Belly Bloat: Foods to Embrace and Ignore

Belly Bloating is one of the causes in people, leading to several diseases such as obesity, stomach discomfort, and much more. We are often habitual of eating food that tends to form gas in our system, leading to stomach fullness or fat belly in most conditions.

People often do not realize that no matter how hard they keep performing their daily fitness activity, they won’t achieve a flat belly or fit body unless they agree on sacrificing foods that could cause obesity or fat accumulating around the belly area.

Belly Bloating occurs when your belly feels full and enlarged after eating a meal or anything specifically causing your stomach to bloat. If a person experiences bloating regularly after having had his meal at a particular time of the day, it indicates two possibilities.

One possibility could be that the person has digestive issues, causing gas inside the system not to process the food from the digestive tract. The other case could be the food consumed might be causing belly bloating in the person.

Based on several research pieces, here are some of the foods you must not consume, and instead of them, eat the others for reducing belly bloat.

Onions

Onions are part of every cooked meal in South Asian cuisines since they enhance the food’s taste. They are also used for making salads. Although no food could go better without onion, it is the source of soluble fiber most responsible for causing bloating in an individual.

Some people are allergic to raw onions, and it causes digestive issues or other discomforts; hence, it is always preferred to cook onions before surviving them in a meal. But it isn’t still necessary that a cooked onion isn’t causing bloating or gas in a person. It would differ from one person to another.

Experts and evidence have advised that instead of onion, people choose to use an herb or other spices that do not cause bloating or gas and enhance the taste the same way as the onion does.

Apples

Apples are one of the best sources of antioxidants and vitamin c. The fruit cold practically enhances your system’s performance, also giving your skin a good glow, as experts believe. But there is also the downside of this particular fruit.

Apples contain fructose, which is fruit sugar, or we may also call them FODMAP, which are digestive carbs responsible for causing bloating and gas. Apples are high in fiber and fructose, which makes the consumption of it fermentable in our large intestine, and this fermentation could then lead to bloating in an individual.

You can go for other fruits with some vitamins and nutrients enriched in them, and also they do not cause bloating, such as bananas, oranges, grapefruit, blueberries, etc.

All the Carbonated Drinks

This must be the one thing known by every layman and expert that could cause bloating or gas surely. As the name suggests, carbonated drinks have excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in them, which is the leading cause of gas in your system.

When one drinks these carbonated drinks, there is the possibility of some of the carbon dioxide to remain trapped in their digestive system, which later on causes bloating or discomfort in the stomach.

You can go for homemade squeezed fruit juices or coffee and tea to keep yourself hydrated, but the best way to keep yourself hydrated will be water, and there is no alternative to that.

Beans

They are legumes that are high in fibers and are a type of legume. Although beans are rich in protein, carbs, and various vitamins and other nutrients, they contain sugar in them, known as alpha-galactosides.

Alpha-galactosides are another FODMAPs that could not be digested by the bacteria and preferably fermented by the gut bacteria in the colon, which could become a cause of concern in people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Hence, beans could indeed cause bloating in individuals.

The only way to reduce FODMAPs is to keep them soaked away in the water and cook properly or switch to other alternatives with high protein such as meat or other grains.

Dairy Products

Dairy products are essential in our everyday life. Still, some people could not digest these products due to specific allergic reactions or intolerance to lactose, present in almost all the dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.

People with lactose intolerance could show signs of bloating or gas as part of their symptoms. Hence, they are advised to avoid such food products that cause bloating and go for lactose-free dairy products such as soya milk, almond milk, etc.

People who are lactose intolerant should check the ingredients of dairy products before buying it to know the amount of lactose it contains.

Garlic

Garlic and onion are of the same category, where they help enhance the taste of the food. But unlike an onion, garlic is recommended for many health problems and has its nutrients in it. Like an onion, garlic too contains fructans, a FODMAP, and causes bloating and gas.

There are other ways to alternate garlic in a food recipe, such as using thyme, parsley, and other spices or herbs for enhancing the taste of your food.

Wheat

Wheat is one of the grains consumed worldwide and is used in making many products such as bread, cakes, biscuits, etc. But it is observed that wheat contains gluten, and it could prove harmful to people with gluten sensitivity. Hence, such people suffer from bloating and gas.

Experts have recommended that people with gluten-sensitivity go for other types of grains such as almond flour, pure oats, which do not cause any digestive issues and do not have FODMAP.

The Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables involve cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. These vegetables contain various nutrients and vitamins such as fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, etc. But it is hard to deny that all these cruciferous vegetables are a great source of FODMAP that cause bloating.

The cooking of these vegetables reduces the chances of bloating people, but it would differ from one individual to another. One can try to switch these vegetables with others, such as cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, sweet potatoes, etc.

All these foods can cause bloating in some people and might not in others. If you are suffering from any severe condition, it is best to get yourself diagnosed and get an expert’s opinion on what to eat and what to skip to help you in a regular or prolonged issue of bloating.

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