Most people experience this feeling of fullness and stuffiness in their abdomen after a nice scrumptious meal which can maybe be paired with or without the physical distension of the abdomen. This feeling is generally referred to as Bloating. While, your abdomen normally extends to a certain level everyday which means your stomach is filled with a nutritional palette that’s strengthening some of the gut bacteria. It’s only a red flag once you start experiencing more gas, pain and discomfort.In most cases, it generally winds down in a while but in some other cases it generally keeps recurring. This kind of cyclical bloating is often brought about by digestive disorders or hormonal imbalances.
Get Your Gut Basics Right !
As somebody once said,”A healthy outside starts from a well-kept inside”. To actually put this quote into motions, it’s essential for one to understand what goes in your gut. Basically when you have food, imagine your stomach like a food processor, when you add raw ingredients the processor takes it in, blends or juices the usable watery parts into the juice, sauce or smoothie that you intend to make giving you the possibility of using the unused, leftover parts as a biodegradable manure option.
Similarly, when you eat, your stomach just breaks down the received food into small parts, from where the small intestine steps in to assimilate all key nutrients from the food, pushing the undigested parts to the colon, which uses these leftovers to fuel your gut bacteria and several other microorganisms that live down there and these bacteria produce gas after consuming te undigested food. Foods that fuel these organisms are called probiotics which include grains, beans, vegetables like onions, garlic and fruits like apples.Foods that directly produce microorganisms in your gut are called probiotics which is often found in fermented foods like curd, kombucha, buttermilk, kombucha, cottage cheese and so on.
Why Could I be Bloated?
Most people experience bloating due to excess intestinal gas and this is brought about by digestive issues which could be caused by hasty eating or food intolerance or other conditions that could pump up your gas and digestive specifics way higher than normal. Women normally experience a bloated stomach during the course of their menstrual cycle. If you experience symptoms such as vomiting, blood in stools, unintentional weight loss, dynamic changes in your bowel routines, it’s better to immediately seek the attention of a medical professional. Let’s dive a little deep into these causes.
Chase That Excess Gas
- Air that enters our system, especially the one we swallow, contributes to a type of gas along with the gas produced by the microorganisms when they charge on undigested food.
- The above two if not balanced by the body’s limit can contribute to excess gas causing discomfort and bloating.
Foods That Congest Your Body’s Ability To Digest
- Generally, every food item we consume has a different time period for digestion.
- Take for example, a vegetarian palette is quicker and easier to digest and absorb nutrients than a meat-based one.
- Hence, if you consume them without giving your gut the time to digest and absorb them, they could cause inconvenience and discomfort.
- For example, lentils, beans, caffeine, sugary food, meat and meat products.
Frustration Cause of Constipation
- Ideally, if you are constipated , your stomach could feel frustrated due to the building abdominal pressure which would aid the bacteria in the gut to ferment food for a longer time than usual, instead of relieving food at the ideal time period.
Stress Can Distress Your Stomach
- When you’re under tremendous stress, your body tends to not perform the digestive actions well enough because of something called the gut-brain axis.
- Excess stress just indicates to your brain to divert the energy of your body elsewhere to tackle stress leaving very little for digestion.
Increased Fluid Glide
- When there’s excess fluid presence in your system, this could cause discomfort and bloating.
- This often occurs when carbohydrates are absorbed slowly leading to excess water in your small intestine.
- Foods that have high salt content can also lead to water retention in your body and cause bloating.
Health And Medical Conditions
- Health conditions that include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), delayed digestion and microbial overgrowth are some common causes that can cause bloating.
- Medicines that are often prescribed to treat certain conditions could potentially have bloating as a side-effect.
Food And Tactics That Can Help !
A few tricks in diet and lifestyle can generally soothe and help with the condition.Consume a good amount of fibers, diligently. By diligently what we mean is to not overload but to introduce them in your system, in a linear incremental approach, day after day.Make sure to support their consumption with loads of water which could also aid people with chronic constipation. Enjoy legumes and cruciferous vegetables slowly and steadily with the quantity adjusted slowly as per your comfort. Limit the use of straws, intake of carbonated beverages, chewing gums and candies that provide excess gas in your gut.
Avoid processed foods that can have excess salt in them which could lead to water retention. Accommodate your meals in a spaced out manner that could help digestion.Consider adding some movement to your daily routine like a small cruise walk for 10-15 minutes after a meal and could help relieve bloating.Incorporating soothing food like ginger, peppermint, fennel and kiwi could make your job easier with respect to digestion as their compositions have relieving effects in the digestive process.Most importantly, feel free to let go of a burp or pass gas when you feel like as controlling them may have adverse abdominal discomfort.
Love Your Gut, A Healthy Gut Keeps Your Body Happy And Healthy.