Can't get past bloating?

I can remember when I used to wait tables at a restaurant; we would get a free meal each shift at breaktime. Yes, I overate occasionally but even when I didn't, every. single. time. I came back from break, my boss would say "Damn, are you pregnant?"

Yes, he was a total jerk (and that's being nice) and yes, it was humiliating! But worse yet, I couldn't understand why I was so bloated every day.

I had never experienced what it felt like to not be bloated until about 5 years ago. And I am no spring chicken. We're talking about decades of bloating.

I had started really trying to pinpoint what might be the culprit to this uncomfortable and embarrassing symptom. I had begun paying closer attention to what I was eating and started implementing some new strategies. The moment came as I was putting on a pair of pants. It felt different this time. There was no struggle and no super snuggle. I just stood in the closet and felt a sense of huge accomplishment.

So, come to find out, there are several different reasons someone might be experiencing bloating after meals.

It goes like this:

• If you feel bloated after a meal with protein, you might be low in something called Hydrochloric Acid (read more about HCL here.)

• If you feel bloated after a meal heavy in starches, you could be low in pancreatic enzymes.

• If you feel bloated after a meal that has a lot of fat (good or bad, makes no difference) you could have gallbladder issues.

• Now, there are some people that actually say they are bloated after every meal, regardless of what they eat. All foods cause issues. You might be looking at a case of what is known as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth or SIBO for short. More on this one later.