The Hidden Truth Making Your Bloating Worse (Hint: It’s Not Just Food)
I hear it all the time: "I eat healthy, but I’m always bloated!" You’ve cut out gluten, dairy, and even tried low-FODMAP, yet that uncomfortable, bloated feeling persists. What’s going on?
The truth is, bloating isn’t just about food. There’s a hidden culprit disrupting your digestion: the gut-brain axis and the GI stress cycle.
I’m a dietitian and I know a lot about food and the gut but I first started noticing the link between stress and my gut symptoms during a particularly stressful chapter in my own life.
Now, of course being the scientist I am, I dove head first into the research and read an eye opening book by Dr Gabor Maté, called When the Body Says No, which explained how stress and hidden emotions can make people sick.
He shows that when someone doesn’t speak up or holds in their feelings for too long, their body might react by getting ill. It's like the body is saying “no” when the person can’t.
After that I began asking my clients more reflective questions, not just about food, but about what was happening in their lives around the time their symptoms began.
The patterns were hard to ignore.
Time and time again, they’d describe a period of heightened stress right before their gut symptoms started.
Of course, I can’t prove a direct cause. But I do believe the mind and body are deeply connected.
What we carry emotionally often shows up physically. And in my experience, supporting the nervous system is just as important as supporting digestion.
The Gut-Brain Axis: How Stress Wrecks Your Digestion
Your gut is a clever system that keeps everything in your body working in balance. It’s always talking to your brain through special nerves and chemicals.
When you’re stressed, your brain sends messages to your gut that can:
Slow down digestion, which can cause bloating and constipation.
Make your gut extra sensitive, so even normal gas feels painful.
Change the balance of good bacteria in your gut and make it easier for things that shouldn’t be there to get in, leading to inflammation and more bloating.
This can turn into a loop: stress upsets your gut → your gut feels worse → you get more stressed → and your tummy gets even more upset.
The GI Stress Cycle: Why You Can’t Out-Supplement Stress
You might be taking probiotics, digestive enzymes, or drinking ginger tea, but if stress is running the show, these fixes won’t last. Here’s how the cycle works:
1. Stress triggers the "fight or flight" mode → This makes your blood flow shifts away from digestion and towards your muscles and brain to help you respond to danger.
2. As a result digestion slows down → Food sits for longer in your digestive system, fermenting and causing gas.
3. This gas causes bloating and discomfort levels increase → And this makes you feel more stressed about your symptoms.
4. The cycle repeats → stress leads to long-term gut issues (like IBS).
How to Break the Cycle and Reduce Bloating
1. Practice Nervous System Regulation
The first way to get on top of this cycle is to make a conscious effort to regulate your nervous system. Here are 4 ways you can do that:
Deep breathing (4-7-8 method) before meals to activate the "rest and digest" state. Breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds and then breathe out through the mouth for 8 seconds.
Daily mindfulness or meditation to lower the stress hormone cortisol.
Gentle movement (walking, yoga) to stimulate digestion.
Yoga Nidra
2. Eat for Gut-Brain Harmony
What you eat is important too here is what you should prioritise:
Protein and healthy fats - Try and base your meals on protein rich food such as lean chicken, fish and then add in a source of healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado or make your fish an oily fish like salmon. These nutrients are key to stabilise blood sugar levels, as uneven blood sugars trigger stress.
Include magnesium-rich foods daily(leafy greens, nuts, seeds) to relax the gut.
Sip on herbal teas (peppermint, chamomile, ginger) to soothe digestion.
3. Address Hidden Stressors
Identify food fears: are you worried about what you're eating, conscious of being very healthy all of the time or follow restrictive diets? These can worsen bloating, so do address your food fears with a dietitian.
Improve sleep hygiene: No I don't mean changing the sheets more often, sleep hygiene is all about making sure you get enough, good quality sleep because poor sleep means higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol which of course leads to more bloating.
Seek support You might need to talk to a dietitian, a therapist or work with an expert in specific gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS.
“I’m just sick of having no energy and feeling uncomfortable every evening.”
That’s what Jane told me when we first met.
She was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. The kind of tiredness that seeps into everything: her work, her appetite, her social life.
After months of investigations through the NHS, she was no closer to answers. Her GP had referred her to a gastroenterologist, but the scope and scans all came back clear. “Nothing wrong,” they said. “It’s probably just IBS”.
And yet, she was still bloated.
Still dealing with excessive wind and discomfort every single evening.
Still avoiding garlic, onions, fried food, bread an ever-growing list of triggers that left her meals joyless and her body malnourished.
Her weight was dropping. Her energy was gone. And she’d started skipping social events altogether because she couldn’t bear the embarrassment or discomfort.
Her bowel movements were regular. No pain. But every evening, like clockwork, she’d swell up—feeling heavy, puffy, and fed up.
And then she said something that made my ears prick up.
“When I’m on holiday, I feel a lot better.”
That was the clue. Because for many of my clients with digestive issues, it’s not just about what they eat. It’s also when, how, and how they feel when they eat it.
Jane had a stressful job history, a racing mind that kept her awake at night, and broken sleep that never left her feeling rested.
Her gut wasn’t just reacting to food—it was responding to her entire lifestyle.
What We Did
We built a personalised plan around her real life (not an idealised meal plan she'd never stick to).
Reintroduced safe low FODMAP fruit and vegetables to diversify her diet without triggering symptoms
Added flaxseeds for gentle fibre support
Practised box breathing and other simple nervous system resets
Started gut-directed hypnotherapy to rewire the stress response in her gut–brain axis
We didn’t rush. We didn’t overhaul everything overnight. We worked in stages—testing, observing, adjusting.
And something lovely started to happen.
Within just three weeks, her stress levels were noticeably lower. She told me she felt “incredibly calm” after years of feeling on edge.
Her bloating, once a nightly battle, started to ease. At first it was just a few nights a week. Then it became the exception, not the rule.
After four months:
The bloating was mild, occasional, and totally manageable
The embarrassing wind was almost gone
Her appetite came back
She started gaining weight again
She had the energy to exercise
She began enjoying meals out without fear
But most importantly? She felt like herself again.
If Jane’s story feels familiar, know this: It doesn’t have to rule your evenings, your appetite, or your energy. There are gentler, evidence-informed ways to support your gut, without cutting out everything or living in fear of food.
Final Thoughts
Bloating isn’t just about what you eat, it’s about how your nervous system impacts your gut. If you’ve tried every diet, but still feel bloated, it’s time to look at stress, anxiety, and the gut-brain connection.
Healing your gut starts with calming your mind.
Need help breaking the cycle? Let’s work together to create a plan that addresses both your diet and your stress.
References
Bhatia, V. and Tandon, R.K. (2005), Stress and the gastrointestinal tract. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 20: 332-339. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1746.2004.03508.x
Leigh, S. J., Uhlig, F., Wilmes, L., Sanchez-Diaz, P., Gheorghe, C. E., Goodson, M. S.,Kelley-Loughnane, N., Hyland, N. P., Cryan, J. F., & Clarke, G. (2023). The impact ofacute and chronic stress on gastrointestinal physiology and function: amicrobiota-gut-brain axis perspective. The Journal of physiology, 601(20),4491–4538. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281951
