The Real Reasons for Bloating in Women (And How to Fix It)
Occasional bloating happens to all of us. But if you're ending your day feeling like you're six months pregnant, that's not normal.
If you're someone who eats a meal and immediately feels super bloated, or you literally can't wear the same pants by the end of the day that you started with in the morning, it’s time to take a closer look at what’s going on.
I'm going to walk you through the top reasons for bloating in women and what you can actually do about it. And just so you know, this isn't about SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
If you're waking up already bloated, that's a different conversation. This is for the women who feel fine in the morning but progressively get more and more bloated as the day goes on.
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Why You're Bloated After Eating
Understanding the reasons for bloating in women is the first step to fixing it. Your body is trying to tell you something, and bloating is just one of those signals that something is off. Let me walk you through the most common things that could be causing this.
Low Stomach Acid
This is a big one, especially if you're bloating soon after meals. You might also notice you're feeling full really quickly, you're seeing undigested food in your poop, or you're burping a lot after eating.
There are a lot of causes for low stomach acid, but one of the biggest ones is H. pylori. This is a bacterium that lives in your stomach and actually lowers your stomach acid. Until we get rid of H. pylori, you're kind of stuck. I mean, we can start to see improvements, but the more you try to raise your stomach acid, the more it irritates the H. pylori and it really hammers down on you.
Here's something gross but important to know: H. pylori is highly contagious. It actually starts in the plaque of your teeth and is exchanged via saliva. So if you're doing an H. pylori protocol, anybody you're exchanging saliva with needs to do it as well. They definitely need to make sure they don't have H. pylori because otherwise you're going to be passing it back and forth. This is a really big reason why someone may be doing an H. pylori protocol and could never get rid of it. It keeps coming back because you keep exchanging it.
Now, if you don't have H. pylori but you still have low stomach acid, that can happen from stress, from undereating, or from not having the minerals that support stomach acid. One of the minerals that supports stomach acid is actually sodium. Zinc is another one. This is why many women see less bloating after consuming electrolytes.
As a functional practitioner, here’s what I recommend to clients to support stomach acid:
Consider taking electrolytes and supporting your minerals, especially sodium and zinc.
Consider bringing in bitters because bitters help support stomach acid before you eat. I take bitters in tincture form and let it sit on my tongue for 30 seconds. I try to take it about 10 minutes before eating.
Make sure you're chewing your food well and eating in a relaxed state.
These three simple things alone make a huge difference in reducing bloating!
Poor Bile Flow & Fat Digestion Issues
This is for the woman who gets bloated pretty quickly after eating, like within 30 minutes. You might also notice that you feel more full on the right side, or you have floating stools.
We need to support bile flow, and guess what? Bitters also support bile flow. Even getting in bitter foods like dandelion greens, arugula, and milk thistle are great ways to support not only bile flow but stomach acid too. Isn't it cool how some of those things go hand in hand?
I love Glowgetter from Subluna (use code LEAH), which is a bitter you take before meals.
Constipation
Yep, if you aren't going daily, multiple times a day actually, you're probably constipated. And you really want to feel like you are completely emptied. Your bowel movement, especially the first one in the beginning of the day, should be the length of your forearm.
Did that shock you? I know, I know.
Things that can help with regular bowel movements: hydration and minerals.
I know that sounds so standard, but you'd be surprised at how many women are not drinking enough water. Literally, I'm looking at you. If you're drinking less than 45, 50, 60 ounces of water, this is for you.
Getting enough hydration and minerals is important. Magnesium is also important. Soluble fiber is also important. If your food isn't leaving your body, it's just fermenting in your gut. Of course you're going to have bloating! That just makes sense.
Unstable Blood Sugar
This one doesn't cause bloating as much as the other ones, but it can contribute, especially if whenever you're bloated you're also very tired and anxious. If you feel like you get crashes after meals in terms of energy, especially at the one to two hour mark after eating, you just feel exhausted.
Supporting your blood sugar is going to be great here. Stop skipping your meals. Do half your plate non-starchy veggies, quarter protein, quarter fat and carb. That's a great way to just support your blood sugar right there.
Nervous System Dysregulation
This is a huge one for bloating, especially if you find that you get IBS-like symptoms after eating, your digestion gets worse postpartum, or your bloating gets worse when you are really busy. That's going to tell you right away that your bloating is connected to your nervous system.
Think about it. We're not prey animals, so we can't poop and run. Which means that when we're under stress, our body allocates resources away from digestion to other things. So it kind of makes sense!
In my current stage of life, I have three little kiddos and it is really hard to sit down and just eat my food. I typically am bouncing a baby or doing something like that. So I am really on top of myself to take my bitters before meals and take a digestive enzyme with my food because I'm not always eating in complete rest and digest mode. There's a lot going on. So knowing that, I come in with other tools as well to support my digestion and my nervous system.
What NOT to Do if You're Bloated
Bloating is a signal that something is going off and not eating enough is actually going to make bloating worse. So constant food restriction, cutting carbs unnecessarily, overusing probiotics (probiotics are not going to fix your bloating, you guys), ignoring stress—these are not things I would do.
Recognize Any of These Reasons for Bloating in Women?
If you are someone that feels like you are bloated all the time, here's what I would start with:
Support your stomach acid and bile flow.
Eat in rest and digest mode.
Work on blood sugar balance.
Chew your food thoroughly.
Make sure you're drinking enough water.
Get your minerals in (consider adding electrolytes to your water).
Consider taking bitter herbs before meals.
If you want to go deeper into this and you want to run some testing (especially if you suspect a deeper issue, like H. pylori), and you want to have some more accountability and support to balance everything out, we can do that inside the Hormone Reset Program®. This is our signature six month program that's going to help you balance your hormones naturally and resolve frustrating symptoms like constant bloating.
Don't just take my word for it. Here's what one of our clients shared:
"I have noticed my bloat has gone down, I have more energy during the day, and my stress levels are WAYYY BETTER especially now that I'm in my luteal phase I can tell the difference. I am typically irritable during this time and overly stressed. Oh and my cravings for salt and sugar during luteal phase has gone down a bit!"
When you address the root causes of bloating instead of just treating symptoms, your whole body responds. Better digestion, more energy, balanced hormones, and feeling comfortable in your body again. This is what happens when you give your body what it actually needs!
We’re not going to just give you a lab and be like, “see ya!” We want to walk you through how to implement what you learned from that lab and what kind of lifestyle changes can best help you get rid of your symptoms and achieve optimal health.
Stop feeling bloated all the time!
Stop avoiding your favorite jeans because you know you'll be uncomfortable by lunch. Stop planning your day around when the bloating will hit. Get the testing and personalized protocol you need to finally feel comfortable and confident in your body again.
