Bloating is one of the most common complaints when it comes to the gastrointestinal system. Bloating is caused by an increase in the amount of air in your stomach and intestines. This will leave you with a distended stomach, abdominal pain, and the feeling that you are still full even though the last time you ate was a few hours ago. No matter how you spin it, bloating is not pleasant and it is important to recognize so that you can get rid of it, and here is a look at how.
What causes bloating?
- Eating too fast: when you eat in a hurry you end up swallowing air and not chewing your food properly, and this causes increased gas.
- Drinking through straws: when drinking with a straw you are not only drinking the fluid, but air comes up as well. Just look at your straw the next time and you will see all the air bubbles that come up.
- Indigestible foods: the stomach and intestines will do most of the digesting, but there are some foods that take a lot of work to digest, or they don’t digest at all. These include certain grains and vegetables.
- Lactose intolerance: this means that anything containing lactose, most importantly milk and cheese, will lead to the production of excess gas.
Getting rid of bloating
- Watch what you eat: it is important to have a balanced diet with all the right veggies and carbs, but if you are suffering from bloating then it would be worth your while to reduce foods like bran cereal, cabbage, bananas, beans and apples.
- Change the way you eat: eat slowly and chew your food to make it easier to digest, and in so doing to won’t swallow as much air. Also try eating more frequent smaller meals, rather than three large meals per day.
- Stop smoking: when you smoke not only does the air go into your lungs, but it ends up in your stomach as well, so by reducing the amount you smoke you can help to reduce bloating.
- Less lactose: if you are lactose intolerant then the best thing to do is to stay away from lactose. In fact, you will be amazed at the alternatives to dairy you can use in order to have good meals but relieve the bloating. If you can’t bring yourself to cut dairy out completely then at least try to cut down.
- Medication: as for most other things these days, there is a drug for bloating. Most of these medications have charcoal as their active ingredient, and while you may be thinking there is no way on earth this could work, just give it a try and you will see amazing results.
Bloating doesn’t have to be a part of your everyday life, so if you are suffering day in and day out then you owe it to yourself to get help and live a more comfortable life.