What Causes Bloating and How to Get Rid of It

Nikkiey: But this can also accumulate in the digestive tract and it can cause bloating. It can be super uncomfortable.

What's going on, you guys? Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder and brand personality of WarriorBabe, where we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I'm your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome to episode number 22, all about the bloat.

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, in my DMs saying, hey, can you bring an episode to the podcast around bloating? Whenever I post "ask me a question" on my stories, it's like, how do I 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.

Just to dive right into it, there are two main things I believe bloating comes from. I'm going to dive into other causes and the management of bloating, but the two things that came to my mind, like, okay, I could just immediately answer this right now, were: number one, you ate too much. Number one, you ate too much, okay? 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. Follow me on Instagram. Do it, because I'm very volatile 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. I feel extremely bloated. It was very uncomfortable. So that's number one.

Number two is you may have some type of deficiency where you cannot break down whatever you are eating, right? AKA food intolerance. So those are two of the five causes of bloating I'm going to dive into. But 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. So let's just get right to it.

Just to explain what bloating is, speaking about it in a very, very broad spectrum here: it's the feeling of fullness or tightening in your abdomen, and that's accompanied by excess fluid or gas. 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, and then I'll touch on six management styles of bloating.

The first cause of bloating, which I just alluded to very briefly, is food intolerances. Some people may have difficulty digesting certain foods. You may have this, your friends may have this, you may have heard about this by following people on Instagram or social media. Lactose and gluten are two very common food intolerances. This can cause bloating, and it can cause other digestive symptoms.

If you suspect that you have a food intolerance, this is what I recommend doing. It's what we tell our WarriorBabes inside the Warrior Blueprint program: they go through an elimination diet, and they eliminate the food from their diet that may be triggering this bloating effect. When you eliminate it, you can see whether your symptoms are improving, right? Hopefully. If not, then you have to go back and see what other food type may be causing that trigger to happen and why you may be feeling bloated. So it's narrowing it down. If you know exactly what it is, like lactose or gluten or dairy or anything like that, you can narrow it down. And that's your trigger, because within 30 to 45 minutes, or even sooner than that, you're feeling a bloat. 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 trying to find out what it may be without going through all the testing and all the things out there that you can do. Just try doing that and see if your symptoms do improve. And then if you know that's your trigger point, okay, cool. I'm not saying be restrictive, but you'll know that you may have some type of effect when you bring this back into your diet, or you can just not have it as much, right?

For me personally, I'm doing this 10X Health system where I'm getting my genes tested and my blood work tested. Super dope. Check it out, 10xhealth.com. What I'm learning from Gary Brecka, who is the face of 10X Health, is that people may have called it a food intolerance, but you may just have some type of gene mutation where you're not able to break down that specific food item. If you guys want to learn more about it, it's super dope. Check out Gary Brecka. He's the GOAT in this field right now.

I'm getting tested because, for me personally, I have some type of flare-up whenever I have Greek yogurt or some types of dairy. Within a matter of a couple of minutes to half an hour to 45 minutes, I have this distended bloating feeling and it's so uncomfortable. So I know 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 my genes tested to see if I have some type of gene mutation where I can't break it down, and whether I need to supplement in a different way for it. I'll keep you guys posted on that once I get the results back. So that's number one, food intolerances.

Number two is excess gas. 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? I've personally experienced this whenever I have a certain type of vegetable, AKA Brussels sprouts. I just don't want to be within 10 feet, 25 feet of somebody after I have Brussels sprouts, for my sake and for theirs. So excess gas is a form of bloating too. You guys, I know we've all felt that. We're human. You get these little pops and bubbles in your digestive tract after you have a certain type of food. So that's number two.

Number three is hormonal changes. Specifically for you ladies, some of you, and I know I do, experience bloating and water retention around your menstrual cycle due to the hormone fluctuations you experience. Totally normal. You know that you're a week out from your period and you're experiencing bloating. That's totally normal. Or right around your period, as soon as it's going to come, you're experiencing bloating. That's hormonal changes going on in your body, literally happening within that area. So that's totally normal, okay?

So with hormonal changes and bloating, it's good to know, and it's good to track your period. I use the app Flo. Whenever I experienced bloating, I'd be like, why do I feel more bloated than before? And I would go in the app and be like, okay, I'm a couple of days off my period. Totally normal. It just puts you at ease. So that's number three.

Number four is overeating. I alluded to this at the start of the podcast. If you consume a large meal, particularly meals that are high in fat, this will cause bloating. I like to joke around with the WarriorBabes inside the community: please don't be an asshole with your food. If you have a refeed day or a cheat meal day, please do not be an asshole with your food, because you will experience these things. It will be uncomfortable, okay?

A large meal also puts a lot of extra stress on your digestive system. Think about it. Thanksgiving, guys, that's one we can all go to mentally. We've experienced a big overconsumption meal, extra turkey and all that. And then you feel bloated within a matter of finishing the meal, because that puts extra stress on the digestive system. Extra stress is going to cause extra bloating, and that's caused by overeating that big meal.

When you eat too much food, you guys, your stomach 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. This can cause discomfort. The stomach muscles have to work harder to break down the food and to move it through your digestive system. So that's a cause of bloating: overeating. Don't overeat. There's a big way you can manage that throughout your day, and I'm going to get into that in the management of bloating.

But the last cause of bloating I want to talk about is number five, which is swallowing air.

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Air is swallowed while eating, drinking, even talking. Or, I don't know if you guys are gum chewers. Holy shit, do you swallow a lot of air when you're chewing gum. This can also accumulate in the digestive tract and it can cause bloating. It can be super uncomfortable, okay? So swallowing air is number five. Gum chewers, I've been there too. When I was competing, around eight years ago now, 2015 to 2018, I chewed a shit ton of gum because it helped me manage my food cravings. I'd just pop it in and feel like I was eating. But I was really just chewing the gum, and man, I swallowed a shit ton of air. That can cause bloating. I felt that too when I was getting closer and closer to show day, and I was going through packs of gum a day, the way people go through cigarettes. It was just so uncomfortable. So if you do that and you're realizing you're bloated, you're probably swallowing a lot of air.

Okay, so those were the five causes of bloating: food intolerances, excess gas, hormonal changes, overeating, and swallowing air.

Now I want to talk about the management of bloating. I tried to put this in the same order as the causes. The first one is dietary changes, so avoiding foods that are known to cause bloating, right? I spoke to that with the elimination diet. Things that you know are going to cause bloating, try to eliminate them and see if your symptoms improve. And focus on just eating a wholesome, balanced diet, right? Healthy fats, lean proteins, good carbohydrates.

That brings me to number two, which is eating smaller meals. This is an absolute game changer, you guys. Eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day can seriously prevent bloating by reducing the amount of food in your stomach at any given time, right? I spoke about overeating and what it does: your stomach has to stretch to accommodate a large volume of food. So if you're one of those breakfast, lunch, and dinner people eating big meals, you're going to feel the bloating sensation after having that big meal. What I would recommend is breaking it down into five or six meals throughout the day, smaller, more frequent meals with a good balance of protein, fats, and carbs. That's going to help prevent bloating and also help you maintain really good energy levels.

This is what we do inside of WarriorBabe. This is what we recommend to our WarriorBabes, and one of the main things is eating smaller, more frequent meals. It's a game changer. It helps your digestive tract not experience so much stress, and your stomach muscles don't have to work so much harder after big meals. Okay, so that was number two. Number one and number two go together: dietary changes, and then eating smaller, frequent meals.

Number three is slow down while you are eating. This ties back to swallowing air. 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? Try to avoid talking while you're eating too, because 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. These are just small recommendations. You don't need to be like, oh my God, I've got to stop talking while eating now because I'm swallowing air and I feel bloated. No, 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, and just be aware of that.

Number four is drink plenty of water. This goes for anything and everything in life. Staying hydrated is so important to help flush out excess sodium that may be in the meal you're eating, and fluids that may be contributing to your bloating. Keep in mind, for me, drinking water can make me feel full, right? It's so funny, because Luke's always like, do you want some water? Do you want a drink with your meal? And I'm like, no, I don't like drinking with my meal. I don't know if you guys are the same way, but it makes me feel fuller faster. So I have my meal first, and then afterwards I'll chug a shit ton of water. Now, can that be uncomfortable? Sometimes, yes. Or I'll pace my water as I'm eating, but I typically like to focus on eating and then have my water afterwards. Just make sure that throughout the day, no matter what, and it doesn't have to be around meals, you're drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated, because it will help flush out all the excess things you're eating. Sodium, fluids, all that jazz. So that was number four.

Number five is exercise. Exercise, guys, is huge. Regular physical activity can promote healthy digestion and reduce excess gas and bloat and all of these things. It can even reduce constipation, just moving your body. If you're at a standstill, or very sedentary, a lot of people experience constipation during that time. By getting regular physical activity every single day, whether it's going for a walk or strength training or doing something, it will help promote a healthy digestive tract, right? So make sure you're getting some type of exercise, please, and not even just for bloating, but for your overall health. So that's number five.

Number six, the last one, is try your best to reduce stress. Stress can have a significant impact on your digestive system, right? I alluded to that a little bit with overeating. Having a stressful lifestyle, or constantly being under a ton of stress, can contribute to bloating. I'm going to try to break it down here a little bit. When your body is stressed, your body is in fight or flight, right? You guys have heard of fight-or-flight mode, and it gets activated. When that gets activated in your body because you're stressed, it slows down your digestion and decreases blood flow to your digestive system and your digestive organs. This can lead to bloating. It can lead to cramping. It can lead to constipation, all of the things, right? So if you are a stressed individual and you are constantly bloated, this is what's happening. So try to eliminate your stress, along with the other things I shared for managing bloating.

To reduce your stress, you can do things throughout your day like practicing deep breathing when you're stressed. Exercise is great for this, as I just spoke about in the last one, but a great one for this is yoga, so incorporate that into your routine. These are ways you can reduce stress. But if you are a stressed individual and that's just the lifestyle you lead, and you're constantly feeling the sensation of bloat in your body, that's what's happening. Your digestion is slowing down, blood flow to those organs is decreasing, and it's causing you to be bloated.

But it's a multitude of things, you guys, that can cause bloating, so keep that in mind. Being stressed is just one of them. It could be that you do have a food intolerance. It could be that you did overeat. It could be that you're swallowing a shit ton of air. There are so many factors, and there are factors I didn't get to in this podcast today. There are so many factors that can contribute to why you're feeling bloated.

I hope this podcast helped you guys, right? I broke down the causes of bloating, just a few of them. Again, there are probably so many more, but these are the ones I felt you'd most likely be experiencing, especially the overeating and the food intolerances. Y'all, pay attention to that kind of stuff, and be aware of what may be causing it. With overeating, break it down into small, frequent meals. And with food intolerances, be aware of what is causing that trigger, the bloating, to happen. What's the trigger food? Try to eliminate it and see if your symptoms improve.

Okay, so I hope this was helpful. Causes of bloating, management of bloating, all of the things. Today was bloating, for episode number 22. Again, I hope it helped you guys. Take a screenshot of the podcast and let me know you're enjoying it. I love to see it shared on social media so I can give you guys a heart. I appreciate the love, and I'll see you guys in the next episode.

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