You can probably relate to this scenario: You slip on your go-to pair of jeans (the ones you wear often enough that they always seem to be lying on your floor), but on this particular occasion, you just can’t seem to button them. Ugh, you’re bloated.
We’ve all felt swollen after going all-in on super-salty foods, but there are quite a few other causes of bloating worth noting, too. Here are some of the most common culprits behind your balloon belly.
- ABOUT OUR EXPERTS: Rachita Reddy, M.D., is an internist with NYU Langone Health. Marcie Vaske, M.S., L.N., C.N.S., is a digestive health nutritionist with the Oswald Digestive Clinic. Niket Sonpal, M.D., is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., is a dietitian and author of Read It Before You Eat It. Amanda Sauceda, M.S., R.D., is a gut health nutritionist.
1. You’re Stressed
You know that being frazzled has plenty of downstream effects on your system—and, yep, feeling bloated is one of them. You see, stress increases your body’s production of cortisol (a.k.a. the stress hormone), and elevated levels of cortisol cause the body to retain fluid, leading to bloating, says internist Rachita Reddy, M.D. Obviously, managing stress can require more than spending a few minutes sitting cross-legged every day, but adding meditation to your routine (as well as yoga) can certainly help you calm your nerves, she suggests.
2. You Have an Intestinal Overgrowth
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) happens when there are too many bacteria in the small intestine. It’s a surprisingly common issue, affecting up to 78 percent of people with IBS and up to 40 percent of the general population.
According to Marcie Vaske, M.S., L.N., C.N.S., a digestive health nutritionist with the Oswald Digestive Clinic, this extra bacteria is bad news for bloat. “Bloating occurs when the carbohydrates we consume enter the small intestine, and the bacteria feed off of them before we can absorb them,” she explains. “This creates trapped gas, leading to bloating.”
Before you freak out at the words “intestinal overgrowth,” know this: SIBO can often be treated with something as simple as taking a course of antibiotics and reducing your carbs. “This can limit or eliminate bloating as the overgrowth of bacteria is treated,” Vaske says. If you prefer to avoid antibiotics, check in with a gut health-focused dietitian or holistic healthcare provider to chat through natural tactics, like specific strains of probiotics, a temporary elimination diet, and the like.
3. You’re Not Getting Enough Shut-eye
The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night—and you should heed their advice. “Your entire body regulates itself and ‘resets’ while you sleep,” says Niket Sonpal, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. “The gut is no different: Getting enough sleep allows your bowels to do their job and fights bloating. Sleep also keeps your stress levels down.” (Remember: Stress can lead to bloating!)
4. You Chowed Down On Too Much Fiber
Wait, isn’t fiber a good thing? Yes—but context matters here, folks! The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that the average adult woman eats around 25 grams of fiber a day, while the average adult man eats approximately 30 grams. But in reality, most people don’t typically come close to that amount, says dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., author of Read It Before You Eat It.
If you down a ton of fiber in one sitting when your body isn’t used to it, you can say hello to gas and bloating galore. That’s why Taub-Dix recommends incorporating more fibrous foods (think broccoli and beans) into your diet slowly to build up your tolerance. This way, you can eventually hit that daily recommended amount without any annoying side effects.
5. You’re Constipated
When things get backed up in your colon, it’s like a traffic jam. And just like stopped-up traffic, stopped-up “number two” can put out gas and noxious fumes. Waste that sits around too long is fodder for bacteria to ferment, creating gas and bloating. “Think of pooping like taking out the trash. It’s something you want to do regularly so it doesn’t get stinky,” says gut health nutritionist Amanda Sauceda, M.S., R.D.
If your belly has that tight-as-a-drum feeling, a supplement like magnesium oxide, a fiber-rich meal, or a tall glass of water could get things moving—and bring your bloating under control.
6. You Have A Salty Tooth
Potato chips sure do satisfy crunchy cravings, but the salt in them acts like a magnet to water, leading to fluid retention if you down handful after handful. “After eating a salty meal, the ingested salt has to be dissolved in the body; it can’t remain in its crystal form,” says Reddy. “To dissolve this higher concentration of salt, water is sucked out of other parts of your body and ultimately stored in all the wrong places.” The result: You feel unbelievably bloated—and thirsty since so much of the water in your body has been relocated.
Read More: Signs You Might Actually Need More Salt In Your Diet
A surefire way to tell if your bloating is salt-related? In addition to an inflated middle, you might notice that your rings are tighter and your ankles are swollen, says Taub-Dix.
Luckily, in this case, drinking a few large glasses of H2O to replenish your dehydrated cells can help deflate the situation. “Once your cells are plump with fluid, your body will release all the stored salt and water, helping you de-bloat,” Reddy explains.
7. You’re On Your Period
Sorry, ladies: One of the not-so-convenient aspects of being a cyclical creature is the changes in water retention that fluctuating hormones can bring. “Estrogen and progesterone are potent hormones that cause the body to hold onto water,” says Reddy. In fact, she says, many menstruating women experience bloating around their time of the month.
Read More: The Best Foods and Supplements for Every Phase of the Menstrual Cycle
Reddy recommends drinking a few extra glasses of water throughout the day while Aunt Flo is in town to support fluid balance. (If you notice intense fluctuations throughout your cycle, check in with a healthcare provider about your hormonal health and consider taking a supplement formulated to support healthy estrogen balance, such as DIM or vitex.)
8. You’re Overdoing It On Bubbly Drinks
We’re only too happy to recommend carbonated water as a sugar-free alternative to soda. But chugging seltzer (or any fizzy beverage) might contribute to extra bubbles in your belly. “Carbonated drinks can make your stomach feel a bit distended because it turns into carbon dioxide gas that can trigger bloating and burping,” Sauceda explains. Pairing sparkling drinks with a large meal, in particular, practically guarantees bloating.
Circumvent fizzy drinks’ bloat-inducing powers by sipping them slowly and apart from meals. Or try pouring them over ice. Ice cubes’ rough surfaces cause a chemical reaction that creates an initial burst of bubbles that quickly fizzles, effectively lowering carbonation.
9. You Have A Food Intolerance
A variety of food intolerances can impact your gut enough to leave you feeling bloated and gassy. According to Sonpal, lactose intolerance and celiac disease are the most common conditions associated with bloating.
In the case of lactose intolerance, your body can’t digest milk sugars—and the gas produced by your gut bacteria when you eat or drink dairy can cause your stomach to expand. In addition to avoiding foods with lactose in them (which is most dairy), supplementing with digestive enzymes can also keep your gut happy.
Read More: ‘How Going Gluten-Free For Celiac Disease Changed My Life’
Meanwhile, if you have celiac disease, your immune system produces antibodies as a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Those antibodies break down the lining of the GI tract, leading to gas and bloating (among a slew of other potential symptoms). If you’re diagnosed with celiac disease, it’s important to stick to a strict gluten-free diet, says Sonpal.
10. You’re Eating Hard-to-Digest Foods
Some foods have a harder time than others traveling the superhighway of your gut. Several categories of foods are simply tougher to digest due to their nutritional makeup, Vaske says. “One food group to avoid, even if you have a healthy gut, is fried foods like fried chicken, French fries, and donuts,” she says. In this case, it’s a matter of fat. These foods’ high fat content slows stomach emptying, she explains, meaning food sits longer and triggers gas and bloating.
It’s not just fried foods that are common culprits. Even healthy foods like veggies can give rise to uncomfortable bloat. “Cruciferous vegetables are the biggest offenders,” Vaske says. “Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, to name a few, all contain raffinose and sulfur, which equals bloating and pressure.” And then, of course, beans and lentils are infamous for producing gas. “They contain oligosaccharides, which are fibers our gut does not break down,” Vaske says. “They end up fermenting in our colon and creating gas.”
If you know you’re sensitive to these bloat-promoters, try eating them well-cooked. You can also try sprouted beans and lentils, which may be easier to digest.
11. You Have IBS
According to Sonpal, almost all GI conditions can cause bloating to some degree, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common. In fact, between 25 and 45 million people in the U.S. suffer from it, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. “IBS is a complex interplay between gut bacteria, fermentation, mood and anxiety, and diet that yields abdominal discomfort, bloating, and bouts that alternate between constipation and diarrhea,” says Sonpal. In IBS, the lining of the GI tract becomes irritated, which hinders your ability to absorb water, salt, and nutrients properly—hence the bloating, adds Reddy.
People with IBS can increase their colony of good intestinal bacteria with probiotics, fiber (a supplement can help here), and stress relief, says Sonpal. (If these tactics don’t work, you might consider prescription meds.)
12. You’re A Serial Gum-Chewer
Chewing gum is a sometimes-overlooked habit that can lead to tummy troubles down the line. One reason for this: many chewing gums contain sugar alcohols, which aren’t completely broken down by the digestive system. For this reason, they cause gas as they pass through somewhat undigested, says Taub-Dix.
The other culprit? The act of chewing itself! “When you chew, you trap air in your mouth and end up swallowing it,” Taub-Dix explains. When you chomp away on a stick of gum for minutes (hours?) on end, the air you swallow really adds up.
13. You Always Drink Through A Straw
You probably don’t think twice about sipping your favorite beverages through a straw, but it could mean trouble for your gut. “Every time you suck up air, you trap it within your gut,” explains Taub-Dix. The situation only turns out worse if you drink something carbonated (think sparkling water or soda) through a straw, since carbonation can also contribute to bloating, she notes.
Your best move here: Ditch the straw—and don’t rely on bubbly beverages as your only source of hydration. If you struggle with just plain water, try spicing things up with fruit slices, a splash of juice, or a flavored hydration mix.
14. You’re Late-Night Snacking
That “fourthmeal” that calls your name as the clock creeps later? It could be contributing to the bloat that creeps up the next day. “While your gut works any time of the day, eating a late-night snack and going to bed right after isn’t easy on your digestive system,” Sauceda says. Of course, the greasy or ultra-processed snacks many of us gravitate toward late at night (chips and cookies, anyone?) don’t necessarily help, either.
Sauceda says the workaround here might simply involve eating more earlier in the day. “To minimize bloating, make sure you’re eating enough during the day and eating consistently,” she advises. This way, the munchies will be less likely to strike at an inopportune time.
15. You Don’t Drink Enough Water
By now, you know that water is often involved in bloating. Falling short in the H2O department can ultimately, and perhaps unexpectedly, leave your midsection feeling quite swollen. According to Northwestern Medicine, inadequate hydration slows down digestion and leads to constipation and water retention, while drinking enough water ensures your digestion moves along regularly and signals to your body that it’s a-okay to release any water it’s holding onto.