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