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What your bloating could actually be telling you, according to a nutritionist
Bloating is one of the most annoying and uncomfortable things, but knowing what’s causing it is the only way to stop it.
That full and tight belly feeling occurs due to a buildup of gas, which is telling you something is wrong with your digestion.
What your bloating could be telling you
Certified nutritionist Claire Sorlie explains that there can be all kinds of different reasons why you are bloated, but these are the two most common. First, you have to determine which kind of bloating you have.
“I never really hear people talking about this but there are different kinds of bloating and based on which one you are dealing with, there could be a different thing going on inside of your gut,” she explained on TikTok.
Common reason for upper bloating
Upper bloating is when you feel that uncomfortable ballooning feeling high in the upper part of your stomach, between the rib cage and belly button.
This is usually due to a lack of stomach acid, which is needed to break down food. When we don’t have enough, food isn’t being broken down properly and moving down the digestive tract. Instead, it sits in the upper part of the stomach and starts to ferment due to the warm temperature, causing gas and bloating.
To cure your upper bloating, the nutritionist recommends taking five deep breaths before meals to move the body from a sympathetic state, where digestion and stomach acid are shut off, into a “rest and digest” system where the body is relaxed.
Drinking bitters and soda 15 minutes before meals can also help to wake up digestion by stimulating the parietal cells in the stomach which secrete stomach acid.
Lower bloating is common too
You could also be experiencing lower bloating, which is an uncomfortable feeling in your lower abdomen below the belly button, often accompanied by bad-smelling gas.
This is commonly a sign of an issue with the gallbladder,�a small, pouch-like organ in the upper right part of your tummy that stores bile. This fluid produced by the liver helps break down fatty foods in the gut, the NHS explains.
Bile breaks down fat in the small intestine, which is located in the lower abdomen. Not enough bile means fatty food isn’t being broken down properly and moving on through the rest of the digestive system, so it sits there and ferments, causing gas and bloating.
Eating beets is a great way to support your gallbladder and bile. The red vegetable helps the gallbladder function properly due to their high levels of folate and manganese.
Drinking dandelion root tea also supports the production of bile and helps it flow from the liver to the gallbladder and then down to the small intestine.
Claire Sorlie is a certified nutritionist (NTP, BFA) who founded Resilient Health and Wellness, creating unique plans to help people clear their body while optimizing gut health.
