January 28, 2025 • 31 mins
Bloating is one of the most frustrating and uncomfortable digestive issues, but relief isn’t just about avoiding “trigger” foods. In this episode of Love Your Gut, I’m sharing my top tips for bloating relief—starting with simple, effective strategies you can use today, then diving into the deeper root causes of bloating so you can experience long-term relief. But bloating isn’t just about what you eat—it’s about how your body digests it. That’s why I’ll also walk you through the five biggest root causes of bloating and how to identify if they’re affecting you
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:01):
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:22):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:44):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello, hello and welcome back tothe next episode of the love
your gut podcast.
Today's topic is highlyrequested and we are going to be
diving into one of probably themost common complaints that I
(01:04):
hear from clients and fromfollowers and listeners of this
podcast, which is uncomfortablebloating.
I know how frustrating it canfeel to be bloated.
I was bloated for like 20 plusyears.
So when I say I get it, I.
truly get it.
Whether it's that tight, puffyfeeling after meals or the
discomfort that seems to justlinger no matter what you do,
(01:26):
you might feel like you're sixmonths pregnant by the end of
the day.
You might feel like you'rebloated when you wake up,
whatever pattern your bloat isshowing you.
I'm glad you're tuning in today.
We are going to talk about sometop tips for quick, just easy
bloat relief that you canimplement literally like right
now as you are listening to thisepisode.
But here's the thing.
(01:47):
If you don't address digestionat the top.
Things like how you chew, yourstomach acid, digestive enzymes,
then the downstream fixes won'tlast.
So hear me when I say that weare going to talk about some
bloating tips, but I also amgoing to walk you through the
root causes of bloating and howto identify what might be
(02:07):
driving your discomfort.
Because if you truly want toheal and find lasting relief,
that's what you need to do.
Also, if you are a practitioner,I have a very exciting
opportunity for you on February5th, which is about a week from
the time this podcast is goinglive.
I am hosting a free webinarcalled Back on Tract, pun
(02:29):
intended.
It is designed for dietitiansand health professionals, so
health coaches, nurses, etc.
If you want to learn how toconfidently tackle complex GI
cases and get better clientresults, decrease burnout and
build a really sustainable,exciting business without
(02:51):
relying on endless eliminationdiets and fixes that don't work
for your clients, then be there.
The link to register is in theshow notes, and I'm really,
really excited about this.
I have not done a live trainingfor health professionals since
like 2021.
So really excited to do this,but we are going to just jump
right in on this episode intosome quick tips for bloating
(03:14):
relief.
We're going to start with theeasiest, most.
actionable tips.
These are things that you can dotoday to feel better.
Number one, it's going to soundobvious, but chew, chew, chew,
chew, chew your food.
I know this sounds basic, buthow many of us actually chew our
food thoroughly?
Probably none myself included.
If you're swallowing half chewedbites, your stomach has to work
(03:37):
a lot harder to break it down.
And you're going to learn laterin this episode.
Why you probably don't haveenough stomach acid either, and
that's further exacerbating yourbloat.
So we're going to aim for 20 to30 chews per bite to really kick
off digestion.
You really want your food to bekind of mush by the time you
swallow.
So chew and chew and chew somemore.
(03:59):
Number two, take a walk aftermeals.
This does not have to be long.
It does not have to be intense.
This is not like for exercise.
This is for movement, enjoyment,perhaps some sunshine.
A gentle 5, 10, 15 minute walkafter eating can do wonders for
your digestion.
It helps your body move foodthrough your digestive tract.
(04:20):
It reduces gas, bloating, thatcan happen when food lingers too
long.
I actually saw this TikTok.
this was probably like sixmonths ago, this lady was
talking about how she goes on afart walk after eating and I was
dying laughing that she calledit that.
So maybe you can implement thatfor yourself, but I will have to
(04:41):
find the tick tock.
I don't even go on tick tock.
I think maybe somebody sent itto me, but it was hilarious.
So, okay.
Tip number three.
So we're going to stick to thescript.
Activate your vagus nerve.
So your vagus nerve is yourlongest cranial nerve.
It connects your gut and yourbrain and it plays a huge role
in digestion.
So simple practices likegargling, humming, singing, all
(05:05):
these things can help tone thisnerve and keep your digestive
system running smoothly, whichis what we want.
My kids love to take deepbreaths before eating.
We kind of have this mealtimeritual of praying and then
taking some deep breaths.
If you've been at my house for ameal, then you have likely done
(05:25):
this with us before.
They get really into it.
So you can implement this foryour family.
next sip on ginger, fennel, orpeppermint tea.
You could do one of these, allof these, a mix of these, these
herbal teas are great forsoothing and upset stomach.
I like buying loose leaf tea andmaking it, myself.
but you can, Buy bagged tea aswell.
(05:47):
I like using Mountain Rose herbsfor just bulk tea.
I'll put a link in the shownotes if you want to check it
out.
but tea is great.
Ginger is going to helpstimulate gut motility.
Fennel and peppermint are goingto help dispel gas.
Kind of relieve that like sorestomach feeling.
A combo of these is reallygreat.
You can add lemon, you can addhoney, whatever works for you.
And then lastly, Try the I loveyou massage.
(06:09):
This is a gentle abdominalmassage that can help relieve
bloating by stimulating gutmotility.
You're essentially going totrace the letters I L U on your
belly.
So you're going to start at yourright hip and go up towards your
ribs, massaging like 20 to 30seconds.
So that's the eye.
Then you're going to start atyour right hip, go to your ribs
(06:30):
and go across to your left ribs.
so that's the upside down L andthen you're kind of getting the
just now, then you'll do anupside down U and that's going
to help encourage things to getmoving, especially if you're
dealing with slow motility orconstipation or trapped.
gas.
Our clients like to use a littlecoconut oil or some kind of oil
(06:51):
to help do this.
They'll do it before bed andfind that they have a better
bowel movement in the morning.
you can also do it when you wakeup before you get out of bed or
both.
and it can work super great.
So while these tips are greatfor immediate relief, they
really are just the tip of theiceberg.
If you want long term relieffrom your bloating, you have to
dig deeper and address the rootcauses.
(07:12):
So today on this episode, we'reWe are going to dig into the
five common root causes ofbloating and how to figure out
if they're a part of yourpicture.
There are tons of root causes ofbloating.
So please don't hear thisepisode and think, well, none of
those apply to me.
So I must be broken.
There are tons of root causes.
I'm just going to cover the topfive, but know that there are
(07:34):
many, many more.
So number one.
is poor meal hygiene.
So we talked about this a littlein the quick tips, but let's dig
a little bit deeper and talkabout why meal hygiene is
foundational to digestion.
It is foundational because howyou eat affects how you digest
and often how you eat is a lotmore important than what you
(07:56):
eat, especially if you'rebloated, regardless of what you
eat.
That was a mouthful eating.
isn't just about getting food inyour stomach.
It is a full body process thatbegins in your mouth.
So when you rush through meals,you eat while you're
multitasking a la eating whileyou're working, driving, et
cetera, grab and go.
(08:16):
You are going to miss out on thefirst critical step of
digestion, which is salivation.
So saliva doesn't just moistenyour food.
It contains enzymes like amylaseand lipase, and these things
start breaking downcarbohydrates and fats in your
mouth.
Salivation also acts as a signalto the rest of your digestive
system, which basically letsyour stomach, your pancreas,
(08:38):
your liver, your gallbladder,no, Hey, food is on the way.
We need.
digestive support.
So here's why this matters.
Stomach acid production is veryimportant and saliva helps
stimulate the production ofstomach acid.
So without enough stomach acid,food is going to sit in your
stomach longer because yourstomach has to fill with acid in
(09:00):
order to empty.
So this will affect bowelemptying.
It's going to lead to gas andbloating and fermentation.
Stomach acid also activatesenzymes and helps break down
proteins.
A lot of our clients deal withlow stomach acid from H pylori,
from low mineral status, frompoor meal hygiene, from stress,
(09:23):
from all the things.
Next up is bile flow.
So bile flow is, is veryimportant, especially if you
don't have a gallbladder.
So don't tune out if you think,Oh, well, that doesn't apply to
me.
I had my gallbladder removed.
This is even more important.
Salivation triggers your liverand your gallbladder to start
producing and releasing bile,which is essential for digesting
(09:45):
fats.
So if you're eating quickly orunder stress, bile flow is going
to be sluggish.
It can cause fats to goundigested, which will lead to
bloating and discomfort.
And then lastly, pancreaticoutput.
So salivation will also sendsignals to your pancreas to
release digestive enzymes.
And these enzymes are crucialfor breaking down carbohydrates,
(10:05):
proteins, fats, etc.
So they can be absorbed.
So what happens when you rushthrough meals?
You skip This entire process,the entire digestive process is
disrupted your stomach, yourliver, your pancreas.
Don't get the memo to startworking.
This means that food doesn'tbreak down efficiently.
And this often leads to bloatingand digestion and even nutrient
(10:29):
deficiencies because you absorbminerals via stomach acid and
digestion.
So here's how we can fix this.
Number one, slow down, set 15 to20 minutes.
Aside to eat withoutdistractions, number two, chew
thoroughly back to the chewing.
We want to chew because it's notonly going to break our food
(10:49):
down, but it will increasesalivation and help that whole
process that I just talkedabout.
Lastly, deep breaths.
So before your first bite, dothose five, just deep breaths.
There's many different breathingexercises, but Any kind of deep
breath will do to get your bodyinto rest and digest mode and
calm your nervous system.
Especially if you're having foodfears and thinking, is this
(11:12):
going to make me bloated?
Can I tolerate this food?
What's going to happen?
La, la, la, la, la.
The whole process that happensafter that.
So deep breaths, calm yournervous system.
It's really going to help.
So when you focus on mealhygiene, you will notice that
you are bloated less.
You have more energy becauseyour body's processing food the
way it's designed to.
(11:32):
It sounds like such a simple anddumb shift.
And a lot of times our clientsroll their eyes at us when we
talk about this with them.
And then they come back andthey're like, Oh my gosh, you
were right.
This makes such a difference.
So I hope that you will testthis out and try this.
All right, root cause number twois poor digestion.
So kind of building off of thepoor meal hygiene, what I really
(11:56):
want to talk about more isstomach acid, pancreatic output,
and bile flow.
So these three things are reallyimportant for being able to
break down your food.
These organs are the powerhousesof your digestion.
They produce stomach acid,digestive enzymes, bile, which
all work together.
So if any part of this processis impaired, bloating is a
(12:16):
common result.
So let's start with stomachacid.
Stomach acid is critical fordigestion.
Your stomach should be almost asacidic as battery acid.
It's going to break downproteins.
It's going to activate digestiveenzymes.
And a really important part isit kills off harmful pathogens
from food.
So if you're exposed tosomething, your stomach acid can
(12:39):
actually prevent you fromgetting the stomach bug.
Getting salmonella, getting foodpoisoning, etc.
When your stomach acid is toolow, it can lead to undigested
food, fermentation, andbloating.
It can also lead to slower bowelfunction, which we're going to
talk about in another rootcause.
When your stomach doesn't fillwith acid, it won't empty as
(13:02):
quickly, leading to sluggishbowels, etc.
One of the most common reasonsfor low stomach acid is actually
an infection called H.
pylori.
which is the most commoninfection in the world.
This can suppress stomach acidproduction and H.
pylori thrives in the stomachlining and can lead to bloating
and reflux and poor proteindigestion.
(13:23):
you might be dealing with H.
pylori if you're bloated,especially after high protein
meals, you have acid reflux or aburning sensation, you have
chronic burping or even badbreath.
I always say look out for thethree B's, so bloating, burning,
and burping.
You really want to work with apractitioner if you have H.
pylori.
It's really easy to pass thisvia saliva and other bodily
(13:46):
fluids.
You can even get it from pets,but getting rid of it is really
important.
You can use things to improvestomach acid production, such as
digestive bitters.
I would not recommend usingapple cider vinegar or betaine
HCL without consulting aprovider.
You can do more harm than goodwith some of these things.
(14:09):
but digestive bitters can bereally supportive.
especially the non alcoholicones.
If you have any kind of stomachlining, irritation, et cetera.
Next is bile flow.
So your liver produces bile andyour gallbladder stores and
releases it to help emulsify anddigest fats.
So if you have sluggish bile oreven if you don't have a
(14:30):
gallbladder, you still have bileflow.
It's just not getting ejectedfrom the gallbladder.
Like it normally would, but wedon't want to have fats go
undigested.
This will lead to lots ofburping after high fat meals,
feeling heavy after meals,greasy or floating stool, kind
(14:50):
of that stool that you feel likeyou have to wipe a ton.
This can be an indicator ofsluggish bile flow or
gallbladder issues.
poor hydration, low fat diets,ironically, can cause bile flow
issues because you needcholesterol to help with bile.
Hormonal imbalances likeestrogen dominance, stress or
sluggish liver.
(15:11):
one of my favorite tools for thegallbladder is castor oil packs.
It's really effective atsupporting the liver and bile
flow.
And you gently just place thisover your liver.
with castor oil, it can promotelymph drainage.
so you're going to put it overyour liver with a wool cloth.
Typically we use the Queen ofThrones one.
I'll put the link in the shownotes.
(15:33):
really easy to use.
You can do this for, 30 to 60minutes while you're watching TV
at night.
You can wear it overnight.
Sometimes people recommend that.
Of course, Consult your healthcare provider.
This is not medical advice, butthat's typically what we
recommend for our clients.
And then lastly, kind of thelast, organ.
At least involved in the firstpart of digestion is your
(15:55):
pancreas.
And this helps with the releaseof enzymes that breaks down
carbohydrates and proteins andfats into smaller molecules that
your body can absorb.
So if your pancreatic output islow, you may experience bloating
or gas or even nutrientdeficiencies.
bloating after eating,especially high carb or high
protein meals, fatigue or foodcomas after meals can indicate
(16:19):
pancreatic output is low.
Floating stools, undigestivestools, off colored stools, so
if you've got like yellow stool.
Digestive enzymes can be helpfulhere, I wouldn't just take a
random enzyme, elastase, whichis a marker that we can see on
stool.
Stool testing that will show usa bit more about pancreatic
(16:40):
output.
You can also eat smaller mealsto just slowly reduce the
workload on your pancreas, butultimately you want to address
the upstream piece.
So making sure you'resalivating, making sure you're
addressing the stomach acidpiece.
Chewing your food, getting yourstomach, to produce enough acid
where it's then signaling yourgallbladder, your liver, and
(17:03):
your pancreas to produce enoughenzymes, for food breakdown.
The next piece is stress.
So before you turn this off andthink, that does not apply to
me, stress is actually one ofthe most overlooked
contributors.
to bloating and poor digestionbecause it impacts your body in
ways that you might not realize.
So I hope to provide perhaps adifferent perspective on stress.
(17:27):
When you think of stress, youmight picture like work
deadlines or family obligations,but stress isn't always in your
head.
And this is something that wecommon commonly see with our
clients is your body doesn'tknow the difference between.
Whether you're worried abouteating the quote unquote wrong
food, or actually being chasedby a tiger, your nervous system
(17:49):
reacts the same by flipping intofight or flight mode.
So in this state, digestion willjust take a backseat because
your body is focused on survivaland not breaking down your last
meal.
So here's how stress shuts down.
Digestion.
Number one, it suppressesstomach acid production in fight
or flight.
Your body.
(18:10):
stops or slows the production ofstomach acid because it's not
worried about breaking downfood.
If it thinks it's being chasedby a tiger, it will also reduce
enzyme output.
So it will suppress the releaseof digestive enzymes and then
will also contribute to sluggishgut motility.
Chronic stress will move bloodflow away from the gut and to
(18:33):
your muscles because again,you're getting ready to be
chased by a bear.
So this can slow down thebowels.
or speed them up really fast,which can also be a problem.
So stress is not alwaysemotional and it's important to
recognize just what stressorsyou might have.
things like under eating, toolittle or skipping meals.
(18:53):
This sends a signal to your bodythat resources are scarce,
triggering a stress response.
Chronic under eating can alsoslow your metabolism, slow down
digestion and worsen bloating.
Food fear, obsessively worryingabout eating the wrong foods.
is a stress.
When you eat in a state of fearor anxiety, your body isn't in
rest and digest, which canamplify bloating mineral
(19:16):
deficiencies.
We see this all the time.
Low levels of magnesium,potassium, sodium, et cetera,
can make it harder for your bodyto manage stress.
And you burn through moreminerals.
when you are stressed.
So magnesium, for example, isknown as the relaxation mineral
because it helps calm thenervous system.
A deficiency can keep you stuck.
(19:37):
Same thing with potassium.
This is the stress mineral.
So when you're more stressed,you use more.
Most people don't even getenough potassium helps with
muscle contraction, AKA gutmotility so it can slow down
there as well.
And then even over exercising,so movement, it's great for
stress relief, but overdoing it,especially if you're not eating
(19:58):
enough is a stress.
And then also having underlyinggut infections is a stress.
If you have Candida, H.
pylori, a parasite, whatever itis, this is a stress on your
body.
So we want to look under thehood and see what's going on in
the gut and address it to reducestress on your body.
some questions to ask yourself.
(20:19):
Does your bloating get worseduring stressful times, like
busy work weeks or anythingthat's more emotional?
Do you often feel rushed oranxious while eating?
Are you under eating, overexercising, relying on caffeine
to get through the day?
Those can be some signs.
So just some simple things thatyou can do.
Number one, shift into rest anddigest mode.
(20:41):
Just take three to five deepbreaths before you eat.
This is going to activate yourvagus nerve.
support your nervous system withminerals.
If you haven't done that yet,supporting your minerals is a
great way to support yourstress.
So a simple adrenal cocktail,Any kind of mineral mocktail is
going to be great.
I have plenty of episodes onthis as well as a mineral guide
(21:01):
that you can download withseveral ideas.
Find balance in your movement.
If it's a really stressful weekand you're not sleeping enough,
maybe the HIIT workout's not agreat idea.
go walking or do yoga orPilates.
working on your relationshipwith food.
trying to address the food fear.
And getting professional helpcan be really helpful for this
(21:22):
because sometimes we needsomeone to speak that into us.
And then practice just dailyrelaxation.
I'm not talking about meditatingfor an hour.
I'm a mom of three and I run abusiness.
I don't have time to do thateither.
So I'm not going to tell you todo that.
Five to 10 minutes ofmindfulness, journaling, deep
breathing, even spread outthroughout the day.
(21:44):
reminders on your phone, to gooff and just have the reminder,
say, take three deep breaths.
It doesn't have to be supercomplicated.
So when you reduce stress,you're going to create an
environment where your digestioncan thrive.
And over time, this is going tolead to less bloating, better
nutrient absorption, and thenoverall improved health.
(22:06):
All right, number four is slowgut motility.
This is one of the most commonthings we see with our clients
that struggle with reallychronic bloating and
constipation.
Gut motility is referring to howquickly food moves through your
digestive tract.
Your digestive system is kind oflike a conveyor belt, so food
should move at the right speedto ensure proper digestion and
(22:28):
elimination.
When motility slows down, foodsits longer than it should.
This leads to fermentation, gas,and bloating.
There's a lot of things thatwill impact motility.
Number one, nervous systemdysfunction or function.
So the enteric nervous system,also known as your second brain,
controls how food moves throughyour digestive tract.
(22:49):
If your nervous system isstressed, then motility will
slow down.
Hydration and fiber intake.
So dehydration is going to slowgut motility.
You need water in yourintestines to move things
through.
Minerals are going to play a bigdeal into this as well.
You need minerals likemagnesium, sodium, et cetera, to
draw water to your bowels andthen insufficient dietary fiber.
(23:13):
If you're not eating 25 30 gramsof fiber a day, your bowels will
likely be slower.
and this is kind of a Goldilocksmentality as well.
We don't want, more is notalways better.
More is not more.
25 30 grams.
Maybe 35 grams and slowlyworking your way up.
If you do a recall and you'reeating seven grams of fiber a
(23:35):
day, don't go straight to 30slowly increase and make sure
you're drinking enough waterwith fiber.
You need more water mineralimbalances.
Like I mentioned, magnesium,It's going to draw water to your
bowels, potassium is also goingto be really helpful here as
well.
Potassium is going to help thegut muscles contract and then
any underlying conditions likehypothyroidism.
(23:58):
This is going to slow thebowels, SIBO, vagus nerve
dysfunction, et cetera.
So all these things are going toaffect how much the muscles of
the gut contract.
Remember, your gut is a muscle,so we need it to be in shape and
contracting and moving thingsthrough.
So some questions to ask wouldbe, are you having fewer than
(24:19):
one bowel movement per day?
We should be completely emptyingour bowels one to three times a
day.
Do you feel bloated oruncomfortable after meals,
especially as the dayprogresses?
Are you bloated when you wakeup?
This can be a big sign of slowmotility.
And then do you noticeincomplete bowel movements or
this sensation of never goingenough?
(24:41):
if you're going a tiny bit eachday, or each time and you're not
fully emptying, then slow gutmotility is probably at play for
you.
And no probiotic is really goingto fix that.
So we want to address it.
comprehensively.
So you can support your gutmotility number one by
hydrating.
(25:02):
Start your day with a largeglass of water with a pinch of
salt.
Maybe squeeze a lemon.
This is going to help supportminerals.
It's going to support hydration.
Magnesium can be great.
Citrate or glyconate areprobably the two that we use the
most.
Citrate is going to be a littlebit more appropriate if you're
constipated.
Glyconate if you're stressed oryou have trouble sleeping.
Movement, go for a gentle fiveto 10 minute walk.
(25:25):
Like I mentioned, do the I loveyou massage, yoga, any kind of
abdominal massage to helpstimulate the digestive tract.
Activate your vagus nerve.
You can see that all of thesethings kind of all go together.
So some of these lifestylehabits are going to.
support a lot of theseunderlying root causes.
And then the last root causethat I want to tackle today, at
(25:47):
least, is dysbiosis.
So this is an imbalance in yourgut microbiome.
And dysbiosis occurs when youhave either too few good
bacteria, too many quote unquotebad bacteria.
This can also, translate toyeast or other pathogens.
But essentially, these unwantedbacteria, yeast, or pathogens
(26:08):
are outweighing the beneficialbacteria, leading to Excessive
fermentation of food.
This is going to create gas,bloating, and a whole host of
other symptoms like foodsensitivities or irregular bowel
movements.
But here's the key point.
Digestion is a north to southprocess.
If you skip over foundationalissues like meal hygiene,
(26:30):
stomach acid production, gutmotility, and you jump straight
to fixing your microbiome, maybeyou jump straight into a SIBO
protocol or, I can't tell youhow many times I've gotten on
the phone with someone andthey're like, I've done
candibactin, AR, and BR twice orthree times and it hasn't
worked.
Or I've done eight SIBOprotocols and it hasn't worked.
(26:50):
I'm like, okay, What did you doto address your digestion, your
motility, all these otherthings, and they look at me like
a deer in the headlights.
there's been so many missedpieces, and it makes me feel so
bad that they got a completelyincomplete treatment.
But an imbalanced microbiome isoften the result, not the root
cause of poor digestionupstream.
(27:13):
So some questions to askyourself would be, do you
experience chronic bloatingregardless of what you eat?
Do you have a history ofantibiotic use, poor diet,
unmanaged stress?
Do you notice worsening foodsensitivities or irregular bowel
movements?
Do you feel six months pregnantwith bloat by the end of the
day?
If you resonate, dysbiosis couldbe playing a role in your
(27:36):
bloating.
So there's no quick fix for thisbecause your microbiome is
incredibly complex.
And while, different probioticsor protocols or supplements may
offer short term relief.
They rarely address the fullpicture.
So restoring this is going totake time.
It's going to require creatingan environment where beneficial
(27:56):
bacteria can thrive.
You can support your microbiomeby eating prebiotic fiber, which
you might feel like you don'ttolerate.
So go low, go slow.
garlic, onions, leeks, asparagusgo really slowly and don't.
at a time or you're gonna worsenyour symptoms.
Spore based probiotics.
(28:16):
These are incredibly resilientand they are very helpful at
promoting diversity in the gut,reducing inflammation, et
cetera.
And then immunolin.
I have another podcast episodespecifically on immunolin and
colostrum.
It's a couple episodes back.
I'll link it in the show notes,but this is made from bovine
(28:37):
immunoglobulins and it helpsbind to and neutralize harmful
bacteria.
So this is especially helpfulfor calming inflammation and
just reducing the microbialload.
when you focus on these threethings, you can slowly rebalance
your gut, but really rememberthat what works best is when
(28:57):
foundational digestion andmotility issues are addressed
first.
as I've mentioned, digestion isa north to south process,
starting with salivation, mealhygiene, stomach acid
production, enzymes, bilerelease.
And then we finally get to themicrobiome.
So if you skip the upstreamsteps and you go straight into
(29:18):
fixing your gut bacteria, youare very unlikely to see lasting
results.
And that's often why people hita dead end with probiotics or
gut protocols that aren'taddressing foundational issues.
So if you are tired of feelingbloated and just guessing what's
wrong, I would really encourageyou to check out Gut Tested.
(29:42):
This is our testing package thatincludes testing and one on one
support to help you identifythese root causes if you're not
getting anywhere with whatyou're doing for your bloating.
Or Overall GI issues right now,you're going to do the stool
test.
You're going to uncover what'sreally going on.
You're going to get one on onesupport with an expert trained
(30:04):
gut health dietician to create aplan tailored to your needs.
And bloating does not have to beyour normal.
With the right tools, the rightsupport, you can take control of
all of this and have a long termplan to prevent it.
So I'll put the link in the shownotes if you want to check it
out this is our great testingpackage for those of you that
(30:25):
are really looking into, whatyour root causes might be.
So just to recap this episodereal quick, chew thoroughly,
walk after meals, sip on herbalteas, and then look at.
Some of these underlying rootcauses while you're doing that.
So hormonal hygiene, stress,slow motility, bloating.
(30:45):
Like I said, does not have to beyour normal.
When you work on thesefoundational things and you
address the root causes, you canstart to feel like yourself
again.
So I hope that this episode washelpful.
If you have questions, feel freeto send me a DM on Instagram.
I would love to chat with you.
And as a reminder, if you are apractitioner, And you want to
(31:07):
learn more about how tointerpret testing, how to create
comprehensive protocols for yourclients.
Make sure that you come to mywebinar on February 5th, and you
will learn exactly how to dothat.
I'll show you how to confidentlyaddress GI issues and build a
practice that you love.
So the link is in the shownotes.
(31:29):
Can't wait to see you there.
That's all for today.
Thanks so much for tuning in,and I will catch you on the next
episode of the Love Your Gutpodcast.
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:22):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:44):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello, hello and welcome back tothe next episode of the love
your gut podcast.
Today's topic is highlyrequested and we are going to be
diving into one of probably themost common complaints that I
(01:04):
hear from clients and fromfollowers and listeners of this
podcast, which is uncomfortablebloating.
I know how frustrating it canfeel to be bloated.
I was bloated for like 20 plusyears.
So when I say I get it, I.
truly get it.
Whether it's that tight, puffyfeeling after meals or the
discomfort that seems to justlinger no matter what you do,
(01:26):
you might feel like you're sixmonths pregnant by the end of
the day.
You might feel like you'rebloated when you wake up,
whatever pattern your bloat isshowing you.
I'm glad you're tuning in today.
We are going to talk about sometop tips for quick, just easy
bloat relief that you canimplement literally like right
now as you are listening to thisepisode.
But here's the thing.
(01:47):
If you don't address digestionat the top.
Things like how you chew, yourstomach acid, digestive enzymes,
then the downstream fixes won'tlast.
So hear me when I say that weare going to talk about some
bloating tips, but I also amgoing to walk you through the
root causes of bloating and howto identify what might be
(02:07):
driving your discomfort.
Because if you truly want toheal and find lasting relief,
that's what you need to do.
Also, if you are a practitioner,I have a very exciting
opportunity for you on February5th, which is about a week from
the time this podcast is goinglive.
I am hosting a free webinarcalled Back on Tract, pun
(02:29):
intended.
It is designed for dietitiansand health professionals, so
health coaches, nurses, etc.
If you want to learn how toconfidently tackle complex GI
cases and get better clientresults, decrease burnout and
build a really sustainable,exciting business without
(02:51):
relying on endless eliminationdiets and fixes that don't work
for your clients, then be there.
The link to register is in theshow notes, and I'm really,
really excited about this.
I have not done a live trainingfor health professionals since
like 2021.
So really excited to do this,but we are going to just jump
right in on this episode intosome quick tips for bloating
(03:14):
relief.
We're going to start with theeasiest, most.
actionable tips.
These are things that you can dotoday to feel better.
Number one, it's going to soundobvious, but chew, chew, chew,
chew, chew your food.
I know this sounds basic, buthow many of us actually chew our
food thoroughly?
Probably none myself included.
If you're swallowing half chewedbites, your stomach has to work
(03:37):
a lot harder to break it down.
And you're going to learn laterin this episode.
Why you probably don't haveenough stomach acid either, and
that's further exacerbating yourbloat.
So we're going to aim for 20 to30 chews per bite to really kick
off digestion.
You really want your food to bekind of mush by the time you
swallow.
So chew and chew and chew somemore.
(03:59):
Number two, take a walk aftermeals.
This does not have to be long.
It does not have to be intense.
This is not like for exercise.
This is for movement, enjoyment,perhaps some sunshine.
A gentle 5, 10, 15 minute walkafter eating can do wonders for
your digestion.
It helps your body move foodthrough your digestive tract.
(04:20):
It reduces gas, bloating, thatcan happen when food lingers too
long.
I actually saw this TikTok.
this was probably like sixmonths ago, this lady was
talking about how she goes on afart walk after eating and I was
dying laughing that she calledit that.
So maybe you can implement thatfor yourself, but I will have to
(04:41):
find the tick tock.
I don't even go on tick tock.
I think maybe somebody sent itto me, but it was hilarious.
So, okay.
Tip number three.
So we're going to stick to thescript.
Activate your vagus nerve.
So your vagus nerve is yourlongest cranial nerve.
It connects your gut and yourbrain and it plays a huge role
in digestion.
So simple practices likegargling, humming, singing, all
(05:05):
these things can help tone thisnerve and keep your digestive
system running smoothly, whichis what we want.
My kids love to take deepbreaths before eating.
We kind of have this mealtimeritual of praying and then
taking some deep breaths.
If you've been at my house for ameal, then you have likely done
(05:25):
this with us before.
They get really into it.
So you can implement this foryour family.
next sip on ginger, fennel, orpeppermint tea.
You could do one of these, allof these, a mix of these, these
herbal teas are great forsoothing and upset stomach.
I like buying loose leaf tea andmaking it, myself.
but you can, Buy bagged tea aswell.
(05:47):
I like using Mountain Rose herbsfor just bulk tea.
I'll put a link in the shownotes if you want to check it
out.
but tea is great.
Ginger is going to helpstimulate gut motility.
Fennel and peppermint are goingto help dispel gas.
Kind of relieve that like sorestomach feeling.
A combo of these is reallygreat.
You can add lemon, you can addhoney, whatever works for you.
And then lastly, Try the I loveyou massage.
(06:09):
This is a gentle abdominalmassage that can help relieve
bloating by stimulating gutmotility.
You're essentially going totrace the letters I L U on your
belly.
So you're going to start at yourright hip and go up towards your
ribs, massaging like 20 to 30seconds.
So that's the eye.
Then you're going to start atyour right hip, go to your ribs
(06:30):
and go across to your left ribs.
so that's the upside down L andthen you're kind of getting the
just now, then you'll do anupside down U and that's going
to help encourage things to getmoving, especially if you're
dealing with slow motility orconstipation or trapped.
gas.
Our clients like to use a littlecoconut oil or some kind of oil
(06:51):
to help do this.
They'll do it before bed andfind that they have a better
bowel movement in the morning.
you can also do it when you wakeup before you get out of bed or
both.
and it can work super great.
So while these tips are greatfor immediate relief, they
really are just the tip of theiceberg.
If you want long term relieffrom your bloating, you have to
dig deeper and address the rootcauses.
(07:12):
So today on this episode, we'reWe are going to dig into the
five common root causes ofbloating and how to figure out
if they're a part of yourpicture.
There are tons of root causes ofbloating.
So please don't hear thisepisode and think, well, none of
those apply to me.
So I must be broken.
There are tons of root causes.
I'm just going to cover the topfive, but know that there are
(07:34):
many, many more.
So number one.
is poor meal hygiene.
So we talked about this a littlein the quick tips, but let's dig
a little bit deeper and talkabout why meal hygiene is
foundational to digestion.
It is foundational because howyou eat affects how you digest
and often how you eat is a lotmore important than what you
(07:56):
eat, especially if you'rebloated, regardless of what you
eat.
That was a mouthful eating.
isn't just about getting food inyour stomach.
It is a full body process thatbegins in your mouth.
So when you rush through meals,you eat while you're
multitasking a la eating whileyou're working, driving, et
cetera, grab and go.
(08:16):
You are going to miss out on thefirst critical step of
digestion, which is salivation.
So saliva doesn't just moistenyour food.
It contains enzymes like amylaseand lipase, and these things
start breaking downcarbohydrates and fats in your
mouth.
Salivation also acts as a signalto the rest of your digestive
system, which basically letsyour stomach, your pancreas,
(08:38):
your liver, your gallbladder,no, Hey, food is on the way.
We need.
digestive support.
So here's why this matters.
Stomach acid production is veryimportant and saliva helps
stimulate the production ofstomach acid.
So without enough stomach acid,food is going to sit in your
stomach longer because yourstomach has to fill with acid in
(09:00):
order to empty.
So this will affect bowelemptying.
It's going to lead to gas andbloating and fermentation.
Stomach acid also activatesenzymes and helps break down
proteins.
A lot of our clients deal withlow stomach acid from H pylori,
from low mineral status, frompoor meal hygiene, from stress,
(09:23):
from all the things.
Next up is bile flow.
So bile flow is, is veryimportant, especially if you
don't have a gallbladder.
So don't tune out if you think,Oh, well, that doesn't apply to
me.
I had my gallbladder removed.
This is even more important.
Salivation triggers your liverand your gallbladder to start
producing and releasing bile,which is essential for digesting
(09:45):
fats.
So if you're eating quickly orunder stress, bile flow is going
to be sluggish.
It can cause fats to goundigested, which will lead to
bloating and discomfort.
And then lastly, pancreaticoutput.
So salivation will also sendsignals to your pancreas to
release digestive enzymes.
And these enzymes are crucialfor breaking down carbohydrates,
(10:05):
proteins, fats, etc.
So they can be absorbed.
So what happens when you rushthrough meals?
You skip This entire process,the entire digestive process is
disrupted your stomach, yourliver, your pancreas.
Don't get the memo to startworking.
This means that food doesn'tbreak down efficiently.
And this often leads to bloatingand digestion and even nutrient
(10:29):
deficiencies because you absorbminerals via stomach acid and
digestion.
So here's how we can fix this.
Number one, slow down, set 15 to20 minutes.
Aside to eat withoutdistractions, number two, chew
thoroughly back to the chewing.
We want to chew because it's notonly going to break our food
(10:49):
down, but it will increasesalivation and help that whole
process that I just talkedabout.
Lastly, deep breaths.
So before your first bite, dothose five, just deep breaths.
There's many different breathingexercises, but Any kind of deep
breath will do to get your bodyinto rest and digest mode and
calm your nervous system.
Especially if you're having foodfears and thinking, is this
(11:12):
going to make me bloated?
Can I tolerate this food?
What's going to happen?
La, la, la, la, la.
The whole process that happensafter that.
So deep breaths, calm yournervous system.
It's really going to help.
So when you focus on mealhygiene, you will notice that
you are bloated less.
You have more energy becauseyour body's processing food the
way it's designed to.
(11:32):
It sounds like such a simple anddumb shift.
And a lot of times our clientsroll their eyes at us when we
talk about this with them.
And then they come back andthey're like, Oh my gosh, you
were right.
This makes such a difference.
So I hope that you will testthis out and try this.
All right, root cause number twois poor digestion.
So kind of building off of thepoor meal hygiene, what I really
(11:56):
want to talk about more isstomach acid, pancreatic output,
and bile flow.
So these three things are reallyimportant for being able to
break down your food.
These organs are the powerhousesof your digestion.
They produce stomach acid,digestive enzymes, bile, which
all work together.
So if any part of this processis impaired, bloating is a
(12:16):
common result.
So let's start with stomachacid.
Stomach acid is critical fordigestion.
Your stomach should be almost asacidic as battery acid.
It's going to break downproteins.
It's going to activate digestiveenzymes.
And a really important part isit kills off harmful pathogens
from food.
So if you're exposed tosomething, your stomach acid can
(12:39):
actually prevent you fromgetting the stomach bug.
Getting salmonella, getting foodpoisoning, etc.
When your stomach acid is toolow, it can lead to undigested
food, fermentation, andbloating.
It can also lead to slower bowelfunction, which we're going to
talk about in another rootcause.
When your stomach doesn't fillwith acid, it won't empty as
(13:02):
quickly, leading to sluggishbowels, etc.
One of the most common reasonsfor low stomach acid is actually
an infection called H.
pylori.
which is the most commoninfection in the world.
This can suppress stomach acidproduction and H.
pylori thrives in the stomachlining and can lead to bloating
and reflux and poor proteindigestion.
(13:23):
you might be dealing with H.
pylori if you're bloated,especially after high protein
meals, you have acid reflux or aburning sensation, you have
chronic burping or even badbreath.
I always say look out for thethree B's, so bloating, burning,
and burping.
You really want to work with apractitioner if you have H.
pylori.
It's really easy to pass thisvia saliva and other bodily
(13:46):
fluids.
You can even get it from pets,but getting rid of it is really
important.
You can use things to improvestomach acid production, such as
digestive bitters.
I would not recommend usingapple cider vinegar or betaine
HCL without consulting aprovider.
You can do more harm than goodwith some of these things.
(14:09):
but digestive bitters can bereally supportive.
especially the non alcoholicones.
If you have any kind of stomachlining, irritation, et cetera.
Next is bile flow.
So your liver produces bile andyour gallbladder stores and
releases it to help emulsify anddigest fats.
So if you have sluggish bile oreven if you don't have a
(14:30):
gallbladder, you still have bileflow.
It's just not getting ejectedfrom the gallbladder.
Like it normally would, but wedon't want to have fats go
undigested.
This will lead to lots ofburping after high fat meals,
feeling heavy after meals,greasy or floating stool, kind
(14:50):
of that stool that you feel likeyou have to wipe a ton.
This can be an indicator ofsluggish bile flow or
gallbladder issues.
poor hydration, low fat diets,ironically, can cause bile flow
issues because you needcholesterol to help with bile.
Hormonal imbalances likeestrogen dominance, stress or
sluggish liver.
(15:11):
one of my favorite tools for thegallbladder is castor oil packs.
It's really effective atsupporting the liver and bile
flow.
And you gently just place thisover your liver.
with castor oil, it can promotelymph drainage.
so you're going to put it overyour liver with a wool cloth.
Typically we use the Queen ofThrones one.
I'll put the link in the shownotes.
(15:33):
really easy to use.
You can do this for, 30 to 60minutes while you're watching TV
at night.
You can wear it overnight.
Sometimes people recommend that.
Of course, Consult your healthcare provider.
This is not medical advice, butthat's typically what we
recommend for our clients.
And then lastly, kind of thelast, organ.
At least involved in the firstpart of digestion is your
(15:55):
pancreas.
And this helps with the releaseof enzymes that breaks down
carbohydrates and proteins andfats into smaller molecules that
your body can absorb.
So if your pancreatic output islow, you may experience bloating
or gas or even nutrientdeficiencies.
bloating after eating,especially high carb or high
protein meals, fatigue or foodcomas after meals can indicate
(16:19):
pancreatic output is low.
Floating stools, undigestivestools, off colored stools, so
if you've got like yellow stool.
Digestive enzymes can be helpfulhere, I wouldn't just take a
random enzyme, elastase, whichis a marker that we can see on
stool.
Stool testing that will show usa bit more about pancreatic
(16:40):
output.
You can also eat smaller mealsto just slowly reduce the
workload on your pancreas, butultimately you want to address
the upstream piece.
So making sure you'resalivating, making sure you're
addressing the stomach acidpiece.
Chewing your food, getting yourstomach, to produce enough acid
where it's then signaling yourgallbladder, your liver, and
(17:03):
your pancreas to produce enoughenzymes, for food breakdown.
The next piece is stress.
So before you turn this off andthink, that does not apply to
me, stress is actually one ofthe most overlooked
contributors.
to bloating and poor digestionbecause it impacts your body in
ways that you might not realize.
So I hope to provide perhaps adifferent perspective on stress.
(17:27):
When you think of stress, youmight picture like work
deadlines or family obligations,but stress isn't always in your
head.
And this is something that wecommon commonly see with our
clients is your body doesn'tknow the difference between.
Whether you're worried abouteating the quote unquote wrong
food, or actually being chasedby a tiger, your nervous system
(17:49):
reacts the same by flipping intofight or flight mode.
So in this state, digestion willjust take a backseat because
your body is focused on survivaland not breaking down your last
meal.
So here's how stress shuts down.
Digestion.
Number one, it suppressesstomach acid production in fight
or flight.
Your body.
(18:10):
stops or slows the production ofstomach acid because it's not
worried about breaking downfood.
If it thinks it's being chasedby a tiger, it will also reduce
enzyme output.
So it will suppress the releaseof digestive enzymes and then
will also contribute to sluggishgut motility.
Chronic stress will move bloodflow away from the gut and to
(18:33):
your muscles because again,you're getting ready to be
chased by a bear.
So this can slow down thebowels.
or speed them up really fast,which can also be a problem.
So stress is not alwaysemotional and it's important to
recognize just what stressorsyou might have.
things like under eating, toolittle or skipping meals.
(18:53):
This sends a signal to your bodythat resources are scarce,
triggering a stress response.
Chronic under eating can alsoslow your metabolism, slow down
digestion and worsen bloating.
Food fear, obsessively worryingabout eating the wrong foods.
is a stress.
When you eat in a state of fearor anxiety, your body isn't in
rest and digest, which canamplify bloating mineral
(19:16):
deficiencies.
We see this all the time.
Low levels of magnesium,potassium, sodium, et cetera,
can make it harder for your bodyto manage stress.
And you burn through moreminerals.
when you are stressed.
So magnesium, for example, isknown as the relaxation mineral
because it helps calm thenervous system.
A deficiency can keep you stuck.
(19:37):
Same thing with potassium.
This is the stress mineral.
So when you're more stressed,you use more.
Most people don't even getenough potassium helps with
muscle contraction, AKA gutmotility so it can slow down
there as well.
And then even over exercising,so movement, it's great for
stress relief, but overdoing it,especially if you're not eating
(19:58):
enough is a stress.
And then also having underlyinggut infections is a stress.
If you have Candida, H.
pylori, a parasite, whatever itis, this is a stress on your
body.
So we want to look under thehood and see what's going on in
the gut and address it to reducestress on your body.
some questions to ask yourself.
(20:19):
Does your bloating get worseduring stressful times, like
busy work weeks or anythingthat's more emotional?
Do you often feel rushed oranxious while eating?
Are you under eating, overexercising, relying on caffeine
to get through the day?
Those can be some signs.
So just some simple things thatyou can do.
Number one, shift into rest anddigest mode.
(20:41):
Just take three to five deepbreaths before you eat.
This is going to activate yourvagus nerve.
support your nervous system withminerals.
If you haven't done that yet,supporting your minerals is a
great way to support yourstress.
So a simple adrenal cocktail,Any kind of mineral mocktail is
going to be great.
I have plenty of episodes onthis as well as a mineral guide
(21:01):
that you can download withseveral ideas.
Find balance in your movement.
If it's a really stressful weekand you're not sleeping enough,
maybe the HIIT workout's not agreat idea.
go walking or do yoga orPilates.
working on your relationshipwith food.
trying to address the food fear.
And getting professional helpcan be really helpful for this
(21:22):
because sometimes we needsomeone to speak that into us.
And then practice just dailyrelaxation.
I'm not talking about meditatingfor an hour.
I'm a mom of three and I run abusiness.
I don't have time to do thateither.
So I'm not going to tell you todo that.
Five to 10 minutes ofmindfulness, journaling, deep
breathing, even spread outthroughout the day.
(21:44):
reminders on your phone, to gooff and just have the reminder,
say, take three deep breaths.
It doesn't have to be supercomplicated.
So when you reduce stress,you're going to create an
environment where your digestioncan thrive.
And over time, this is going tolead to less bloating, better
nutrient absorption, and thenoverall improved health.
(22:06):
All right, number four is slowgut motility.
This is one of the most commonthings we see with our clients
that struggle with reallychronic bloating and
constipation.
Gut motility is referring to howquickly food moves through your
digestive tract.
Your digestive system is kind oflike a conveyor belt, so food
should move at the right speedto ensure proper digestion and
(22:28):
elimination.
When motility slows down, foodsits longer than it should.
This leads to fermentation, gas,and bloating.
There's a lot of things thatwill impact motility.
Number one, nervous systemdysfunction or function.
So the enteric nervous system,also known as your second brain,
controls how food moves throughyour digestive tract.
(22:49):
If your nervous system isstressed, then motility will
slow down.
Hydration and fiber intake.
So dehydration is going to slowgut motility.
You need water in yourintestines to move things
through.
Minerals are going to play a bigdeal into this as well.
You need minerals likemagnesium, sodium, et cetera, to
draw water to your bowels andthen insufficient dietary fiber.
(23:13):
If you're not eating 25 30 gramsof fiber a day, your bowels will
likely be slower.
and this is kind of a Goldilocksmentality as well.
We don't want, more is notalways better.
More is not more.
25 30 grams.
Maybe 35 grams and slowlyworking your way up.
If you do a recall and you'reeating seven grams of fiber a
(23:35):
day, don't go straight to 30slowly increase and make sure
you're drinking enough waterwith fiber.
You need more water mineralimbalances.
Like I mentioned, magnesium,It's going to draw water to your
bowels, potassium is also goingto be really helpful here as
well.
Potassium is going to help thegut muscles contract and then
any underlying conditions likehypothyroidism.
(23:58):
This is going to slow thebowels, SIBO, vagus nerve
dysfunction, et cetera.
So all these things are going toaffect how much the muscles of
the gut contract.
Remember, your gut is a muscle,so we need it to be in shape and
contracting and moving thingsthrough.
So some questions to ask wouldbe, are you having fewer than
(24:19):
one bowel movement per day?
We should be completely emptyingour bowels one to three times a
day.
Do you feel bloated oruncomfortable after meals,
especially as the dayprogresses?
Are you bloated when you wakeup?
This can be a big sign of slowmotility.
And then do you noticeincomplete bowel movements or
this sensation of never goingenough?
(24:41):
if you're going a tiny bit eachday, or each time and you're not
fully emptying, then slow gutmotility is probably at play for
you.
And no probiotic is really goingto fix that.
So we want to address it.
comprehensively.
So you can support your gutmotility number one by
hydrating.
(25:02):
Start your day with a largeglass of water with a pinch of
salt.
Maybe squeeze a lemon.
This is going to help supportminerals.
It's going to support hydration.
Magnesium can be great.
Citrate or glyconate areprobably the two that we use the
most.
Citrate is going to be a littlebit more appropriate if you're
constipated.
Glyconate if you're stressed oryou have trouble sleeping.
Movement, go for a gentle fiveto 10 minute walk.
(25:25):
Like I mentioned, do the I loveyou massage, yoga, any kind of
abdominal massage to helpstimulate the digestive tract.
Activate your vagus nerve.
You can see that all of thesethings kind of all go together.
So some of these lifestylehabits are going to.
support a lot of theseunderlying root causes.
And then the last root causethat I want to tackle today, at
(25:47):
least, is dysbiosis.
So this is an imbalance in yourgut microbiome.
And dysbiosis occurs when youhave either too few good
bacteria, too many quote unquotebad bacteria.
This can also, translate toyeast or other pathogens.
But essentially, these unwantedbacteria, yeast, or pathogens
(26:08):
are outweighing the beneficialbacteria, leading to Excessive
fermentation of food.
This is going to create gas,bloating, and a whole host of
other symptoms like foodsensitivities or irregular bowel
movements.
But here's the key point.
Digestion is a north to southprocess.
If you skip over foundationalissues like meal hygiene,
(26:30):
stomach acid production, gutmotility, and you jump straight
to fixing your microbiome, maybeyou jump straight into a SIBO
protocol or, I can't tell youhow many times I've gotten on
the phone with someone andthey're like, I've done
candibactin, AR, and BR twice orthree times and it hasn't
worked.
Or I've done eight SIBOprotocols and it hasn't worked.
(26:50):
I'm like, okay, What did you doto address your digestion, your
motility, all these otherthings, and they look at me like
a deer in the headlights.
there's been so many missedpieces, and it makes me feel so
bad that they got a completelyincomplete treatment.
But an imbalanced microbiome isoften the result, not the root
cause of poor digestionupstream.
(27:13):
So some questions to askyourself would be, do you
experience chronic bloatingregardless of what you eat?
Do you have a history ofantibiotic use, poor diet,
unmanaged stress?
Do you notice worsening foodsensitivities or irregular bowel
movements?
Do you feel six months pregnantwith bloat by the end of the
day?
If you resonate, dysbiosis couldbe playing a role in your
(27:36):
bloating.
So there's no quick fix for thisbecause your microbiome is
incredibly complex.
And while, different probioticsor protocols or supplements may
offer short term relief.
They rarely address the fullpicture.
So restoring this is going totake time.
It's going to require creatingan environment where beneficial
(27:56):
bacteria can thrive.
You can support your microbiomeby eating prebiotic fiber, which
you might feel like you don'ttolerate.
So go low, go slow.
garlic, onions, leeks, asparagusgo really slowly and don't.
at a time or you're gonna worsenyour symptoms.
Spore based probiotics.
(28:16):
These are incredibly resilientand they are very helpful at
promoting diversity in the gut,reducing inflammation, et
cetera.
And then immunolin.
I have another podcast episodespecifically on immunolin and
colostrum.
It's a couple episodes back.
I'll link it in the show notes,but this is made from bovine
(28:37):
immunoglobulins and it helpsbind to and neutralize harmful
bacteria.
So this is especially helpfulfor calming inflammation and
just reducing the microbialload.
when you focus on these threethings, you can slowly rebalance
your gut, but really rememberthat what works best is when
(28:57):
foundational digestion andmotility issues are addressed
first.
as I've mentioned, digestion isa north to south process,
starting with salivation, mealhygiene, stomach acid
production, enzymes, bilerelease.
And then we finally get to themicrobiome.
So if you skip the upstreamsteps and you go straight into
(29:18):
fixing your gut bacteria, youare very unlikely to see lasting
results.
And that's often why people hita dead end with probiotics or
gut protocols that aren'taddressing foundational issues.
So if you are tired of feelingbloated and just guessing what's
wrong, I would really encourageyou to check out Gut Tested.
(29:42):
This is our testing package thatincludes testing and one on one
support to help you identifythese root causes if you're not
getting anywhere with whatyou're doing for your bloating.
Or Overall GI issues right now,you're going to do the stool
test.
You're going to uncover what'sreally going on.
You're going to get one on onesupport with an expert trained
(30:04):
gut health dietician to create aplan tailored to your needs.
And bloating does not have to beyour normal.
With the right tools, the rightsupport, you can take control of
all of this and have a long termplan to prevent it.
So I'll put the link in the shownotes if you want to check it
out this is our great testingpackage for those of you that
(30:25):
are really looking into, whatyour root causes might be.
So just to recap this episodereal quick, chew thoroughly,
walk after meals, sip on herbalteas, and then look at.
Some of these underlying rootcauses while you're doing that.
So hormonal hygiene, stress,slow motility, bloating.
(30:45):
Like I said, does not have to beyour normal.
When you work on thesefoundational things and you
address the root causes, you canstart to feel like yourself
again.
So I hope that this episode washelpful.
If you have questions, feel freeto send me a DM on Instagram.
I would love to chat with you.
And as a reminder, if you are apractitioner, And you want to
(31:07):
learn more about how tointerpret testing, how to create
comprehensive protocols for yourclients.
Make sure that you come to mywebinar on February 5th, and you
will learn exactly how to dothat.
I'll show you how to confidentlyaddress GI issues and build a
practice that you love.
So the link is in the shownotes.
(31:29):
Can't wait to see you there.
That's all for today.
Thanks so much for tuning in,and I will catch you on the next
episode of the Love Your Gutpodcast.
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