The Holiday’s are a time of celebration with family and friends – often accompanied by overeating and indulging in foods that may be new to us or we eat infrequently – like the fruit cake, the office pot luck, the venison jerky or anything with sugar.

This usually results in digestive discomforts like bloating, stomach pain, gas and constipation. This may be only temporary and occasional, or it might be a protracted discomfort which detracts from the Holiday festivities.

Assuming the causes of your bloating are not serious (which should be verified by your Doctor), the reasons for this discomfort could include: insufficient stomach acid, insufficient digestive enzymes, food intolerances, food allergies, stress, poor gut mobility, gut dysbiosis. Or it could be as simple as too high salt intake – this is a common cause of bloating.

Here are some of the main causes of bloating:

Cause of Bloating #1: Low Stomach Acid
The symptoms of insufficient stomach acid include feeling full after a small intake of food, heartburn and burping. Stomach acid is responsible for stimulating the release of certain digestive enzymes. Without these enzymes, foods such as meat, fish and eggs may be more difficult to digest. Partially digested proteins make their way to the bowel where, because they have not gone through the complete process, they putrefy, causing irritation and inflammation. This in turn causes stomach pain and bloating.

Cause of Bloating #2: Insufficient Digestive Enzymes
Lower than normal levels of digestive enzymes can be caused by many factors – antibiotics, medications, stress, food intolerances, infections, poor dietary choices, excessive alcohol consumption. When digestive enzymes are in low levels, undigested fats, carbohydrates and proteins transit to the bowel, where once again they begin to ferment, causing irritation and inflammation – and bloating.

In addition, some foods can be more difficult for the intestinal organs to digest. Particular vegetables, especially when eaten raw, can cause gas and bloating. Cauliflower and broccoli are two examples – however, everyone is unique and you may find there are certain foods which are more likely to cause bloating and stomach pain. Lactose (milk sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar) can cause bloating in some individuals. Again, if your body is lacking in digestive enzymes, you may find these particular foods more troublesome – but you may be able to eat them without any problems, once enzyme activity is restored.

Cause of Bloating #3: Food Intolerances
Unlike food allergies, which have an almost immediate effect, food intolerances are slower to appear – usually over a 48 hour period. It is not uncommon to develop a food intolerance to your favorite foods. Food intolerances can be caused by many of the usual suspects – insufficient stomach acid, insufficient digestive enzymes, stress, hormones, medications, etc.

Some of the most common food intolerances include gluten, wheat, yeast, dairy foods, shellfish, eggs, peanuts and other nuts, sesame seeds, soya and chocolate

Bloating is a common symptom of food intolerances – sometimes it may be the only symptom, or it may be accompanied by diarrhea or loose bowel motions, or the opposite – constipation.

Cause of Bloating #4: Dysbiosis
This terms means a lack of digestive harmony. Basically, it’s when your intestinal tract has too much of the bad bacteria, not enough of the good. This can be caused by antibiotics, steroids, oral contraceptives, NSAIDS, a variety of other medications, poor food choices, exposure to chemicals, high levels of stress, etc. These bad bacteria produce toxins, the symptoms of which which can be a primary cause of bloating and stomach pain.

Cause of Bloating #5: Poor Gut Mobility
Poor intestinal muscle function can be caused by a calcium-magnesium imbalance, insufficient dietary soluble fiber, dehydration. When this happens, good bacteria decline and, as mentioned above, the toxins are produced in vast quantities. Cells of the colon can be damaged, increasing the risk of colon cancer. Symptoms include bloating, pain, constipation, headaches and a coated tongue.

Regardless of the cause of bloating, it is downright down-right uncomfortable and dampens the Holiday Spirit. To keep this under control we recommend a colon cleansing during the Holiday’s to “Beat the Bloat”. Ultimate Digestive Health has everything you need to help you feel great. It concludes:

• Internal Cleansing Fiber – loosens and removes putrefied food particles and impacted fecal matter that are most likely causing your bloaty feelings
• Cleansing Tea – flushes out any fine particles left behind by the Internal Cleansing Fiber and helps you get a restful night’s sleep.
• Anti-Parasite Support – targets and kills intestinal parasites that infect 1 in 4 people
• Probiotics Formula – Restores a healthy balance of stomach bacteria and enzymes.

Discover why Ultimate Digestive Health can help you “Beat The Bloat” this Holiday Season.

Source: Medline Plus – National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health