Do you ever have an uncomfortable, and sometimes painful, feeling in your stomach after eating too much food? You’re probably bloated, an extremely common condition that happens when your stomach is stretched.
Everybody has most likely experienced bloating at one point or another, but some chronic sufferers can experience discomfort after virtually every meal they eat. If this sounds like you, thankfully there are a few changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle that can reduce bloating long-term.
What is bloating?
Bloating is a feeling of pain and/or discomfort when the organs of your digestive system are stretched. This can happen for a number of reasons, but most commonly happens when solids, liquids or gases build up in a part of your gut.
Along with a general feeling of discomfort, people who are bloated may also experience cramps, burping, diarrhoea, constipation, flatulence or a visibly swollen stomach.
Bloating is also a symptom of some autoimmune conditions that affect the digestive system, such as coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease.
Short-term solutions
Gas relief capsules
Using an over-the counter indigestion relief capsule such as Quick-Eze may be all you need to get the blockage moving. If you often feel bloated right after a meal, your digestive tract may be having trouble moving things along, in which popping an indigestion capsule should help.
Most medications that treat bloating will most likely feature calcium, or some form of peppermint extract, as both are effective at relaxing abdominal muscles.
Go for a walk
Simply getting up and moving can get your bowels going and a light after-dinner walk can do wonders. This is especially effective if you’re experiencing constipation.
Walking can set gas loose, easing muscles that may have been under pressure. Just make sure nobody is standing to close to you!
Abdominal massage
If neither of those methods provide any relief, you can try massaging your abdomen to see if you can physically release the pressure yourself.
Try to follow the path of the large intestine while you’re massaging. Place your hands just above your right hip bone and rub with a circular motion with light pressure up towards the right side of your ribcage.
From there, rub straight across your upper belly area toward the left part of your ribs. Then move your hand slowly down towards the left hip bone, then repeat as necessary.
Long-term solutions
Increasing fibre in diet
If bloating is a frequent problem for you, you may want to look at making some changes to your diet if it keeps happening. In particular, increasing the amount of fibre you eat can prevent bloating and constipation.
High-fibre foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and whole grain breads and cereals.
Fibre helps food and liquid move through your intestines more smoothly and also helps you feel fuller for longer. While fibre is important, it’s important to increase the amount of fibre in your diet gradually, as eating too much fibre or increasing your intake too quickly can actually cause more gas and bloating.
Stop drinking fizzy drinks
Fizzy drinks are another common driver of bloating, and it’s probably no surprise. Whether it’s soft drink or beer, when you drink a carbonated beverage, you’re swallowing hundreds of tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide, which slowly fills your gut.
Try swapping your fizzy drinks for water and your stomach will thank you for it. Excessive sugars or artificial sweeteners in drinks can also cause gas and bloating.
Exercise more
It’s the answer to most health problems and this one is no different. Regular exercise helps your body move stool and gas out of the colon and helps make bowel movements more regular.
Exercise also releases sodium from the body through sweating, which can help to relieve water retention, which in turn keeps your bowels moving and stops gas from building up in your large intestine.
But make sure you drink plenty of water before and after exercising in order to stay hydrated, as dehydration can make constipation worse.
Do you often feel bloated after eating? What steps do you take to reduce it? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: What is cholesterol and how can we lower it?
