A lot of us carry a little extra bulge in the middle. But how do you know if it is fat or bloat?
Bloating is caused by gas. Bloating and gas are caused by a number of things. (this list is not comprehensive)
- Swallowing air when you eat, chewing gum, carbonation
- Trouble digesting, slow digestion
- Constipation
- Dysbiosis (imbalance of bad bacteria) or SIBO
- Cancer
Many of us have extra fat in the belly. It is the place of choice for fat storage originating from:
- unhealthy fats such as trans fats or processed vegetable oils
- sugar overload
- genetics
So which do you have?
Answer: bloating ebbs and flows. If you wake up in the morning with a flat stomach and then look pregnant after dinner, it’s bloating. A bloated belly is usually (but not always) changing size and shape. If you don’t know, start using a measuring tape at several intervals throughout a day and week. If the number varies a lot, it is bloating. If you have belly fat, the number won’t change by more than an inch.
If you are still unsure, get checked out by a doctor. They can listen and feel around your abdomen find out more clues as to what’s going on.
So often we ignore bloating, but it can be a symptom or indication of a serious condition. And I am not just talking about cancer. If you have gut dysbiosis, it won’t just go away. Rather it leads to many avoidable problems. Call me, I can assess whether past diet, lifestyle, and antibiotic use may be causing your bloating.
For more information on bloating and how to fix it for good: read my eBook!
Image courtesy of jesadaphorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Hi, do you know if vegemite contributes to bloating and belly fat (high salt content), or is this not something I should worry about?
I would have to look at the ingredients, but I doubt it would cause belly fat. The high salt content can cause bloating in sensitive people, but mostly bloating is related to the GI tract and what the bacteria in there are fermenting. That could be vegemite, but wouldn’t be for everyone.