Understanding Bloating - Causes, Solutions, and Prevention

00:00Real quick, the only ask I could ever have of you guys is to help spread the word so we can help more women lose body fat, build muscle, reach their goals, and feel insanely confident. And the only way we can do that is if you rate, review, and share this podcast. So the single thing I ask for you to do is if you could leave a review. It will take you 10 seconds, and it will mean the absolute world to me and may change the world of someone else. Think about it. Thanksgiving, guys, that's one we all can just go to mentally. We've experienced a big overconsumption meal, extra turkey, and then you feel bloating in a matter of finishing the meal. And that puts extra stress on the digestive system. So extra stress is going to cause extra bloating, which is going to be the cause of your overeating meal.

00:48What's going on, you guys? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikki Sack, co-founder and brand personality of Warrior Babe, where we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. Bloating, bloating, the causes, the cures, and how to avoid it is what I'm going to dive into today. I have gotten so many questions over the last couple of months since kicking off this podcast.

01:21Like in my DM saying, hey, can you bring, you know, an episode to the podcast around bloating? I've gotten like, you know, whenever I post, ask me a question on my stories. It's like, how do I, how do I, you know, prevent bloating or what causes bloating or how do I stop it? Yada, yada, yada. So I was like, I don't know if this is worthy of a long answer, but I'm going to turn it into a long answer for this podcast and for the sake of today's episode. But for me, there's like two, just to like dive right into it. There's like two main things that I believe bloating comes from.

01:52I'm going to dive into like other causes and the management of bloating. But the two things that came in my mind was like, okay, I could just immediately answer this right now was number one, you ate too much. Number one, you ate too much. Okay. And so like in one sitting, you ate a shit ton of food and all of a sudden you're feeling that bloat within the 30 minutes after eating that meal. We've been there. We've all experienced that. I experienced it literally two weeks ago when I went out to dinner. I don't know if you guys saw it on my Instagram story. You follow me on Instagram. Do it because I'm very volvary and honest on it. But after the end of the dinner, when I got home, I was just standing in my mirror and I was like, oh, I ate too much.

02:28I feel extremely bloated. It was very uncomfortable. So that's number one. Number two is like you may have some type of deficiency where you cannot break down whatever you are eating, right? AKA food intolerance. So two of those are the causes of bloating that of the five I'm going to dive into. But that was like straight off the bat. Like I can answer this right now. Those are the main two things that come to my mind as to why you're experiencing bloating. But for the sake of the podcast, I'm going to dive into bloating, the causes, the management, all of the things.

02:58So let's just let's just get right to it. So just to engulf like what bloating is, just like speak about it in a very, very broad spectrum here. It's like it's the it's the feeling of fullness or tightening, tightening in your abdomen. And that's accompanied by like excess fluid or gas. And it can be very uncomfortable. It makes your abdomen feel swollen or distended. So that's bloating in a nutshell. Now I'm going to dive into the five causes of bloating.

03:29And then I'll touch on six management styles of bloating. So the first cause of bloating I just alluded to very shortly there was food intolerances. So some people may have difficulty digesting certain foods. You may have this. Your friends may have this. You may have heard this by following people on Instagram or social media. Lactose and gluten is a very common, two very common food intolerances. And so this can cause bloating and this can cause other digestive symptoms. So like if you suspect that you have a food intolerance, this is what I recommend doing.

04:03It's what we tell our warrior babes inside the Warrior Babe Blueprint program. They do. They go through like an elimination diet and they eliminate the food from their diet that may be triggering this bloating effect. And then when you eliminate it, you can see that your symptoms are improving. Right. Hopefully, if not, then you have to go back and see what may what may be another food type that is causing that trigger to happen and why you may be feeling bloating. So it's like narrowing down if you know exactly what it is, like lactose or gluten or dairy or anything like that. And you can narrow it down and that's your trigger because, you know, within like 30 to 45 minutes, you're feeling a bloat or even even sooner than that.

04:39Then that's your trigger point. So try eliminating that and then seeing if your symptoms improve. Now, I don't mean eliminating it entirely. It's just try and find out what you may without going through all the testing and all the things that are like that are out there that you can do. But just try doing that and seeing if your symptoms do improve. And then if you do know that that's your trigger point. OK, cool. Then, you know, I'm not saying restrict it, but you can know that you may have some type of effect when you do bring this back into your diet or you can just not do it as much. Right. So for me personally, like I'm doing this 10x health system where I'm getting my genes tested, my blood work tested.

05:17Super dope. Check it out. 10xhealth.com. But anyway, so I believe that like and what I'm learning from Gary Brekka, who is the face of 10x health, is that like people may have quoted it a food intolerance. But I what I've learned from Gary Brekka is like you may just have some type of gene mutation that you are not able to break down that specific food item. So if you guys want to learn more about it, it's super dope. Check it out. Check out Gary Brekka.

05:49He's like the goat in this field right now. So like I'm getting tested because for me personally, it's like I have some type of flare up whenever I have Greek yogurt or like some types of dairy. And so within like a matter of a couple of minutes to a half an hour to 45 minutes, like I have this distended bloating feeling and it's so uncomfortable. So I know that this may be that's a trigger point. I'm aware of that. I don't have it often, but when I do, this is what happens. So I'm getting the genes tested to see if I have some type of gene mutation where I can't break it down.

06:22And so I need to supplement in a different way for it. So I'll keep you guys posted on that once I get the results back. So that's number one food intolerances. What's up, everybody? Today's episode is brought to you by Paleo Valley's grass fed whey protein powder. If you're on a mission to build muscle, stay toned and smoothly navigate menopause, this message is for you. Paleo Valley's protein comes from 100% grass fed cows, ensuring a clean, high quality source of protein that supports muscle maintenance and growth.

06:54It's ideal for those of us looking to enhance our strength training results and overall well-being during menopause. With no hormones or antibiotics, just pure nutrient-rich whey, it's perfectly designed to help keep your body feeling strong and energized. Blend it into your smoothies or stir it into water after a solid workout for a post-workout drink. Also to mention, this protein powder is absolutely delicious. And I'm not just saying that for the partnership. It's actually pretty solid. Are you ready for a great quality source protein powder?

07:26Head over to paleovalley.com forward slash the macro hour and use the macro hour for 15% off your first order. Now let's get back to the show. Number two is excess gas. So like gas in the digestive tract is a normal byproduct of digestion. However, when excess gas builds up, it can cause bloating and it can cause discomfort, right? Like I personally have experienced this whenever I have a certain type of vegetable, aka Brussels sprouts. And, you know, I just don't want to be within 10 feet, 25 feet of somebody after I have Brussels sprouts for the sake of me and for the sake of them.

08:04So that's, you know, excess gas is a form of bloating too as well. You guys, I know we've all felt that. We're human. You get these little bops and bubbles and all this stuff in your digestive tract after you may have a certain type of food. So that's number two. Number three is hormonal changes. So specifically for you ladies, some ladies, some of you guys, I know I do experience bloating and water retention around your menstrual cycle due to your hormone fluctuations that you experience. Totally normal. It's like, you know that you're a week out from your period and you are experiencing bloating.

08:37That's totally normal. Or like right around your period, as soon as it's going to come, it's like you're experiencing bloating. That's hormonal changes that are going in with your body. Literally, it's happening within that area. So that's totally normal. Okay. So hormonal changes, bloating. Like if you know, it's good to know. It's good to track your period. I use Flow, the app Flow. And I'm like, oh, okay. Like whenever I experience bloating, I'm like, why do I feel more bloated than before? And I would go in the app and be like, okay, this is like I'm a couple days off my period. Totally normal.

09:08It just puts you at ease. So it's number three. Number four is overeating. So at the start of the podcast, I alluded to this. If you consume a large meal, and particularly like those meals that are high in fat, this will cause bloating. I like to joke around with the warrior babes inside the community. I'm like, please don't be an asshole with your food. Like if you have a refeed day or you have a cheap meal day, I'm like, please do not be an asshole with your food. Because you will experience these things. It will be uncomfortable. Okay. So yeah.

09:39And like that also to a large meal, it puts a lot of extra stress on your digestive system. Think about it. Thanksgiving, guys. That's one we all can just go to mentally. We've experienced a big overconsumption meal, extra turkey, and like that. So and then you feel bloating in a matter of, you know, finishing the meal. And that puts extra stress on the digestive system. So extra stress is going to cause extra bloating, which is going to be the cause of your overeating that big meal.

10:11So when you eat too much food, you guys, your stomach has to like, it has to stretch to accommodate the extra volume. Isn't that insane? When you have extra food, a big meal, your stomach has to stretch to accommodate that. So this can cause discomfort. You know, the stomach muscles have to work harder to break down the food and to move it through your digestive system at this point. So, you know, that's the cause of bloating, overeating. Don't overeat. And I'm going to get into talking about this. There's a big way you can manage that throughout your day.

10:41So I'm going to get into that in the management of bloating. But the last one that I want to talk to with the causes of bloating is number five, which is swallowing air. So when air is swallowed while like eating, drinking, even talking, or like, I don't know if you guys are gum chewers. Holy shit. Do you swallow a lot of air when you're chewing gum? But this can also accumulate in the digestive tract and it can cause bloating. It can be super uncomfortable. Okay. So swallowing air.

11:12Number five. Gum chewers. I've been there too. When I was competing eight years ago now. Yeah. Eight years ago. 2015. I think that's eight years. Around that time frame. Right. 2015 and 2018 when I was competing, I chewed a shit ton of gum because it helped me manage my food cravings and like just pop it in and felt like I was eating. But I was really just chewing the gum. But man, I swallow a shit ton of air. So that can cause bloating. And I felt that too when I was getting closer and closer to show day. And I was just eating like packs of gum a day. Like people go through like cigarettes. It was just so uncomfortable.

11:45So uncomfortable. My. Yeah. So if you do that, then you're realizing that you're bloating. You're probably swallowing a lot of air. Okay. So those were like the five causes of bloating. Food intolerances. Excess gas. Hormonal changes. Overeating. Swallowing air. Now I want to talk to the management of bloating. So the first thing is dietary changes. And I tried to put this in order as the causes of bloating. But the first one is dietary changes. So like avoiding foods that are known to cause bloating.

12:17Right. I spoke to that. I spoke to elimination diet. Things that you know are going to cause the bloating. Try and eliminate that and see your symptoms improve. So you know and focus on just eating like a wholesome balanced diet. Right. Like healthy fats, lean proteins, good carbohydrates. And then that's going to bring me into number two, which is eating smaller meals. Like this is just an absolute game changer. You guys like eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day can seriously prevent

12:47bloating by reducing the amount of food in their stomach at any given time. Right. Like I spoke to overeating and what that does. It like stretches your stomach has to stretch to accommodate a large volume of food. So like if you're one of those like breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then you're eating big meals, you're going to feel the bloating sensation after having that big meal. And why would I recommend just breaking it down to like five or six meals throughout the day, smaller, more frequent meals, having the good balance of protein, fats and carbs. Um, and that's going to help prevent bloating, um, and also just maintain really good energy

13:22levels for yourself too, as well. This is what we do inside of worry babe. This is everything that we recommend to our worry babes. And one of the main things is just eating smaller, more frequent meals. It's a game changer. Um, and that just helps like, you know, your, your, your digestive tract, not experience so much stress, um, and your stomach muscles not having to work so much harder after having big meals. Okay. So that was number two. So number one, number two, one to get their like dietary changes and then eating smaller for good meals. Number three is slow down while you are eating.

13:55So, you know, it kind of alludes to like swallowing air. Like if you're eating too quickly, you will swallow a shit ton of air, which can contribute to bloating. So take your time, chew your food. You ain't in no rush, right? Avoid, try and avoid talking while you're eating too as well, because they're like, it's a two for one. You're swallowing air by eating and then you're talking while you're eating. So you're swallowing more air. So that's just, you know, just small little recommendations. You want to be like, Oh my God, I got to stop talking while I eat now because I'm swallowing air because I feel as bloating.

14:25No, it's not like that. Okay. Just slow down while you're eating. Take your time. You ain't in no rush. Enjoy the meal. Um, and just be aware of that. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, Warrior Babe is here for you. At Warrior Babe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned

14:58muscle and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results and results that last. Look, don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Number four is drink plenty of water.

15:31Like this goes for anything and everything in life. Staying hydrated is so important to help flush out like excess sodium that may be on the meal that you're eating and fluids that may be contributing to your bloating. So keep in mind when I, what I do is like, I drinking water can make me feel full, right? So like, it's so funny because Luke's always like, do you want some water? Do you want to drink with your meal? I'm like, no, I don't like drinking with my meal. I don't know if you guys are the same way.

16:02But it makes me feel fuller faster. So I wait. I have my meal first. And then afterwards, I'll chug like a shit ton of water. Now, can that be uncomfortable? Sometimes yes. Or like I'll pace my water as I'm eating. But I typically like to focus on eating and then having my water afterwards. But just make sure throughout the day, no matter what, doesn't have to be around the meals, but just make sure you're drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated because it will help flush out all the excess things that you're eating, sodium, fluids, all that jazz.

16:34Um, so that was number four. Number five is exercise. Exercise guys is huge. Like regular physical activity can promote a healthy digestion and reduce excess gas and bloat and all of these things. It can even reduce constipation, just moving your body. Like if you're so standstill, a lot of people experience constipation during that time or being so sedentary by you just getting regular physical activity every single day, whether it's going up for a walk or strength training or doing something, it will help promote a healthy digestive

17:07tract, right? So make sure you're just getting some type of exercise. Okay, please. Not even just for bloating, just for your overall health. Um, so that's number five. Number six, the last one is try your best to reduce stress. So stress has, um, it can have a significant impact on your digestive system, right? I alluded to a little bit with overeating. Um, but having just a stressful lifestyle or you constantly being under a ton of stress can contribute to bloating.

17:38So when your body, I'm going to try and explain it and break it down here a little bit, but when your body is stressed, your body is in like fight or flight, right? You guys have heard that before flight or flight mode. Um, and then it gets activated. So, which at that point, when that gets activated in your body, because you're stressed, this slows down your digestion. This decreases blood flow to your digestive system and your digestive organs. And this can lead to bloating. This can lead to cramping. This can lead to constipation, all of the things, right? So if you are a stressful individual and you are constantly bloated, this is what's happening,

18:13right? So try to eliminate your stress along with the other things that I shared of management of bloating. Um, but when you try and eliminate your stress, like you can do things like throughout your day, just practice deep breathing. You're stressed. Um, incorporate, you know, a great form of, of exercise for this as I just spoke to in the last one, but a great one for this is yoga. So incorporating that into your routine. Um, but these are ways that you can reduce stress. But if you are a stress individual and, uh, that's just your lifestyle that you lead out and you're, and you constantly are feeling the sensation of bloat in your body, that's

18:46what's happening. Your body, your digestion is slowing down. It's decreasing blood flow to the, to those organs and it's causing you to be bloated. Um, but that's, you know, that's not a major, it's a multitude of things, you guys that can cause bloating. So keep that in mind. Like being stressed isn't just one of them. It could be, you know, that you have, do have a food intolerance. It could be that you did overeat. It could be that you are swallowing shit on air. Like there's so many factors. And there's factors that I didn't allude to in this podcast today. Um, but there are so many factors that can be attributed to why you're feeling bloated.

19:21Um, and you know, why you're experiencing that. So I have this podcast helped you guys, right? So I broke down like the causes of bloating, just a few of them. Again, there's probably so many more, but these are the ones I felt like were probably the most that you guys would be experiencing, especially the overeating and the food intolerance, y'all like pay attention to that kind of stuff. Um, and be able to be aware of what may be causing the, like overeating, break it down into small frequent meals. But again, to the food intolerances, be aware of what is causing that trigger to happen.

19:55Um, the bloating to happen. What, what's the trigger food and try and eliminate it and to see if your symptoms do improve. Okay. So I hope this was helpful. Causes of bloating, management of bloating, all of the things today was bloating. So again, I hope it helped you guys take a screenshot of the podcast. Let me know that you guys are enjoying it. I'd love to see that shared on social media so that I can give you guys a heart. Appreciate the love and, uh, I'll see you guys in the next episode. Hey guys, real quick. If you're interested in taking your body to the next level, lose body fat, build more muscle,

20:29feel more confident. Do it alongside one of our 30 plus professional coaches work one-on-one with her to eliminate all of the guesswork that you may have. And all you need to do is just do the work that she tells you to do to get to those goals of yours. And to learn more, click the link below this podcast and apply to our VIP program right now.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.