Real Talk: Digestive Distress

At Healthy Nest Nutrition we see a lot of gas and bloating. It’s common and it makes people nuts! There are two types of gas: chronic habitual gas and severe acute gas.

Now and again, you might swallow too much air because you are overly excited or nervous or stressed. This is an acute episode and normally results in bloating and maybe hiccups. It sorts itself out on its own and passes relatively quickly.

Chronic bloat can signal that you’re NOT digesting your food the way you are supposed to. Simply put, maybe there is not enough firepower or oomph to digest properly. Food sits in the stomach and gas develops. You feel uncomfortably full after eating a normal amount of food—as in your stomach starts to get bigger not in a normal way, but in an I-feel-unnecessarily-pregnant kind of way. You might be farting more and you may have heartburn. All of these symptoms point to excessive gas.

This isn’t the only reason for bloat and gassiness, but it is super common. It’s painful, can get worse over time, and usually you need help sorting it out.

Other common culprits for excess gas production:

• Nutrient deficiencies
• Lack of sufficient enzymes
• Food allergies or sensitivities
• Stress (acute or chronic)
• Bacteria imbalances in the small and/or large intestine (over/undergrowth)

Habit changes that make big progress toward lowering gas and bloating discomfort:

• Chew your food well. It seems silly—but really helps
• Add digestive herbs to help calm the system: ginger and peppermint tea
• Add lemon water to your routine, slowly adding digestive firepower to the stomach
• Slowly increase fiber rich foods (more and more veggies, please)
• Avoiding each of the biggest offenders one at a time to see if you feel better: gluten, dairy, corn, soy and sugar. OR do a full 2-3 week elimination/provocation diet to test problem foods. Ask us about this. We have a do-able and delicious answer.

If these work, YAY for you! We’re happy you are feeling better.

If you answer Yes to any of the following, you could optimize your digestion and get rid of your pesky digestive symptoms.

1. Are you on a restricted diet because some foods don’t agree with you?
2. Did bloating and/or gassiness start after a bout of stress (internal or external, real or perceived) Examples: divorce, awful boss, new baby, sick parent, grad school.
3. Are you a regular burper and/or a farter?
4. Did your digestion problems start after taking antibiotics?
5. Do you get heartburn after eating? Are you living on TUMS?
6. Are you getting stomach aches after eating?
7. Does gas come right after you eat a meal?
8. Do you have skin issues (eczema, acne, etc.)?
9. Do your digestive issues subside on weekends or vacations?
10. Do you have difficult bowel movements?

Maybe your gas and bloat problem IS due to not enough ‘firepower’ like the example above. Maybe it’s not — maybe it’s due to one of the other common issues.

If you need more guidance, Healthy Nest Nutrition has a Digestive Repair Program that will work toward success for eliminating your issues. Together, we team up for four one-hour sessions and work efficiently to untangle your digestive issues.

We use symptom trackers and questionnaires, lifestyle changes, scientifically advanced testing (antibody blood testing, stool or breath tests) and targeted nutrient supplementation to meet your health goals.

Let us help you! It’s what we do.