Bloating — Why It Happens And How to Reduce It

What Causes Abdominal Bloating?

Ten to 25% of all people have experienced belly bloating. In this day and age, we live really fast-paced lives that require us to always rush somewhere, to constantly be on the go. As soon as we start gulping food, ingesting it very quickly without proper chewing, we start making a mess in our guts.

Whole bits of food going down and not breaking down properly causes the emission of gas throughout the process of fermentation. This is probably the most common cause of a bloated stomach. It’s very important to sit down and eat slowly, really breaking the food down and not letting any non-chewed up food go into the digestive tract.

By drinking fluids with meals, you’re slowing down the enzymes and dissolving them. The ideal time is to drink water or juice is 30 minutes prior to meals and 30 minutes after. Carbonated drinks and sparkling water are also a common cause of a bloated abdominal area.

Candida Albicans, a type of yeast infection present in the mouth and guts, is also a common reason people get a swollen abdominal area. It’s very important to discover and treat it on time, because if it’s left unchecked in the digestive tract, it can break down the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream.

Tips To Prevent Abdominal Swelling

• You should avoid smoking. If you do smoke, do your best to quit.
• Avoid chewing gum and drinking carbonated drinks.
• Try to avoid foods that tend to cause flatulence such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, beans and lentils. Don’t banish them completely because of their high nutritional value. The best time to eat them is for dinner, or when you’re planning on staying home the whole day if you’re embarrassed by the bloated abdominal area.
• Don’t eat too quickly, chew the food properly.
• Don’t drink water right before and after meals.
• Don’t slouch while eating. By slouching, you’re crushing the digestive system, there’s no space for food movement and it can cause gas.
• Keep the meals basic and simple and they can’t hurt. Eat well-balanced meals which include a small piece of protein (20% of the plate) and a nice big portion of veggies (50%). The rest (30% of the plate) should be carbohydrates and healthy fats. Don’t think too much about food combinations, the blood type diet, etc. Keeping your meals simple like our ancestors did will help to keep the intestines healthy for a long time.
• Try not to eat fruits together with main meals because fruit digests fast and it stays to rot in the stomach the whole time while the other food is being digested.
• Don’t lay down right after meals, but don’t get too active either.