How to Heal Bloating

Bloating is one of the most common digestive complaints I see in the clinic, for both my female and male clients. It's not just about feeling a bit "puffy" after a meal; for many, they can wake up bloated every morning, and feel their stomach is always distended and hard no matter what food or drink they consume. It can be uncomfortable wearing clothing, and can interfere with daily life, confidence and their activities. 

In this blog, we will discuss several avenues that can contribute to bloating, how to identify the root cause, and how to heal your bloating using nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle strategies.

What is Bloating?

Bloating is the sensation of abdominal pressure or fullness, often caused by excess gas, inflammation, or changes in the way your gut is moving. It may or may not be accompanied by visible distension (abdominal swelling) and pain.

I want to preface this by saying that it is normal to feel bloated occasionally, especially after a heavy meal or around your menstrual cycle (as progesterone makes our body retain more water). Still, persistent bloating is a sign that something along your ‘digestive chain’ needs support.

Causes of Bloating

1. Imbalanced Gut Microbiome (Dysbiosis)

Your gut is home to trillions of species of bacteria that help digest food, maintain immunity, and create neurotransmitters and hormones. When this ecosystem becomes imbalanced—due to antibiotics, medication, a diet lacking in fibre, high in refined sugars, processed foods, stress, or illness—it can disrupt the delicate balance of microbes, leading to excessive gas production and poor digestion.

Individuals with IBS or SIBO may also be prone to bloating and excessive gas, due to bacteria having migrated into the small intestine and fermenting food.

2. Food Intolerances & Poor Enzyme Function

Lactose, gluten, fructose, or FODMAPs can all contribute to bloating if your gut lacks the enzymes to properly break them down. When undigested food ferments in the gut, it produces gas and draws in water, leading to bloating and discomfort.

3. Constipation

Slow-moving bowels can trap gas in the digestive tract. You don’t need to feel “backed up” to be constipated! If you are not passing a full, easy-to-pass stool at least 1-3 times per day, it could be contributing to your bloating; as toxins and hormones may be reabsorbed through the intestinal wall and create systemic inflammation.

4. Hormonal Fluctuations

Progesterone and estrogen can slow digestion and cause water retention, which is why you may feel more bloated before your period. However, persistent bloating outside of this window may point to deeper hormonal or gut imbalances. I see many cases where a hormonal imbalance is being caused by a struggling liver, sluggish bile, and the Estrobloom within the gut being out of balance. This affects your body's ability to detoxify and excrete oestrogen correctly, contributing to a hormonal imbalance. 

5. Poor bile flow - Liver and Gallbladder

Your liver and gallbladder are crucial for breaking down fats, regulating hormones, removing toxins, and promoting motility. Everything we consume or come into contact with, such as molecules in food and drink, chemicals in our skincare and cleaning products, clothing, pollutants in the air, water, or near industrial sites, must all be processed through the liver. All fat-soluble toxins are then packaged into bile, where they bind to bile salts and phospholipids and are then sent to the gut via the bile duct. From here, they are eliminated through the stool. As you can see, they both have a significant job and require a lot of daily support!

If bile isn’t flowing freely, you may experience

• Bloating or nausea after fatty meals

• Greasy, pale, or floating stools 

• Pain or tightness under the right rib cage

• Constipation 

• Clay-coloured stools

• Hormone imbalances (PMS, heavy periods, clotting)

• Skin breakouts or rashes

• Chronic fatigue or brain fog

• Bitter taste in the mouth 

  
  

If your liver is under stress, you may experience

• Waking at 2-3 am consistently

• Increased sensitivity to chemicals, perfumes, or alcohol

• Headaches and migraines

• Irritability, mood swings, or low tolerance for stress

• Acne

• Itchy skin or liver spots

• Slow metabolism 

• Weight loss resistance, and the ‘liver roll’ - a roll of fat sitting just below your bra line.

  
  

7.Low stomach acid

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a potent, acidic secretion that is essential for breaking down food, defending against pathogens, and activating digestive enzymes, such as pepsin.

Stomach acid is made from a combination of chloride, hydrogen, potassium, zinc, vitamin B1, and amino acids. Nutrient deficiencies or low electrolyte intake can deplete stomach acid, as well as consuming excess alcohol, large volumes of water during and around meals, refined sugar, and chronic yo-yo dieting.

Symptoms of low stomach acid

• Bloating or fullness after meals

• Burping or reflux (often these are caused by too little acid, not too much!)

• Feeling like food ‘sits’ in your stomach

• Seeing undigested food in stools

• Chronic iron or B12 deficiencies

• Poor appetite or early satiety

• Acne, rosacea, or skin inflammation

• Candida, SIBO, or parasite overgrowths

  
  

6. Stress and the Gut-Brain Axis

Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the vagus nerve; your stress (emotional, mental, or physical) and overall mindset about food play a significant role. When you are calm, safe, and present, your brain tells your gut: ‘It is safe to digest. Turn on the stomach acid, release the enzymes, and move food along’. When you are anxious, rushed, are fearing the food on your plate, or worried about the effect it may have, the message turns into: ‘Danger. Shut down digestion and divert all blood to the muscle. We are preparing to fight or flee’.

The flow-down effect of fearing food, or having negative beliefs around food:

• Fear of reacting to a food, or telling yourself “I really shouldn’t have this” triggers low-grade stress.

• This activates your sympathetic nervous system, which turns off our rest and digest parasympathetic nervous system.

• Blood flow is therefore diverted away from the gut.

• Enzyme and stomach acid secretion decreases.

• Overall motility then slows, creating bloating, gas, fermentation, and possibly constipation.

  
  

The flow-down effect of rushing meals or eating on the go

• The Cephalic phase of digestion becomes ‘short-circuited’. This phase of digestion is triggered before food enters the mouth. This is triggered by merely thinking and anticipating food, or smelling food cooking.

• Having the cephalic phase shortened doesn’t give the stomach appropriate time to create enough stomach acid for the meal.

• Having lower stomach acid, therefore, can lead to bloating and undigested food.

  
  

The flow-down effect of perfectionism or guilt around eating

• Overthinking every food choice, or being anxious or stressed that ‘this will make me gain weight’, can lead to poor digestion despite it being a healthy choice! This keeps the body in a mild state of fight-or-flight.

• This can result in higher cortisol over time, which diverts blood away from the digestive organs and affects your ability to digest food appropriately.

• High cortisol levels also deplete stomach acid and harm the gut bacteria and lining.

• Perfectionism or chronic dieting can also lead to a disconnection from your body's natural hunger and fullness cues, which can impact your perception and intake of food in the long run.

Healing the root cause

Rather than suppress symptoms, I work with clients to understand and address the root cause of bloating. I take a ‘brain-to-bottom’ approach to digestion, which includes:

Sorting through and dissolving food fears, negative beliefs about food, perfectionism, guilt, disordered eating beliefs, and behaviors.

It is important to reflect on past experiences here and try to figure out where the food noise is coming from, whose ‘voice’ is really telling you not to eat XYZ, what situations (being a younger athlete, having a Mum who chronically dieted, etc) have informed your current eating knowledge and patterns.

Rewiring your ‘food mindset’ - Working through the stories of ‘my gut reacts to everything’, ‘this will cause me to gain weight’, and ‘this is bad for me’.

As you have learned, the story you tell yourself about certain foods can be just as harmful as having a leaky gut lining or having low stomach acid. Throughout treatment, we need to rebuild trust within your body that it can handle certain foods.

Improve salivary enzyme production within the mouth and address the oral microbiome.

We may consider adding more bitter foods, drinks, or medicinal herbs to support your saliva levels within the mouth. Oral hygiene is also just as important as supporting your gut microbiome. Poor oral health has been linked to gingivitis, heart disease, respiratory diseases like pneumonia and COPD, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Dementia. 

Supporting stomach acid production through nutrition and targeted supplementation

Together, we can implement lifestyle strategies to regulate your stress response better, encourage more mindful and slower eating, and address any nutrient deficiencies that may be impairing stomach acid (HCl) production or reducing the tone of the lower oesophageal sphincter.

Support bile flow and storage within the liver and gallbladder

To support healthy bile flow and detoxification, we may focus on a few key areas:

Bitter foods, such as rocket, dandelion greens, radishes, lemon, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kimchi, and artichokes, help stimulate bile production and flow. These are simple additions to your three main meals.

Herbal allies may also be used to keep bile moving smoothly—these are selected based on your individual constitution and needs.

Phospholipids like lecithin (found in eggs and healthy fat sources) are essential for maintaining the structure of bile and supporting healthy cholesterol levels.

Binders, such as chlorella, activated charcoal, or calcium-D-glucarate, can be helpful in binding and removing recirculated toxins from the gut. These are used strategically and often on a short-term basis under practitioner guidance.

Fibre—especially soluble fibre from sources like flaxseeds, chia seeds, and psyllium husk—binds to toxins in the gut and helps carry them out via your stool. Fibre Tip: Go slow! Increasing fibre too quickly can cause gas or constipation as your gut adjusts. Make sure you're drinking enough water—hydration helps soften the stool as fibre adds bulk. Aim for 1–3 easy-to-pass bowel movements per day. This is a crucial part of effective detoxification and hormone clearance.

Modify gut bacteria & strengthen the gut lining

We may consider rebalancing the microbiome by addressing any overgrowths (such as dysbiosis, SIBO, candida, or streptococcus), while also encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria through targeted probiotics, prebiotic fibers, and fermented foods.

Equally important is rebuilding the gut lining and mucosal layer. This includes nutrients like zinc, vitamin A and D, L-glutamine, and amino acids, as well as anti-inflammatory herbs like slippery elm, marshmallow root, and aloe vera. These can help soothe irritation, repair the intestinal barrier, and reduce bloating triggered by food particles or immune activation.

We may also explore lifestyle factors like stress management, training/exercise load, sleep hygiene, and environmental toxins, which all play a role in maintaining a resilient microbiome and lining.

Correct motility (too fast OR too slow)

Lastly, supporting gut motility—the rhythmic contractions that move food and waste through the digestive tract—is a key part of reducing bloating and the overall ‘sluggish’ feeling after meals.

We may assess factors that can slow motility, such as stress, poor thyroid function, low stomach acid, microbial imbalances, improving nervous system regulation, hydration, or appropriate fibre intake.

Prokinetic herbs or nutrients, such as ginger, bitter herbs, and magnesium, can be incredibly beneficial for maintaining smooth digestion. Additionally, practicing overnight fasting can gently stimulate the migrating motor complex (MMC) and encourage more effective clearance between meals. 

Daily exercise can significantly improve gut motility. Activities like walking, yoga, strength training, or cycling help stimulate the natural muscular contractions of the digestive tract, reduce transit time, and improve bowel regularity. 

Movement also enhances vagal tone, which strengthens communication between the brain and gut, key for long-term motility and bloating relief. When you are experiencing bloating flare-ups, gentle forms of movement are best compared to a high-intensity workout. The goal is not to get your heart rate up and ramp up your stress hormones, as you have learned, cortisol diverts blood away from the digestive tract.

Bloating can feel confusing, frustrating, and relentless—but it’s not something you just have to live with. It’s your body’s way of communicating that something deeper needs attention. By taking a root-cause, whole-body approach, we can explore what’s really driving your symptoms. From there, we can build a plan that’s tailored to you—your body, your lifestyle, and your healing pace. When digestion is supported at every level—from brain to bottom—you will feel lighter, clearer, and more confident throughout the day.

🤍 Ready to Bloat Less and Feel Better?

If bloating is holding you back, I’d love to support you. You can book a 1:1 consultation or follow me on Facebook or Instagram for further insights and learning.

Let’s help your gut feel good again—from brain to bottom