Drink Water Not Fizzy Drinks
It makes perfect sense, right? Drinking gas equals gas. But when that ice-cold G& T tastes so good, we’d be wrong not to forgive you for giving out. The downside is your tummy wont.
Booze can also take a toll on your stomach. Alcohol promotes dysbiosis and harmful bacterial overgrowth in the gut, Nutritionist Amanda Hamilton of The Gut Plan Clinic says. While the sugar and artificial sweeteners in the tonic can alter your gut microbiota and increase pathogenic bacteria.
Replace Sodas With Water
Fizzy, carbonated drinks contain gas that can build up in the stomach. The carbon dioxide that makes soda and similar beverages fizzy can also cause bubbling and bloating in the stomach.
Sugars or artificial sweeteners in the diet can also cause gas and bloating. Drinking water eliminates these issues and helps to treat constipation as well.
Be Careful With Sugar Alcohols
Sugar alcohols are commonly found in sugar-free foods and chewing gums.
These sweeteners are generally considered to be safe alternatives to sugar.
However, they may cause digestive problems in high amounts. The bacteria in your large intestine digest them and produce gas .
Sugar alcohols are actually FODMAPs as well, so they are excluded on a low-FODMAP diet.
Try avoiding sugar alcohols like xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol. The sugar alcohol erythritol may be better tolerated than the others, but it can also cause digestive issues in large doses.
Summary
Sugar alcohols can cause digestive issues such as bloating, especially when consumed in large doses. Try avoiding sugar-free chewing gums and other sources of sugar alcohols.
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Which Supplements Help With Bloating
If the foods and teas above along with movement arent cutting it, you may want to consider the following supplements.
Prebiotics and probiotics reduce bloating
As previously discussed, prebiotics are food for the good bacteria in your gut. This is important to help them grow and outnumber the bad bacteria, like the ones that cause gas. Probiotics are good bacteria that help digest and absorb your food among MANY other things.
Digestive enzymes help your body naturally reduce bloating
Your body requires enzymes to fully digest the food you consume. Some people lack one or more digestive enzymes for a variety of reasons. Enzyme production also naturally declines as we age, so digestive enzyme supplements can be extremely helpful when it comes to bloating.
Fiber packs a bunch in reducing your bloat
If youre backed up, eating often leads to bloating since theres only so much food and waste your body can hold. This is why its important to get plenty of fiber in your diet. High fiber fruits and veggies include spinach, artichoke, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, onions, sweet potatoes, raspberries, and avocado. If you don’t feel like eating much, a fiber supplement or a delicious collagen fiber snack bar might be better options for you.
Keep in mind that fiber works by drawing fluid into your digestive tract, which can also make you feel bloated. So its important to go slow. If the addition of fiber causes discomfort or further bloating, give it a rest.
What Are Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes exist naturally in the GI tract to break down food after it is swallowed. These digestive enzymes are responsible for turning large chunks of food into small molecules the body can use to absorb nutrients and transport through the bloodstream.
Lipase enzymes break down fats, amylase enzymes break down carbohydrates, and protease enzymes break down proteins. However, when your body doesnt produce specific enzymes in large enough quantities, food remains undigested and becomes a feast for harmful bacteria.
Digestive enzymes are available in supplement form to support your naturally occurring enzymes in the important task of digesting and processing the food you eat.
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Look For Foods With A Diuretic Effect
Certain foods have a mild diuretic effect. Asparagus is a particularly powerful bloat-fighting food, thanks to the amino acid asparagine. Its also a source of the potent antioxidant glutathione, which has been noted for its detoxifying effect.
Some other great diuretic foods include citrus, celery, beets, and apple cider vinegar.
Just To Be Super Clear: What Are The Symptoms Of Gas
Since you probably have a hunch, lets start here. When you have a meal or snack, your food passes through your gastrointestinal tract. Your GI tract is made up of your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine , and anus, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains.
Since you take in air as you eat, drink, talk, chew gum, and all of that fun stuff, that air has to pass through your GI tract as well. As it goes through your body, gas can cause a series of not-so-pleasant symptoms, including:
- Burping
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These Are The Common Symptoms Of Bloating:
Pooping will feel almost impossible because your stool will be hard like pebbles
You will tend to pass a lot of gas when you are bloated
You will burp. A lot.
Youll experience stomach cramps
Your abdomen and not the stomach will increase in size
Another belly bloat symptom is that even after doing a number two, your belly will still full.
Dont Eat Foods That Give You Gas
Some high-fiber foods can make people produce large amounts of gas.
Major players include legumes like beans and lentils, as well as some whole grains.
Try keeping a food diary to figure out if certain foods tend to make you more gassy or bloated than others.
Fatty foods can also slow down digestion and the emptying of the stomach. This can have benefits for satiety , but can be a problem for people with a tendency to bloat.
Try eating less beans and fatty foods to see if it helps. Also, check out this article on 13 foods that cause bloating.
Summary
If certain foods make you feel bloated or give you gas, try cutting back or avoiding them. Eating fatty foods can also slow digestion and may contribute to bloating for some people.
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Eat At Regular Intervals
Many people experience bloating directly after a big meal. It is possible to avoid this by eating several smaller meals each day, which can help to keep the digestive system moving.
Swallowing food quickly can introduce air into the digestive tract. Drinking from a straw can also lead to people swallowing more air, which in turn leads to gas and bloating. People who have bloating should avoid using straws if possible and try eating slowly to avoid swallowing air during meals.
Foods To Avoid If Youre Feeling Bloated
We all have gas in our bodies, but some people experience uncomfortable amounts of it, making them look and feel bloated. Bloating is usually caused by three main conditions: swallowing excess air, eating certain foods, and having bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. While there’s no universal cause or treatment for bloating, people often find that cutting out certain foods and implementing a specialized diet can bring immense relief.
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What Are The Other Side Effects Of Drinking Alcohol
Beyond bloating, make sure you remember alcohol should be consumed in moderation. Drinking too much alcohol can damage your body.
It can cause brain and liver damage, and it increases your risk of cancers as well as your risk of death from car crashes, injuries, homicides, and suicide. If youre pregnant, drinking alcohol can harm your baby.
Over The Counter Treatments Available
Over-the-counter medications can be an effective way of treating the signs of gas, bloating and trapped wind. Amcal stock a wide range of laxatives, suppositories, fibre supplements, and more to help you find relief and improve your digestive health.
Charcoal can absorb gas that has collected in the bowel and bind substances together to move them out of the body. Our Charcocaps are a natural way to help reduce flatulence and ease related symptoms. You can also shop Mintec Peppermint Oil capsules for IBS Relief to help relieve abdominal cramps, wind and bloating.
We have capsules for flatulence, including De-Gas, Gasbusters and Dulcogas dissolvable crystals with Simethicone to decrease gas bubbles. If constipation is a problem, we have a selection of fibre supplements to help move things along, including Normacol, Senokot tablets, and Movicol powder for kids and adults. For a natural solution, try Prunelax in gel or tablet form to help you maintain regular bowel movements.
We also stock Lacteeze tablets to replace lactase enzymes in the body and relieve bloating, wind, cramping, and diarrhoea associated with dairy intolerance.
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Who Knew Dehydration Would Trigger Your Bloat
Dehydration forces your body to retain water and swell. And its a common phenomenon. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Whats worse is that sometimes getting rid of excess water can be more difficult than releasing gas. Dehydration can even cause your face to bloat. No, thank you!
Eat More Fiber And Avoid Refined Flour
Foods made with white flour like white bread, white pasta, and white rice are relatively low in fiber and may cause you to get a little, uh, backed up. Instead, opt for whole-grain varieties. A simple switch from white bread to whole wheat or from white rice to brown will keep things moving along smoothly.
High fiber foods that are free of indigestible fibers mentioned before include:
- Whole grain bread
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What If I Have Ibs
IBS affects around 12 million people in the UK, says Dr Simon Smale, gastroenterologist and medical adviser to The IBS Network. People with IBS are often very sensitive to abdominal content, even with food or drink quantities or gas that might be considered normal.’
‘Studies have shown that this sensation of abdominal fullness can cause them to contract the diaphragm and relax the abdomen, causing it to protrude. This may be greater if the abdominal content is increased by a meal or towards the end of the day when someone is tired.
‘Bloating is more likely to occur in people who are anxious, as the emotional tension can make the intestine more sensitive.’
Dr Smale suggests the following advice:
- Under the supervision of a dietitian, try a low FODMAP diet.
- Relaxation, hypnotherapy and meditation can help to decrease the sensitivity and spasms of the bowel.
- Antispasmodic drugs can reduce the spasms that cause gas to become trapped in the bowel. Simethicone is an inert polymer that is said to work by reducing the surface tension of small air bubbles, thereby allowing them to coalesce into larger bubbles that are more easily eliminated.
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How To Get Rid Of Belly Bloat Once And For All
Bloating affects most women and for some, its a persistent condition. But, all is not lost. You can get rid of belly bloat, as easy as ABC. Men are no exception to bloating- they also suffer from it just not as much as women, and theres a reason for that.
Women suffer more from belly bloat than men because, a womans intestines are longer than a mans, plus, women experience hormonal fluctuations throughout their lives.
The change in hormone levels in women happens at various stages in life such as puberty, menstruation and menopause. During this time, the body will hold on to water, which may cause bloating.
Other factors may cause bloating in the stomach we shall discuss them in detail as we go along.
I am pretty sure you just want to know the best way to get rid of belly bloat, but they say prevention is much better than cure.
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It will be wise of us to learn about what causes bloating in the stomach, the common belly bloat symptoms, foods to avoid if you regularly suffer from bloating and finally, how to beat belly bloat.
Most of us want quick fixes such as detox drinks to get rid of bloating. And quite often, quick solutions tend to work, but only for a short time.
And a few days later, the same problem comes back to bother us, and we go back to square one.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Gas
Commons symptoms of gas include:
- Knotted feeling in the abdomen
- Sharp cramps
- Sodas and other carbonated beverages
- Fiber supplements containing psyllium husk
- Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols including sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, aspartame and others
In addition to diet, there are a number of medical conditions that can cause gas pains. These include:
Remedies And Treatments For Bloated Stomachs
While stomach bloating will often resolve on its own, the following measures may help reduce bloating or address its underlying causes:
Exercise and Posture
Physical exercise can help reduce bloating and clear gas from the body. Posture adjustment can also help. The body retains more gas when you are lying on your back, so try to stay active throughout the day.
Over-the-Counter Medication
Both simethicone and activated charcoal are marketed as gas-reducers. The two have proven ineffective and/or inconsistent when used on their own in clinical trials. However, there is some evidence to suggest that they may work when combined or when used with magnesium oxide or loperamide .
Probiotics
The use of probiotics to help with digestive issues is common but little studied. Still, there is some evidence that using probiotics can help reduce stomach bloating. The formula in VSL#3 proved to reduce bloating in both adults and children in clinical studies.
Digestive Enzymes
One common cause of stomach bloating is the inability to digest certain foods. Most digestive enzyme supplements are effective only for people who cannot produce enzymes for medical reasons. However, over-the-counter enzymes have proven to help with the digestion of two commonly problematic foods: dairy and legumes .
If you have a hard time digesting the sugars in these foods, you might benefit from lactase supplements for dairy or alpha-galactosidase supplements for legumes.
Herbal Remedies
Diet
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How Does Activated Charcoal Work
Activated charcoal can be taken in capsule form so it can absorb harmful substances in your digestive system. Its negative charge immediately attracts positively charged molecules like toxins and gases.
The activated charcoal itself cannot be absorbed by your body, so it travels out in bowel movements, carrying all of your bodys unwanted toxins with it. If you accidentally or purposefully! eat something that causes uncomfortable bloating in your stomach, one dose of activated charcoal has the power to absorb and remove the culprits.
Since activated charcoal should be used intermittently as needed, not on a daily basis like probiotics, its important to find the product you can trust to work at a moments notice. Tox-Adsorb from Perfect Origins is specifically formulated to calm and support an upset stomach for optimal digestion. It acts fast to improve and soothe gas, bloating, and stomach cramps.
How Do I Know If Its Anxiety And Not An Ulcer
Its not uncommon to find yourself concerned that your struggle with stomach pain is not from anxiety or stress at all. For example, you may find yourself concerned that instead of anxiety, what you are really struggling with is an ulcer.
Only a doctor can diagnose whether or not your pain is from an ulcer, but there are some clues. The clearest signal is if you have any blood in your stool or acid burps . Thats often a clear sign of an ulcer. Also, if the pain or discomfort tends to occur after eating and isnt related to a similar condition, GERD , its possible you may have an ulcer.
However, this is complicated by the fact that ulcers can be caused by long-term stress and anxiety, as they stimulate the production of extra stomach acid. This excess acid in the stomach breaks down the gastric or intestinal lining and cause open wounds that may harm your health.
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What Is Belly Bloat
A swollen belly or abdominal distension happens when the stomach feels full and tight and can look swollen . It tends to be accompanied by gas and a little pain in the area. It can occur in both obese and underweight people.
The feeling of swelling is more noticeable in a person who is not overweight. Women suffer the most from this problem, but bloating is certainly not exclusive to the female sex.
The intensity of the inflammation varies. Some people find it a little annoying. For others, it alters their daily activities and their quality of life.
A swollen belly can appear at any time of the day, but it is often better in the morning but then increases in the afternoon, becoming more intense after meals.
Remedies And Treatments For Stomach Pain And Gas
Most stomach pain and gas will go away on its own, but there are steps you can take to ease discomfort and prevent future gas pain. Gas-related stomach pain remedies include:
Pass Gas
The only way to get rid of gas is to pass it. Donât hold it in. If youâre worried about odor, try reducing foods that contain sulfur-producing compounds such as broccoli, cabbage, and beer.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Many gas-relieving products are marketed, but scientific evidence of their effectiveness is limited. Many people claim to experience relief, so they may be worth trying. The most common medications that claim to relieve immediate symptoms are activated charcoal and simethicone .
Herbal Remedies
Peppermint and peppermint oil have the best record as digestive aids, but there are many other foods that may help. In one study, Chinese herbal formulae outperformed placebos in soothing IBS symptoms. Commonly included ingredients are:
- Wearing ill-fitting dentures
Enzymes Before Eating Certain Foods
Taking enzymes before you eat can help you better digest your meal. Most enzymes are only available for those with a medical condition that prevents them from producing their own. However, two widely available enzymes for problematic foods are:
- Lactase supplements can help those who are lactose intolerant.
- Alpha-galactosidase supplements can help people digest legumes.
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