Why do we feel bloated?
Bloating is a very uncomfortable phenomenon that we all experience at some or other time. Ironically, healthiest eaters too encounter the bloated feeling often.
And it is certainly difficult to pinpoint the specific cause as everyone is exposed to different kind of lifestyle and food and toxic environment that we live in.
Functional medicine’s answer to bloating is mostly about what you eat.
It could be because of one of the following underlying causes:
- Declining digestive enzymes as we age and therefore inability to digest many food products which we were so comfortable with earlier.
- Small Intestinal pathogenic bacterial overgrowth , due to decreased immunity and toxic burden.
- Candida yeast overgrowth
- Food allergies and food sensitivities consuming foods that trigger mild food allergies or sensitivities can cause bloating.
- Inflammatory foods : foods like sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol, which can cause imbalances in gut bacteria. These bacteria can create a lot of gas when they metabolize fibers in healthy foods.
How to cope up with bloating:
a) Avoid Inflammatory foods
b) Check for food intolerance
c) Consult your Functional medicine doctor to rule out sibo (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) Or candida / Yeast overgrowth
d) Take digestive enzymes to support digestion
e) Take probiotics and probiotic rich foods to prevent Dysbiosis
f) Avoid food with preservatives, sugar and carbohydrates
Dr Kalpana Shekhawat-M.D.
Functional medicine specialist
BHRT consultant