Food Intolerances And Allergies
If your body has difficulty digesting food, your bowel may not empty properly. This sometimes leads to the production of too much gas and this excess air may get trapped.15
Foods that are more likely to cause problems are:
- FODMAPS Our bodies can find it hard work to digest the sugars in this group of foods This leaves some of us with more gas in our digestive system.
- Wheat. If youre sensitive to gluten or have problems digesting it, foods containing wheat can cause a painful bloated stomach.
- Dairy. If you dont have a sufficient supply of the enzyme to break down lactose in your gut, eating dairy foods can cause a bloated belly.
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.
Have Better Eating Habits
Youre more likely to suffer from bloating if you have developed poor eating habits like not chewing properly or eating too fast, says Claire. We have to be super mindful of this try resting your cutlery between mouthfuls and chewing food until its semi-liquid, advises The Gut Stuff team.
Try to balance your blood sugars at every meal by making sure you eat protein and fats with your carbs, adds Claire. You might also consider taking a digestive aid. A magnesium supplement can also help, especially if youre constipated, she says.
Walking for a few minutes after meals helps a lot of people, recommends Dr Chophada.
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Why Is My Upper Stomach Bloated 4 Causes Of Abdominal Swelling
It is caused by an abdominal distention that causes bloating, usually above the belly button.
Contrary to what many people think, the upper belly isn’t related to belly fat. Many times, it is a genetic thing or some kind of food intolerance.
The upper belly happens because of the abdomen’s distention caused by:
Intestinal issuesSome intestinal issues also favor the occurrence of the upper belly because of inflammation in the intestinal structures.
Poor eatingEating foods high in sugar or fat can cause upper belly because they ferment, producing gas and leading to abdominal distention.
GeneticsThe upper belly can also happen because of genetics, appearing even in thin people or those who eat well or exercise regularly.
Sedentary lifestyleThe lack of physical activity can also cause the upper belly since foods are stored as fat, causing abdominal distention.
Other issues are poor digestion, malaise, and an increase in the risk of intestinal inflammation.
The way of dealing with this issue varies depending on each case.
It is also worth noting that the main treatment for the upper belly is your eating.
Watch the video to learn some useful tips to help prevent stomach bloating!
If none of these things works, or if your upper belly appeared suddenly, you must talk to a doctor.
Medical supervision is essential to ensure that the cause of your issue isn’t some sort of condition that requires specific treatments.
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How Can Bloating Be Prevented
To deal with bloating, you may consider discussing your diet and eating habits with your doctor or a registered dietitian. If you can identify the food or eating behavior that causes belly bloat, you can effectively prevent future bloating. To help prevent bloating:
- Avoid eating super large meals in one sitting.
- Eat slowly while seated.
- Avoid foods that tend to make you gassy.
- Be mindful of how much fiber you eat.
- Avoid bubbly beverages.
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Bloating: Causes And Prevention Tips
How often do you hear yourself or friends complain about bloating? We often just say we’re bloated when we feel full, but for many women, the problem relates to a chronic underlying condition. If you feel bloated often, you may have a condition like irritable bowel syndrome , which affects up to 24 of women.
Here are some common causes of bloating and tips on preventing this uncomfortable condition.
Check For Certain Medical Conditions
Medical conditions which affect co-ordinated bowel movements including bowel inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome or even conditions like diabetes can result in bloating, says Mr Chophada.
Underlying digestive issues such as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth , IBS or an unresolved gut infection, plus blood sugar imbalances that mean we make too much stress hormone can result in bloating, says Claire.
According to one studyprobiotics may be helpful in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, enteritis, bacterial infections, and various gastrointestinal disorders and diarrhoea. The same study found that probiotic microorganisms are also effective in the alleviation of lactose intolerance. Taking probiotics can actually cause bloating at first, until your gut microbiota settle down, though they are worth persisting with. While pricey, the food supplement drink Symprove which contains live bacteria has been found to be very effective at improving gut health in some people. Users have found that it reduces bloating and some symptoms of IBS. It has also been attributed to a better mood.
You can also reduce bloating by eating certain foods. For example, many IBS sufferers have also had success with the Fodmap diet.
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What Is The Treatment For Ibs
There is no cure for IBS, but there are things you can do to feel better. Treatment may include:
- Changing your diet
Your doctor may give you medicine to help with symptoms:
- Fiber supplements such as psyllium to help control constipation.
- Anti-diarrheal medications, such as loperamide , to help control diarrhea.
- Antispasmodic agents such as peppermint oil or dicyclomine to slow contractions in the bowel, which may help with diarrhea and pain.
- Antidepressant medications such as a tricylcic antidepressant or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor if symptoms include pain or depression.
- IBS medication. A medication known as Lubiprostone is approved by the FDA for women with severe IBS-C .
Take your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you to. All drugs have side effects and may affect people differently. Tell your doctor about any over-the-counter medicines you take.
Foods That Cause A Bloated Belly
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Signs And Symptoms Of Abdominal Bloating
Abdominal pain and bloating are considered two different symptoms. That being said, you are likely to feel both at the same time. These symptoms refer to the ache or distention felt under the gastral cavity and above your pubic bone, also called the lower and upper abdominal regions.
Its important to note that a bloated stomach is not related to gaining fat mass around the stomach or water retention. It is mainly caused by air being temporarily stuck around the abdomen.
You may experience the following signs and symptoms alongside the gassiness, fullness, and stomach pain of abdominal bloating:Signs of an allergic reaction
- A fever
- Swollen, painful lymph nodes in your throat, armpits, or groin
Why Is My Stomach So Big And Swollen
When your stomach swells and feels hard, the explanation might be as simple as overeating or drinking carbonated drinks, which is easy to remedy. Other causes may be more serious, such as an inflammatory bowel disease. Sometimes the accumulated gas from drinking a soda too quickly can result in a hard stomach.
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Are You A Fast Eater
If Yes, then you are in trouble. When you eat fast, the digestion process is a little interrupted. It can take 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain youre full, so you can eat enough to make yourself bloated and uncomfortable before your brain gets the message. So if you are finding causes of a hard and swollen stomach.
We have given 7 very common causes of a hard and swollen stomach, I hope that you will now be extra careful. Also, in case you need to see a doctor or order medicine online, you can always visit our website.
What Are The Other Side Effects Of Drinking Alcohol
Beyond bloating, make sure you remember alcohol should be consumed in moderation. Drinking too much alcohol can damage your body.
It can cause brain and liver damage, and it increases your risk of cancers as well as your risk of death from car crashes, injuries, homicides, and suicide. If youre pregnant, drinking alcohol can harm your baby.
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Why Does My Stomach Hurt When I Have Diarrhea
I have very sensitive stomach and bloating and strange noises coming from it are something that happens to me on a regularly basis. Diarrhea usually happens to me when I am eating spicy food so my organism is letting me know that I should avoid this type of food, which I usually do but sometimes I cant resist.
Severe Stomach Pain After Eating A Fatty Meal
If you find yourself doubled over after eating a high-fat meal, you may be experiencing a gallbladder attack. Women are especially prone to gallbladder disease, says Hardeep Singh, MD, gastroenterologist from St. Joseph Hospital, Orange, CA. Overweight women in their 40s are at highest risk. The pain becomes worse after eating, lasts 30 to 60 minutes, and may come and go, becoming more constant and severe over time, says Singh.
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Replace Sodas With Water
Fizzy, carbonated drinks contain gas that can build up in the stomach. The carbon dioxide that makes soda and similar beverages fizzy can also cause bubbling and bloating in the stomach.
Sugars or artificial sweeteners in the diet can also cause gas and bloating. Drinking water eliminates these issues and helps to treat constipation as well.
How Can You Deal With A Bloated Stomach
Establishing your precise symptoms should offer a clear indication into the root cause of your swollen stomach, and at this stage, you can begin to plot a clear course of action. This is crucial, as the failure to distinguish between fat and a bloated stomach causes many to categorise swelling as a trivial and unimportant problem that only impacts on their physical appearance.
This is a significant oversight, as a bloated stomach may also be indicative of a serious health concern known as dysbiosis. This refers to an imbalance that exists between good and bad bacteria within your stomach, where unhealthy and unnatural organisms such as yeast and protozoa become prominent in the intestines and alter the bodies fundamental nutrition patterns.
This imbalance, which hinders the growth of the 400 organisms that are naturally found in the stomach, can cause a multitude of health complaints in addition to bloating .
So if you have determined that your stomach is bloated rather than covered in excess fat, here are some initial steps you can take to manage this problem:
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Drinking Too Much Soda
Carbonated beverages, such as soda or sparkling water, are a common reason for bloating. The fizz in your favorite sodas can cause gas to get trapped in your stomach, which can lead to bloating and belching.
Try limiting the amount of soda you drink and switch to a healthier alternative. Water with cucumber or lemon can offer a flavorful drink with your meal, and black tea can provide the caffeine kick you may need in the early afternoon. If youre already feeling bloated, peppermint tea is a common remedy that can be used to help reduce the discomfort.
Common Causes Of A Hard And Swollen Stomach
Do you not feel that sometimes your stomach looks bigger than the usual days? And it is not because you are overweight but for some other reason. We might have an answer for you, it is in the causes of a hard and swollen stomach. We have too many, which include our eating and also our lifestyle.
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Eat At Regular Intervals
Many people experience bloating directly after a big meal. It is possible to avoid this by eating several smaller meals each day, which can help to keep the digestive system moving.
Swallowing food quickly can introduce air into the digestive tract. Drinking from a straw can also lead to people swallowing more air, which in turn leads to gas and bloating. People who have bloating should avoid using straws if possible and try eating slowly to avoid swallowing air during meals.
What Causes Bloating In The Stomach
Gas
Gas is a natural byproduct of digestion, but too much intestinal gas means your digestion is gone awry. While you can ingest gasses by swallowing air or drinking carbonated beverages, these gasses mostly escape through belching before they reach your intestines. Gasses in your intestines are mostly produced by gut bacteria digesting carbohydrates, in a process called fermentation.
If theres too much fermentation going on, its because too many carbohydrates werent naturally absorbed earlier in the digestive process, before reaching those gut bacteria. That could be for several reasons. Maybe you just ate too much too fast for proper digestion. Or you might have a specific food intolerance or gastrointestinal disease. Some possible causes include:
Digestive Contents
These can include solids, liquids, and gas. Digestive contents can build up in your digestive system when there is a backup or restriction in your digestive tract or when the muscles that move digestive contents along are somehow impaired. Any build-up of digestive contents along the digestive tract will leave less room for normal amounts of gas to process through. It also leaves less room for other things in your abdomen, including circulatory fluids and fat, making everything feel tighter. Causes of build-up can include:
Hormones
Other Causes
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Urgent Advice: Speak To Your Gp As Soon As Possible If:
- you have severe abdominal pain, especially if its concentrated in one area
- the pain starts suddenly or unexpectedly
If your GP is closed, phone 111.
Serious causes of sudden severe abdominal pain include:
- appendicitis the swelling of the appendix means your appendix will need to be removed
- a bleeding or perforated stomach ulcer
- acute cholecystitis inflammation of the gallbladder, which may need to be removed
- kidney stones small stones may be passed out in your urine, but larger stones may block the kidney tubes, and youll need to go to hospital to have them broken up
- diverticulitis inflammation of the small pouches in the bowel that sometimes requires treatment with antibiotics in hospital
If your GP suspects you have one of these conditions, they may refer you to hospital immediately.
Sudden and severe pain in your abdomen can also sometimes be caused by an infection of the stomach and bowel . It may also be caused by a pulled muscle in your abdomen or by an injury.
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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Get More Active Every Day
Exercise helps your body move stool and gas out of the colon and may make bowel movements more regular. Exercise also releases extra sodium from the body through sweating, which can help to relieve water retention.
It is vital to drink plenty of water before and after exercising to stay hydrated, as dehydration can make constipation worse.
You Could Be Lactose Intolerant
When you have lactose intolerance, youre not able to fully digest milk sugars, known as lactose. When these undigested sugars reach your colon, they can make people very bloated and crampy, Dr. Fisher says. It can take just 30 minutes after consuming lactose-rich foods for bloating and other symptoms, like diarrhea, gas and stomach cramps, to start. Lactose intolerance affects about 65% of the population, and it can develop or worsen with age.
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