Do you look bloated?

Many women tell me: “I suffer from bloating. I often look as if I was 4 months pregnant.”

Well, congratulations! Pregnant bodies are beautiful!

Jokes aside, I hear you. I often feel that way, too. This is actually MY belly in the picture, of course, taken from a specific angle, standing in an extremely poor posture (shoulders hanging down, chest in, hollow cross, belly pushed out) and blowing it up even more with my breath.

So the first question is: IS IT REALLY BLOATING OR JUST POOR POSTURE? If you happen to have small breasts, it might also simply be a matter of your belly looking proportionally bigger…

While eating too much in one go (plus eating too fast and not chewing well) is often a contributing factor, other times the problem is not eating enough calories or quality protein (just think of starving children in Africa). Personally, I still felt bloated at the peak of my eating disorder, when I was down to 43kg…

SOME bloating after eating is normal. The food (or water) has to go somewhere, right?

Extreme bloating might also be due to:

👉 Constipation: If the bowels are not moving fast enough, bloating might be a symptom of that traffic jam. It usually improves once you are able to empty yourself. Note that you can be constipated even if you go to the toilet once a day!

👉 Lack of Stomach Acid: Stomach acid is needed for proper digestion of proteins and the activation of digestive enzymes in the gut. If it is insufficient, food is only partially digested and will start to ferment and produce gas (and rising acidity for some).

👉 Imbalanced gut flora and food sensitivities usually lead to digestive upset and inflammation.

👉 Improper foods or food combinations for your individual body, e.g. too much raw food, cold food, high-fiber food, foods rich in so-called “FODMAPS”, carbonated drinks, eating fruit after a main meal…

👉 Approaching Menstruation: Hormonal changes slow down bowels and might contribute to water retention.

Let me know: which one do you suspect to be your number 1 reason for feeling bloated?
And: Share with someone who also tends to feel bloated and could use these insights.