Don’t be gassy

Mridula Wattas

Feeling bloated is one of the most common symptoms of gastrointestinal distress in which one’s stomach is puffy and uncomfortable. Most people describe bloating as feeling full, tight, or swollen in the abdomen. Your abdomen may also be swollen (distended), hard, and painful. Bloating is often accompanied by pain, excessive gas (flatulence), frequent burping or belching, abdominal rumbling or gurgles.

If this problem happens once in a while, especially after a heavy meal, it is okay. But if it happens often it could result in low energy and feeling lousy. But there is no need to panic. This is only your body’s way of telling you that your gut is not functioning properly. However, this can be treated easily most of the time. There could be three main reasons for the occurrence of bloating.

• Life style and habits 
• Certain medical conditions 
• Stress 

LIFE STYLE AND HABITS

Eating too fast and talking while eating: When you are in the habit of eating too fast you tend to introduce air into the digestive tract. Drinking from a straw can also lead to swallowing air into the digestive tract. Too much talking/laughing while eating could also lead to the same.

Skipping meals: If there is a long gap in between meals your gut tends to get inactive. The secretion of digestive enzymes slows down. This leads to improper digestion resulting in bloating. So make sure that you never skip meals. Eat some small healthy snack or fruits in between meals. 

Dehydration: Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance leads to slowing down of digestive processes. When we are dehydrated our body holds on to excess water leading to bloating. One should aim to drink at least 1.5 litres of water every day.

Sedentary life: One of the major causes of bloating is sitting continuously for eight to 10 hours every day and doing no exercise. This makes the digestive system extremely sluggish leading to bloating. To prevent this one should be reasonably active throughout the day as well as exercise. 

Faulty diet

It can may be hard to pinpoint exact causes of bloating. But the most common reason could be the food we eat. Here are some faults in the diet which may lead to bloating.

Too little or too much fibre in the diet: Eating more fibre helps to prevent constipation and bloating. Fibre-rich foods which should be included in our diet are green leafy vegetables, whole grains and pulses. Sometimes if we increase the fibre intake too quickly, it can cause even more gas and bloating. So you should be very mindful of what you are eating and take only and optimum amount of fibre as per your body’s reaction.

Excess sugar/salt in your diet: There are certain process foods like chewing gum, sweets and toffees which contain sugars like sorbitol and fructose. These are not easily digested by our body thus causing bloating. Too much salt can lead to water retention.

Too much milk and milk products: Milk contains casein and lactose which are difficult to digest by most people. So drinking too much milk may lead to bloating and gas. Cutting down the milk intake and replacing it with curd can relieve the symptoms immediately.

Diet rich in FODMAPs: Some foods contain highly fermentable but poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates and polyols-collectively termed FODMAPs. Some people are not able to digest these properly leading to bloating. To avoid this, add low FODMAP fruits and vegetables in your diet like banana, papaya, pineapple, grapes, carrots, ghiya, tori, beans and potatoes. Avoid high FODMAP fruits and vegetables like apple, cherries, pomegranate, cauliflowers, mushrooms, peas, etc.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS 

Bloating can be a symptom of certain medical conditions like celiac disease, food intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. These have to be properly treated by a physician. Once a disease is controlled with the help of medicines and the right diet the symptoms of bloating disappear. 

STRESS 

Prolonged and chronic stress may lead to gastrointestinal distress and bloating. When our body is in a stressful condition, it signals to our brain that we are in danger. This activates our innate ‘fight or flight’ instinct by increasing cortisol levels in the blood. Under this situation the body does not see digestion as a priority. The blood flow is redirected from the intestines to arms and legs. This redirection can lead to reduced enzyme and stomach secretions, which slows down the digestive process resulting in bloating and indigestion. Stress causes increased acid secretion in the stomach which may lead to heart burn and indigestion.

When a person is feeling continued stress, sleep is also affected. Lack of sleep leads to poor appetite and indigestion. It also causes carbohydrate cravings, which leads to overeating and causing bloating.

Stress can also reduce the ‘good bacteria’ in the gut which are responsible for keeping our gut healthy and our digestion robust. Stress leads to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract which causes digestive problems.

The best way to avoid all these problems is to deal with stress Here are some simple ways to reduce stress — exercise regularly, practice yoga, deep breathing, meditate, include probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and D in your diet to reduce inflammation and heal your gut affected due to stress.  

— The writer is former head, department of dietetics, PGIMER, Chandigarh.