An individual is said to have a bloated stomach when the digestive tract of the individual gets filled with air and gasses which are released by food products during the process of digestion. An individual with a bloated stomach will always complain of feeling full and not feeling hungry.
Eating just a small portion of the meal will be enough for the day for such people. They may also complain that the stomach feels hard when they touch it. This feeling will be accompanied by a variety of other symptoms like pain in the abdomen, passing excessive gas, burping and belching frequently, and there may be a gurgling sound whenever the individual moves around or lies down to sleep.
An individual with a Bloated Stomach will find it hard to carry out basic activities of daily living. It also significantly impacts the professional and social life of the individual. Studies suggest that individuals with bloated stomach tend to have more missed days at work than a normal individual due to physician visits and they also tend to take more medications than others. Both children and adults alike are prone to a bloated stomach. This article gives a few tips as to how to prevent bloated stomach.
7 Ways to Prevent Bloated Stomach
Some of the ways to prevent Bloated Stomach are:
#1. Prevent Constipation. Constipation is one of the primary causes of a bloated stomach. If an individual is not able to digest food adequately, then the undigested food stays within the stomach causing the stomach to feel full. This ultimately causes a bloated stomach. The primary cause of constipation is drinking too little fluids, eating a diet that is low on fiber, and limited physical activity.
To prevent constipation, an individual should eat a diet which should be high on fiber as it makes digestion easier. This may include fruits, leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds. Also an individual should drink at least 10 glasses of water per day. This does not include carbonated beverages. Exercising for at least half an hour a day also helps in digestion and prevents constipation.
#2. Identify Food Allergies. If an individual is allergic to certain foods especially foods that contain lactose, then it can cause the individual to have a bloated stomach. Lactose intolerance is a medical condition and it needs to be diagnosed by a physician. If diagnosed, then avoiding foods that contain lactose tends to help in preventing a bloated stomach.
#3. Eating Habits. By eating too quickly can cause the individual to swallow air. This results in accumulation of gas within the stomach causing bloated stomach. Thus it is recommended to eat slowly and chew the food thoroughly to prevent this condition from arising. Studies suggest that on an average an individual should spend at least half an hour for a meal.
#4. Avoid Carbonated Beverages. Soft drinks and soda are carbonated beverages that contain lot of gas in it. Overconsumption of these drinks result in accumulation of gas causing a bloated stomach. Avoiding these can also prevent this condition from arising. Replacing these drinks with water and fruit juice is recommended to prevent bloated stomach.
#5. Sodium Restriction. Limiting salt intake also helps an individual prevent bloated stomach. Processed foods contain high amounts of sodium and are extremely low on fiber. This leads to indigestion and bloating. Avoiding processed foods is one good way to prevent stomach bloating.
#6. Avoid Hot and Spicy Foods. Eating spicy and hot foods also can be quite hard on the stomach. Such foods are difficult to digest and can lead to bloated stomach. Occasionally eating these foods may not be a problem but if this is done consistently then bloating may occur.
Thus it is recommended to avoid spicy foods to prevent Bloated Stomach. Instead, the individual can try green leafy vegetables which are equally good in taste. Also try and avoid foods that produce gas like cauliflower, potato, and beans.
#7. Dietary Habit. Another way to prevent bloated stomach is to eat few small meals per day instead of two large meals. This gives the stomach time to digest the food properly and prevents conditions like bloated stomach from occurring. It should be noted here that the food should be full on calories and other nutrition.
In summary, Bloated Stomach is a common condition which almost everyone has at one time or the other in their lives. It is quite natural to have bloated stomach once in a while but if an individual has it persistently then a cause for it should be identified.
Bloated Stomach can occur due to certain food allergies or it may just be a case of bad food habits. However, in such cases it is necessary to get to the bottom of it and then try and rectify the cause even if it requires treatment from a physician.
This condition can be prevented if certain food and lifestyle changes are adopted like eating a balanced diet, exercising daily, limiting salt intake, and drinking plenty of water which can go a long way in preventing bloated stomach.
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