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I had never experienced what it felt like to not be bloated until about 7-8 years ago. We’re talking about decades of bloating!

I tried to pinpoint what might be the culprit to this uncomfortable and embarrassing symptom. I started paying closer attention to what I was eating and then began implementing some new strategies. The moment came as I was putting on a pair of pants. The pants were not new but this time, things felt different. There was no struggle and no super snuggle. I just stood in the closet and felt a sense of huge accomplishment.

What I learned over the years was that there are several different reasons someone might be experiencing bloating after meals:

• If you feel bloated after a meal with protein, you might be low in something called Hydrochloric Acid
• If you feel bloated after a meal high in starches, you could be low in pancreatic enzymes.
• If you feel bloated after a meal that has a lot of fat (good or bad, makes no difference) you could have gallbladder issues. (more on this topic soon)
• There are some people that actually say they are bloated after every meal, regardless of what they eat. All foods cause issues. You might be looking at a case of what is known as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth or SIBO for short. More on this in a future post.
• If your bloating is dependent on portion size, you could be looking at an issue with the Gut-Brain Axis.
• Lastly, chronic constipation can lead to dysbiosis (imbalances in the microbiome) which can cause bloating.

To be honest, it can be tricky to determine which of these (or groups of these) could be the cause of your discomfort.

My first course of action would be to start journaling. I recommend including what you ate throughout the day, how you felt before and after each meal, snack or even fluid intake, consistency and frequency of your bowel movements, daily exercise, stress and any other symptoms you may have experienced throughout the day.

No fancy journals are needed (although if that motivates you, go for it). Just use a post it note or pad of paper, your calendar, even an app if you are technically inclined. Journaling can bring awareness to so many of our daily habits that we aren’t even thinking about and in turn, you could uncover some areas that might be causing your symptoms!

If after you have tried to pinpoint the culprit, you come up empty handed, give us a call! There is usually more to the story than meets the eye and we can guide you through the process of moving past your bloating once and for all. 

The stomach has a unique environment where the pH is substantially different from anywhere else in the digestive tract. Stomach acid (Hydrochloric Acid or “HCl”) acts as a protective mechanism that helps to kill incoming pathogens that make their way into the body via food and fluids. 

This highly acidic environment requires a pH of between 1.5-2.5. When the pH drops below 3.0, it initiates the closure of the LES (lower esophageal sphincter – the valve between the stomach and esophagus), preventing the contents of the stomach from traveling back up the esophagus, which cannot tolerate the high acid contents of the stomach. Not producing enough stomach acid is much more common than over production and is, we now know, the main cause of heartburn, acid reflux and GERD. 

That said, HCl does so much more than simply protect us from pathogens. It plays other very important roles in digestive processes. 

HCl acts as a signaling agent for the release of bile and digestive enzymes. Bile emulsifies fats and digestive enzymes break down starches (plants and carbohydrates). HCl itself works to break down protein. Without proper HCl, we are left with ineffective breakdown of all three macronutrients (protein, fats and carbs). This leads to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. Remember, the digestive system is responsible for providing nutrients to every cell in our bodies, it is the way we get energy to cells to perform the countless tasks they have every moment of our lives. Low stomach acid prevents cells from optimal performance, impacting our entire body. 

When we fail to properly break down food, we increase our risk of maldigestion and malabsorption, both of which leave us vulnerable to developing food reactions or sensitivities. When we encounter an increase in food reactions it means our immune system has been involved in tagging food proteins as foreign which is the beginning of a whole host of issues including chronic inflammation and the potential for developing autoimmune disease. 

Aside from food reactions, low stomach acid also contributes to an inability to properly sterilize the small intestines which can lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (more on SIBO in another post). This altered pH status in the stomach also negatively affects the large intestinal environment which is home to trillions of bacteria, allowing for limits in microbiome diversity and the overgrowth of organisms in the large intestines. (check out more about the microbiome now). 

Hypochlorhydria is the clinical term for low stomach acid, an under-researched and dangerous condition. Every time you take antacids, H2 blockers or PPIs, you are contributing more to this problem (which may be one reason you develop heartburn in the first place). 

As you can see, what might seem like a simple issue at the top of the digestive tract can snowball into a much larger, systemic issue if left unchecked.