Home remedies for bloating and gas

While getting ready for a party, you feel that your rather loose dress (that you bought just yesterday) hugging tightly around your waist. You grow a potbelly overnight. Your stomach gets round and tight. The culprit for all of this is bloating.

It mostly leads to social and recreational awkwardness. Children and adults are equally affected by it.

Bloating is when you feel your Gastrointestinal (GI) tract being full of air or gas. GI tract runs all the way from the mouth to the anus.

Symptoms of Bloating

The ‘Most Common Symptoms’ that almost every other person experiences at some point in time are:

• Gas or flatulence
• Stomach pain
• Discomfort
• Abdominal rumbling

‘Advanced symptoms’ include:

• Nausea
• Vomits
• Diarrhea
• Severe heartburn
• Fever (as a result of an infection)
• Blood in stool

Reasons why you bloat

Sometimes as soon as you have the first bite of food, you start feeling like your whole body is full of gases. This results in your stomach feeling rounder and tighter.

The most common reasons for bloating in the stomach are as follows:

• Gas-generating foods
• Lactose intolerance
• Menstruation and Premenstrual Syndrome-PMS (I see a few nods there!)
• Overeating
• Constipation
• Acid reflux
• Weight gain

Medical conditions that can lead to stomach bloating

• Abnormalities in liver
• Acid reflux
• A few medicines
• Anxiety
• Bladder or bowel blockage
• Crohn’s disease
• Cancer (around GIT)
• Depression
• Early pregnancy
• Eating disorders like Anorexia nervosa or Bulimia nervosa
• Food intolerance
• Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs)
• Giardiasis
• Hemorrhoids
• Infection
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammation
• Stress
• Ulcerative colitis

Diagnosis for Bloating

It can be diagnosed by going to your doctor. He will ask you a few questions to make sure whether it is bloating or not. He will ask if it occurs once in a blue moon or every now and then. In case, it happens quite frequently then he will ask for a few more tests.

What are the tests related to bloating?

• Urine test
• Stool test
• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• Picture test (It is to look for structural abdominal abnormalities)

Not only the picture tests can be done through radiation images like CT Scans, Simple Film Xray, or Fluoroscopic imaging. But also through other forms of imaging like Ultrasound or MRI.

Lifestyle and Dietary changes to get bloat-free

1. Lose weight if you are overweight

Because, when you gain weight the most amount of fat settles around the belly. It restricts space for your stomach to stretch. This leads to you feeling bloated.

2. Exercise daily to become bloat-free

Daily workout leads to smooth intestine movement, which facilitates the release of stool and excess gas out of the body.

3. Yoga poses to get rid of extra gas

There are a few yoga poses that help in relieving bloating:

• Child’s pose (Balasana)
• Wind-Relieving Pose (Pawanmuktasana)
• Two-Knee Spinal Twist pose (Supta Matsyendrasana)
• Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

Check out yoga poses to get rid of stress headaches

4. Avoid excess salt consumption

If you are into packaged or processed food then it means that you are getting salt more than what your body demands. It causes bloating in the stomach by water retention. As well as, it also contributes to hypertension.

The lifestyle change that you can opt for is:

• Removing the salt shaker from the dining table.
• Only add salt while cooking the food in a minimal amount only.
• Check out the food labels for Sodium (salt) carefully at the supermarket before purchasing.

5. Do not overeat

Make it a rule of thumb, you will stop eating when your stomach gets 3/4th full. Overeating results in bloating. Your stomach is only the size of your fist. Do not torture it by supersaturating it with food. As it takes almost 20 minutes for your brain to tell you that you are full. So, take it slow by chewing the food and then swallowing it in.

6. Watch out for Fructose content

Fructose is a complex sugar that is present in many commercially packed food products and soft drinks. You have to look for ‘high fructose corn syrup’ on the food labels. Naturally, fructose is present in fruits, dry fruits, honey, onion, and garlic. Count your daily fructose intake, as it also results in belching, burping, and an upset stomach.

7. Avoid carb overload

Just like excess salt consumption, a carbohydrate-rich diet also leads to retained water in the body.

Simpler the carbs, more readily they enter your bloodstream making you experience bloating. The simple carbs include soft drinks, whites (in the form of bread, rice, or flour), candies, cakes, and pastries.

On the other hand, complex carbs (whole wheat, vegetables, and fruits) take time to digest delaying the process of their entry into the bloodstream.

8. A fiber-rich diet

Fiber is good and bad at the same time. So, its use gets tricky. If you devoid yourself completely from fiber, this may lead to constipation that leads to bloating as well as other gastric complications. But, if you have a fiber-rich diet, then it may lead to bloating and gases. The reason behind it is that with the increase of fiber in the diet, healthy fiber-digesting bacteria also increase in the gut. Their byproduct is gas.

So, try playing it safe. Insoluble fiber is the reason behind bloating. (if you feel any)

9. Avoid Dairy Products

If you notice that the bloating is because of dairy products, then stop having it and go for a lactose intolerance test.

10. Look for FODMAPs in your food

FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols.

In people who do not have any stomach problems, FODMAPs get absorbed in the small intestine lining. Whereas, those people who have some gastric issues like IBS, excess FODMAPs enter the large intestine instead. It causes intestinal distress. The large intestine bacteria ferment them. This process produces methane or hydrogen gas, which leads to bloating.

If you suffer from bloating, then opt for a low FODMAPs diet

High FODMAPs Food includes:

• Dairy-based milk, yogurt, and ice cream.
• Fruits like apples, cherries, peaches, and pears
• Vegetables like onions, garlic, artichokes, and asparagus.
• Lentils and beans.
• Wheat-based products like bread and cereals.

Low FODMAPs Food include:

• Grains like oats, quinoa, and rice
• Eggs and meat
• Cheeses like brie, cheddar, camembert, and feta
• Almond milk
• Fruits like pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and grapes.
• Vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, and eggplants

11. Chew slowly

When you eat quickly, you take in excess air at a time that causes bloating. Chew slowly while savoring each bite. You have to chew your food 10-20 times before swallowing. This will not only improve your digestion but also will make you full faster leading to weight loss.

12. Avoid Fizzy drinks-An easy way to get rid of bloating

Bubbly drinks like soda, seltzer, beer, and alcohol all have air in them. That’s why you call them fizzy or bubbly drinks. The gas consumed while having such drinks becomes doubled up. Some of it gets burped away, others remain in the digestive system for long till it is passed out. So, if you have a ‘bloating nature’ then say goodbye to fizzy drinks.

13. Sip slowly

As we mentioned earlier, that eating food fastly results in gulping in extra air, the same goes for sipping rapidly. This is what causes bloating in the stomach. Take small swigs and enjoy your drink.

14. Avoid Straws

This may surprise you a bit that the naive-looking straw was the cause of your stomach discomfort last night.

When you place the straw in a drink, the air gets trapped in the straw. As you suck in the drink, the gas lands into your GI tract leading to uneasiness. This is what causes bloating in the stomach. Stop using straws while drinking.

15. Avoid Chewing gums

Without a doubt, by chewing gums, you swallow air pockets that may trigger IBS. On the other hand, chewing sugar-free gums releases gas in the bowel. This is because it contains sweeteners like sorbitol or xylitol that ferments in the stomach. This results in ‘double tummy trouble.’

16. Add probiotics to your diet

Probiotics are living microorganisms that contribute to the overall gut health. They are present in

• Kefir
• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Greek Yogurt
• Tempeh
• Kimchi
• Miso
• Kombucha
• Pickles
• Buttermilk
• Natto
• Cheeses like Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gouda, and Cottage cheese.

17. Stop smoking tobacco

Smoking is not only a nuisance for the lungs and respiratory system but also for the entire body. While smoking, the smoke gets inhaled into the stomach and intestines as well. Tobacco is one of the stomach irritants that leads to stomach rumbling, bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort. 

18. Gluten-intolerant? Switch to a Gluten-free diet!

If you have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance which is medically termed as ‘Celiac disease’ then whenever you will have gluten you will get very sick. This is what causes bloating in the stomach. It results in overproduction of gas, abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea.

All you have to do is get gluten food (wheat, barley, rye, and prepackaged food) out of your diet.

Gluten is a protein that starts attacking the intestinal lining. (part of the digestive system.)

Home remedies for bloating in the stomach

In order to get rid of bloating, you can choose from a number of herbs or make their tea to get rid of bloating and gas at home.

Herbs that ease bloating

These include:

• Anise
• Fennel
• Turmeric
• Caraway
• Coriander

You can simply chew them in a small amount. Or, add them to your food while cooking.

Teas that are helpful in blowing bloating off

• Peppermint tea
• Chamomile tea
• Green tea
• Ginger tea
• Hibiscus tea
• Fennel tea
• Lemon tea
• Dandelion root tea

Treatments for bloating

If your bloating is persistent and does not go away after following the home remedies. Then, do not delay further and go to your doctor right away. According to your symptoms, he would suggest you medication. It may include antibiotics, antidepressants, or antispasmodics.

Why do I get bloated during PMS and Periods?

The exact reason is yet to be figured out. But, during PMS and periods, you get water retention resulting in bloating. It can be due to the hormones doing their tricks. In order to avoid it, exercise and monitor your sugar, salt, and junk food consumption. (We can hear a few groans here!:) )

Takeaway

What causes bloating in the stomach is now out in the open for you. It makes one socially awkward and may cause disturbances in your everyday life. Although nobody discusses it in public, still almost everyone experiences it one way or the other. Make essential dietary and lifestyle changes. Try out the home remedies.

But, if the problem does not subside or the complex symptoms appear then seek a doctor’s help.