June 11, 2025 • 28 mins
You’ve cleaned up your diet, tried probiotics, and maybe even done a gut protocol… so why are you still bloated?
In this episode, I’m breaking down 5 sneaky, often-missed causes of bloating that go way beyond food sensitivities. From sluggish bile flow and mineral imbalances to vagus nerve dysfunction and low microbial diversity—we’re digging into the root issues that might be holding back your gut healing.
Plus, I’ll share:
✔️ Why daily BMs don’t always mean you’re not constipated
✔️ The real reason “just take a probiotic” isn’t a magic fix
✔️ What a diverse microbiome actually looks like (and how to get there)
✔️ A rapid-fire list of bloating myths to stop believing today
Don’t miss my free webinar next week:
The Bloat-Free Blueprint – Why You’re Still Bloated (Even After Doing All the Right Things).
Register via the link in the show notes—live attendees get a bonus Bloat-Free Travel Guide!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:03):
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
(00:24):
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
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello friends, and welcome backto the next episode of the Love
Your Gut Podcast.
So glad to be here with youtoday.
We are going to dig intobloating, probably the number
(01:07):
one thing that I get askedabout.
So let's just.
Reflect back real talk.
A few years ago, I felt like Iwas doing all the things I had
cut out, gluten, dairy, packedmy lunch, took probiotics, you
know, basically lived on leafygreens and lemon water and all
(01:27):
the things that I thought that Iwas supposed to do, and yet I
was still so bloated.
I remember.
Being told that like Kiefer wasthis like miracle cure for bloat
and I drank some and felt likeso uncomfortable and bloated
after which there's many reasonswhy that is the case, but I was
(01:49):
like, under your jeans by 2:00PM type of bloated.
And I remember just looking inthe mirror thinking like,
seriously, what is going on?
So if this sounds familiar, ifyou're feeling personally
attacked already, don't worry.
First of all, you're not alone.
And then today's episode reallyis for those of you who've been
eating clean, spending way toomuch money on the supplement
(02:11):
aisle and still feel like youcould deflate a balloon by the
end of the day, if you go back acouple episodes on episode 67,
we talked about when bloatinghappens and what it tells you.
Today we're spilling the tea onfour sneaky causes of bloating
that aren't usually talked aboutand that don't require cutting
out more foods.
(02:31):
I've also got a bonus kind ofwhat not to assume segment at
the end.
That will just save you fromanother rabbit hole of food
elimination.
So let's just jump right into itand we'll start with one of the
most overlooked causes ofbloating, which is sluggish bile
flow.
And I know that this is anoverlooked cause because
(02:51):
whenever we bring this up withclients, they say they've never
heard of this before, eventhough they feel like they've
tried all the things.
Recently I have posted severalreels on sticky poops and hard
to white poops and all thethings, and they've gone like
completely viral, like over amillion views on multiple reels.
So I know that more peoplestruggle with this than probably
(03:14):
are talking about it.
Obviously this is not like themost normal girls night talk.
Most people.
Aren't probably talking abouttheir bowel movements, but I
know that this is a big one.
So sluggish bile flow is huge.
Most people only think aboutbile when there's a gallbladder
issue, but bile is reallyessential for healthy digestion,
(03:35):
for detoxing hormones, and foractually the balance of microbes
in your gut.
So what is bile and why does itmatter?
It is a greenish yellow fluid.
Made by your liver and stored inyour gallbladder, and it is
released into your smallintestine after meals.
So especially when you eat fat,but it's not just about fat
digestion.
(03:56):
Bile helps emulsify fat so theycan be digested and absorbed.
It helps support fat solublevitamin absorption like A, D, E,
and K.
So if you have chronically lowvitamin D vial is something to
look into.
It actually helps coat andprotect the small intestine, and
it prevents bacterial overgrowthbecause bile is a strong
(04:16):
antimicrobial.
So if you have recurrent sibo,perhaps you need to look at your
bile flow.
And then lastly, it helpstrigger gut motility and helps
just move waste through yourdigestive tract.
So when bile is sluggish orsludgy or thick, or when there's
not enough of it.
Digestion slows down andbloating will ramp up.
So some signs that you mighthave sluggish bile flow would be
(04:40):
bloating, especially after highfat meals, sticky, greasy,
floating stool, nausea orfullness that lingers.
And then hormone symptoms.
So like PMS.
Estrogen dominance, hormonalacne, bile helps to eliminate
excess estrogen, interestinglyenough, and it's especially
common in postpartum womenperimenopause, or anyone with a
(05:03):
history of hormonal birthcontrol, gallbladder removal, or
someone who's been on a low fatdiet.
I want to talk about this kindof triangle of like bile, the
microbiome and motility Bile isone of the strongest
antimicrobials, like Imentioned.
It coats the small intestineafter meals to prevent bacterial
(05:24):
overgrowth.
And then it activates cells thatrelease antimicrobial peptides.
Peptides are like a hot topicright now, as a second layer of
defense.
So it's not just health beingdigest fats, it's actually.
Actively regulating yourmicrobiome.
Bile flow also affects motilityof your gut.
(05:44):
Without proper bile signaling,the intestines actually slow
down, so that delay will causefermentation gas.
And then of course, what we'retalking about today, which is
bloating, low stomach acid.
Can be a huge trigger forsluggish bile.
So that's kind of the kickerhere, is you need stomach acid
(06:07):
to trigger proper bile release.
So if your stomach acid is low,whether that's due to stress or
thyroid issues, medications likePPIs and h Pylori infection.
Bile may not be releasedeffectively, and this can create
a cascade of problems like poor,fat digestion, incomplete
(06:27):
absorption, especially fatsoluble vitamins, bacteria,
bacterial overgrowth.
And then more bloating andinflammation.
So you're probably thinking,okay, this is all very
interesting, but what the heckdo I do about this if I actually
have this?
So you may not need some superfancy protocol.
I would recommend starting withsome of the tips I'm gonna give
(06:50):
you, and then if you need moresupport, obviously you can
continue to do that.
But digestive bitters are one ofmy top tips for bile flow.
They help stimulate digestion.
They stimulate stomach acidproduction, which then signals
bile flow, so it stimulatesnatural bile release.
Ginger tea or dandelion root teacan gently nudge bile
(07:12):
production.
You really do need to eat enoughfat to signal bile release.
So you might have to slowlyincrease your fat intake,
especially if you are sensitiveto fats or you find that you're
burping a lot after fats.
You don't wanna go from zero toa hundred in one day, but slowly
adjust.
And then support daily bowelmovements, bile, caries, toxins
(07:33):
and estrogens out of the body.
So if you, had your gallbladderremoved, you may benefit from ox
bile support or just workingwith a practitioner for deeper
bile acid support.
There are lots of things thatyou can do for bile from the
lifestyle side as well.
So like taking a walk aftermeals can be really helpful.
(07:55):
Castor oil packs can also bereally helpful and it's
something that we do with a lotof our clients.
Then even eating foods likebeets and eggs, can help
stimulate bile flow as well.
So there's lots of differentoptions.
You can test out and see.
How you do.
But bile, if you haven't kind ofgotten the gist yet, bile is
(08:15):
very important and often verymuch overlooked.
So, cause number two is mineralimbalances.
Now I talk about mineralimbalances a lot.
I.
This can be a huge cause ofbloating that is overlooked,
especially from a depletionstandpoint.
I know minerals don't sound likethat glamorous, they don't get
(08:36):
as much attention as probioticsor food sensitivities.
But I'm telling you, for so manyof our clients, this is a huge
missing piece because their bodyis just so burnout.
It doesn't even have theresources to make digestive
enzymes or make bile or make thethings that it needs to make.
In order to digest and helpprevent bloating.
(08:58):
So two specific minerals that Iwanna hone in on, and there's
many more, but two that arereally important are sodium and
potassium.
They're like the spark plugs ofyour digestive system.
They're essential for stomachacid production.
Without enough sodium, you can'tproduce hydrochloric acid, which
is needed to break down food andstimulate bile release.
(09:18):
Gut motility is really, reallyimportant as far as like getting
your intestines to actuallycontract.
And potassium helps to movethings along in the, the
intestines, and most people arejust not getting enough
potassium in their diet.
And this is one of the thingsthat we most often see low on.
HT MA testing and then nervoussystem regulation.
(09:39):
This controls the vagus nerve.
Which regulates digestion.
And we need minerals to helpsupport our nervous system.
So if you're low in minerals orjust have imbalances in
minerals, digestion can beimpacted.
We even see things like cobaltbeing really important on.
HT MA testing or like whenphosphorus is low, this can show
(10:01):
us that perhaps you're notabsorbing protein the way that
you should, which can contributeto lots of bloating.
So if you're low or dysregulatedin minerals, digestion will be
impacted.
Food can sit too long and youguess.
Bloating can follow.
So here's what makes this kindof sneaky.
These deficiencies often show upin people who already are trying
(10:23):
to be healthy.
So postpartum moms, yourminerals take a huge hit after,
during pregnancy and after birthand during breastfeeding.
And so you could be doing allthe right things, taking your
prenatal.
Doing all this stuff.
I was actually on a call, onthis training that I was doing
the other day, and the woman whowas hosting the training, it was
(10:44):
about minerals and she wassaying how the most common
pattern she sees in postpartummoms is what we call on HTMA of
four lows pattern.
And that is where the four mainminerals, so calcium, sodium,
magnesium, and potassium are allreally low.
And I would agree with that.
Um, I.
I, we say, see that a ton withour postpartum moms.
(11:06):
I actually just got my HTMAresults back.
For those of you that don'tknow, I'm six months postpartum.
I did A-H-T-M-A two weeks beforeI delivered, and then I just
retested myself and I was sopleasantly surprised to see how
much supporting my minerals,like very intentionally over the
last six months has actuallyhelped me to improve my mineral
(11:28):
status.
That is not something that wesee a ton, so I'll have another
episode coming out about thatspecifically.
We also see deficiencies show upin people who are already trying
to be healthy.
Unlike women with burnout,chronic stress, poor sleep,
women that are like waking up at5:00 AM to work out because
that's healthy, quote unquote,but they're just not getting
(11:49):
enough sleep, and so they'reperhaps.
Kind of burning the candle attwo end at both ends and causing
a bigger problem because theirbody's never getting any rest
and they're chronicallystressed.
We also see this in people whohave been on restrictive diets
or overexercise for long periodsof time or have done extended
food eliminations.
We get minerals from our food orbody, can't make them.
(12:12):
And then another one that Ialways like to mention is anyone
who's avoided salt for years.
If you were a nineties baby,eighties or nineties, you
probably grew up in the cultureof, well, salt is bad.
I.
Salt gives you high bloodpressure.
And yes, of course we don'twanna be like way, way, way
overdoing it on salt, but mostpeople actually need more salt
(12:34):
than they think that they do.
And we see this a lot on testingas well.
So when we have low sodium, wehave weak stomach acid and we
have low potassium, we'll havesluggish bowels.
When we have dysregulated copperand phosphorus, that can show
like stomach acid issues andabsorption issues.
And then when we have low iron.
Which is another common one thatwe see.
(12:56):
This can impair thyroidfunction, which can lead to slow
motility and more bloating.
So let's not forget that thethyroid and the health of your
adrenals are mineral dependent.
If your thyroid is sluggish,even if your labs are normal, it
could be due to low minerals,not necessarily a lack of
thyroid hormone, or that youjust need to keep increasing
(13:16):
your dose.
I've seen this over and over onHCMA results when sodium and
potassium and magnesium aredepleted.
Clients often show slow transittime, constipation with gas or
bloating, pretty low resilienceto stress, poor detox, poor bile
flow, and then a higher chanceof harboring things like h
pylori or other gut infections.
(13:38):
So these imbalances don't justcause symptoms.
They set the stage for deepergut issues to stick around.
I had this one client who cameto me really bloated.
Constipated, tired, just readyto give up.
She'd done so many protocols.
She'd spent hundreds, thousandson supplements, eliminated every
(13:58):
quote, unquote inflammatorytrigger food, and nothing really
worked.
And all we really did to startwas support her minerals'cause
she was so depleted.
Within three weeks, her bloatingwas like 80% better.
No joke.
So sometimes it's not abouttaking more things out, it's
(14:18):
about putting the right thingsback in.
So if this is sounding like you,one thing that I was would
recommend is just try a mineralrich drink one to two times a
day.
So this could be like four tosix ounces of coconut water, a
pinch of sea salt, some cream oftartar for potassium, like a
quarter teaspoon.
You could put some.
Orange juice in there.
(14:39):
That's kind of a standardadrenal cocktail.
Drink it mid-morning ormid-afternoon when your energy
dips or bloat tends to hit.
And don't be afraid of salt.
You need it to digest your food.
Hey, real quick, since we'retalking about all the sneaky
reasons that you might bebloated, if this episode has you
(15:00):
realizing, wait, it might not bethe gluten or the broccoli, you
need to come to my free webinarhappening next week on June
18th.
It's called the Bloat FreeBlueprint.
Why you're still bloated evenafter doing all the right
things.
We are digging into the realreasons behind chronic bloating
like sluggish motility.
(15:20):
Mineral imbalances, bile flow,and the nervous system shut
down.
Plus what to actually do aboutthem.
So if you've tried all the gutprotocols, you've cleaned up
your diet, but you still feelsix months pregnant, by the end
of the day, this training is foryou.
It's totally free.
It's a brand new training.
I'm super excited to give it.
It's my first live training I'vedone, since having my baby.
(15:44):
So there's a live q and a at theend, and if you attend live, I
will also give you my bloat freetravel guide just in time for
your summer trip.
So you can register at the linkin the show notes, and I
absolutely cannot wait to seeyou there.
Okay, so let's get back to causenumber three.
This one is sneaky because it'snot about food at all.
(16:07):
It's about your nervous system.
So let me introduce you to thevagus nerve, AKA, the super
highway between your brain andyour gut.
It controls digestion from topto bottom, saliva, stomach acid,
enzyme release, bile flow, andmotil.
And it's your body's way ofsaying, Hey, it's.
Safe to rest, digest, andprocess this meal.
(16:28):
But when your vagus nerve isn'tfiring properly, thanks to
chronic stress, trauma, or evenjust eating while multitasking,
your digestion will slow down.
Food will sit, it ferments, andthen we get bloating.
So here's some signs that yourvagus nerve might be the
problem.
Maybe you feel bloated no matterwhat you eat, you're not sure
what hunger or fullness evenfeels like you eat while
(16:51):
driving, working, wrangling totoddlers, or doing 15 other
things.
Guilty as charged.
We all are.
You feel wired, tired, or stuckin just this weird like freeze
mode even when you're resting.
There is a huge nervous systemconnection with minerals as
well, and that's where this getsreally interesting.
(17:11):
We often see the vagus nervedysfunction coexist with mineral
depletion, especially whenyou're low in the four main
minerals that I mentioned.
Sodium, potassium, magnesium,and calcium.
Um, or if you even have highcalcium or a calcium shell.
And the reason for this isminerals are required to support
parasympathetic nervous system,so the rest and digest state.
(17:33):
So when you're depleted, yourbody is always stuck in this
fight or flight, or completelyshuts down.
And this shutdown can look likeflat energy, no appetite,
stubborn bloating, constipation,feeling numb or frozen even when
you're doing all the rightthings.
Things.
I see this a lot in burned outmoms, postpartum clients, high
(17:54):
functioning professionals whoare doing everything on paper,
eating clean probiotics, mealprep, but really not getting
anywhere.
And the problem isn't the plan.
It's the state your body's inwhile trying to heal.
This is why in Gut, together oursix month program, we bring in
nervous system experts to helpour clients because we know.
(18:16):
That without that support, it'sreally hard to heal if the body
is stuck in a chronic fight orflight or a shutdown state.
So you can support your vagusnerve by making digestion feel
safe again.
You can try deep belly breathingbefore meals humming, singing,
gargling.
Those all activate your vagusnerve laughing, walking in
(18:38):
nature.
Even cold splashes, I know coldplunges are really popular right
now.
Chewing your food.
Yes.
That signals digestion, and mostimportantly, you have to give
your nervous system credit.
Stress isn't just a mentalthing.
It physically alters digestion,so you cannot supplement your
way out of a shutdown.
You have to shift your nervoussystem state.
(19:00):
We have a lot of clients, butone in particular that I can
think of right now who came tous with daily bloating, constant
discomfort, zero appetite.
She had tried a lot of differentprotocols, probiotics, enzymes,
elimination diets.
I.
And her meals were reallybalanced.
Her supplements looked great,but nothing was changing.
(19:23):
And when we reviewed her intakeand chatted with her, we asked
her like, when are you eatingyour meals?
And she usually said, oh, youknow, in between meetings or you
know, I eat like after my kidseat.
And she had a very stressfuljob.
She was on call like twenty fourseven.
Her nervous system was on call24 7.
(19:43):
She hadn't had a moment of restand digest in months, so instead
of adding more supplements, wereally started with some nervous
system tools.
We gave her access to somenervous system resources.
I.
Really worked with her on, aminute of deep breathing before
meals.
And if you don't think you havea minute, then you really need
to look at what's going on.
(20:04):
How do you not have a minute tosupport your digestion when
really that's gonna support youin so many other ways.
We worked on chewing or food,giving yourself permission to
sit and eat.
She felt like she hadn't hadthat permission in years, and
she noticed a significantdifference.
It sounds so silly, but for thefirst time in months, she like.
Started feeling hungry becauseher nervous system was getting
(20:26):
out of that constant stressstate.
So it wasn't about doing more,it was about doing less with
more intention.
Cause number four is hiddenconstipation, and I've talked
about this so many times.
This can be a sneaky one andoften missed because you might
be thinking, no, I'm notconstipated.
I go to the bathroom every day.
(20:46):
But just because you're goingdaily doesn't mean you're fully
eliminating your bowels.
So you can poop in the morningand you can still have slow
motility in complete evacuationor a backed up system.
And that backup, it often showsup as afternoon bloat, belly
distension, or kind of thislike, why do I.
Look pregnant feeling.
So you can think of yourdigestive system like a bathtub
(21:08):
if the drain is clogged even alittle.
What happens when you turn onthe water, that tub fills and
eventually overflows.
So that is what is happeningwith your gut.
If you're not fully eliminatingwaste, the system backs up
Bacteria, ferment food longerthan they should.
Toxins and hormones recirculateand things get gassy and
(21:28):
stagnant and inflamed.
So by three or 4:00 PM you feellike someone inflated you even
if you've been going to thebathroom.
So really the question that weoften ask our clients is like,
did you fully empty your bowels?
Did you feel relieved after?
Do you always feel like youcould go more?
So this is more common that youthink especially in busy moms
(21:48):
who barely have time to sit onthe toilet, let alone fully
relax women with low thyroidfunction, even if they're on
medication, because thyroiddefinitely regulates gut
motility.
Clients who are mineraldepleted, especially during
postpartum or post dieting, andthen people who think like one
small skinny stool a day isregular.
(22:10):
A daily rabbit pellet does notmean you're eliminating.
If you're bloated, foggy,hormonal, there is a good chance
that you're not clearing outfully.
And so we have to fix theconstipation first.
This step is non-negotiable.
If your bowels aren't moving,you need.
You will not get rid of yourbloating period.
You could take enzymes,probiotics, antimicrobials, SIBO
(22:32):
protocols, all the things, butif you have stool.
Just sitting there, you'refeeding the bloat, not fixing
it.
So when motility slows down, itjust opens this door for more
bacterial overgrowth, excessfermentation, estrogen
dominance, and a list of issues.
So motility is reallyfoundational and everything just
builds on that.
(22:53):
We have clients who all the timeare shocked when we tell them
that we think they'reconstipated.
you know, we had this one clientwho said she swore she wasn't
constipated.
She had had a bowel movementevery morning like clockwork,
but by lunchtime she wasbloated.
And when we dug deeper, herstool was small, it was hard to
pass, and she never feltcomplete.
(23:15):
And so we had to work on gettingher bowels to fully empty.
So if you start feeling bloatedafter a bowel movement or later
in the day, progressivelythroughout the day, you might be
dealing with hiddenconstipation.
So you might need to start withthe magnesium, some ginger tea
to stimulate motility or anabdominal massage like the I
(23:36):
love you massage.
You might need to look into yourthyroid.
And might need to look into yourminerals to see how things could
be connected there.
And then you also might justneed to take the time to sit on
the toilet, elevate your feet,use a squatty potty, try not to
rush, and you'll be amazed atwhat relaxing.
Does for a full complete bowelmovement.
(23:58):
Uh, this is one of those causeswhere addressing it can
completely change your day.
No bloating, no pressure, nofeeling like you have this like
stagnant food baby that you'recarrying around all afternoon.
Bonus.
Cause number five is low foodvariety.
So one of the most underratedcauses is low food variety,
(24:19):
especially if you think you'realready eating healthy.
If you're eating the same 10 to15 foods a week, same smoothie,
same safe salads, same threeveggies.
You could unintentionally bestarving your microbiome even if
you've cut out all the usualsuspects.
If your meals are repetitive,your gut bugs are.
Bored and under fed.
(24:39):
And this matters because yourgut thrives on diversity.
So different microbes feeddifferent fibers, polyphenols,
resistant starches.
And so the more plant varietyyou can eat, the more microbial
diversity you cultivate, whichis strongly tied to much better
digestion, immune function, andthen of course less bloating.
(25:00):
The American Gut Project, whichis one of the largest microbiome
studies to date found thatpeople who ate 30 plus different
plants a week had significantlymore diverse gut microbes than
those who ate 10 or fewer.
So more diversity equals moreresilience and less bloating
when something feels off, andthis is where people get it
(25:20):
wrong.
And why probiotics just aren'tenough.
You cannot just take the best,most expensive probiotic from
Whole Foods.
If your diet lacks variety.
Probiotics alone aren't going tofeed your microbes.
You need fiber.
You need resistant starches.
You need polyphenols.
So in other words.
Prebiotics are often greaterthan probiotics when it comes to
(25:43):
real sustainable gut health.
So spore based probiotics canhelp.
They can help rebuild theterrain, but you also need to
make sure you're eating enoughvariety.
So here's just some quick tips.
Try one new plant food everyweek.
Try herbs.
Spices, root veggies, wholegrains, sea veggies, and yes,
leftovers and frozen veggies docount.
(26:06):
This does not have to becomplicated or gourmet, and the
goal is not perfection.
It's diversity over time.
So just a couple things not toassume, especially if you've
gone dairy-free, gluten-free,everything free, but you are
still bloated.
So a rapid fire list of what notto assume.
(26:26):
It must be the gluten or thedairy maybe, but not always.
Food isn't always the villain inevery story.
If you've thought, I just need abetter probiotic.
Probably not.
If your motility is off, eventhe best probiotic can make
things worse.
If you've thought more fiberwill fix it, that could be true,
but not if your bile isn'tflowing or your minerals are
(26:47):
depleted.
Fiber without function equalsmore fermentation.
You also need enough water.
You could also be thinking it'sjust stress, which yes, as you
learn, stress is a huge factor.
It is a factor, but it's rarelythe only one.
So you don't wanna just stopdigging there.
So the truth is bloating is asymptom, not a root cause.
You really wanna look upstream.
(27:09):
Minerals, motility, bile nervoussystem, overall digestion if you
want to see real lasting change.
So just to recap what we coveredtoday, the five sneaky causes of
bloating that go beyond foodsensitivities, sluggish bile
flow, mineral imbalances, vagusnerve dysfunction, hidden
constipation, and then low foodvariety.
(27:30):
So if you want more, I wouldlove to have you on my free
webinar next week, the blow freeblueprint.
We'll dig even deeper how tospot what's actually happening.
I'm gonna give some client casestudies that are super
interesting so you can register.
I.
At the link in the show notesand I would love to see you
there.
If you can't come live, you willget the replay.
(27:50):
but when you do come live, youwill also get the bloat free
travel guide just for showingup.
So I would love to hear yourthoughts about this episode.
If you learned anything new,what you found interesting, jump
on over to Instagram and send mea message and I'll see you next
time on the next episode of theLove Your Gut podcast.
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
(00:24):
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
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello friends, and welcome backto the next episode of the Love
Your Gut Podcast.
So glad to be here with youtoday.
We are going to dig intobloating, probably the number
(01:07):
one thing that I get askedabout.
So let's just.
Reflect back real talk.
A few years ago, I felt like Iwas doing all the things I had
cut out, gluten, dairy, packedmy lunch, took probiotics, you
know, basically lived on leafygreens and lemon water and all
(01:27):
the things that I thought that Iwas supposed to do, and yet I
was still so bloated.
I remember.
Being told that like Kiefer wasthis like miracle cure for bloat
and I drank some and felt likeso uncomfortable and bloated
after which there's many reasonswhy that is the case, but I was
(01:49):
like, under your jeans by 2:00PM type of bloated.
And I remember just looking inthe mirror thinking like,
seriously, what is going on?
So if this sounds familiar, ifyou're feeling personally
attacked already, don't worry.
First of all, you're not alone.
And then today's episode reallyis for those of you who've been
eating clean, spending way toomuch money on the supplement
(02:11):
aisle and still feel like youcould deflate a balloon by the
end of the day, if you go back acouple episodes on episode 67,
we talked about when bloatinghappens and what it tells you.
Today we're spilling the tea onfour sneaky causes of bloating
that aren't usually talked aboutand that don't require cutting
out more foods.
(02:31):
I've also got a bonus kind ofwhat not to assume segment at
the end.
That will just save you fromanother rabbit hole of food
elimination.
So let's just jump right into itand we'll start with one of the
most overlooked causes ofbloating, which is sluggish bile
flow.
And I know that this is anoverlooked cause because
(02:51):
whenever we bring this up withclients, they say they've never
heard of this before, eventhough they feel like they've
tried all the things.
Recently I have posted severalreels on sticky poops and hard
to white poops and all thethings, and they've gone like
completely viral, like over amillion views on multiple reels.
So I know that more peoplestruggle with this than probably
(03:14):
are talking about it.
Obviously this is not like themost normal girls night talk.
Most people.
Aren't probably talking abouttheir bowel movements, but I
know that this is a big one.
So sluggish bile flow is huge.
Most people only think aboutbile when there's a gallbladder
issue, but bile is reallyessential for healthy digestion,
(03:35):
for detoxing hormones, and foractually the balance of microbes
in your gut.
So what is bile and why does itmatter?
It is a greenish yellow fluid.
Made by your liver and stored inyour gallbladder, and it is
released into your smallintestine after meals.
So especially when you eat fat,but it's not just about fat
digestion.
(03:56):
Bile helps emulsify fat so theycan be digested and absorbed.
It helps support fat solublevitamin absorption like A, D, E,
and K.
So if you have chronically lowvitamin D vial is something to
look into.
It actually helps coat andprotect the small intestine, and
it prevents bacterial overgrowthbecause bile is a strong
(04:16):
antimicrobial.
So if you have recurrent sibo,perhaps you need to look at your
bile flow.
And then lastly, it helpstrigger gut motility and helps
just move waste through yourdigestive tract.
So when bile is sluggish orsludgy or thick, or when there's
not enough of it.
Digestion slows down andbloating will ramp up.
So some signs that you mighthave sluggish bile flow would be
(04:40):
bloating, especially after highfat meals, sticky, greasy,
floating stool, nausea orfullness that lingers.
And then hormone symptoms.
So like PMS.
Estrogen dominance, hormonalacne, bile helps to eliminate
excess estrogen, interestinglyenough, and it's especially
common in postpartum womenperimenopause, or anyone with a
(05:03):
history of hormonal birthcontrol, gallbladder removal, or
someone who's been on a low fatdiet.
I want to talk about this kindof triangle of like bile, the
microbiome and motility Bile isone of the strongest
antimicrobials, like Imentioned.
It coats the small intestineafter meals to prevent bacterial
(05:24):
overgrowth.
And then it activates cells thatrelease antimicrobial peptides.
Peptides are like a hot topicright now, as a second layer of
defense.
So it's not just health beingdigest fats, it's actually.
Actively regulating yourmicrobiome.
Bile flow also affects motilityof your gut.
(05:44):
Without proper bile signaling,the intestines actually slow
down, so that delay will causefermentation gas.
And then of course, what we'retalking about today, which is
bloating, low stomach acid.
Can be a huge trigger forsluggish bile.
So that's kind of the kickerhere, is you need stomach acid
(06:07):
to trigger proper bile release.
So if your stomach acid is low,whether that's due to stress or
thyroid issues, medications likePPIs and h Pylori infection.
Bile may not be releasedeffectively, and this can create
a cascade of problems like poor,fat digestion, incomplete
(06:27):
absorption, especially fatsoluble vitamins, bacteria,
bacterial overgrowth.
And then more bloating andinflammation.
So you're probably thinking,okay, this is all very
interesting, but what the heckdo I do about this if I actually
have this?
So you may not need some superfancy protocol.
I would recommend starting withsome of the tips I'm gonna give
(06:50):
you, and then if you need moresupport, obviously you can
continue to do that.
But digestive bitters are one ofmy top tips for bile flow.
They help stimulate digestion.
They stimulate stomach acidproduction, which then signals
bile flow, so it stimulatesnatural bile release.
Ginger tea or dandelion root teacan gently nudge bile
(07:12):
production.
You really do need to eat enoughfat to signal bile release.
So you might have to slowlyincrease your fat intake,
especially if you are sensitiveto fats or you find that you're
burping a lot after fats.
You don't wanna go from zero toa hundred in one day, but slowly
adjust.
And then support daily bowelmovements, bile, caries, toxins
(07:33):
and estrogens out of the body.
So if you, had your gallbladderremoved, you may benefit from ox
bile support or just workingwith a practitioner for deeper
bile acid support.
There are lots of things thatyou can do for bile from the
lifestyle side as well.
So like taking a walk aftermeals can be really helpful.
(07:55):
Castor oil packs can also bereally helpful and it's
something that we do with a lotof our clients.
Then even eating foods likebeets and eggs, can help
stimulate bile flow as well.
So there's lots of differentoptions.
You can test out and see.
How you do.
But bile, if you haven't kind ofgotten the gist yet, bile is
(08:15):
very important and often verymuch overlooked.
So, cause number two is mineralimbalances.
Now I talk about mineralimbalances a lot.
I.
This can be a huge cause ofbloating that is overlooked,
especially from a depletionstandpoint.
I know minerals don't sound likethat glamorous, they don't get
(08:36):
as much attention as probioticsor food sensitivities.
But I'm telling you, for so manyof our clients, this is a huge
missing piece because their bodyis just so burnout.
It doesn't even have theresources to make digestive
enzymes or make bile or make thethings that it needs to make.
In order to digest and helpprevent bloating.
(08:58):
So two specific minerals that Iwanna hone in on, and there's
many more, but two that arereally important are sodium and
potassium.
They're like the spark plugs ofyour digestive system.
They're essential for stomachacid production.
Without enough sodium, you can'tproduce hydrochloric acid, which
is needed to break down food andstimulate bile release.
(09:18):
Gut motility is really, reallyimportant as far as like getting
your intestines to actuallycontract.
And potassium helps to movethings along in the, the
intestines, and most people arejust not getting enough
potassium in their diet.
And this is one of the thingsthat we most often see low on.
HT MA testing and then nervoussystem regulation.
(09:39):
This controls the vagus nerve.
Which regulates digestion.
And we need minerals to helpsupport our nervous system.
So if you're low in minerals orjust have imbalances in
minerals, digestion can beimpacted.
We even see things like cobaltbeing really important on.
HT MA testing or like whenphosphorus is low, this can show
(10:01):
us that perhaps you're notabsorbing protein the way that
you should, which can contributeto lots of bloating.
So if you're low or dysregulatedin minerals, digestion will be
impacted.
Food can sit too long and youguess.
Bloating can follow.
So here's what makes this kindof sneaky.
These deficiencies often show upin people who already are trying
(10:23):
to be healthy.
So postpartum moms, yourminerals take a huge hit after,
during pregnancy and after birthand during breastfeeding.
And so you could be doing allthe right things, taking your
prenatal.
Doing all this stuff.
I was actually on a call, onthis training that I was doing
the other day, and the woman whowas hosting the training, it was
(10:44):
about minerals and she wassaying how the most common
pattern she sees in postpartummoms is what we call on HTMA of
four lows pattern.
And that is where the four mainminerals, so calcium, sodium,
magnesium, and potassium are allreally low.
And I would agree with that.
Um, I.
I, we say, see that a ton withour postpartum moms.
(11:06):
I actually just got my HTMAresults back.
For those of you that don'tknow, I'm six months postpartum.
I did A-H-T-M-A two weeks beforeI delivered, and then I just
retested myself and I was sopleasantly surprised to see how
much supporting my minerals,like very intentionally over the
last six months has actuallyhelped me to improve my mineral
(11:28):
status.
That is not something that wesee a ton, so I'll have another
episode coming out about thatspecifically.
We also see deficiencies show upin people who are already trying
to be healthy.
Unlike women with burnout,chronic stress, poor sleep,
women that are like waking up at5:00 AM to work out because
that's healthy, quote unquote,but they're just not getting
(11:49):
enough sleep, and so they'reperhaps.
Kind of burning the candle attwo end at both ends and causing
a bigger problem because theirbody's never getting any rest
and they're chronicallystressed.
We also see this in people whohave been on restrictive diets
or overexercise for long periodsof time or have done extended
food eliminations.
We get minerals from our food orbody, can't make them.
(12:12):
And then another one that Ialways like to mention is anyone
who's avoided salt for years.
If you were a nineties baby,eighties or nineties, you
probably grew up in the cultureof, well, salt is bad.
I.
Salt gives you high bloodpressure.
And yes, of course we don'twanna be like way, way, way
overdoing it on salt, but mostpeople actually need more salt
(12:34):
than they think that they do.
And we see this a lot on testingas well.
So when we have low sodium, wehave weak stomach acid and we
have low potassium, we'll havesluggish bowels.
When we have dysregulated copperand phosphorus, that can show
like stomach acid issues andabsorption issues.
And then when we have low iron.
Which is another common one thatwe see.
(12:56):
This can impair thyroidfunction, which can lead to slow
motility and more bloating.
So let's not forget that thethyroid and the health of your
adrenals are mineral dependent.
If your thyroid is sluggish,even if your labs are normal, it
could be due to low minerals,not necessarily a lack of
thyroid hormone, or that youjust need to keep increasing
(13:16):
your dose.
I've seen this over and over onHCMA results when sodium and
potassium and magnesium aredepleted.
Clients often show slow transittime, constipation with gas or
bloating, pretty low resilienceto stress, poor detox, poor bile
flow, and then a higher chanceof harboring things like h
pylori or other gut infections.
(13:38):
So these imbalances don't justcause symptoms.
They set the stage for deepergut issues to stick around.
I had this one client who cameto me really bloated.
Constipated, tired, just readyto give up.
She'd done so many protocols.
She'd spent hundreds, thousandson supplements, eliminated every
(13:58):
quote, unquote inflammatorytrigger food, and nothing really
worked.
And all we really did to startwas support her minerals'cause
she was so depleted.
Within three weeks, her bloatingwas like 80% better.
No joke.
So sometimes it's not abouttaking more things out, it's
(14:18):
about putting the right thingsback in.
So if this is sounding like you,one thing that I was would
recommend is just try a mineralrich drink one to two times a
day.
So this could be like four tosix ounces of coconut water, a
pinch of sea salt, some cream oftartar for potassium, like a
quarter teaspoon.
You could put some.
Orange juice in there.
(14:39):
That's kind of a standardadrenal cocktail.
Drink it mid-morning ormid-afternoon when your energy
dips or bloat tends to hit.
And don't be afraid of salt.
You need it to digest your food.
Hey, real quick, since we'retalking about all the sneaky
reasons that you might bebloated, if this episode has you
(15:00):
realizing, wait, it might not bethe gluten or the broccoli, you
need to come to my free webinarhappening next week on June
18th.
It's called the Bloat FreeBlueprint.
Why you're still bloated evenafter doing all the right
things.
We are digging into the realreasons behind chronic bloating
like sluggish motility.
(15:20):
Mineral imbalances, bile flow,and the nervous system shut
down.
Plus what to actually do aboutthem.
So if you've tried all the gutprotocols, you've cleaned up
your diet, but you still feelsix months pregnant, by the end
of the day, this training is foryou.
It's totally free.
It's a brand new training.
I'm super excited to give it.
It's my first live training I'vedone, since having my baby.
(15:44):
So there's a live q and a at theend, and if you attend live, I
will also give you my bloat freetravel guide just in time for
your summer trip.
So you can register at the linkin the show notes, and I
absolutely cannot wait to seeyou there.
Okay, so let's get back to causenumber three.
This one is sneaky because it'snot about food at all.
(16:07):
It's about your nervous system.
So let me introduce you to thevagus nerve, AKA, the super
highway between your brain andyour gut.
It controls digestion from topto bottom, saliva, stomach acid,
enzyme release, bile flow, andmotil.
And it's your body's way ofsaying, Hey, it's.
Safe to rest, digest, andprocess this meal.
(16:28):
But when your vagus nerve isn'tfiring properly, thanks to
chronic stress, trauma, or evenjust eating while multitasking,
your digestion will slow down.
Food will sit, it ferments, andthen we get bloating.
So here's some signs that yourvagus nerve might be the
problem.
Maybe you feel bloated no matterwhat you eat, you're not sure
what hunger or fullness evenfeels like you eat while
(16:51):
driving, working, wrangling totoddlers, or doing 15 other
things.
Guilty as charged.
We all are.
You feel wired, tired, or stuckin just this weird like freeze
mode even when you're resting.
There is a huge nervous systemconnection with minerals as
well, and that's where this getsreally interesting.
(17:11):
We often see the vagus nervedysfunction coexist with mineral
depletion, especially whenyou're low in the four main
minerals that I mentioned.
Sodium, potassium, magnesium,and calcium.
Um, or if you even have highcalcium or a calcium shell.
And the reason for this isminerals are required to support
parasympathetic nervous system,so the rest and digest state.
(17:33):
So when you're depleted, yourbody is always stuck in this
fight or flight, or completelyshuts down.
And this shutdown can look likeflat energy, no appetite,
stubborn bloating, constipation,feeling numb or frozen even when
you're doing all the rightthings.
Things.
I see this a lot in burned outmoms, postpartum clients, high
(17:54):
functioning professionals whoare doing everything on paper,
eating clean probiotics, mealprep, but really not getting
anywhere.
And the problem isn't the plan.
It's the state your body's inwhile trying to heal.
This is why in Gut, together oursix month program, we bring in
nervous system experts to helpour clients because we know.
(18:16):
That without that support, it'sreally hard to heal if the body
is stuck in a chronic fight orflight or a shutdown state.
So you can support your vagusnerve by making digestion feel
safe again.
You can try deep belly breathingbefore meals humming, singing,
gargling.
Those all activate your vagusnerve laughing, walking in
(18:38):
nature.
Even cold splashes, I know coldplunges are really popular right
now.
Chewing your food.
Yes.
That signals digestion, and mostimportantly, you have to give
your nervous system credit.
Stress isn't just a mentalthing.
It physically alters digestion,so you cannot supplement your
way out of a shutdown.
You have to shift your nervoussystem state.
(19:00):
We have a lot of clients, butone in particular that I can
think of right now who came tous with daily bloating, constant
discomfort, zero appetite.
She had tried a lot of differentprotocols, probiotics, enzymes,
elimination diets.
I.
And her meals were reallybalanced.
Her supplements looked great,but nothing was changing.
(19:23):
And when we reviewed her intakeand chatted with her, we asked
her like, when are you eatingyour meals?
And she usually said, oh, youknow, in between meetings or you
know, I eat like after my kidseat.
And she had a very stressfuljob.
She was on call like twenty fourseven.
Her nervous system was on call24 7.
(19:43):
She hadn't had a moment of restand digest in months, so instead
of adding more supplements, wereally started with some nervous
system tools.
We gave her access to somenervous system resources.
I.
Really worked with her on, aminute of deep breathing before
meals.
And if you don't think you havea minute, then you really need
to look at what's going on.
(20:04):
How do you not have a minute tosupport your digestion when
really that's gonna support youin so many other ways.
We worked on chewing or food,giving yourself permission to
sit and eat.
She felt like she hadn't hadthat permission in years, and
she noticed a significantdifference.
It sounds so silly, but for thefirst time in months, she like.
Started feeling hungry becauseher nervous system was getting
(20:26):
out of that constant stressstate.
So it wasn't about doing more,it was about doing less with
more intention.
Cause number four is hiddenconstipation, and I've talked
about this so many times.
This can be a sneaky one andoften missed because you might
be thinking, no, I'm notconstipated.
I go to the bathroom every day.
(20:46):
But just because you're goingdaily doesn't mean you're fully
eliminating your bowels.
So you can poop in the morningand you can still have slow
motility in complete evacuationor a backed up system.
And that backup, it often showsup as afternoon bloat, belly
distension, or kind of thislike, why do I.
Look pregnant feeling.
So you can think of yourdigestive system like a bathtub
(21:08):
if the drain is clogged even alittle.
What happens when you turn onthe water, that tub fills and
eventually overflows.
So that is what is happeningwith your gut.
If you're not fully eliminatingwaste, the system backs up
Bacteria, ferment food longerthan they should.
Toxins and hormones recirculateand things get gassy and
(21:28):
stagnant and inflamed.
So by three or 4:00 PM you feellike someone inflated you even
if you've been going to thebathroom.
So really the question that weoften ask our clients is like,
did you fully empty your bowels?
Did you feel relieved after?
Do you always feel like youcould go more?
So this is more common that youthink especially in busy moms
(21:48):
who barely have time to sit onthe toilet, let alone fully
relax women with low thyroidfunction, even if they're on
medication, because thyroiddefinitely regulates gut
motility.
Clients who are mineraldepleted, especially during
postpartum or post dieting, andthen people who think like one
small skinny stool a day isregular.
(22:10):
A daily rabbit pellet does notmean you're eliminating.
If you're bloated, foggy,hormonal, there is a good chance
that you're not clearing outfully.
And so we have to fix theconstipation first.
This step is non-negotiable.
If your bowels aren't moving,you need.
You will not get rid of yourbloating period.
You could take enzymes,probiotics, antimicrobials, SIBO
(22:32):
protocols, all the things, butif you have stool.
Just sitting there, you'refeeding the bloat, not fixing
it.
So when motility slows down, itjust opens this door for more
bacterial overgrowth, excessfermentation, estrogen
dominance, and a list of issues.
So motility is reallyfoundational and everything just
builds on that.
(22:53):
We have clients who all the timeare shocked when we tell them
that we think they'reconstipated.
you know, we had this one clientwho said she swore she wasn't
constipated.
She had had a bowel movementevery morning like clockwork,
but by lunchtime she wasbloated.
And when we dug deeper, herstool was small, it was hard to
pass, and she never feltcomplete.
(23:15):
And so we had to work on gettingher bowels to fully empty.
So if you start feeling bloatedafter a bowel movement or later
in the day, progressivelythroughout the day, you might be
dealing with hiddenconstipation.
So you might need to start withthe magnesium, some ginger tea
to stimulate motility or anabdominal massage like the I
(23:36):
love you massage.
You might need to look into yourthyroid.
And might need to look into yourminerals to see how things could
be connected there.
And then you also might justneed to take the time to sit on
the toilet, elevate your feet,use a squatty potty, try not to
rush, and you'll be amazed atwhat relaxing.
Does for a full complete bowelmovement.
(23:58):
Uh, this is one of those causeswhere addressing it can
completely change your day.
No bloating, no pressure, nofeeling like you have this like
stagnant food baby that you'recarrying around all afternoon.
Bonus.
Cause number five is low foodvariety.
So one of the most underratedcauses is low food variety,
(24:19):
especially if you think you'realready eating healthy.
If you're eating the same 10 to15 foods a week, same smoothie,
same safe salads, same threeveggies.
You could unintentionally bestarving your microbiome even if
you've cut out all the usualsuspects.
If your meals are repetitive,your gut bugs are.
Bored and under fed.
(24:39):
And this matters because yourgut thrives on diversity.
So different microbes feeddifferent fibers, polyphenols,
resistant starches.
And so the more plant varietyyou can eat, the more microbial
diversity you cultivate, whichis strongly tied to much better
digestion, immune function, andthen of course less bloating.
(25:00):
The American Gut Project, whichis one of the largest microbiome
studies to date found thatpeople who ate 30 plus different
plants a week had significantlymore diverse gut microbes than
those who ate 10 or fewer.
So more diversity equals moreresilience and less bloating
when something feels off, andthis is where people get it
(25:20):
wrong.
And why probiotics just aren'tenough.
You cannot just take the best,most expensive probiotic from
Whole Foods.
If your diet lacks variety.
Probiotics alone aren't going tofeed your microbes.
You need fiber.
You need resistant starches.
You need polyphenols.
So in other words.
Prebiotics are often greaterthan probiotics when it comes to
(25:43):
real sustainable gut health.
So spore based probiotics canhelp.
They can help rebuild theterrain, but you also need to
make sure you're eating enoughvariety.
So here's just some quick tips.
Try one new plant food everyweek.
Try herbs.
Spices, root veggies, wholegrains, sea veggies, and yes,
leftovers and frozen veggies docount.
(26:06):
This does not have to becomplicated or gourmet, and the
goal is not perfection.
It's diversity over time.
So just a couple things not toassume, especially if you've
gone dairy-free, gluten-free,everything free, but you are
still bloated.
So a rapid fire list of what notto assume.
(26:26):
It must be the gluten or thedairy maybe, but not always.
Food isn't always the villain inevery story.
If you've thought, I just need abetter probiotic.
Probably not.
If your motility is off, eventhe best probiotic can make
things worse.
If you've thought more fiberwill fix it, that could be true,
but not if your bile isn'tflowing or your minerals are
(26:47):
depleted.
Fiber without function equalsmore fermentation.
You also need enough water.
You could also be thinking it'sjust stress, which yes, as you
learn, stress is a huge factor.
It is a factor, but it's rarelythe only one.
So you don't wanna just stopdigging there.
So the truth is bloating is asymptom, not a root cause.
You really wanna look upstream.
(27:09):
Minerals, motility, bile nervoussystem, overall digestion if you
want to see real lasting change.
So just to recap what we coveredtoday, the five sneaky causes of
bloating that go beyond foodsensitivities, sluggish bile
flow, mineral imbalances, vagusnerve dysfunction, hidden
constipation, and then low foodvariety.
(27:30):
So if you want more, I wouldlove to have you on my free
webinar next week, the blow freeblueprint.
We'll dig even deeper how tospot what's actually happening.
I'm gonna give some client casestudies that are super
interesting so you can register.
I.
At the link in the show notesand I would love to see you
there.
If you can't come live, you willget the replay.
(27:50):
but when you do come live, youwill also get the bloat free
travel guide just for showingup.
So I would love to hear yourthoughts about this episode.
If you learned anything new,what you found interesting, jump
on over to Instagram and send mea message and I'll see you next
time on the next episode of theLove Your Gut podcast.
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.