How often do you complain about feeling bloated? If you’re like most of us, probably pretty often. Feeling bloated can affect your fashion options, what you eat, your mood, and even your self esteem. As gastroenterologist Dr. Tamara Duker Freuman says, “Bloating is in the eye of the beholder,” meaning it has a variety of symptoms and causes. In order to keep it at bay, it’s important to know what causes bloating.
Here are 18 reasons why you might feel bloated so you can take steps to ban the bloat.
1. PMS
Pre Menstrual Syndrome—it sucks and most of us experience it to some degree or another. Symptoms of PMS include moodiness, cramping and bloating (caused by water retention) so we can’t blame you for not being much fun to be around.
Read Related: Feeling Puffy? 15 Ways to Beat Summer Water Retention
2. Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS)
Bloating is a common symptom of IBS, although it’s unclear what causes it. Talk to your doctor about what steps you can take to reduce it.
