Bye bye Bloating and Yes to Gut health!

Bloating is a very common feeling we all might have felt during our life. It makes our belly feel swollen soon after eating. Bloating is the result of excess gas production in the gut or lack of bowel movements resulting in fermentation of undigested foods. Bloating usually causes pain and discomfort and makes the stomach even look big and expanded. The presence of gas in the stomach usually results in burps and in the colon causes flatulence. Gas when trapped in the small intestine cannot get expelled very easily and this even causes excruciating pain and irritability.

Bloating can be because of any of the underlying diseases, such as IBS or other gut disorders. However, this could also be due to day-to-day habits that render to an unhappy gut. While the reasons can be many, such as drinking of fizzy drinks, carbonated water, heavy meals, constipation, menstrual cycles, intake of incompatible foods etc., here are some that you can start with immediately…

Common causes of bloating and their solutions…

Chew well when having fibre-rich foods

Eating adequate fibre helps prevent constipation and bloating. However, it is important to bear in mind that adding these fibre rich foods in large quantities suddenly or eating them too quickly without proper chewing can also cause more gas and bloating. Add these to your diet slowly and during active times in the day while also chewing well as digestion starts in the mouth itself!

Avoid foods that cause allergies or intolerance

Be aware of the various allergies and intolerances you may have due to certain kinds of food items. When you consume foods that you are intolerant to, these very foods cause excess gas production, bloating and other allergic reactions. Commonly known allergens or intolerances that cause bloating can be avoided are gluten, lactose, shell fishes, nuts, pulses and ground provisions.

Mindful Eating

The faster you eat; the more air you swallow. The air that goes into our mouth with the food, gets trapped in the stomach and can also lead to a feeling of bloating. When this very air goes further down to your small intestine, it worsens the bloating. Mindful eating is the key to prevent bloating, and this involves eating smaller bites, chewing the food longer and keeping the mouth closed while chewing! Also avoid drinking water in between the meals as that also result in indigestion and bloating.

Keep your body in motion

Exercise and Yoga helps to expel gas and bloating, reduces pain and helps in better digestion! Cardio exercises are a great way to improve overall digestion. Other exercises and stretches also helps move the gas along the digestive tract and make the same escape from your system. The science of Yoga especially recommends asanas such as pawanmuktasana, bhujangasana, balasana, navasana also helps to alleviate bloating.

Avoid carbonated foods

Fizzy foods and drinks already have high gaseous contents which when consumed, ends up causing bloating. The carbon dioxide present in such drinks will cause a bubbling and bloating effect in the stomach. Also the high sugar content of these drinks can cause more fermentation and worsen the condition of bloating. It is always better to avoid such drinks and foods to combat bloating.

Map your FODMAPS

FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-Di and Monosaccharides and Polyols. A low FODMAP diet means to avoid fermentable, gas-producing food ingredients. For people who are sensitive to FODMAP-rich foods, they have small intestines that don’t always fully absorb carbohydrates, and instead the same gets passed to the colon, where they are further fermented by the gut bacteria and thus produce more gas. This adds to the bloating.

Consume probiotics

Consumption of natural probiotics can help maintain the bacterial diversity and reduce the count of bad bacteria; This ‘bad bacteria’ causes gas formation. However we need to know what to consume as some probiotics can cause an aggravation of the symptoms too. Hence the right selection of probiotics for you is important, and it must be taken under the supervision of a Naturopath.

While simple to execute, these are really effective tips & tricks to help you lead a healthier life. However, if you experience regular and aggravated symptoms, we recommend speaking to one of our experts and add recommended Supplements to your diet.

Some ATMANTAN NATURALS Supplements we recommend for bloating are:

Atmantan Naturals Gastro Care contains liquorice fortified with DGL that is an anti-H.Pylori (Helicobacter Pylori) agent, thus reducing excessive acid secretion. It also helps in repairing the mucosal lining, which otherwise can cause the condition known as ‘leaky gut’.

Atmantan Naturals Pro Collagen helps improve the environment in the lining to further prevent leaky gut complications.

Atmantan Naturals Pre Gut maintains the overall health of the gut. Poor gut health affects digestion, skin texture, joint health and even emotional state of being The Pre-Gut formula treats and deforests the gut, allowing the flora to thrive better, thus maintaining a healthy digestive system.