Easy Ways to Live Well: Steph McGovern discusses bloating
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Stomach bloating affects most people at some point in their lifetime, according to the NHS. But you could avoid feeling bloated by simply making a few simple changes to your daily diet – including the vegetables you eat.
Bloating can make the stomach feel swollen, hard, and it’s generally quite uncomfortable.
Your bloating pain may be caused by eating certain gassy foods, or by eating too fast or too much.
The foods you eat play a huge role in regulating the amount of air inside your digestive tract.
Certain types of FODMAP vegetables should be avoided in large quantities if you regularly develop stomach pain.
READ MORE: Three ways to stop bloating – key exercises to beat the bloat
FODMAP foods are those that contain short-chain carbohydrates which are poorly absorbed in the gut.
Seeing as they sit in the gut for long periods of time, they’re easily fermented by bacteria.
These bacteria produce gas as a by-product of the fermentation process, which leads to trapped wind.
If you often have stomach pain, you should “entirely avoid” eating cauliflower, onions, and leeks, according to nutritionist Dr Josh Axe.
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He wrote on his website: “FODMAPs is an acronym for a collection of food molecules (mostly sugars) that are short-chained carbohydrates, both fermentable and poorly absorbed in the gut.”
Health coach Jillian Levy added: “Often, food allergies, sensitives or intolerances (like lactose intolerance) are common reasons for gas and bloating.
“The foods that cause gas include dairy products, gluten-containing foods (most bread, pasta, rolls, cereals, etc.) and certain kinds of carbohydrates called FODMAPs.
“FODMAPs can be tricky to rule out since there are so many different kinds and everyone is unique in terms of tolerability.”
FODMAPs also appear in fruit, dairy foods, bread, and even some nuts and seeds.
Some of the worst culprits include apples, mangos, watermelon, cow’s milk, yoghurt, wheat, and cashew nuts.
Fibre-rich foods are also a type of FODMAP, and it’s one of the worst culprits for bloating pain.
If you often feel bloating, it may be a better idea to steer clear of FODMAP-rich foods, as well as other types of fibre foods.
You could also lower your risk of stomach bloating by avoiding swallowing air, or by keeping your mouth closed while eating.
Speak to a doctor if your bloating symptoms don’t go away, said the NHS.
It could be caused by something more serious, including ovarian or bowel cancer.
While stomach pain is unlikely to be caused by a type of cancer, it’s always worth getting it checked by a medical professional.
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