS - it’s one of the few gut-related medications they have to offer. They were designed to be used short term (ie 6 weeks) to heal an ulcer, however, many people end up on them long term (years or even decades) to manage heartburn and reflux.
This long term use of antacids can cause a wide variety of gut, and other health issues including:
vitamin deficiencies
chronic fatigue
osteoporosis
SIBO and other gut microbiome dysbiosis and infections
lowered immunity
Autoimmune:
Autoimmune diseases are on the rise, and one of the most common autoimmune issues, especially with age, is called atrophic gastritis.
Gastritis means an inflammation of the lining of your stomach. Atrophic gastritis happens when we have less stomach acid production which allows bacteria to grow. Your body mounts an immune response to kill the bacteria, but over time this can end up destroying the parietal cells of your stomach that produce stomach acid.
This results in not only stomach pain, but also malabsorption of nutrients (nutrient deficiencies).
Vitamin deficiencies
Your body requires iron, zinc and B vitamins to make stomach acid.
Many people with chronic digestive issues, poor or restricted diets are low in these nutrients and are not able to efficiently produce stomach acid.
So how does low stomach acid cause bloating?
Two main ways:
Undigested food fermented by gut bacteria: when food is not adequately digested by stomach acid and enzymes and enters the intestines undigested, it gets fermented by gut bacteria, which produces gas and bloating.
Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO): stomach acid acts as a barrier to prevent the overgrowth of bacteria both in the stomach and small intestine. When stomach acid is low over time, combined with other risk factors such as poor diet, chronic constipation, food poisoning, SIBO can develop. Common SIBO symptoms include indigestion/heartburn/reflux, burping after meals, reacting to many foods (even water), bloating.
Let’s move on to digestive enzymes.
What are they?
Digestive enzymes digest your food into ready-to-absorb particles and nutrients.
They come from a variety of sources:
saliva (salivary amylase)
stomach acid
small intestine (brush border enzymes)
pancreas (pancreatic enzymes)
The combination of stomach acid, churning of the stomach and digestive enzymes help break down your food so it’s ready for absorption inside the small intestine.
Bloating trigger: when food enters the small intestine undigested, your gut bacteria ferment it which creates gas, bloating and pain.
Why would I have low digestive enzymes?
When something goes wrong in one, or several of these areas, you can develop digestive enzyme deficiencies.
saliva - dry mouth, eating too fast, not chewing thoroughly
stomach acid: stress, autoimmunity (see above)
small intestine: any inflammation or damage to the small intestine affects the ability of your brush border (the cells that line the inside of your small intestine) to produce digestive enzymes
pancreas: your pancreas secretes potent pancreatic enzymes to aid in digestion. Chronic inflammation due to SIBO or pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) or damage due to diabetes or autoimmune diseases can affect the ability of you pancreas to produce enough enzymes in response to a meal.
Ready to get your bloating under control?
My top for tips to reverse digestive deficiencies and banish bloating:
Digestive bitters: digestive bitters are a combination of specific herbs that, due to their bitter nature, when they hit the tongue they stimulate the production of digestive juices including saliva and stomach acid. Take 1 dropperful before a meal. Yes, they are bitter, but they do work well!
Deep breathing: take 3 deep breaths before a meal. Make deep breathing a regular practice in your morning and evening routines.
Ensure optimal vitamin levels: get tested, and if necessary, supplement. However, if you have issues with absorption, supplements may not be effective. More on absorption soon!
Try a digestive enzyme: a high quality enzyme that contains a combination of stomach acid (HCl), pancreatic enzymes and ox bile. You can find my top two favourites, Super Enzymes by NOW, Digestive Enzymes by Designs for Health and Digestive Enzymes SAP by NFH inside my supplement dispensary Fullscript.
Or check out my Banish Bloating supplement protocol here.
Finally, there’s issues with bile - bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder and isused to digest and absorb fats as well as for detoxification, cholesterol management and acting as a preventative barrier to prevent bacterial overgrowth or infection.
Issues with bile production, quality or expulsion are increasingly common, as well as gallstones, especially in women as they age and hormones start to shift.
Stay tuned for another post on bile coming soon!
ready to wear what you want and eat what you want (without paying for it) this summer?
join us for the Bloat-Free Me Challenge April 12th-14th!
LEARN HOW TO DITCH THE DIET, REVERSE FOOD SENSITIVITIES, SKYROCKET YOUR ENERGY, MOOD AND METABOLISM!
