It’s so aggravating when you can’t zip up your pants. Everything you wear feels so uncomfortable.
It has gotten to the point that you have to worry of what foods you eat that can aggravate the bloating and gassiness you already feel. But why do we feel this way?
It is true that when women are just about to get their menstrual cycle they become bloated and at times can gain anywhere from 2 to 5 lbs, which is all water retention.
Many believe that this is a problem that only women suffer from but that is not the case. One in every 5 men suffers from bloating and gassiness. There are times that the abdomen swells and looks as though a person has gained weight. We can diet and exercise all we want but it will not get rid of the belly. Bloating is caused by gas in the bowel. We all produce about 4 pints a day and release it either by burping or passing gas at least 14 times a day.
What you eat, the bacteria in your gut and how much air you swallow will dictate the odor and the volume of the gas. This is not a subject that we like to talk about or admit that it is a condition that we suffer from, it’s just too embarrassing. Well we shouldn’t feel this way, researchers have found that over 63 million of us suffer and struggle from this regularly. There are many things that can cause us this problem and here are a few of them. Hopefully by detecting them, we can hopefully control it and maybe eliminate this problem completely.
INDIGESTION
Whenever we eat too many foods with acid such as citrus fruits, spicy foods, or drink too much alcohol, it will cause us indigestion. The lining in our stomach becomes inflamed and we begin to suffer from heartburn or better yet acid reflux. That burning sensation is horrible and hard to get rid of. Indigestion will cause frequent heartburn and bloating. Even after calming the acid reflux, the bloating doesn’t go away, it takes a while. If you suffer form this, the best thing to do is avoid anything that can inflame or irritate your stomach which in turn will reduce the chances of you becoming bloated or gassy.
LACTOSE INTELORANCE
How many times have you noticed that after you have a bowl of cereal, ate ice cream or drank a glass of milk, you became bloated and gassy? What your body is probably trying to tell you is that you are lactose intolerant. This condition will cause diarrhea and definitely bloating. You will feel gassy but the bad part is that you won’t be able to get rid of it that easily, it will take days. To see if you truly suffer from this, remove all dairy products from your diet for a few days. After a few days have a couple of glasses of milk, if you notice you stomach becomes bloated and you start suffering from diarrhea, it’s a definite yes. You are lactose intolerant and you should completely avoid these products. Also, once you believe you suffer from this, see a physician so that they can run further testing to make sure there are no other problems.
MEDICATIONS
One thing we truly don’t do is read the information pamphlets we receive with the medicines we take on a regular basis. It’s time we start reading them more often that way we know what side effects they may cause. Some of the medicines we take can cause diarrhea, nausea, bloating, etc. and this may be the reason why we are suffering from bloating and gassiness. If this is the case, contact your physician and have them change your prescription immediately.
GASSY FOODS
The bloating and gassiness can be due to our daily diet, the foods we consume. Many of the foods we eat are healthy but they can cause gas. Foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beans, peas, sprouts and many others will cause this problem because of the fiber they contain. The fiber in these foods is very hard to digest. Also, drinks with fizz and large volumes of beer can cause bloating. When changing your diet, try to mix different types of food and make sure you eat only the allotted amount of fiber recommended per day to reduce the amount of gas or bloating in your stomach.
AIR
As odd as it may sound, the amount of air you swallow can cause gas. You’re probably trying to figure how you swallow air. This happens by chewing gum, eating with your mouth open, smoking, eating too fast or gulping your drink can cause you too swallow too much air. Have you ever notice that when you do drink or eat too fast, you burp and sometimes without being able to control it? Also, your stomach just swells after you have eaten too fast? This is due to eating too fast, you swallow too much air and usually you will burp, sometimes uncontrollably.
However, air still passes into the gut and that is why you notice your stomach swells up after you eat. When eating your meals, eat slowly, chew as much as you can and try to sip your drinks instead of gulping them. You will start to feel much better. There are other reasons why you may be suffering from bloating and gassiness. It could be due to irritable bowel syndrome, inflamed bowels, burst appendix, a hernia and in very rare situations it can be a more serious condition such as cancer in the abdominal organs or pancreas.
Just as you would do with any other condition, if you notice that you have been suffering a while with this condition, you should see a physician. A physician can request certain test to make sure that all is okay. They can help you choose the right diet to help you relieve this problem so that you can feel comfortable again, stop feeling bloated and gassy and be able to fit in your clothes.