Are You Bloated Every Day? Here's Why That's Not Normal — And What to Do About It

Let me be straight with you: feeling bloated on a daily basis is not normal. I don't care what you've been told. I don't care if you've had it for so long it feels like just "how your body is." It is not normal, and you do not have to live like this.

I know because I lived it myself. For years I dealt with bloating, pain, and digestive issues so disruptive that I became afraid to eat. Doctors told me to add more fiber. It made everything worse. I felt hopeless. And then I found the answer — and it changed everything.

So when I say you don't have to keep suffering, I mean it with everything I have.

First, let's talk about what's actually normal.

Some bloating is completely normal. Had a big salty dinner? Ate a lot of beans or cruciferous vegetables? Went heavy on the carbs? Your body is going to respond to that, and that's fine. That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about waking up bloated. Ending every meal feeling five months pregnant. Carrying it around all day, every day, until it becomes your baseline. That is your body telling you something is wrong. And it deserves to be taken seriously.

Why your doctor may not have the answer.

This is the part that breaks my heart a little, because I know how much people trust their doctors. I have enormous respect for physicians. But the truth is that over 90% of doctors are not up to date on IBS and SIBO. It's not their fault — the research is relatively recent and most medical schools simply haven't caught up.

So if you've been told to try fiber supplements, take probiotics, or "manage your stress" — and you're still suffering — there's a very good reason. If you have Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), fiber and probiotics will feed the bacteria and make your symptoms significantly worse. I've watched this happen with client after client who came to me having done everything their doctor recommended, feeling worse for it.

Some doctors may even tell you it's in your head. It is not in your head. IBS is a real, physiological condition. And in up to 80% of cases, the underlying cause is SIBO — a real, testable, treatable medical condition.

So what is SIBO?

SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. It happens when bacteria that belong in your large intestine end up in your small intestine, where they don't belong. Every time you eat, those bacteria ferment your food and produce gas. That gas is what's making you miserable.

I was one of the first people to ever take a SIBO breath test, through Dr. Mark Pimentel's research at Cedars-Sinai in the early 2000s. I tested positive. For the first time in years, my suffering had an explanation — and a path forward.

A few things that might be making your bloat worse right now.

Before we even get to a formal diagnosis, there are some common culprits worth looking at:

Chewing gum. Every time you chew, you're swallowing excess air. And most sugar-free gum contains sorbitol, mannitol, or xylitol — sugar alcohols that your body literally cannot digest. Double trouble.

"Keto," "sugar-free," and "low carb" products. These are loaded with the same sugar alcohols. Read your labels. Mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol — if you see these, that could be your problem right there.

Coffee on an empty stomach. Coffee is acidic and a powerful gastric stimulant. I've had clients convinced they had IBS whose symptoms completely resolved when they started eating something before their morning coffee. Try it.

Eating on the run. When you eat in fight-or-flight mode, your digestive system doesn't get the memo to do its job. Sit down. Slow down. Your gut will thank you.

The good news.

SIBO is treatable. The low-FODMAP diet, developed by researchers at Monash University, has been life-changing for my clients — and for me personally. About one in three people with SIBO resolve it completely. Two in three see 80–90% improvement. Those are real numbers, and they represent real lives no longer ruled by a stomach that won't cooperate.

You deserve to feel good. You deserve to eat a meal and just... feel fine afterward. That is not too much to ask.

If you're ready to stop managing this and start actually fixing it — that's what I'm here for.