Stomach distention from internal pressure is known as bloating. When you’re feeling full or tight, your tummy could expand, and your clothes might feel too snug. How and what you consume, as well as odd responses to food or underlying medical disorders, can all play a role in causing bloating. In order to alleviate bloating, you must first determine its source.
Signs of bloating
The signs of bloating in stomach might be different for everyone. Belching, abdominal distention, and flatulence are classic signs of gas in the digestive tract. Some flatulence is to be expected, especially after eating.
If your bloating symptoms are persistent, distressing, or interfering with your everyday life, you should see your doctor.
Belching
Belching, often known as burping, is the expelling of gas from the stomach via the mouth. Belching occurs in the average person up to 30 times daily.
A person could feel they have an abnormally high flatulence rate. A common reason of excessive belching is taking in too much air, which is then expelled before reaching the stomach.
Signs of distention and swelling
When you’re bloated, your tummy feels swollen and full. Distention is the medical term for an enlarged abdomen. About half of those who experience bloating in stomach do not also experience distention. When bloating or distention occurs, some persons may also experience stomach discomfort or pain.
Discharging Gas
Research shows that the average person has 8 to 14 bowel movements every day. Some people, however, may have more frequent gas than average. Some sources put the average number of times someone passes gas as 25 per day.
Flatulence refers to excessive gas production in the digestive system. The passing of gas is referred to as flatus. Those who suffer from flatulence might think they fart too often or that it smells bad.
Causes of Bloating
The most prevalent cause of bloating in stomach is gas accumulation.
Some vegetables and carbonated beverages, as well as swallowing air when eating, have been linked to this condition.
An issue with your digestive system can also lead to bloating, such as:
- symptoms of food intolerance constipation
- gluten intolerance
- abdominal distress syndrome (IBS)
During their period, some women experience bloating. Ovarian cancer is only one of the more dangerous conditions that might be indicated by persistent abdominal swelling.
Your doctor may suggest adjusting your food or drinking habits if you’re experiencing gas difficulties. Certain medical disorders may necessitate the use of a restricted diet. If your doctor thinks a consultation with a qualified dietician would be beneficial, they may suggest one.
Modifying One’s Diet and Consumption Patterns
To alleviate gas, your doctor may recommend modifying your diet and fluid intake. For instance, medical professionals may suggest:
- reducing or eliminating your consumption of gum, hard candies, carbonated beverages
- avoiding the use of straws
- eating slowly
- if feasible, sitting down to eat instead of eating on the go
- avoiding chatting while eating
- decreasing the size of your meals and eating them more often
Altering one’s diet to reduce bloating
Some people experience an increase in gas sensations after eating specific carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed by the stomach and small intestine. These sugars are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, producing gas.
Carbohydrate-heavy meals and beverages that may cause bloating and flatulence include:
- vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, and others, and legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils; certain fruits, such as apples, pears, and fruit juices; milk, ice cream, yogurt, and other dairy products
- whole wheat fruit juices, soft drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks that include high-fructose corn syrup
- Candies, gum, and other edibles containing the “-ol” sweeteners sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol, and maltitol
- Consuming an excessive amount of fiber may exacerbate gas symptoms in some people.
- Some people may have greater gas after eating high-fat foods since those items tend to cause bloating.
Have a discussion about your diet with your doctor. In order to help your doctor, you may be asked to keep a food and symptom journal. If you keep a food and drink diary, your doctor or dietitian will have a better idea of whether or not your gas symptoms are related to certain meals or beverages.
Treatment of bloating-related health problems by dietary changes
Your doctor or dietician may suggest a change in diet if they determine that a medical issue is to blame for your gas problems. Medical practitioners, for instance, may advise:
- treatment of celiac disease using a gluten-free diet.
- decreasing lactose consumption to alleviate intolerance symptoms.
- Dietary fructose intolerance can be controlled by limiting the consumption of fructose, and notably high-fructose corn syrup.
- Irritable bowel syndrome sufferers can benefit from following a low FODMAP diet for a couple of weeks to determine whether it reduces their symptoms.
If you’re experiencing bloating in stomach, consulting your doctor or a nutritionist about a healthy food plan may help.
Foods that provide bloating relief
Here are some of the healthiest options for reducing bloating in stomach:
- Watermelon: Since watermelon is primarily composed of water, eating it might help you feel less bloated and re-hydrate. Although it seems paradoxical, drinking extra water will help dilute the salt in your system that’s causing water retention.
- Lettuce: Lettuce, like watermelon, is a good source of fluid because of its high water content. If you want to combine the de-bloating properties of several of these items into one, try making a huge salad.
- Strawberry: Strawberries not only contain a lot of water, but also some beneficial fruit fiber that aids digestion and reduces gas-related bloating.
- Bananas: Bananas include a lot of potassium, which can help reduce the negative effects of eating too much salt. There may be bloating relief as a result of this. Even if you continue to eat a lot of salt, your blood pressure may benefit by increasing your potassium intake.
- Cucumber: When you’re feeling particularly puffy, a crunchy cucumber is the perfect food because of its high water content. Pickles, however, should be avoided when already bloated, as their high salt content might lead to even more fluid retention.
- Fennel tea: Tea is a wonderful gassy stomach solution because drinking more liquids can reduce stomach gas. For instance, fennel tea has diuretic properties that can aid in the elimination of excess fluid in the body. Additionally, bloating can be caused by constipation and gas, both of which might be alleviated.
- Ginger: Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties and ability to calm an upset stomach may make it useful for decreasing gas and bloating. If gas aches are keeping you from enjoying your day, try some ginger tea or some freshly grated ginger in your meal.
- Avocado: Avocado is rich in both the beneficial oil and fiber for which it is recognized. By providing food for the beneficial bacteria already present in your digestive tract, fiber helps reduce intestinal gas, ease constipation, and alleviate bloating. Put that guacamole on everything now that you have an excuse!
- Green tea: Green tea helps ease bloating not just due to its liquid nature, but also due to its abundance of anti-inflammatory and diuretic components. Caffeine, found in small amounts in green tea, acts as a diuretic.
- Kombucha: Kombucha is a delicious fermented beverage that is loaded with probiotics, or good bacteria that may colonize your digestive tract. Gas, constipation, and bloating in stomach are just some of the digestive issues that these bacteria may help alleviate.
Foods that induce bloating
For those who are sensitive to gas, here is a list of items to avoid as a gassy stomach solution. The gas produced by digesting some of these items can lead to discomfort, while the salt content of others might lead to water retention and subsequent bloating.
- Legumes and other beans: Due to the presence of oligosaccharides, a form of fiber that is resistant to digestion until it reaches the large intestine, gas and bloating may be experienced after consuming beans and legumes.
- Sodas: Carbonated soft drinks are full of bubbles, which can contribute to gas and bloating in the digestive tract.
- Alcohols found in sugar: Sugar alcohols have a sweet taste without the calories, but many individuals have trouble digesting them and end up with gastrointestinal issues.
- Salt: Salt, which causes water retention, is found in abundance in fast food and is a major contributor to abdominal bloating.
- Boxed or frozen dinners: Frozen and packaged meals are just as heavy in salt as fast food, causing your body to retain water like a sponge.
- FODMAPs: Some people experience discomfort in their stomachs when they consume fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols. There are a lot of items that fall into the FODMAP category, so if you need guidance creating a low-FODMAP diet, seeing a qualified dietitian is highly recommended.
- Wheat: Wheat is a common source of bloating in stomach and other digestive issues in those who are intolerant or sensitive to gluten. Gluten sensitivity can have varying degrees of severity, with the most severe consequences often seen by those with celiac disease. If you have concerns about gluten intolerance, discuss them with your doctor.
- Dairy: Milk contains a naturally occurring sugar called lactose. An enzyme called lactase helps the body break down lactose. Lactase is an enzyme that is normally only present in the body during the first few years. Evolutionarily speaking, we only require it when being breastfed, although the vast majority of people on Earth cannot digest lactose. It is impossible to break down lactose without the lactase enzyme. Instead, it’s free to be fermented by gut bacteria, which can lead to stomach cramps, diarrhea, gas, and other unpleasant symptoms.
- Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, along with rocket, radishes, and watercress, are all members of the cruciferous vegetable family. The liver, in particular, benefits greatly from eating cruciferous vegetables. But they also have an indigestible starch called raffinose (an oligosaccharide). Unabsorbed raffinose enters the large intestine, where it ferments to produce methane gas and, you guessed it, bloating.
Takeaway
Feeling full and uncomfortable are common symptoms of bloating, which is characterized by an abnormal protrusion of the belly. However, this is often nothing to be concerned about.
Eating habits including eating too quickly or too much, certain foods and beverages, constipation, and hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle can all contribute to abdominal distention and bloating. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), food sensitivities, food intolerances, food allergies, and even heart or liver failure are all medical conditions that can cause bloating and need to be diagnosed and treated.
You may get over-the-counter medicines for gas pain relief. Make an appointment with your doctor if you still have recurrent bloating.
