Avoid Rapid Weight Gain
Rapid weight gain is linked to bloating for several reasons.
First, a buildup of fat in your stomach area may constrain your bowels, increasing tension and contributing to bloating. Additionally, fat may have inflammatory effects, contributing to hypersensitivity in your gut .
Finally, unwanted weight gain may cause you to focus attention on your stomach area, which may increase your perception of bloating .
If you have overweight or obesity and are experiencing bloating, trying some healthy strategies for weight loss such as exercise and limiting portion sizes may be beneficial.
Summary
Rapid weight gain may contribute to bloating by increasing bowel tension, inflammation, and mental focus on your stomach area. Conversely, weight loss may help reduce these effects.
Increasing Your Fiber Intake Too Quickly
You know that upping your fiber intake can aid your rapid weight loss efforts, but if you aren’t used to eating the uber-filling nutrient a large dose of the stuff can be hard for your body to digest, explains Rumsey. The result? A midsection that’s suddenly as round as a basketball. “Wean yourself onto high-fiber foods like bran cereals, beans, and lentils, starting with small portions,” suggests Rumsey. Another trick: Down a large glass of water with every high-fiber meal. Fluids help to move fiber through the digestive tract, preventing bloat.
Behaviors Food Choices And Activity
Eating behaviors and other habits such as gum chewing, gulping foods and drinking with eating can cause us to swallow air. Bulky foods such as lettuce, cabbage, and dense breads not chewed into small enough pieces increase swallowed air.
Typically, swallowed air contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. It tends to not have a foul smell, but it does contribute to the discomfort associated with gas.
People vary widely in how sensitive they are to gas production. Keeping a food record to document incidences of gas in relation to foods eaten can shed light on whether food or behavior may be aggravating the situation.
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Foods To Help You Beat The Bloat
Just as there are foods that cause bloating, there are foods that can be bloat blasters, even as youre enjoying their delicious tastes.
- Tomatoes. This summer staple is rich in potassium, which can help cut down on bloating by lowering your body’s sodium levels. If you want help with keeping dehydration at bay, eat tomatoes. Theyre made up of about 95% water and can boost your daily fluid needs to help fight bloating.
- Cucumbers. Cukes are packed with water. Surprisingly, theres even a bit of sodium in cucumbers. When combined with the other nutrients, that small amount helps keep you hydrated one of your best weapons in the fight against feeling bloated.
If youve had too much salt, watermelon’s abundant water content makes it a go-to for flushing out the extra sodium.
- Watermelon. If youve had too much salt, this fruits abundant water content makes it a go-to for flushing out the extra sodium. Eating a water-dense food like watermelon is a tasty way to rid your body of a salt imbalance.
- Avocados. Its an amazing fruit and a staple of summer fun eats. Avocados are low in sugar and contain soluble fiber. This combination feeds your gut the good bacteria, which aids your digestion and keeps you feeling full without making you gassy.
What Are The Symptoms And Causes Of Indigestion
Most of us have experienced indigestion and its symptoms, for example, upper abdominal pain and cramping, bloating, belching, nausea, vomiting, and the feeling of fullness after only eating a few bites. There are common causes of indigestion like GERD or pregnancy. More serious causes include cancers or heart attack.
The best way to relieve and even prevent symptoms of stomach bloating and gas, is a healthy diet and regular exercise, however, there are many things you can do to prevent and relieve bloating and gas.
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When Should You See A Healthcare Provider For Bloating
Bloating is rarely a sign of a serious medical problem. However, bloating that is long-term and doesn’t respond to changes in eating habits or OTC treatments can sometimes be associated with certain diseases and conditions such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Kidney or heart failure
If you notice you’re frequently bloated or that you become bloated after eating certain foods, you may want to make an appointment to see your healthcare provider. Try to note what triggers your bloating and bring these notes to your appointment.
Abdominal Swelling And Bloating Symptoms
Abdominal bloating and swelling is described in many different ways. Some people describe it more as a symptomas a feeling of indigestion or a tight abdomen, and some people define it more as a signthat they can visually see that their belly is distended or their clothes look too tight around the middle.
Depending on the cause, this symptom can come on suddenly or gradually. It can be something that has recently appeared or a symptom that comes and goes.
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Can Bloating Be Prevented
To keep your digestive system working well, follow a healthy diet and eat at least 30g of fibre every day. Cut down on processed and fatty foods, and drink less alcohol. Drink plenty of water and take any medicines as directed by your doctor.
Dont overeat, and try to eat more slowly. Eating regularly will help to prevent digestive problems.
Regular exercise is also important for your gut because it strengthens the muscles in your tummy and stimulates the digestive system to push food through. It also helps with stress, which affects the nerves in the digestive system and can slow down digestion.
Smoking is very bad for your digestion. If you smoke, try to quit now.
Swallowing Too Much Air
Most people think of taking in air when they inhale, but it can also be done a number of other ways. Common daily habitssuch as drinking from a straw, chewing gum and eating too quicklyare ways to add air into your digestive tract instead of your respiratory system.
When you swallow too much air you can start to feel bloated, Hoffman said. If its becoming a problem, start cutting out gum and straws and see if that helps eases your symptoms.
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Gastric Issues Make Your Stomach Hard And Swollen
Yes, maybe you are suffering from acidity. This causes the formation of gas in the body. This most probably can be related to a health condition. The causes of a hard and swollen stomach, in this case, include irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, and hemorrhoids. Book doctors appointment if you think you have gas often.
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Causes And Risk Factors Of Ovarian Cancer
Medical experts dont know why certain women develop ovarian cancer and others dont, or why some ovarian cells become cancerous while others dont.
Still, scientists have identified a number of risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer. Some appear to have a very small impact, while others are more significant.
These include:
Learn More About Causes of Ovarian Cancer: Common Risk Factors, Genetics and More
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Why Does My Stomach Get So Bloated
Bloating. It’s that uncomfortable, overly full, sometimes even painful feeling in your stomach that makes you want to take a nap until the sensation passes. Bloating even can make your stomach look swollen or feel hard to the touch. Although women often feel bloated for a few days or weeks before their period, anyone can have occasional bloating.
What makes your stomach feel like a balloon has expanded inside? Bloating usually happens when gas temporarily builds up in your stomach or intestines. When youre bloated, you may notice that you burp or pass gas frequently, and find that releasing that air brings you some relief. Bloating also occurs when your digestive system slows down and you don’t have regular bowel movements.
Beat Belly Bloat This Summer
Beat belly bloat this summer.
- Summer fun foods may contribute to belly bloat.
- Eat these foods to help beat bloat this summer.
- How summer heat and dehydration causes bloating.
Its back again: that too-full, bloated feeling in your gut. As temperatures go up, your stomach swells up too. Summer activities including eating and drinking certain foods and beverages may be causing the discomfort.
Here are some of the usual suspects when it comes to the food and beverages you may be consuming this summer that cause bloating.
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Having An Undiagnosed Condition
There are a few conditions that can cause bloating. Heart and liver disease and venous insufficiency can cause excess fluid in the abdomen or limbs. These conditions come with more prominent and tell-tale symptoms, and your health care provider can help you identify them and other illnesses that can cause bloating.
Chronic conditions can cause swelling and bloating in certain areas, Hoffman said. If you have a history or concern of these conditions, then its best to talk with your primary care provider.
Other gastrointestinal conditions can also cause bloating and stomach ailments. Conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease and irritable bowel syndrome can all cause bloating. Acid reflux, and the medications to treat it, can cause bloating and a feeling of increased gas in the abdomen, leading to belching.
Menstrual Cycle & Bloating
Does your stomach feel bloated around the time of your period? Oestrogen has a big role in deciding how women retain water.
Levels of this hormone fluctuate during a womans monthly cycle, with the body typically retaining more water when oestrogen is higher in the week or so leading up to the start of a period.
As a result, a common symptom of premenstrual syndrome is bloating.
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How To Tell The Difference Between Belly Fat And Bloat
One easy way to tell the difference between bloat and belly fat is to note belly fat does not cause your stomach to expand wildly throughout the course of a day bloat does. One other way to tell the difference between bloat and belly fat is you can physically grasp belly fat with your hand, you cannot with bloat.
Youre Dehydrated From Drinking Alcohol
In a similar vein, drinking alcohol before bed can mean waking up to a surprising degree of puffiness. Dr. Marina Peredo, a board-certified dermatologist, says its due to alcohols dehydrating effect, which causes your skin to hold onto any water it has, creating swelling and oftentimes redness. The fix can be as simple as avoiding alcoholic beverages before bed, as well as upping your water intake so the body doesnt have to over-compensate.
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How Is Bloating Diagnosed
Your doctor can generally diagnose the cause of your bloating through a physical exam in the office. They will ask you questions about your symptoms. They will want to know if your bloating is occasional or if it occurs all the time.
Temporary bloating is usually not serious. If it happens all the time, your doctor may order other tests. These could include an imaging test to look inside your abdomen. This could be an X-ray or CT scan.
You Chew Gum Or Suck On Candy
Gum and hard candy keep your mouth occupied, which can help you lose weight or quit smoking. But they too cause you to inadvertently gulp lots of excess air. And as with using a straw and eating too fast, excessive air can lead to belching and bloat. Try giving up the gum and suckers and instead take frequent sips of waterthat will keep your mouth busy too. There’s a bonus to H2O as well: plain water helps keep your GI tract moving, and that gets rid of excess air and water bloating out your system, Alissa Rumsey, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells Health.
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Warning Signs And Symptoms
Weight loss is one of the main warning signs for serious bloating. If you find yourself losing more than a few pounds without changing your diet or starting a new exercise regimen, that should be cause for concern, especially if its 10 percent or more of your body weight. Weight loss can be caused by tumors that press on the intestines, making you feel full after just a small amount of food, or from substances secreted by tumors that suppress your appetite.
Ascites is an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen or pelvis. It can cause bloating, weight gain, and a rapidly expanding waistline. Ascites is usually caused by liver disease, but cancer is the culprit about 10 percent of the time. A large amount of fluid can make you look and feel like youre several months pregnant. The combination of bloating and jaundice, which turns the eyes and skin yellow, can be a sign of cancer thats spread to the liver, although it can also occur with more benign forms of liver disease like hepatitis.
Blood in your stool, vaginal bleeding in between periods, or postmenopausal vaginal bleeding can all be associated with serious bloating. Fortunately, the most common causes of these symptoms arent the most serious, but bleeding should always be evaluated because it can be a sign of cancer, particularly colon or uterine cancer.
Can Bloating Be Prevented Or Avoided
There are many ways to prevent and avoid bloating:
- Avoid the foods that are known to cause gas. These include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, turnips, beans, and lentils.
- Avoid chewing gum.
- Avoid using straws for drinking.
- Reduce or avoid drinking carbonated drinks .
- Reduce or avoid eating and drinking foods that include fructose or sorbitol. These artificial sweeteners are often found in sugar-free foods.
- Eat slowly.
- Eat more foods high in fiber to prevent constipation. If foods alone dont help, consider taking a fiber supplement.
- Avoid dairy products if you notice they cause gas and bloating.
- Quit smoking.
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How To Prevent Bloating
Typically, the first line of treatment for preventing gas and bloating is changing your diet. Research has shown that a low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols diet can reduce the symptoms of gas and IBS. A low FODMAP diet avoids fermentable, gas-producing food ingredients, such as:
- Oligosaccharides, which are found in wheat, onions, garlic, legumes and beans
- Disaccharides, such as lactose in milk, yogurt and ice cream
- Monosaccharides, including fructose , apples and pears
- Polyols or sugar alcohols found in foods such as apricots, nectarines, plums and cauliflower, as well as many chewing gums and candies
In people sensitive to FODMAP-rich foods, the small intestine doesn’t always fully absorb these carbohydrates, and instead passes them to the colon, where they are fermented by bacteria and produce gas. To see if some of the FODMAP foods are causing your gas and bloating you can start by cutting out FODMAP foods and then slowly bringing them back into your diet one at a time to pinpoint any foods that are causing the problems.
In the long run, the key to preventing bloating is understanding its cause. If mild constipation is the problem, a fiber-rich diet, water and exercise may help, but these steps wont always work for chronic constipation. Chronic constipation and other conditions, such as IBS or gastroparesis, require medical treatment, so its important to talk to your doctor about your bloating symptoms.
Is It Normal To Feel Bloated Every Day
For most people, occasional bloating is common. A gassy feeling of being too full deep inside your abdomen occurs now and then to nearly every person. However, some people have chronic bloating, which is an ongoing and painful nuisance. Ongoing bloating is not normal and may have many causes, so you should call your doctor if you feel bloating every day.
Bloating is a chronic and bothersome condition for a large minority of the population. Anywhere from an estimated 16% to 31% of us have bloating and distension. .
For people with bothersome bloating that is chronic, there can be many causes. For this reason, you should call your doctor if you experience long-term bloating that has become a chronic nuisance. To rule out the multiple causes of bloating, your doctor may perform several tests, including breath tests and abdominal imaging. Treatments for chronic bloating include changes in diet, probiotics, antibiotics, other medicines, biofeedback, and complementary medicine.
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