Feeling bloated can definitely put a damper on your day. It makes finding something to wear more difficult, lowers your self-esteem and leaves you feeling uncomfortable. Bloating can happen for a number of reasons, including:
1. Intestinal Yeast Overgrowth
The healthy bacteria in your gut usually keeps your yeast levels in check, but there are a few factors that can cause the candida population to grow out of control, causing an overgrowth. When there is too much yeast in the body, people can become bloated and gassy.
2. Food Intolerance
A food intolerance causes immune system stress and inflammation, which can irritate the intestinal tract and cause bloating. The most common food intolerances are dairy, certain fruits, nuts, wheat, gluten and corn.
3. Gluten Sensitivity
Gluten intolerance and celiac disease have become more common, largely due to the changes in wheat over the past few decades. Many people with these conditions report bloating, often accompanied by gassiness, constipation and diarrhea.
4. Irregular Meal Times
Bloating can be caused by eating at irregular meal times. When you go hours without eating or have large amounts of food before bed, your digestion and metabolism will both suffer.
5. Insulin Resistance
When insulin is released in a healthy person, it triggers the body’s cells to use glucose and fats from the bloodstream. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells don’t respond to the signal. Symptoms of insulin resistance include weight gain, intense cravings for carbohydrates and sweets, increased appetite and feeling tired and bloated after eating.
6. Poor Food Combining
Eating certain types of foods together can actually affect how well they’re digested. Some are more sensitive to food combining than others, but when foods are poorly combined, it can slow down the digestive system, resulting in bloating and indigestion.