If you have been making an effort to improve your diet and lifestyle yet are still experiencing bloating and/or other digestive issues, there may be something else going on.

4 Reasons Why You Could Still Be Struggling

Food Sensitivities:

 You may have intolerances or sensitivities to certain foods that are considered “healthy”. Common ones are dairy, wheat and gluten, eggs, corn, soy, peanuts, and seafood. A good way to determine if this is the case is to implement an elimination diet. You can also have food intolerance testing done to help narrow it down. 

Dysbiosis:

 Dysbiosis means there is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract. A good example of this is Candida overgrowth, or Candidiasis. This can lead to unpleasant digestive symptoms from eating all kinds of foods, with no specific pattern, making it hard to determine what the problem is. A specific elimination diet is recommended if Candida is found to be the culprit, but often in less severe situations you will find relief by increasing your consumption of pre and probiotic foods as well as supplementing with a daily probiotic. 

Low HCL or Insufficient Enzymes:

 You may not be producing enough hydrochloric acid or digestive enzymes to properly break down food. A few things you can do about this are drinking a tbsp of apple cider vinegar prior to meals (can be diluted in water), or taking either an HCL supplement or a digestive enzyme blend with your meal.

Your Diet May Not be as “Healthy” as You Think:

 Oftentimes when people are trying to improve their health, they fall into consuming products that are mismarketed. Companies will label products with “Vegan”, “Low calorie”, “Sugar Free”, etc. Unfortunately just because something is labelled this way it does not mean that it isn’t ultra-processed and full of additives and artificial ingredients. Many people have a low tolerance for things like artificial sweeteners and colours and will experience negative symptoms as a result. Read labels carefully!

Written by: Hayley Dickenson, RHN

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