8 Ways To Reduce Bloating
23/6/2019
Written By: Ryan Chan |
|
Feeling “stuffed” like your belly is swollen with air like a balloon? Applying pressure to it feels more like a trampoline than a marshmallow? You are probably feeling bloated.
Bloating is usually caused by excess gas production due to many possible reasons that will be elaborated in the section below. These gases are trapped with nowhere to go, resulting in a built up pressure within the stomach.
One thing worth mentioning here is that bloating is different from water retention. Many often thought that bloating is caused by water retaining within the body or that they are the same. However, though bloating may be caused by water, it also involves excessive amount of solid and gas in your digestive system. Water retention on the other hand focuses on water and may not only be trapped within the digestive system. Many of the times, it can give a more “puffy” visual appearance to a person and can also be trapped in places like your ankle due to gravity (this is a medical condition and you should consult doctor if you notice such signs).
With all that being said, there are 8 ways in which you can reduce bloating.
Bloating is usually caused by excess gas production due to many possible reasons that will be elaborated in the section below. These gases are trapped with nowhere to go, resulting in a built up pressure within the stomach.
One thing worth mentioning here is that bloating is different from water retention. Many often thought that bloating is caused by water retaining within the body or that they are the same. However, though bloating may be caused by water, it also involves excessive amount of solid and gas in your digestive system. Water retention on the other hand focuses on water and may not only be trapped within the digestive system. Many of the times, it can give a more “puffy” visual appearance to a person and can also be trapped in places like your ankle due to gravity (this is a medical condition and you should consult doctor if you notice such signs).
With all that being said, there are 8 ways in which you can reduce bloating.
1. Check If You Are Allergic or Intolerance to Certain Type of Food
Bloating can be a sign of food allergies and/or intolerance to certain type of common ingredients found in food. This results in your digestive system producing excessive gas resulting in bloating and other symptoms. It is thus important to take note of the food that you have taken before you feel bloated. A good tip is to keep a food diary of a week or two and avoid certain food that you think might have caused the bloating and work your way from there to identify a possible list of culprits.
Here are some common culprits that causes bloating:
Lactose: 65% of the population are lactose intolerance, meaning, they have reduced ability to digest lactose. It is the main carbohydrate in milk.
Fructose: Otherwise known as Fruit Sugar, as the name suggest, is commonly found in fruits. Though it might sound weird that you might be intolerance to fruit (since almost all fruits contain fructose), a more common form of fructose that is extremely common and harmful is High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Excessive consumption of HFCS has been linked to many health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some common food that contains HFCS are: Soda, Sweets, Juice, Canned Fruits, Granola Bars, Breakfast Cereal, Coffee Creamer, Sports Drinks, Jam, Jelly, Ice Cream etc.
Eggs: Eggs are one of the most common food that causes allergy for children and can still be possible for adults. So do take note of them.
Gluten: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and other grains. Due to the vast amount of gluten that we consume in our regular diet, it could be the most possible culprit to your bloating problem. Thus you may want to try reducing the portion size consumed to check if your bloating issue improves before cutting it or completely avoiding it. The list of food containing gluten can be found here.
Here are some common culprits that causes bloating:
Lactose: 65% of the population are lactose intolerance, meaning, they have reduced ability to digest lactose. It is the main carbohydrate in milk.
Fructose: Otherwise known as Fruit Sugar, as the name suggest, is commonly found in fruits. Though it might sound weird that you might be intolerance to fruit (since almost all fruits contain fructose), a more common form of fructose that is extremely common and harmful is High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Excessive consumption of HFCS has been linked to many health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some common food that contains HFCS are: Soda, Sweets, Juice, Canned Fruits, Granola Bars, Breakfast Cereal, Coffee Creamer, Sports Drinks, Jam, Jelly, Ice Cream etc.
Eggs: Eggs are one of the most common food that causes allergy for children and can still be possible for adults. So do take note of them.
Gluten: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and other grains. Due to the vast amount of gluten that we consume in our regular diet, it could be the most possible culprit to your bloating problem. Thus you may want to try reducing the portion size consumed to check if your bloating issue improves before cutting it or completely avoiding it. The list of food containing gluten can be found here.
2. Take Smaller Meals
If you often feel bloated after a heavy and/or big meal, simply try reducing the portion size or split your meals apart to reduce loading your digestive system.
3. Avoid Swallowing Air and Gases
Just like how you pump a balloon with air, swallowing them makes your stomach expand which results in bloating. Biggest culprit here would be carbonated beverages. Yes they are extremely addictive to drink but when those bubbles containing carbon dioxide gets release in your stomach, you are not going to feel very good for long.
Other possible ways to swallow air are drinking through straw, eating while talking and not chewing your food well.
Other possible ways to swallow air are drinking through straw, eating while talking and not chewing your food well.
4. Consume Lesser Food That Slows Digestion
The longer your food stays in your digestive system, the slower it will leave your body, the more gas it may produce and the feeling of “stuffed” can result. These foods can be beneficiating when it comes to satiety but can be a problem for people who has a tendency to bloat.
Food that slow down digestion are food that are high in fiber and fatty food. These includes legumes, whole grain, fatty fish, cheese etc. So try limiting these foods and see if it helps.
Food that slow down digestion are food that are high in fiber and fatty food. These includes legumes, whole grain, fatty fish, cheese etc. So try limiting these foods and see if it helps.
5. Try Low-FODMAP Diet
FODMAPs are indigestible carbohydrates that may lead to symptoms such as bloating. Thus having a low-FODMAP diet may help address your bloating.
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols. The main dietary sources of the four groups of FODMAPs include:
Oligosaccharides: Food containing gluten and vegetables such as garlic and onions.
Disaccharides: Mainly food containing lactose.
Monosaccharides: Mainly food containing fructose.
Polyols: Mainly sugar-free sweeteners.
The low-FODMAP diet consist of 3 stages – Restriction, Reintroduction and Personalization. This is to ensure that individuals are only reducing or cutting off the right indigestible carbohydrate that is causing the issue and not everything. Thus it is highly recommended to work with a trained dietician if you are keen to try a low-FODMAP diet to learn how you should progress in each of the stages.
More information regarding food that are HIGH in FODMAPs can be found here.
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols. The main dietary sources of the four groups of FODMAPs include:
Oligosaccharides: Food containing gluten and vegetables such as garlic and onions.
Disaccharides: Mainly food containing lactose.
Monosaccharides: Mainly food containing fructose.
Polyols: Mainly sugar-free sweeteners.
The low-FODMAP diet consist of 3 stages – Restriction, Reintroduction and Personalization. This is to ensure that individuals are only reducing or cutting off the right indigestible carbohydrate that is causing the issue and not everything. Thus it is highly recommended to work with a trained dietician if you are keen to try a low-FODMAP diet to learn how you should progress in each of the stages.
More information regarding food that are HIGH in FODMAPs can be found here.
6. Drink More Water and Increase Physical Activity
Drinking more water and increasing physical activity helps to reduce constipation, which allows food to leave your body when it should. As mentioned above, the longer the food stays in your body, it may produce more gas during the process of breaking it down as well as the feeling that something is stuck in your digestive system.
7. Take Digestive Enzyme Supplements or/and Probiotics
Consuming digestive enzymes supplements can help your digestive system to break down indigestible carbohydrates and probiotics may reduce the gas produced during digestion. Both of these may reduce bloating.
8. Consult Doctor
If you bloating problem is creating problems in your daily living or worsening, consult a doctor to rule out possible medical condition or complication.
Articles You Might Be Interested