Health and Wellness

When You Want Flat, Not Flatulent

What causes abdominal bloating and how to say bye-bye to that bloat

There are times when that daily schedule can get out of whack and the best-laid plans come to naught. No matter how hard you juggle, there are only 24 hours in a day, and displacing one activity with another doesn’t leave time for much else.

Add the sitting, the messy routine, and the rush to catch up with everything — all lead to unusual eating patterns and a sluggish lifestyle. Before you know it, there’s an uncomfortable sense of bloat — that feeling of your abdomen being filled with air. And not in a good way.

In case you are wondering what bloating is:

Abdominal bloating is characterized by symptoms of trapped gas, abdominal pressure, and fullness. Abdominal distension is defined as a measurable increase in abdominal girth. These symptoms frequently co-exist, although they can occur separately. Source

What causes bloating?

Bloating can happen for a number of reasons, and medication is one of them. Temporary bloat is normal. Unless the cause is an underlying health condition (heart, liver disease) the usual culprit is intestinal gas. The common misconception that bloat is due to fluid collection is a myth. Fluid does not collect in the abdomen. Swelling from fluid collection happens first in the feet and ankles.

Here’s a quick breakdown of why bloat happens (and makes life miserable) and solutions to avoid it easily.

9 common reasons for bloating and what you can do to relieve it

1. Constipation

Or a case of shit doesn’t happen! You’re probably not getting enough fiber or fluid in your diet. You probably do not exercise enough. This can lead to constipation, inviting bloat. Yes, that hurts.

What can you do?

Increase your intake of fiber. For women, the recommended dose is 25 grams a day and for men, 38 grams a day. Good sources of fiber are whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and leguminous vegetables.

Remember to drink enough fluids and at least 8 glasses of water a day. Make sure you include physical activity — ideally 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Make it a habit and you’ll reap the benefits.

2. Food allergies

The inability to tolerate certain foods causes a food allergy. Examples are wheat and lactose intolerance. This can cause gas.

What can you do?

Don’t panic yet — keep track of what you eat and drink to figure out what could be causing the bloat — and leave the diagnosis to your doctor. Your doctor is likely to prescribe to identify allergens so that she can give you advice on which foods to avoid or minimize or even combine with others to get the best benefit.

3. Eating too fast

I call it digital age eating. Grab on the go, eat in a hurry. Mom was right, you know, about eating slowly. When you eat too fast, you skip chewing and end up swallowing too much air. The next thing you know — you’re full of it. Bloat.

What can you do?

Eat slowly. Eat mindfully. Relish each mouthful. Digestion begins in the mouth. Chew your food well. Besides enjoying your food, you’ll also find you snack less. Cutting down on snacking means — yep — weight loss!

4. Too many fizzy drinks

Soft drinks, especially the fizzy type, trap gas in the body. This includes the diet version too!

What can you do?

Switch to water instead. Want flavor? Add lemon or cucumber slices. Cut down on those fizzy drinks. Enjoy a cup of tea instead. Also, soft drinks are loaded with sugar — sugar you don’t need.

The fact that soft drinks offer energy with little accompanying nutrition, displace other nutrient sources, and are linked to several key health conditions such as diabetes is further impetus to recommend a reduction in soft drink consumption. Source

5. Chewing gum

I used to be a big gum chewer. I quit. Chewing gum is a cause of bloat because we swallow air when we chew gum.

What can you do?

Ditch that gum. If you have to chew something, how about fruit, veggies, or low-fat popcorn? I know it takes effort to say goodbye to gum, but it is worth it!

6. Artificial sweeteners

They seem like God’s gift to those cutting down on sugar, right? Sadly, artificial sweeteners are not angelic. They cause bloat.

What can you do?

If you can’t do without, restrict yourself to two servings of “sugar-free” foods and drinks per day. Of course, eliminating them from your diet is the best thing to do.

While artificial sweeteners may indeed restrict calories most of them have no beneficial effects on control of diabetes mellitus; rather possibly increase its risk. Additionally, there could be some other safety concerns possibly risk of cancer. Source

7. Salt

To keep them fresh, processed foods are high in salt and low in fiber. The result? Bloat.

What can you do?

Read food labels carefully. If your shopping list is full of processed, canned, or frozen items, check the label. If you see more than 500 mg of sodium per serving, drop it. Look for “low” or “very low sodium” alternatives.

And by the way, did you know we can actually live without salt? Salt is an acquired taste. Dieticians suggest that we use table salt, rather than cook with salt as this cuts down our salt intake significantly. We get the salt our body needs from the fruits and vegetables in our diet.

8. Some vegetables

Some veggies get a bad rap because of bloat. Examples are Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, prunes, and apricots . . . more so if you are not accustomed to eating them.

What can you do?

Don’t stop eating these high-fiber veggies. Add them to your diet gradually. Check with your doctor to find out how you can eliminate gas as a result of this — antacids, perhaps, depending on your constitution and health condition.

9. Three large meals a day

Most of us habitually eat three meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of us, maybe even most of us tend to skip one. Or two. The outcome? Gas. The long gaps between meals not only cause bloat, but also blood sugar spikes. Some experts suggest five or six smaller meals throughout the day.

What can you do?

Depending on your own specific health status, please consult your doctor or dietician about your calorie needs; you don’t want to end up overeating. And we’re talking about healthy meals here. Not just eating six times a day.

Remember, if you want flat, not flatulent,

• Do not skip meals.
• Laxatives and fasting are not the solutions to get rid of bloat. And no, they don’t help with weight loss!
• You have to lose pounds if you are aiming for a flat belly.
• When you lose weight, belly fat goes first.
• Overdoing those ab exercises won’t zap your belly fat
• Toning and strengthening your ab muscles will help flatten your belly, improve your posture and keep back pain at bay.
• Whether you want to lose weight, eat for better health or boost your energy levels — taking action is key. After all, health is wealth, Life will only get busier.

*If your stomach bloating is because of an underlying medical condition, please talk to your doctor*

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles ❤ Did you smile today?

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