If you’re a foodie and love to eat all the time, then you’ve probably experienced bloating.
Abdominal bloating can be uncomfortable, painful, and can happen to anyone regardless of age.
While it is mostly associated with gastrointestinal disorders, bloating often occurs when a person overeats.
The pain that follows can often be quite sharp. Instead of popping pills for gastric issues, you can stop bloating by identifying why it occurs in the first place.
There are many factors that can lead to bloating. Here we explore each one of them in detail.
What Causes Bloating?
Certain eating habits can cause chronic bloating in a person.
Whether it’s chewing too fast, eating too much at one time, or consuming extremely spicy foods, bloating is often a symptom of a deeper digestive issue.
Here are a few causes of bloating you should know.
Trapped Gas And Air
Bloating is simply a buildup of gas in the digestive tract. When you eat too fast or lie down right after eating, the food doesn’t digest properly.
The gas begins to accumulate when the food is broken down.
Another cause of gas buildup is swallowing air. Everyone swallows some amount of air when they eat or drink.
Even when it’s perfectly normal, it can often lead to bloating and abdominal tension. The only way to get rid of this trapped gas is through burping or flatulence.
Once the swallowed air leaves the body, you will feel relieved. Sometimes, delayed digestion of the food can also lead to bloating.
When the food sits too long inside the belly, a gas buildup can occur. This leads to abdominal pain and burning sensations.
The digestive tract can trap the gas for a number of reasons. Here are a few:
1. Eating Or Drinking Too Fast
Eating or drinking too fast can cause air to be swallowed, which can then end up in your digestive tract.
The stuffed feeling that follows right after you devour your plate in the blink of an eye can leave undigested food in your stomach.
This can result in feelings of heaviness and abdominal burning.
If you frequently eat fast or drink in big gulps, you’re going to face chronic bloating, which can lead to serious health problems.
2. Chewing Gum Often
If you have a habit of chewing gum often, you’re likely to encourage gas buildup in your digestive tract. The chewing motions cause you to swallow extra air.
However, bloating primarily occurs because while chewing, your body prepares the stomach for digestion.
It produces stomach acid to help digest the food that you’ve swallowed.
However, when there’s no food to digest and plenty of stomach acid in your belly, bloating quickly follows.
3. Overeating
When the food looks enticing and delicious, we all tend to overeat a little.
However, if you habitually eat more than your fill, then you’re at a danger of developing painful bloating.
When you eat too much, your stomach has to make space to digest all that food.
As it stretches, your stomach can also make you feel visibly bloated. The best way to stop this is to stop eating right before you feel full.
This way, your stomach will be able to digest the food without feeling overwhelmed.
4. Loose Dentures
Another lesser-known cause of bloating is wearing loose dentures. People who wear dentures can’t chew as efficiently as those with normal teeth can.
This is why if someone gets new dentures, they’re advised to eat soft foods as those are easily broken down.
Dentures reduce the strength and efficiency with which food is chewed. When this happens, most of the food remains undigested in the stomach.
The delayed digestion can quickly result in bloating abdominal discomfort.
5. Constipation
If your bowel movements are irregular, you can possibly feel bloating.
Constipation is a common culprit that can cause severe discomfort in the digestive tract and inflate your stomach.
It is usually because you’re not drinking enough water, not eating enough fiber, or are taking too much stress.
Sudden changes in the diet or lifestyle like intermittent fasting can also lead to digestive discomfort.
6. Rapid Weight Gain
If you’ve recently gained a lot of weight, you might feel bloated because your stomach is usually where all the weight goes.
Due to weight gain, your stomach now has less room to stretch while digesting food, which can frequently lead to bloating.
Certain Foods That Lead To Bloating
Just like eating habits can contribute to bloating, certain foods that are very spicy or high in sugars can also cause abdominal discomfort.
Here’s a list of foods you might want to have in moderation:
1. Salt
Eating salty foods can lead to high blood pressure and often cause bloating. Not all bloating is due to gas. Consuming too much salt causes your body to retain water.
This water retention can often cause bloating, which is harder to remedy than gas.
2. Carbs
Carbs like donuts, bread, pastries, and candies are extremely high in sugar. They are absorbed by the bloodstream quickly and can cause bloating.
3. Dairy
Dairy is the biggest culprit of bloating. It doesn’t matter if you’re lactose-intolerant or not, milk products have the potential to cause severe bloating and belly pain.
How To Remedy Bloating
Bloating may be a painful condition, but it’s quite easy to get rid of. Here are a few ways to eliminate bloating and gas:
· Not Eating Too Much
By controlling what you put in your mouth, you can stop bloating from occurring in the first place.
Instead of stressing your stomach by overeating, try to exercise portion control with your food.
Have as much as the size of your fist every time and try to have regular meals.
· Chewing Your Food Slowly
By chewing your food diligently, you will be reducing the amount of air that you might have swallowed as a result of eating too fast.
This can drastically reduce bloating symptoms.
· Avoiding Problematic Foods
If you’re allergic to certain foods like dairy, gluten, or eggs, try to eliminate them from your diet or have them in moderation.
You can also find healthier alternatives for them instead of facing a painful, bloating session every time you eat them.
A Final Word
Bloating is a normal occurrence but if it gets painful, that’s when you know something’s wrong with your digestive system.
With the causes mentioned above, now you know exactly what causes bloating and how to remedy it.
Remember, eating less is always safer and better than eating your fill!
This account is run by a team of writers, researches, and more who simply love contributing to the site.