Keto Means
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Why is my belly getting bigger on keto diet?

Again, this gas causes the feeling of swelling or fat belly and tightness. That is how the low amount of fibre in keto-friendly food causes keto bloating. Fibres are also helping the digestive system. However, a few types of research show that high fiber diet can also cause the bloating effect.

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Are you feeling like your belly is swollen up like a balloon? You may be experiencing keto bloating or keto distended stomach. Find out how to combat bloating on keto diet to relieve this uncomfortable feeling and look your best. Bloating can be one of the most common side effects of any new diet you start since you are drastically changing the way you eat and the foods you eat. And keto diet is no different. It is quite the change from how most people are used to eating regularly. Keto bloating can be a common side effect when starting the low carb diet and can feel like it’s minimizing all of your efforts. Bloating can cause tightness, pain and stress in the belly. It is something very irritating and uncomfortable. Few factors cause bloating. The bloating caused by the ketogenic diet is called keto bloating. If you’re experiencing keto bloating, digestive issues, and excessive gas which is seriously affecting your everyday life, keep on reading.

Why are you experiencing bloating on Keto diet?

After starting a ketogenic diet, it becomes difficult for the digestive system to handle the change. The reason is ketogenic food is not a type of food the digestive system is used to. As a result, the guts start expanding with bad gasses. It is due to bad digestion. Following are the details of the reasons for bloating due to the keto diet.

Common causes of bloating related to the ketogenic diet are:

Not enough fibre

Food intolerances

Cheating on keto diet by eating too many carbs

Too many sugar alcohols

Dehydration

Keep on reading to dive deeper into all of the reasons to ‘why do I feel heavy on keto?’

Top 6 Reasons for Keto Distended Stomach:

Find out the main reasons for bloating and discomfort in your digestive tract on the low-carb diet.

1. Eating Too Many Carbs

Cheating on the keto diet by eating too many carbs will lead to many negative side effects such as weight loss stalling, headaches, and bloating. Carbs also make your body retain water, therefore, making you feel heavy and swollen. To get back to ketosis, and keep on losing weight, all you need to do is reduce the amount of carbs and you should lose the water weight within a few days and experience a reduction in bloating.

2. Food Intolerances

This point may repeat a few of the important information but it is necessary to explain. Food intolerance is defined as poor digestion, and due to poor digestion unpleasant feelings like bloating, nausea and bad gasses. The keto-food is used by some people and its elements are quite different from normal food like it is very low in carbs and fibre. We have discussed above that how both the low level of carbs and fibres are causing keto bloating. But food tolerance is much more than just bloating. It can even cause heartburn, diarrhoea or stomach pain and tummy pain.

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The keto-food can cause it too.

These problems are correlated with each other, for example, food intolerances can cause bloating. It is because both depend upon the metabolic and digestive systems of the body. It is very important to fulfil the requirements of the body if you are following the keto diet to stay away from food intolerances, especially keto bloating.

3. Too Many Sugar Alcohols

The Keto diet contains a lot of sugar alcohol that come from artificial sweeteners. These are the main parts of protein bars, toffees and other keto food. The four main sugar alcohols in keto-friendly foods are xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol and maltitol. The truth is, your body has a difficulty digesting most of these sugar alcohols, therefore just pushing them into your large intestine for your gut bacteria to break down. This is not a usual practice for our metabolism process and hence it causes disturbance in digestion as well. The irregularities in the digestive system cause some gasses or the generation of more air inside the body. As a result the keto bloating take place.

4. Not Enough Fiber

Another feature of the keto-friendly diet is that it contains a lesser amount of fibre. Less amount of fibres implies that the food will stay longer in the IG. It means a lot of fermentation of the food will cause an excessive amount of gas. Again, this gas causes the feeling of swelling or fat belly and tightness. That is how the low amount of fibre in keto-friendly food causes keto bloating. Fibres are also helping the digestive system. However, a few types of research show that high fiber diet can also cause the bloating effect. It means the keto diet doesn’t have a required level of fibre to avoid bloating. This is very interesting as fibres are very important for fitness. But their intake must not be lower or higher than your daily recommended amount. They can affect in either way. However, specifically for the Keto-diet, the keto bloating is caused by not having enough amount of fibres in your diet. Try adding some low-carb high-fiber foods into your diet such as flax seeds, chia seeds, broccoli, and cauliflower.

5. Dehydration

Keto-diet can cause thirst more than any previous diet you have been following. It is because the keto diet can cause a lack of water level. Keto-food can disturb the water level in the body. This not only causes dehydration but can also disturb the electrolyte balance of the body. The main reason is dehydration and the imbalance in electrolytes also called electrolyte imbalance can cause problems for the digestion system.

Find out how to replace electrolytes on keto

The digestion system effect is the biggest reason for bloating.

The people on the keto diet must drink a lot of water. More than normal to avoid keto bloating. However, the increasing level of dehydration may not just be solved by drinking water.

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One may need to find a good doctor to solve the issue. The keto bloating caused by dehydration can be severe and should be treated by a professional. You can also try a green tea to help with dehydration and reducing bloating.

6. Gut Health Issues

Our gut is often referred to as our second brain. That is why it’s vital to maintain a healthy gut balance and gut microbiome.

Probiotics are an essential part in doing that.

You could try adding in probiotic supplements or a better way – consume more keto friendly probiotic rich foods and drinks.

Some of the most popular probiotic foods include:

Sauerkraut, yogurt, keto kefir, kimchi and pickles.

What are keto farts and what causes keto flatulence?

Low carb diet smelly farts are caused by being in ketosis which makes the body release ketones which are chemicals made in the liver. These chemicals can alter the way your gas, pee and sweat smell and can often make it smell much worse than it was prior to starting the low carb diet. It can also have an effect of creating excess gas production. The good news is that if you follow the 6 keto digestive health tips the smell and gas should also be lowered. With the above keto flatulence and bloating tips you can greatly reduce the side effects but some of them may never go away until you stay in ketosis.

Conclusion

Keto-diet can cause bloating and it can be very painful and difficult to bear as well it feels like swollen belly. The most important factor of bloating is a low level of carbs as well as fibre. If you are taking on the keto diet you need to make sure that you are fulfilling the other body requirements. Otherwise, it can cause indigestion, food intolerances and of course bloating. I hope these tips help you navigate the unwanted side effects of high-fat diet and relieve your gut issues. If you’re still struggling with bloating, please consult your doctor.

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