Here’s the thing. You finish your workday or finally sit down after the school run, and you notice it. Your jeans feel two sizes too small, your energy is tanking and you feel like you’re carrying a bowling ball in your gut. You haven’t over eaten but your stomach is feeling enlarged and heavy whilst your mood and energy feel flat.
Maybe it’s the gluten. Maybe it’s the dairy. Maybe it’s a random intolerance you developed overnight? Those maybes are a lot of work, huh?
For our stomach to get the nutrients it requires our digestive system needs to be able to break down food into the smaller components for our body to absorb.
Causes of bloating
- Too much gas in the intestine. Gas is a natural byproduct of digestion, but too much intestinal gas may mean digestive problems, such as excess fermentation, which itself can have many causes such as carbohydrate malabsorption.
- Abnormal levels of bacteria in the small intestine (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth – SIBO)
- Imbalance of microorganisms that usually live in the bowel – sometimes the result of taking antibiotics
- Intestinal parasites detectable via stool tests
- Food intolerances or poor food combinations
- Constipation, poor bowel motility, bowel obstructions
- Female hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone
The Internal Engine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we look at your digestive system like an engine. We call it Spleen energy. When that engine is low, everything stalls. Food sits there, ferments, and creates that lovely tightness and pressure we call bloating.
In the clinic, we see three main versions of this:
- Spleen Deficiency: Low energy, low appetite and fatigue. You might notice food particles in your stool and feel a bit better if you massage your belly or apply heat.
- Food Stagnation: This usually happens after too much rich food or alcohol. It comes with sweating, body odour and a thick coating on your tongue.
- Internal Heat: This is more complex and often involves constant abdominal pain and constipation, sometimes popping up after a nasty cold or flu.
The Mechanical Failure
Most of us eat like we’re in a race. We’re scrolling through emails or wrangling kids while inhaling a salad in four bites. The outcome is simple: your stomach is trying to do a job that was meant for your mouth – and your stomach doesn’t have teeth.
When you swallow large, poorly chewed food particles, you’re asking your digestive system to work overtime on a cold start. This leads to the fermentation that causes burping, flatulence and that “visible distension”.
The Fix (That Costs $0)
If you want to calm the 4pm bloat, start here:
- Chew until it’s liquid. Aim for 20 to 30 chews per mouthful. It sounds tedious because it is, but it’s the fastest way to take the load off your system.
- Stop the “Fruit Dessert.” Fruit sugar digests quickly. When you eat it right after a steak, it gets trapped and ferments while the protein breaks down. Eat your fruit solo as a snack.
- Warm it up. Your digestive engine hates cold. If you’re struggling with fatigue, swap the iced coffee and raw salads for warm, cooked meals.
What To Do Next
If you’ve tried the basics and you’re still feeling “stuck,” it’s time to bring in the professionals. We have two very effective ways to get your engine running again:
- Acupuncture: This is incredible for shifting stagnant energy and “restarting” the digestive fire associated with Spleen Deficiency.
- Nutrition Discovery Call: If you think your issues go deeper (like SIBO or specific food triggers), book a complimentary discovery call with Pamela, our nutritionist. She can help you determine if you need a stool analysis or a targeted supplement plan.
Stop guessing which “superfood” will fix you. Put the phone down, sit upright, and actually use your teeth.
