How to Beat the Bloat

Today, people of all shapes and sizes will stare down at their waistbands, dumbfounded by a button so easily clasped just the other day. Bloating happens even to the leanest of people, but there are steps you can take to reduce bloating before it starts. Follow these tips to keep those skinny jeans front and center in your wardrobe.

What exactly does it mean to feel “bloated”?

A common misconception about bloating is that it’s always the result of eating too big a meal. To doctors, it usually means an excess of gas in the gastrointestinal (GI) region, causing abdominal discomfort and distension.

Causes can range from an imbalance of bacteria, to eating too much fiber, to not eating enough. When you take antibiotics, the bacteria responsible for breaking down complex carbohydrates may fail and produce gas. The most common causes of bloating, however, are swallowing too much air and eating too fast.

Causes of Stomach Distension

By paying a little closer attention to your eating habits, you can help prevent excessive bloating. Here’s a quick list of sneaky foods and habits that could be to blame:

Gum chewing. Your favorite breath-freshening pastime may be the number one cause for a straining waistband. When you chew gum, you swallow air which gets trapped in the GI system and extends the stomach.

Eating too fast. When you eat a large amount of food in a short period of time, your GI system doesn’t have enough time to digest and dispel. A backed up system means a buildup of gas and fluid, causing distension.

Drinking from straws. When you go to sip a drink from a straw, you first suck in a straw-length volume of air, which ends up trapped in your stomach.

Not enough fiber…or too much. Fiber is notorious for “moving things along.” When you’re backed up, excess gas in your GI track can’t escape, causing you to bloat. Next time you need a snack, reach for fibrous-skinned produce like apples and strawberries. Make sure to go easy on insoluble fibers like beans and lentils. Eating too much of these produces excessive gas.

Reducing Stomach Distension

While bloating is something that happens to everyone, there are steps you can take to minimize the symptoms or help stop them before they start.

Stretch it out. Incorporating regular exercise into your lifestyle is the best long term solution to bloating, but for more immediate relief, try stretching your abdominal muscles. Lay on your back and pull one knee at a time toward your chest. This puts a little extra pressure on the abdomen to aid digestion.

Eat consciously. Not only does fibrous produce help aid digestion, but foods like potassium-rich bananas and high-water-content fruits, like watermelon, help flush out belly-bloating sodium. Papaya contains high levels of essential digestive enzymes that break down protein to aid digestion – so you look and feel less full.

When in doubt: hydrate. Your body needs water – a lot of it. Dehydration leads to constipation, which leads to bloating. And while it may seem counterintuitive to drink more water, when your body gets the hydration it finally needs, it lets go of the liquid it doesn’t. Be sure to drink at least eight, eight-ounce glasses a day.

Unfortunately, bloating is just a part of life. It usually isn’t cause for alarm, but if you’re suddenly experiencing foreign symptoms without any dietary changes, it may be worth checking in with your physician. By incorporating gut-friendly foods into your diet, remembering to stay hydrated, and listening to your body, you can help fight the bloat before it starts.

Stomach bloating: Drinking water could be causing your bloated tummy

Stomach bloating: Drinking water could be causing your bloated tummy | Express.co.uk

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BLOATING can make your clothes feel more snug, and it gives the impression that you’re bigger than you are. Plus, it can be very uncomfortable. A surprisingly healthy drink could be the culprit.

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Easy Ways to Live Well: Steph McGovern discusses bloating

One surprising, healthy drink could be the culprit behind your stretched tummy. Next time you have a glass, see if your belly extends itself. Which drink do you need to experiment with?

According to LiveStrong, your bloated belly could be the result of water bloat.

When you drink a glass of water, it travels down the oesophagus (a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach).

Once the water reaches the stomach, it’s absorbed into the bloodstream where it’s used to hydrate the cells.

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However, this process can be slow, so water will most likely collect in the small intestines while waiting to be absorbed.

The small intestine – despite its deceiving name – is the longest part of the gastrointestinal tract.

A study published in ISRN Gastroenterology stated that an increased volume of fluid retained in the small intestine leads to bloating.

Water bloat differs from normal bloating. The American Academy of Family Physicians stated that bloating “occurs when the digestive tract is filled with air or gas”.

READ MORE: High blood pressure: The major warning sign which lies in a sensation in your head

Bloated? One drink could be the culprit (Image: Getty)

Even though a water bloat does lead to a distended stomach and an uncomfortable feeling, it does pass as soon as the water is processed by the body.

How to prevent a water bloat

Sparkling water has air bubbles that can cause the gastrointestinal tract to become filled with air, so it’s best to stick to still water.

Bad for the environment, and not good for your belly, drinking through a straw enables more air to fill the gastrointestinal tract.

Even if you’re feeling thirsty, try to sip – rather than chug – water, spreading your water intake throughout the day.

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Water

The Department of Health (Australia) testifies that “water is one of the most important substances on earth”.

It’s essential for survival, but what exactly is made up of? The Open University explained water is made from hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

This is why water is otherwise known as h3O, as it has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

The NHS confirmed that water “has no calories and contains no sugars that can damage teeth”.

A glass of water can lead to water bloat (Image: Getty)

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The health drink needs to be consumed everyday to avoid dehydration and keep our bodies working.

The NHS recommends drinking around 1.2 litres per day – this is equivalent to six to eight glasses.

In hotter climates, and on very hot days, the body may need even more water.

So, although it’s not the best idea to chug on water (or get a water bloat), it’s a good idea to have a steady supply of h30.

Chugging water will increase the likelihood of water bloat (Image: Getty)

Food and Water Watch claim that tap water isn’t only safe, but is often “better than bottled water”.

The organisation adds that “more than half of all bottles water comes from the tap”.

Apparently, tap water is tested more frequently than bottled water as a safety measure.

If you’re interested in your tap water quality, you can contact your local water company to request a copy of the Annual Water Quality Report.

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Foods that cause bloating and gas: beware of them – April 6, 2023

Carbonated water is the first association that comes to mind when you hear the word bloat. And not at all by chance. Moreover, the list includes not only sweet soda, but also quite ordinary mineral water. By itself, carbon dioxide added to water does not harm the human body, but the bubbles increase the acidity of the stomach. Hence the bloating. Especially if you drink mineral water on an empty stomach. Bloating from carbonated water will last from an hour to three, will be accompanied by heaviness and discomfort.

Now let’s throw a couple more rocks into the sweet soda garden. If the mineral water just temporarily enlarges the stomach visually, then sweet drinks will also add extra weight.

“Firstly, the gases that are present in large quantities in drinks adversely affect the state of our liver,” says nutritionist Tamara Kramcheninova. – Secondly, the amount of sugar, carbohydrates that is added to sweet carbonated drinks (and there are a lot of them) will also affect excess weight. First of all, fat is deposited on the abdomen – this is visceral fat. But along with this fat, in parallel, the weight will grow. Many do not think about it and drink sugary drinks instead of water.

Tamara Kramcheninova — nutritionist, sports medicine and exercise therapy doctor, nutrition consultant, author of courses on nutraceuticals, sports nutrition, hematomonitoring and detox, master of sports in deadlift.

– From carbonated drinks, you can leave only mineral water. Because everything else is simple carbohydrates, there is a lot of sugar. Plus, this is wildly addictive, says fitness trainer Kristina Korolkova. – All these additives are flavoring, enhancers act on the nervous system, so addiction begins. Why does the usual food to a person then seem tasteless. This is not because something is wrong with broccoli, it is because a person drank soda and ate chips before broccoli. For such people, then even a piece of beef will seem tasteless.

Kristina Korolkova — certified fitness trainer, nutrition correction specialist, sports nutrition consultant.

By the way, addiction to sugary carbonated drinks fades with time. It works like this: when we eat too many harmful foods, the receptors in the oral cavity begin to hypertrophy and require more of such food. Then, after an average of three weeks, everything returns to normal, and we crave that kind of food less. Also, do not forget about the dangerous food “friendship” of soda and fast food.

– This is a dangerous food neighborhood. First of all, it leads to inflammation of the gastric mucosa, gastritis occurs. And gastritis, inflammation of the gallbladder, duodenum – inflamed organs of the gastrointestinal tract are unable to properly absorb food, says Tamara Kramcheninova. – As a result, this leads to a metabolic disorder, which is accompanied by weight gain, an increase in the volume of the abdomen.

Bloating: what are the causes and what to do?

Contents:

➦ What is bloating

➦ Causes of bloating

➦ Treating bloating

➦ Tips for preventing bloating

➦ When to see a doctor

9000 2 ➦ Frequently Asked Questions

We are talking about bloating or “abdominal flatulence”, when the stomach is bursting due to the accumulation of gases. Despite the discomfort, such a condition in most cases is completely harmless and easily treatable. However, sometimes this hides a more or less serious pathology that may require special treatment. In this article, we will talk about the possible causes of an enlarged belly due to bloating and options for solving this problem.

What is bloating?

Bloating is very common, often accompanied by pain, belching and gas for several hours after eating. The abdomen is bloated due to the accumulation of gas in the small intestine, causing tension in the abdominal region, as a result, a feeling of bloating. This condition is more common in women than men and in most cases is a type of digestive problem.

Causes of bloating

It is known that up to 25% of relatively healthy people complain that they periodically “swell their stomach”. Most describe these symptoms as moderate or severe. About 10% of them report the regularity of such a condition. Very often, women experience bloating before and during menstruation. But most of all those who complain of frequent bursting inside are among people diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Consider some of the most likely causes of bloating.

Digestive problems

Food intolerances, gastrointestinal problems and excess gas cause indigestion that leads to bloating.

Digestive contents, including solids, liquids, and gas, accumulate in the digestive system, leaving less room for normal amounts of gas to pass through and giving a “bloated belly” sensation.

A feeling of fullness in the abdominal region may occur due to the specific digestion of certain proteins and carbohydrates (fructose, sorbitol), as well as lactose (milk sugar) and gluten (cereals) intolerance. The inability to fully assimilate these substances occurs when certain enzymes are deficient or absent.

Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance also interfere with digestion. With a lack of water, the body begins to accumulate and deposit it in the abdomen in order to protect itself from such stress in the future. This leads to swelling and excessive bloating.

Distended abdomen may be caused by chronic constipation due to diet, certain eating habits, or underlying disease. Due to the accumulation of feces in the colon, newly digested food stays in the intestine longer, causing its volume to increase, resulting in bloat.

Bloating in adults due to increased gas formation is also included in the symptoms of IBS, colitis and functional dyspepsia, along with such manifestations as pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Swallowing air while eating

Aerophagia, i.e. Swallowing atmospheric air makes up the bulk of gastric gas. Air enters the stomach while eating, chewing gum, drinking soda, and smoking. With larger pieces of food comes a greater amount of atmospheric gas mixture. Despite the fact that most of the swallowed air is belched, the rest can cause flatulence.

Bacteria

This is one of the most common causes of bloating. It is caused by difficulty in breaking down substances such as fiber and oligosaccharides. Gases are produced by intestinal bacteria during the fermentation process after eating foods such as legumes (beans, beans) or cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, watercress).

An overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine can also upset the gas balance. This happens when intestinal bacteria from the large intestine overflow into the small intestine and inhibit the activity of the local microflora. An increase in the colony of “harmful” strains of bacteria is possible due to dysbacteriosis against the background of antibiotic therapy or inflammation of the mucosa. Bacterial overgrowth syndrome (SIBO) also leads to an accumulation of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract that causes bloating.

Hormonal changes

Along with constipation, indigestion and swelling, PMS also swells the stomach. This condition can occur in the morning and is usually temporary, although in some women it can last up to two weeks. This is due to the fact that in the first days of the menstrual cycle, the level of the hormone estrogen rises and the uterine lining thickens. An increase in the abdomen is observed during the period of ovulation due to the accumulation of fluid and blood. During menstruation, with the release of blood, tissues and fluid, swelling disappears.

Hormonal changes in the direction of increasing progesterone levels are the cause of frequent bloating in pregnant women. This is due to a decrease in the muscle tone of the internal organs, which leads to congestion in the gastrointestinal tract.

Medical reasons

Inflammatory processes caused by certain diseases (Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis), poor gastrointestinal motility due to a sedentary lifestyle can cause intestinal obstruction – the cause of bloating. In addition, the work of this organ can be blocked by more serious factors: a tumor, scar tissue, stenosis or hernia.

The abdomen also swells when fluid is retained in the abdominal cavity (edema, ascites). This phenomenon often indicates an infection, liver disease, and even oncology.

Treatment of bloating

A balanced diet is one of the main ways to eliminate bloating at home, as food is most often the cause of excess gas. .

Products to help with bloating:

➦ Probiotics and prebiotics are food that normalizes the balance of intestinal microflora towards “good” bacteria, improves digestion, thereby eliminating flatulence and bloating. These include unpasteurized fermented milk products (kefir, unsweetened yogurt, sour cream), as well as pectin, gum, gum, inulin, galactooligo- and fructozooligosaccharides. The latter are found in oats, apples, barley, cranberries, beets, plantain, black currants, white cabbage, flax seeds and are used to feed probiotic crops.

➦ Eating fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and grains promotes good digestion without stagnation or fermentation.

➦ At home, traditional medicine will also help to cope with the problem: decoctions, teas and herbal infusions. The best for flatulence are herbal preparations based on mint, chamomile, dill and fennel.

It should be borne in mind that bloating may not be due to nutrition, but to the presence of health problems or lifestyle in general. In this case, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease, change your lifestyle, get rid of bad habits, then bloating will go away on its own.

Tips for preventing bloating

There are general recommendations for the normalization of the digestive tract and the elimination of bloating. However, they work only if there are no serious diseases that require adequate treatment.

Eat enough fiber

Fiber is essential for a good digestive system. It acts like a panicle, cleansing the digestive tract, normalizing peristalsis, eliminating constipation and swelling. American doctors recommend a daily fiber intake of about 25 grams for women and 15 grams for men. Most fiber is found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. However, there is evidence that its excessive use adversely affects digestion, leading to flatulence and bloating.

Drink enough water

The best way to start your day is with a glass of warm water with lemon. Such a ritual helps to awaken the digestive system. Drinking enough liquid throughout the day has a positive effect on digestion, eliminating swelling and bloating. It can be both ordinary water and healthy teas. Water should be drunk 30 minutes before a meal or an hour after, as taking a large amount of liquid during a meal dilutes the gastric juice and makes digestion difficult.

Walk and exercise more

Abdominal bloating can often be caused by lack of adequate exercise. Running, walking, strength and cardio training improve gastric motility, eliminate congestion. Yoga has a positive effect on the functioning of the digestive organs. Physical activity should be given at least 30 minutes, at least 3 times a week.

Pay attention to individual food sensitivities

Food allergies, as well as individual reactions to certain substances (eg gluten), lead to severe bloating. Pay attention to foods, after eating which you feel discomfort in the stomach and intestines, and completely eliminate them from the diet.

Check for lactose intolerance

If after drinking whole milk or dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese, kefir, ice cream) you experience stomach grumbling, bloating, often diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms of indigestion, then you have intolerance to lactose – milk sugar. In this case, you can switch to lactose-free dairy products, use plant-based milk or special supplements with enzymes.

Targeted probiotics

Probiotics are microorganisms that form part of the normal intestinal microflora. They inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, protecting the intestines, reducing inflammation, promoting normal digestion, and preventing bloating. Probiotics can be consumed with food and also taken as dietary supplements.

When to see a doctor?

In the event that bloating is chronic and persists even after taking all general measures, including the normalization of the diet, sports, the exclusion of inappropriate foods, etc., it is worth consulting a doctor to determine the true cause of this phenomenon.

Bloating is diagnosed by a general practitioner or gastroenterologist. In some cases, infectious disease specialists, neurologists, oncologists, gynecologists are additionally involved.

It will be necessary to pass various types of stool and blood tests, assess the state of the microflora, the presence of inflammatory diseases. According to the results of the research, a treatment plan or a diet will be formed, the constant adherence to which will exclude unpleasant situations in the future.

FAQ

What food causes bloating?

Foods that cause bloating include: legumes, cruciferous foods, milk and other dairy products, gluten-containing foods, a high-protein diet, and artificial sweeteners.

What is better to buy for bloating?

Probiotics, prebiotics and enzymes can help reduce bloating.

Daigo – a new generation metabiotic №30

Japanese product based on a unique technology is one of the best for the normalization of intestinal microflora. The active active ingredient of the Daigo extract are peptides extracted from bacterial cells of 16 strains of the lactic acid flora of the intestines of a healthy person. The advantage of the product is the ability to activate the colonization of its own lactic acid bacteria in the intestines of a particular organism. Daigo has a comprehensive healing effect on the body, eliminating any manifestations of indigestion (bloating and constipation, belching, heartburn, etc. ), improves immunity and slows down the aging of the body.

DigestiveBalance Gut Connection 60 capsules ТМ Country Life

Dietary supplement of highly active natural enzymes of plant origin, created to improve the general condition of the body through the stabilization of the digestive system. It contains the latest component of EpiCor – an enzymatic whole food prebiotic, which is responsible for the balance of intestinal microflora. It is made from natural whole food yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), helps to strengthen the gastrointestinal tract, improves the microflora and colonization of its own beneficial bacteria.

Probiotic Dr. OHHIRA OM-X capsules #60

Scientifically proven symbiotic. Contains 12 strains of lactic acid bacteria. As part of the prebiotic component, fermented fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and seaweed growing only in the natural nature of Japan. Biogenics are obtained as a result of the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria, they contain peptides, polyphenols and short-chain fatty acids that inhibit the development of pathogenic microflora, stimulate the proliferation of epithelial cells, and serve as a source of energy for the body. Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics harmonize the work of the intestines, start the main processes of restoration and strengthening of the body. OM-X belongs to all three categories, stimulates cell repair mechanisms, protects against neoplasms, pesticides, toxins and viruses.

Sticks to relieve bloating (Baby gas) TM PEDIAKID 12 pcs

Children’s dietary supplement in sticks to eliminate intestinal discomfort. Contains natural herbal extracts of fennel, chamomile, peppermint and lemon balm to improve digestion. They help the child’s tummy to work smoothly, making his sleep and wakefulness comfortable. Suitable for babies and young children.

Baby Care Probiotic 56g ТМ Country Life / Country Life

Children’s dietary supplement containing 6 probiotic strains. Recommended for newborns and toddlers. Contains 3 billion bifido- and lactobacilli for the health of the baby’s digestive system.


Enzibar Keto Diet tablets #20

Dietary supplement contains a complex of enzymes (α-galactosidase and hemicellulose) based on lipase and protease enzymes to break down indigestible carbohydrates found in vegetables and fruits.