Why Women Over 40 Deal With Bloating And What To Do About It
Updated: Jan 8, 2025
Marissa is a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach, specializing in Digestive Health. She had been down a very long health journey of her own before deciding to take matters into her own hands and is now dedicated to helping other women feel as good as she does every day.
Why does it seem like a bloated, pregnant-looking belly, especially after eating, is affecting so many women these days? Just because it’s common does not mean it’s normal. Discover the real reasons behind bloating and how to reclaim your happy belly.
Overuse of PPIs and antacids
While medications like Zantac, Prilosec, and Nexium can offer temporary relief from heartburn, they are only meant to be taken for no more than two weeks. I have clients who have been prescribed these medications for more than 20 years, which wreaks havoc on the gut.
These medications reduce stomach acid, and while that seems like a good idea for preventing heartburn, they actually do more harm than good.
To digest our food properly, we need stomach acid; the stronger, the better. Taking medications that signal the body to stop producing acid causes food to sit in the stomach and ferment, leading to gas and bloating.
It also hinders the body’s ability to kill off pathogens, leading to an overgrowth of bad bacteria and increased bloating.
There are many natural solutions to bringing balance back to the digestive system, so you don’t have to rely on these harmful meds.
Eating in a relaxed state, thoroughly chewing your food, reducing ultra-processed foods, and drinking herbal teas are all supportive in the digestive process.
Getting off PPIs or other acid-blocking medications is a delicate process, so always work with a practitioner to wean off these medications.
Gut dysbiosis: The imbalance you didn't know you had
Your gut is home to trillions of organisms, referred to as the gut microbiome. We are actually made up of more bacterial cells than human cells! This means that taking care of the delicate balance of bacteria that make up our microbiome is extremely important.
Due to common practices like the use of antibiotics, the Standard American Diet (SAD), medications, stress, and other factors, beneficial gut bacteria can become depleted, allowing pathogenic bacteria to take over.
These harmful opportunistic bacteria may cause inflammation, bloating, leaky gut, brain fog, mood imbalances, bowel irregularity, and many other uncomfortable symptoms.
Picture your gut like a parking lot. You want all of your spots filled with beneficial bacteria that help you reduce inflammation, digest your food, balance your hormones and communicate with your brain effectively. With each round of antibiotics, for instance, we are killing off the ‘good guys’, leaving parking spots available for the inflammatory troublemakers to come in and set up shop.
Control your parking lot with a balanced, clean, organic diet full of colorful fruits and veggies, get out in nature, manage your stress, sleep well, and try to reduce the need for medications.
We can get a clear picture of your unique “Digestive Blueprint” by testing the gut microbiome, which provides an exact plan for balancing and de-bloating the gut.
Eating while stressed: A recipe for bloating
Going back to caveman days, if you needed to run from a tiger, you certainly wouldn’t need your digestion taking up all of your energy, right? The same rings true today. When we get stressed, our intelligent body shuts down digestion and sends the much-needed energy to other parts of the body.
Even small amounts of stress, like watching the news, sending an email, or scrolling through social media, can cause the digestive process to shut down. This causes food to sit in your belly undigested, leading to, you guessed it, bloating.
Taking time before meals to enjoy the sights, tastes, and smells of your food and preparing your body for digestion helps get your system ready for the food that’s about to be consumed. Chew thoroughly and eat in a relaxed state to ensure the process is as efficient as possible.
Bloating isn’t just an annoying inconvenience; it’s often a sign that your body is crying out for help. By addressing the root causes, such as reducing dependency on PPIs, rebalancing your gut microbiome, and eating in a calm state, you can finally break free from the bloat and feel good every single day.
Marissa Hughes, Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach
Marissa is a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach, specializing in Digestive Health. She had been down a very long health journey of her own before deciding to take matters into her own hands and is now dedicated to helping other women feel as good as she does every day. She gets to the root cause of her client's gut issues by using a microbiome testing process, so each client receives a totally personalized plan, based on their individual results. She uses a combination of specific foods, supplements, stress management, detoxification, and Pilates in her online program, The Happy Belly Method Breathwork.
