Nothing should stand between you and enjoying a good meal. The enjoyment is key here. Because nothing deflates your excitement quite like the feeling of your stomach inflating after eating everyday foods . We feel you. Your enjoyment is all but erased as your discomfort increases, and it shouldn’t be this way. 

When we talked to real people about how their guts were really feeling, we discovered something disturbing: Our research found that 1 in 3 people experience GI issues like gas and bloating on a regular basis. Another study echoed those numbers, finding that nearly 20% of us experience bloating often.

Maybe you’ve found something that works for you short-term, like an over-the-counter medicine for bloating. But as soon as the effects wear off, you’re back to wondering “Why am I always bloated?” as you stand in line at the drugstore to buy more. But better gut health, and better relief for gas and bloating, is out there. Here’s what’s actually going on in that swollen stomach and what you can do about it.

So, why am I always bloated?

We hate to be those people, but there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. Your bloating is unique, just like your body. You could be bloated for many reasons — most likely, because you’re not prioritizing your gut health. If you’re not fostering a healthy environment for your gut microbiome, eating a traditional Western diet, or ignoring an underlying medical condition causing your bloating, then your swollen stomach is your body’s way of sending you a wake-up call.

Shifting toward a more gut-friendly lifestyle can feel impossible, especially when you’re busy. (Don’t worry, we’re here to show you that it can be easy.) Yet it’s incredibly important to determine the cause of your bloating, since gut health affects most of the major systems in our body. On the off chance your bloating is caused by an underlying condition, you’ll want to identify it sooner rather than later to preserve your overall health and wellbeing.

Why am I so gassy all of a sudden?

It’s completely normal if you’ve wondered why you’re bloated and gassy so often (and suddenly) but haven’t talked to a doctor yet. Bloating and gas rarely get the attention they deserve. But it does pay to get to the bottom of the issue. Bloating can have many underlying causes, most of which aren’t serious, so there’s no reason to stress about speaking to a professional about your discomfort. Whenever you suspect your bloating may be caused by something more serious than over-indulging, we recommend visiting your primary care provider to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

If you’ve already gone through this, are still waiting for an appointment, or just know that this isn’t coming from a serious underlying issues -- just causing serious discomfort ...-  our go-to guide to beating bloat can help you identify what your triggers are and how to overcome them. Before you dive in, it’s important to remember that everyone is different, so what you see someone talking about on social media may not work for you. Some of our advice may sound obvious, but for those of us juggling multiple responsibilities, our gut health rarely gets the care it needs and deserves. Here at rmdy, we simplify it so that better gut health is actually within reach — and doesn’t come at the cost of your social life.

Over-the-counter medicine for bloating isn’t a cure

When it comes to bloating, different remedies work for different people since we all have a unique microbiome and unique health needs. But, either way, over-the-counter medicine for bloating as it exists right now, is unfortunately just a bandage for whatever is going on under the surface. To our greatest sorrow, there is no ‘magic pill’ to cure your bloating for good, that’s why your first response should always be to listen to your body cues and signals by, for instance, identifying the foods that make you bloat. Running to the drug store for more OTC medicine often just sticks a band-aid on discomforts that are signals your body is sending you for a reason.

Take a stroll down the shelves of your local drugstore, and you’ll probably find rows and rows of digestive health remedies. Taglines like “Beat bloat in five minutes!” or “Get rid of gas instantly!” sell you on bloating and gas relief but fail to mention that those uncomfortable symptoms will probably return. This is why we don’t believe in them: they don’t contribute to your health long-term and, instead, they focus on reactively putting a band-aid on your symptoms. 

And even though sometimes an anti-bloating medicine might be what you need, there is a lot that you need to know about yourself and your gut’s needs to pick the right one. Some bloating and gas medicine only targets one source of the discomfort, so it might ease but not relieve your symptoms if more than one thing is causing the pressure and swelling. Popping a lactase pill, for example, will help if your only problem is milk or lactose from cottage cheese in your salad but what if it was also the raffinose in that mountain of kale that’s causing your discomfort? Then the medicine you just took won’t completely help you.

rmdy took the science of OTC medicine and created something better for you

We believe that better overall health begins with better gut + digestive health, so we went out to create a better solution, designed to relieve bloating + gas right now while working on your long-term gut health. Daily Digestive Essentials combines the clinically-proven ingredients from OTC medicines with a blend of herbal remedies as well as a rich & diverse concoction of probiotics and prebiotics in one tasty chewable that goes wherever you go. Enjoy!