Have you ever experienced the feeling of your belly being full after a meal? Have you felt your jeans tighten around your stomach after you are finished with your food? Well, that’s bloating for you! That feeling of a swollen tummy after a full plate of food, yup, that is precisely what bloating is all about!
Bloating is usually caused by excess gas production but might also take place due to disturbances in the movements of the muscles of your digestive system too! But don’t mistake bloating for water retention, they are different things! Basically, bloating is any excess liquid, gas or even solids in the digestive system that causes your stomach to feel swollen and large.
However, there are a few ways using which you can reduce bloating and we have here a list for you! So why don’t you go through it and get to know how bloating is caused and what you can do to reduce it!
Lessen food intake:
Bloating usually takes place when you decide to have big meals at one go! Eating a smaller portion of meals will prove to be better for you! If you think that eating smaller meals might leave you hungry, then why not just add another small meal to your day to make sure that you don’t end up binging on random things?
Do you also remember your mother telling you to chew your food properly before swallowing it? Well, she was probably on to something with that advice. Chewing your food better provides you with two benefits! When you chew your food better, you also reduce the amount of air you tend to swallow while eating which is a major cause of bloating, and it also makes sure you eat slower. As a result of this, you intake less amount of food and eat smaller portions! Weight-loss, here we come!
Say no to sugar alcohols:
Sugar alcohols are the substances that are basically found in chewing gums and sugar-free foods and are something that are usually considered a safer and healthier alternative to sugar. But did you know that these very sugar-free alternatives can cause digestive problems to you too? This is due to the fact that these substances are able to reach the bacteria present in your large intestine, which in turn digest the substances and produce gas.
Sugar-substitutes, especially like sorbitol and xylitol should be avoided as much as they can as these are one of the main products that can cause bloating and digestive issues! So the next time you decide to reach for that sugar-free gum, think twice as it can do a lot of harm to you and your digestive system!
Take Probiotics:
Like we had said earlier, one of the major reasons for bloating is the gas produced in the large intestine due to the bacteria present in it. But it is not one bacteria that is doing this. There are many types of bacteria present in the intestine, and since there are different types of bacteria, it goes without saying that gases production too may vary accordingly.
It has however been proved that taking certain probiotic supplements can react with the bacteria present in your gut and stabilize the gas production process. As a result of this even bloating goes down to a great extent. But it has also been found that sometimes probiotics might not have the desired effects on other people. However, there is definitely no harm in trying probiotic supplements out, as even if they are not able to prevent bloating, they do have a number of benefits that are well worth the try! You also need to remember, that probiotics take time to work, you can’t expect overnight miracles with this one, you need to be patient!
If you are, however looking for more sure-shot ways to reduce bloating then you can always get in touch with us, so that we can help you through whatever health issue it is that you are facing, and make sure that you lead a healthier life!
