Bloating and gas are two of those digestive problems that almost everyone experiences at some point. You finish a meal, feel comfortably full, and then, an hour later, your abdomen feels tight or swollen. Maybe you are burping more than usual, passing gas, or simply feeling like your stomach is much larger than it was earlier in the day.
Although these symptoms can be frustrating, they are often a normal part of digestion. Your gastrointestinal tract is constantly moving food, absorbing nutrients, and interacting with trillions of microorganisms. Gas is produced naturally during this process.
The challenge is knowing when bloating and gas are simply part of normal digestion and when they may be related to your diet, eating habits, or another digestive issue.
Understanding what causes these symptoms is a good first step toward managing them.
What Is Bloating?
Bloating is usually described as a feeling of fullness, pressure or swelling in the abdomen. In some cases, bloating can be so severe that the abdomen looks much bigger than normal. However, not everyone with bloating has noticeable swelling of the abdomen. You may have the feeling of bloating even if there is not an excessive amount of gas in your stomach. It is influenced by various factors including the speed of food passing through the digestive system, constipation, changes in your gut bacteria, fluid retention and the way your nervous system controls your digestion.
This is the reason why two people eating the same meal can have such different experiences. As with most digestive issues, discomfort from bloating can occur randomly and will sometimes even appear after occasional overeating. In other cases, bloating can signal problems and become a recurring complaint.
Why Does Gas Happen?
Gas is a natural byproduct of digestion.
As air enters the digestive system, it finds its way out of the body in the form of burps or gas. Swallowing air often occurs when people eat or drink quickly, use a straw, chew gum, are smokers, or even talk with their food in their mouth.
In the colon, bacteria in the gut microbiota (the collection of microorganisms which reside in the gut) are able to carry out the process of fermentation of carbohydrates that were not digested as they passed down the gut. During fermentation in the colon, different gases are produced (i.e. hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane).
These gases, however, are usually the byproduct of a healthy gut and normal digestion. Many times it is not the gas itself that causes discomfort but rather the food that the gut is trying to digest. Different carbohydrates cause different amounts of gas in different individuals.
Foods That Commonly Cause Gas and Bloating
Each person has their own tolerance for different foods that cause gas and discomfort. Though there are no foods that cause gas in everyone who eats them, there are some that tend to cause more discomfort in some people than others.
Legumes (Beans, Lentils) and Vegetables: While beans and lentils are high in protein, they can also cause a variety of stomach discomforts as they contain complex carbohydrates that the body has difficulty in digesting. These include Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage as well as other vegetables of a similar composition.
Fructans are also found in garlic and onions, which can cause problems with digestion in some individuals.
This discomfort can also be caused by specific dairy products, especially those containing large amounts of lactose (milk sugar). This substance can give rise to symptoms of bloating and/or diarrhea in individuals with poor lactose digestion.
The issue with wheat sometimes is not gluten. More frequently problems with wheat are connected with fructans that some people cannot digest well. These carbohydrates are present in some wheat products.
Even healthy foods can cause gas and symptoms of bloating. However, just because a food causes symptoms does not mean that it is ‘bad’ for you. The symptoms are likely to be caused by your body’s inability to digest a part of the food.
The Connection Between FODMAPs and Digestive Symptoms
You may have heard the term FODMAP in discussions about bloating and digestive health.
FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. These are groups of short-chain carbohydrates that can be poorly absorbed in the small intestine in some people.
Because they are not fully absorbed, they can draw water into the intestine and later be fermented by gut bacteria. For someone who is sensitive to these effects, the result can be bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, or changes in bowel habits.
A low-FODMAP diet is sometimes used as part of the management of irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive symptoms. However, following a restrictive diet can be challenging, particularly because many nutritious foods contain FODMAPs.
It is also worth remembering that FODMAPs are not inherently bad. Many FODMAP-containing foods provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate them forever, but to understand individual tolerance.
Eating Habits Matter, Too
While you may want to cut out certain foods from your diet that cause you to become bloated, the real reason for your discomfort may have to do with your eating habits.
You swallow more air when you eat quickly. Because you eat more food before you feel that you have reached satiety, digestive problems are made worse because your body has not been able to digest the food you have already eaten.
Try to slow down when you are eating in order to chew your food more thoroughly. Make sure you have enough time to eat in between helping yourself for more. Even healthy foods can cause discomfort when eaten in excess.
Also, watch portion size. You can tolerate normal healthy foods when eaten in large portions, only to feel uncomfortable and experience bloating and gas.
Carbonated drinks, like sparkling water, soda, and beer, also can contribute to feelings of bloating and discomfort due to the increased gas in the digestive tract.
Another area to consider is sugar-free products. Products containing sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol, mannitol, or xylitol) can also cause symptoms in sensitive individuals.
Don’t Forget About Constipation
Constipation is an often-overlooked cause of bloating.
Stool which sits in the intestines for long periods can cause increased pressure against the abdominal wall. Sometimes this even makes it difficult to pass gas. Therefore, constipation can cause complaints of bloating and other symptoms of fullness.
Increasing your fiber intake in a physical active, well-hydrated body can help in maintaining good regular bowel movements and in passing gas. However, increasing fiber dramatically overnight can in fact increase gas and bloating.
Finally, also be aware that a sharp increase in the amount of fiber in your diet can cause more discomfort than relief and even make gas and bloating worse. It is best to gradually increase the amount of fiber in your diet and allow your digestive system time to get used to it.
Can Digestive Enzymes Help?
Digestive enzymes are proteins naturally found in the body and sometimes in supplement form. They can break down parts of food so that they can be absorbed by the body.
Your body already makes digestive enzymes, which can be supplemented for certain foods. Lactase for instance is a supplement to aid in the digestion of lactose, but other enzymes are available for other carbohydrates also.
Again, digestive enzymes are no magic bullet for all kinds of digestive discomforts. But for some people, certain foods can cause the same kind of distress again and again – and digestive enzymes can help with that.
While digestive enzymes are commonly thought to cure most digestive disorders, the fact is they are only useful to treat certain cases of food sensitivities, depending on the root cause of your symptoms.
For people interested in an enzyme-based approach to certain food-related digestive symptoms, you can learn more about FODZYME and how its enzyme blend is designed to target fructans, GOS, and lactose.
Simple Strategies Worth Trying
Bloating and gas don’t have to take over your life. You don’t have to change your whole diet just yet.
Start with a few manageable changes.
Taking shorter walks after meals instead of flopping down on the sofa can also be helpful. Keep track of foods that you experience as problematic and note how frequently you get symptoms. Sometimes, it’s helpful to distinguish between foods that you only occasionally get symptoms from and those with which you almost constantly experience problems.
Yes, it is possible that some foods are only occasional triggers and others constant ones. In addition to the food itself, many other factors can influence our symptoms: stress, sleep, level of physical activity, the size of our meals, how fast the food moves through our digestive system.
Keep a simple food and symptom journal – recording which foods you have eaten and when your worst symptoms occur – and look for connections you may have otherwise been oblivious to.
When Bloating May Need Medical Attention
While occasional discomfort of this kind is normal, severe or persistent discomfort could be a sign of an underlying health problem and therefore should always be investigated by a healthcare professional.
Frequent, worsening, or even Occasionally-influencing your daily activities could require a healthcare professional’s insight into the possible causes and solutions to your symptoms. Specifically, persistent or severe symptoms of bloating such as unexplained weight loss, bloody stool, vomiting, fever, or severe abdominal pain and/or change in bowels movement would need immediate insight into possibly underlying serious medical conditions.
It’s also important to recognize that many digestive conditions present with similar symptoms and include the following in your differential diagnosis: IBS, lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and even inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). You would be surprised at how many people with constipation complain of digestive discomfort similar to that experienced by individuals with IBD.
Everyone is different and figuring out what has caused your digestive symptoms is more useful than just trying out different supplements one after the other.
The Bottom Line
Bloating and gas are part of normal digestion because digestion is a complex process. Your food interacts with your digestive enzymes, your intestinal tract and your gut bacteria. In addition, the way you eat, the size of your meals, your degree of hydration, your level of activity and your bowel habits can all affect how you feel after you eat.
For some people, these changes will be enough to alleviate the pain and discomfort of digestive problems. For others, sufferers from digestive complaints will also find that they can manage their symptoms using specific food triggers and alternative supplements specifically designed to alleviate digestive problems.
You don’t have to cut out all problem foods from your diet. Rather, by finding out how you tolerate individual foods, you can actually eat more of a variety of foods rather than less!
Be patient and allow your body time to get used to the changes. Be aware of the patterns of your symptoms and make changes gradually. With persistent, unusual or severe digestive symptoms it is always best to seek the advice of a healthcare professional. Good digestive health does not have to mean following a strict and restrictive diet, it is about choosing ways to support your digestive system that enable you to eat the foods you enjoy whilst maintaining good health.
Written by media@blogmanagement.io
