The Difference Between Inflammation and Bloating: and How to Decrease Both
The terms bloating and inflammation often get used interchangeably. After all, they both lead to a puffy, uncomfortable feeling, right? Well, not exactly. So I want to remove the confusion and explain the difference between the two conditions and tell you how to overcome them both.
Understanding the difference between inflammation and bloating
Before we go any further… let’s define the two terms: bloating and inflammation.
What is bloating?
Bloating is a buildup of gas in the stomach and intestines.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation, on the other hand, begins when you get hurt or your body encounters a virus or bacteria. This triggers your immune system to respond with inflammatory cells.
The inflammatory cells begin a response to trap bacteria or to start heating injured tissue. This can result in pain, swelling, bruising, or redness.
Inflammation can also affect the body in systems you can’t see which is why there are two kinds of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute, short-term inflammation is a healthy response. But as I’ll explain, long-term chronic inflammation is not.
What leads to bloating?
I’m going to explain both bloating and inflammation. But first, let’s tackle bloating.
So, what causes it? Well, there are many things that lead to bloating.
Sometimes it’s as simple as the foods you eat causing you to feel bloated. But there could be other culprits, such as:
Chewing gum (Seriously… it sounds crazy. But it’s due to the air you swallow while chewing gym.)
Using a straw
Swallowing air from eating too fast
Constipation
Bloating can also occur if you lack essential digestive enzymes for breaking down foods like dairy (lactose intolerance) or consuming too much salt, which can cause fluid retention.
Bloating can also be associated with periods and hormonal changes. The reason they suggest is that it can cause water retention in the pelvic area (or be combined with local inflammation in the uterus). Thankfully, this type of bloating should go away with your cycle.
Feeling bloated can also be due to other underlying medical conditions such as:
Fluid in the abdomen
Stomach or intestinal tumors
Intestinal blockages
How bloating and inflammation can be connected
If you’re experiencing frequent or prolonged bloating, it could be caused by chronic inflammation of the stomach. Such is the case when the intestinal barrier is damaged.
This is the cause of leaky gut or when your body sees certain foods as foreign invaders and produces inflammatory chemicals in response.
If you frequently feel bloated it’s important to talk to your doctor to rule out any of these conditions.
How to eliminate feeling bloated
Feeling bloated is miserable. You want to eliminate it as soon as possible. For acute bloating take a look at the following ways to overcome feeling bloated:
Eat right
Fatty and salty foods can slow down digestion and leave you bloated. Try eating healthy foods that will get you moving and battle the bloat.
Exercise & yoga
Being physically active can help fight constipation which can make you feel less bloated.
Certain yoga poses can help to release gas and reduce bloating. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise programs.
Eat less in one sitting
When you eat a huge meal in one sitting, there’s a good chance you’re going to feel bloated. Try smaller portions to decrease the amount of food that’s going into your body at one time.
What causes inflammation?
Back to inflammation.
Now that you understand the difference between these two conditions and what leads to bloating, I want to explain what causes inflammation.
But before I can answer that, I need to explain the two types of inflammation I previously mentioned: acute and chronic. They’re both caused by different things.
Acute inflammation
Acute inflammation is our immune system’s response to damaged cells, irritants, and pathogens that contact our skin. This is what you experience when you get a cut or jam your finger. In the case of a cut, the inflammation is there for a time and then goes away as the cut starts to heal. It starts almost immediately and may last for a few days.
There’s something called subacute inflammation and it’s the period between acute and chronic inflammation and may last 2 to 6 weeks.
Chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation is the inflammation you can’t see. It takes place underneath your skin and affects your organs. This is the kind of inflammation we want to avoid.
(If you want to see just how severe your inflammation may be, click here to check out my inflammation calculator.)
Most people just think of sore joints when they think about inflammation. But chronic inflammation symptoms can also include:
Fatigue
Mouth sores
Chest pain
Swelling
Abdominal pain
Fever
You can also get a rash from inflammation.
One of the most frustrating things about inflammation is the way it impacts your daily life. Cleaning your house, doing your laundry, and any form of bending and twisting become so much more difficult when your joints are hurting.
But joint pain isn’t the only result of inflammation.
Did you know that inflammation directly affects your energy levels? It’s like the worst kind of compounding effect you can imagine. Inflammation is a life-changer (and not in the good sense as you’re aware): it prevents you from being as active as you’d like. Maybe it’s even forced you to give up on a hobby you enjoyed.
It’s hard enough to be active when you’re in pain. Then add to it a lack of energy. This is why learning how to decrease inflammation is so vital to living a better life.
Chronic inflammation can lead to even more serious conditions such as heart disease, liver disease, and cancer, just to name a few.
You don’t have to “live with” inflammation
The good news is that chronic inflammation can be reduced, and in some cases, even eliminated. The important thing is to start taking steps to overcome it sooner rather than later.
A story of overcoming inflammation
One of the most powerful inflammation stories I know comes from my husband, Noah. He had all the markings of early arthritis. Riding in the car or on a plane was uncomfortable because of the pain in his knees. He had to routinely switch his phone from ear to ear because of how sore his right shoulder would get.
But the worst pain he had was in his right wrist.
When he was a teenager, Noah fractured his right wrist playing basketball. For the next 15 years, it bothered him daily. Some days it got so bad he was unable to work out. If you know my husband, that’s a big deal for him to skip a workout!
His wrist pain even prevented him from being able to write for long periods. About two sentences into writing, the pain would move up into his hands into his forearm and make it impossible to continue.
But about two weeks after implementing the very things I’m about to share he came to me one day after a workout. He told me how he had realized he hadn’t experienced any pain in his wrist.
And for him, that was amazing because he hadn’t gone two weeks without wrist pain since he was thirteen years old! Now his pain had completely gone away!
But the best part is that his results weren’t temporary. He’s been pain-free for years now!
The three secrets of inflammation
Before we get into how to overcome inflammation (i.e. reduce and possibly eliminate it altogether) I want to tell you about three common secrets regarding inflammation. You might call them misconceptions.
Let’s get started with secret #1…
Secret #1: Something is causing your inflammation
Now, that might sound obvious. But in your mind, you’re thinking, “But Kara, I’ve tried everything and nothing works.” You’ve tried NSAIDS and maybe it helped a little or maybe it didn’t help at all. But either way, you’re thinking, “If medications didn’t even work then how could anything else?”
Am I right?
When it comes to inflammation, we need to look at what’s causing it. Many women have this sort of perception that it’s just there and that it manifested itself somehow. The truth is that inflammation is often caused by the foods we eat like refined carbs, sugary beverages, red meat, and other animal-based foods.
Secret #2: Genetics is only part of the problem
You may be thinking, “Well, my inflammation is hereditary, so there’s really nothing I can do.” Your mother has the same problem and so does your grandma.
Guess what? Our genetic expression is the result of what we do with our bodies. And by that, I mean how we treat our bodies, like how much exercise and sleep we get, what we eat, and even what we drink.
Secret #3: Age doesn’t have to equal inflammation
Spoiler alert: you don’t have to fall victim to your age. I know some of you are thinking that the “age is only a number” idea is pie in the sky. Maybe you’re thinking, “pain and fatigue are just part of getting older.”
Guess what? Age is not a diagnosis although many of us act as if it is.
Now that we know the secrets of inflammation, it’s time to learn how to decrease inflammation.
How to decrease inflammation
Stay hydrated
Hydration and nutrition both play a big role in improving your genetic expression and, as a result, lowering your inflammation. Water is an essential part of literally every component and function of your body. But, not enough of us realize it. In fact, 75% of all Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.
Dehydration leads to a host of problems, not the least of which is increased inflammation. Water not only directly increases energy and improves weight management; it also helps reduce and eliminate toxins within your body.
The recommended water consumption can vary based on different factors like weight, activity level, and the climate you live in. Drinking enough water is crucial to your health and even inflammation in your body.
Eat more whole plant-based food
Consuming more whole plant-based foods has also been shown to reduce inflammation in two ways.
First, it leaves less room for pro-inflammatory foods like animal proteins and processed foods. This is why you always want to load your place with veggies first. Secondly, it provides the anti-inflammatory benefits of plant-based foods like flaxseed. Flaxseed’s anti-inflammatory properties give it the ability to cut back on inflammation in a powerful way. This is one of the reasons I recommend you consume flax meal daily.
Flaxseed is easy to add to your smoothie or bowl of oats in the morning! Just be sure you get flax meal instead of flaxseed. Flaxseed will go right through your body without even being processed, so you won’t get the benefits of flax.
You also need to consume more anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric. Turmeric is commonly used to fight inflammation. It’s even been shown to be a more effective anti-inflammatory treatment than common inflammation-fighting medications like ibuprofen and aspirin.
The good news is that it’s super easy to take every single day!
Improve your sleep
Studies often show that the quality of sleep diminishes with age. With the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to overlook the importance of sleep. Between checking emails, binging Netflix, and scrolling social media, it can be hard to turn it off at night. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work on ways to improve your sleep.
Not getting the ideal amount of sleep has been shown to trigger inflammation, even in healthy people. The reason a lack of sleep is so closely associated with inflammation is that during deep sleep cycles, your body is able to perform housekeeping functions, and part of that is reducing inflammation. A loss of sleep can prompt your immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs.
Maintain good gut health
You also need to consider your gut health. Gut health is a hot topic these days and for good reason. A healthy gut is such an important part of your overall health! But, it’s a delicate thing. Consider this…the total surface area of your gut is larger than a tennis court… that’s huge!
But the even crazier thing is that the lining of your gut is only one cell thick. Now, you see what I mean when I say it’s a delicate thing. A healthy gut is one of the cornerstones to reducing chronic inflammation.
The bottom line
Knowing the difference between being bloated and having inflammation is key so that you know what you’re dealing with and how to treat it. Once you get to the core of your problem, you can start feeling better and have the increased energy you need to live life to the fullest!
Want to learn how to put it all together? Click here to schedule a call with me. We’ll put together a plan to help you reduce, or even eliminate your inflammation, overcome bloating, and achieve the fat loss you’ve been hoping for. And the best part — I’m going to show you how to make it last!