Got the Bloated Blued?: The Top 5 Reasons You’re Bloated

Got the Bloated Blued?: The Top 5 Reasons You're Bloated

The results of a recent survey showed that a whopping 74 percent of Americans live with gastrointestinal discomfort, including bloating, on a regular basis.

Are you part of this group? Do you spend more time than you’d like feeling full, sluggish, and weighed down? Do you deal with other digestive issues like gas or cramping?

If you’ve been struggling with bloating, it’s important to get to the root of the issue. Read on to learn about some of the most common reasons for bloating and how you can address them.

1. Overeating

If you’re walking around on a regular basis feeling as though you just finished Thanksgiving dinner, there’s a possibility that overeating is the source of your digestive discomfort.

Even if you’re not actually eating Thanksgiving dinner amounts of food, you could still be eating more than your body wants or needs.

Eating too much often causes bloating, especially if you’re eating large quantities of food very quickly. Assess your portion sizes and shrink them if you find you’re eating too much.

2. Food Intolerances

If you cannot tolerate a particular food group, such as dairy or grains, you’ll likely experience bloating after you eat it. Bloating can occur right after you consume problematic foods, or it can show up 24-48 hours later.

An elimination diet can help you determine which foods cause digestive problems for you.

3. Too Much Carbonation

Carbonated beverages like soda and sparkling water can fill your stomach with air and cause you to feel bloated and gassy.

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Try cutting back on these beverages for a few days to see if your bloating improves. If it does, these drinks might need to be an occasional treat instead of a daily occurrence.

4. Medications

Certain medications cause bloating as a side effect. Medications like stool softeners, birth control pills, aspirin, and narcotic pain relievers can all trigger bloating and other gastrointestinal issues.

If you take any of these medications, you may want to talk to your doctor about switching to a different one or adjusting your dosage.

5. Bacterial Overgrowth

Everyone has bacteria in their digestive tract. In fact, you need a good balance of gut bacteria to digest your food properly and feel your best.

If you have too much of a particular strain of bacteria, though, you could end up struggling with bloating.

There are lots of things you can do to restore gut health and relieve bloating.

One of the most effective strategies is to increase your consumption of probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. You can also take a probiotic supplement.

You Know the Reasons for Bloating! What’s Next?

As you can see, there are a lot of different reasons for bloating and other digestive issues.

If you’ve been dealing with a lot of bloating recently, consider whether one of the issues might be the source of the problem. Then, your next step is to work to address the cause of your bloating.

Do you want to learn more about proper digestion and how to improve your overall health?

If so, be sure to check out the Health/Fitness section of our site today for more advice.

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