6 Reasons for Keto Diet Bloating (+How To Fix It)

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. Your keto bloated belly may look bigger than it did prior to starting the diet so it can be hard to notice any progress.

Bloating can cause tightness, pain and stress in the belly. It is something very irritating and uncomfortable. There are a few factors that cause bloating.

The bloating caused by the ketogenic diet is called keto bloating and that is what we will be discussing in this article.

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 your 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:

Lack of fiber
Food intolerances
Cheating on keto diet by eating too many carbs
Too many sugar alcohols
Dehydration
First week on keto

Keep on reading to dive deeper into all of the reasons to ‘why am I bloated 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

Consuming excessive carbohydrates while following the keto diet can result in numerous adverse consequences, such as slowed-down weight loss, headaches, and bloating.

Carbohydrates cause the body to retain water and will make you gain water weight, leading to a feeling of heaviness and swelling, as well as potential abdominal discomfort.

How to fix it:

Choose whole foods – Hidden carbohydrates in condiments and prepackaged low-carb foods can also contribute to these issues. That is why you may want to choose mostly whole foods to be sure what is actually going into your food (and your body)
Ensure that your condiments are carb-free, and refer to this list of keto-friendly condiments for guidance.
If you make a mistake and overeat on carbs, limit your carb intake to 20 grams per day immediately to avoid the side effects of keto flu.
To return to ketosis and continue shedding pounds, simply reduce your carb intake, and the water weight should subside within a few days, along with the bloating.

2. Food Intolerances

Food intolerances can play a significant role in causing bloat for keto dieters. Since you’re swapping your usual carb heavy foods for low carb, high fat alternatives you will be introducing a lot of different foods to your diet for the first time. This can lead you to discover foods you may have intolerances to.

These intolerances can lead to bloating as well as other digestive issues, such as heartburn, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Common keto-friendly foods that may trigger intolerances include peanuts, almonds, chocolate, cheese, cream, eggs, artificial sweeteners, and seafood. The ketogenic diet, known for its low carb and fiber content, can exacerbate these issues, as poor digestion can cause unpleasant symptoms like bloating, nausea, and gas.

How to fix it:

To address potential food intolerances, try eliminating the suspected food from your diet for a few weeks and monitor any improvement in symptoms.

If they subside, it may be best to avoid that food moving forward. Alternatively, consulting an allergist for testing can provide a quicker answer to your food intolerance concerns.

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.

How to fix it:

To combat keto bloating from sugar alcohols, monitor your artificial sweetener intake, opting for natural alternatives like stevia or monk fruit.

Also, increase water consumption and eat fiber-rich, low-carb vegetables to support healthy digestion and reduce bloating.

Add coconut oil or MCT oil to your meals to increase healthy fats and reduce the cravings for snacks and sweets.

4. Not Enough Fiber

The keto diet typically contains less dietary fiber than most regular diets since you’re eliminating many of the high fiber foods such as whole grains like rice, pasta, and bread. A low fiber intake means that food may remain in the gastrointestinal tract for longer, leading to increased fermentation, gas production, and gastrointestinal issues. This gas can cause feelings of bloating or a tight, swollen belly.

While fiber is beneficial for the digestive system, some studies show that a high-fiber diet can also cause bloating.

The keto diet may not provide an adequate amount of fiber to prevent bloating, which is noteworthy since fiber is crucial for overall health.

It’s essential to consume neither too little nor too much fiber to maintain digestive balance.

In the context of the keto diet, bloating may result from insufficient fiber intake which can lead to irregular bowel movements.

How to fix it:

To address this issue, consider incorporating low-carb, high-fiber foods like flax seeds, chia seeds, broccoli, and cauliflower into your diet. You might also try a keto-friendly high-fiber smoothie to boost your daily fiber intake.

You should aim for 30 grams of fibre each day for men and 25 grams per day for women.

5. Dehydration

When you go on the keto diet you may notice a big drop in your weight in the first few weeks. This drop is caused by a loss of water weight as your body’s glycogen stores are quickly depleted. This happens because glycogen binds water in the body and when you stop eating carbs, your glycogen levels drop and water is expelled from your body.

This will also lead to more frequent urination which can cause dehydration if you’re not replacing the water that you are losing.

When you become dehydrated your whole body dries out – including your GI tract. Once that happens, you may experience bloating.

How to fix it:

Make sure you’re drinking enough water – Health experts recommend for people on the keto diet to drink at least 15.5 cups (3.7 litres) of fluids per day, and for women to drink at least 11.5 cups (2.7 litres) or fluids per day. source
It’s also a great idea to include some electrolytes as a part of your keto diet to help you retain more water. Find out how to replace electrolytes on keto
If you’re incorporating exercise or any activity that includes heavy sweating, you need to up those water levels!
Lastly, if you’re going to be eating more fiber, you need to also increase your water intake to help your body to digest it properly.

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.

Does keto cause bloating?

Yes, keto can cause bloating, particularly during the initial phase of the diet known as the “keto flu.” It is actually a common-side effect.

This bloating typically subsides within two weeks as your body adjusts to ketosis and the new ketogenic foods you are eating.

Luckily, there are several ways to combat the bloating caused by the keto diet such as limiting carbs, increasing fiber intake and reducing artificial sweeteners.

Does keto make you gassy?

Yes, some people may experience increased levels of gas on keto, especially during the initial stages of the low-carbohydrate diet.

This is often due to an increase in high-fiber, low-carb vegetables, which can lead to increased gas production. As your body adjusts to the new way of eating, these symptoms usually subside.

Conclusion

Keto-diet can cause bloating and it can be very painful and difficult to bear as well it feels like you have a 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 requirements your body has. Otherwise, it can cause indigestion, food intolerances and keto bloat.

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 for medical advice.