Got Digestive Bloating? Wondering Why and What To Do?
Digestion is a major pillar of health. Poor digestion and lacking the ability to absorb necessary nutrients is a beginning to all sorts of health issues. Poor digestion can lead to aches and pains, digestive discomfort (digestive bloating), low energy, restless sleep, acid reflux and so much more. It needs to be recognized and managed. Treatment for chronic health issues often fails when neglecting the health of digestive function.
Here are 3 reasons you may experience digestive bloating
Overeating
If your portion sizes are too big, you’ll run out of digestive juices to properly break down your food. How will you know? You’ll feel full, you can experience digestive bloating and the big one is that you often feel tired after you eat.
What to do? Cut your portion sizes down. Try eating out of a smaller plate. Also certain food combinations can be to heavy for you to digest. The traditional combination of animal proteins and starches are a heavy, high caloric meal that can weigh you down, make you feel tired and not to mention lead to unwanted weight gain.
If you need help identifying better food combination for your specific lifestyle and health needs consider calling my office and doing a Traditional Chinese Medical Diet consultation. We’ll get a diet plan that works for you – no problem.
Food Sensitivities
You may notice certain foods are not agreeable. They may taste great but they just don’t sit well. You may have a sensitivity to specific foods. The body has developed an immune reaction to these foods. You may notice it as a digestive discomfort (digestive bloating, heart burn, cramping, gas etc..) but there may be other signs and symptoms that are not gut-related like achy joints, headaches, low energy, restless sleep and so on.
You can take a guess and try eliminating foods for a few weeks but you may not discover all the specific foods your body has developed a sensitivity towards. If you accidentally continue to expose your body to a sneaky hidden food, like eggs or gluten (something that seems to be in everything) you may continue to reactivate your sensitivity and nothing will improve.
My first suggestion is to try the FIT test – Food Inflammation Testing. This is a simple test I do right in my office that can identify sensitivities to over 100 different food items.
The therapy would include eliminating such foods once identified. There may also be a need for digestive aids to increase digestive function through this elimination period to optimize your recovery. You’ll experience greater health once you get back to your natural ability to absorb those all important nutrients by naturally improving your digestive abilities. It’s pretty straight forward and you don’t have to worry about harmful medications and debilitating side effects.
Weak Digestive Function
The 3rd reason for digestive bloating can be from weak digestive function. There’s a lot to cover here but I’ll list some important highlights that need to be identified to fully support digestion. Good digestion requires the following:
- sufficient stomach acid for proper digestion (if you feel bloating and gassy the food is not being broken down properly and its rotting inside you – not good!)
- proton pump inhibitors need to go!
- a health mucus lining in the stomach – helps prevent burning sensations
- sufficient production of enzymes to help digestive food
- sufficient flow and production of bile from the liver and gall bladder to help digest fats (having trouble eating fatty foods?)
- elimination of harmful mucus and inflammation in the digestive tract that prevents proper nutrient absorption
- sufficient probiotics – those health gut bugs
- a healthy acid environment in the digestive tract to kill off harmful invading germs, fungus and parasites
- steady mental-emotional balance / stress management practices – emotions greatly effect how our digestive system functions – (fibromyalgia, IBS, Crohns, heart burn, nausea – many of these conditions and symptoms have an emotional component to them that needs to be considered)
Consider eating fermented veggies to improve your gut health and optimize digestion. Its natural and simple to do. Check out these 2 articles on how and why.
Because I have dealt with digestive problems over the years, I have a special interest in finding solutions. I can help you sort it out. Let me know if i can help you.
