Bloating Causes: Ever felt like your stomach is staging a full-blown rebellion, turning a simple, home-made meal into a ballooning nightmare? You aren’t alone!
Recurrent bloating is often your gut’s way of communicating to you that what, how and how much you are eating is not matching with your digestive capacity.
Common Bloating Causes
A health expert breaks down the three most common yet highly underrated culprits:
- Oversized meals that your gut cannot handle
- Wrong food combinations that keep fermenting inside
- A weakened digestive fire (jatharagni) that fails to process food properly
1. Meal Size Vs Your Gut Capacity
Think of your stomach as having a functional capacity (limitation) for comfortable digestion. If you keep on consistently eating beyond this point, it would stretch the stomach and slow emptying. This would result in gas build-up, pressure and reflux-like heaviness. Big, infrequent meals could be classic triggers because a loaded gut has to work harder than normal and any motility issue such as irritable bowel syndrome, slow movement or constipation only amplifies the bloating.
DON'T MISS
To avoid, you should have smaller and more frequent meals (4-6 meals a day) instead of 2-3 huge ones. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, no distractions and avoid talking while eating to cut down on swallowed air, another cause of gas and pressure.
2. Wrong Food Combinations And Triggers
Certain foods or food combinations ferment more, pulling water into the intestine to generate extra gas, especially in sensitive people or those with irritable bowel syndrome.
Common culprits include lentils, carbonated drinks, beans and high-FODAMP [fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols] fruits such as apples and some stone fruits, high-salt or ultra-processed foods and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale.
Certain foods and combinations ferment more, pull water into the intestine, and generate extra gas, especially in sensitive people or those with IBS. Common culprits include beans, lentils, carbonated drinks, high‑FODMAP fruits (like apples and some stone fruits), cruciferous vegetables, and high‑salt or ultra‑processed foods.
To avoid, choose seasonal vegetables and whole grain and make it a point to increase fiber slowly and complementing it with adequate water so it passes smoothly instead of sitting and fermenting.
3. Poor Digestive Fire (Low Jatharagni)
In Ayurveda, weak jatharagni means the digestive “fire” is low, so food is not broken down completely and forms ama (toxins), which shows up as heaviness, gas and a coated, sluggish feeling.
To avoid, you need to maintain regular meal times. Also, avoid lying down immediately after eating so that natural motility is assisted and stagnation gets prevented. Indulge in slow walking, light stretching or yoga poses that massage the abdomen as they help move gas along and stimulate digestion.
Disclaimer: This content, including advice, provides general information only. It is not a substitute for a qualified medical opinion in any way. The methods and claims mentioned in this article should be considered as suggestions only; DNP India neither confirms nor denies them. Always consult a doctor before following any such suggestions/treatments/medications/diets.