7 Foods That Cause Bloating (and What To Eat Instead)
Many foods can cause digestive issues, especially if you have a food intolerance or sensitivity. However, you don’t have to struggle with dietary issues to experience certain symptoms, like bloating. Bloating is when your stomach feels big, swollen and like it’s about to burst after eating. This is a super common issue that is usually caused by food staying longer in your intestinal track than it should be. Around 30% of people even say they experience it on the regular! But did you know, there are some foods that cause bloating way more than others? Today we will show you which they are and what foods you can eat instead of them, so you can avoid the horrible feeling of bloating.
Many foods can cause digestive issues, especially if you have a food intolerance or sensitivity
Foods That Cause Bloating
Nobody likes feeling bloated. But some foods like to linger longer than others in your intestinal track. And the food that sits begins to decompose and ferment, which results in gas build-up. Which leads you to feel like an inflated balloon. So, if you want to skip out on this uncomfortable feeling, let’s see which foods you should be avoiding more often than not.
Bloating is when your stomach feels big, swollen and like it’s about to burst after eating
#Beans
Beans can be considered a super food. They are packed with high amounts of protein, carbs, and they are rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins. However, most beans also contain a ton of sugars called alpha-galactosides, which belong to a group of carbs called FODMAPs. FODMAPs are manage to escape digestion in the body and then get fermented in the colon by the gut bacteria. This produces gas. So, eating beans is a sure way to build-up gas in the body and create bloating.
Alternative: You can reduce the FODMAPs in beans by soaking them in water before meal time. You can also go for beans, such as black-eyed peas, that tend to be way less demanding on the digestive system.
Beans also contain a ton of sugars called alpha-galactosides, which belong to a group of carbs called FODMAPs
#Fizzy drinks
While they are delicious, fizzy drinks are among the most common causes of bloating. Such drinks have amounts of carbon dioxide, which is a gas. So, when you drink such drinks, all you are essentially doing is just swallowing up large amounts of gas, that gets trapped and creates pressure in the stomach.
Alternative: Well, the best alternative to fizzy drinks is water. But other drinks such as coffee, tea and fruit-flavored water is also a good choice. If you can’t go without a fizzy drink try to limit your intake to 237 ml (8 ounces) per day.
While they are delicious, fizzy drinks are among the most common causes of bloating
#Cruciferous Veggies
Broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower. All of these delicious vitamin-packed veggies are a part of the cabbage family and can be quite problematic for your stomach. The sugars in these vegetables makes them harder to digest, which causes bloating. The problem is very similar to that of the beans.
Alternative: Eating these veggies raw significantly increase the chance of bloating, so make sure to cook them beforehand. And if you want to lower the chance of bloating to a minimum, substitute them for some spinach, cucumbers, zucchinis, or asparagus.
The sugars in these vegetables makes them harder to digest, which causes bloating
#Dairy
Dairy is super nutritious and a great source of calcium and protein. It also comes in many forms you can enjoy such as milk, yogurt, cream cheese, butter, cheese and so on. However, around 65% of the world’s population has a hard time breaking down lactose, which is a type of sugar found within milk. Which means that any time you have dairy products you may experience digestive problems, such as bloating, cramping and gas.
Alternative: Nowadays, there are plenty of lactose-free milk products, as well as milk alternatives. But some people may tolerate cream, butter, hard cheeses and yogurt, even thought hey are made of milk.
Dairy is super nutritious and a great source of calcium and protein
#Beer
While this drink may be the favorite of many, it is a common culprit of bloating. This is because beer is made from fermentable carbs such as maize, wheat, barley, and even rice mixed with water and yeast. So, it essentially contains both gas and fermented carbs – two things that cause bloating.
Alternative: You can always limit your consumption, or opt out of alcoholic drinks such as red wine, white wine or other spirits in general.
While this drink may be the favorite of many, it is a common culprit of bloating
#Onions
This veggie has the talent to make you cry in numerous ways, apparently. Onions have a soluble fiber in them, which is known as fructan. Fructan is famous for wreaking havoc on your digestive tract. This delicious root veggie just packs way too much punch for more sensitive stomachs to handle, which leads to bloating.
Alternative: Raw onions can create way more stomach issues than cooked ones. So, if you want to keep this anti-inflammatory food in your diet, make sure to cook them before eating. Oh, and you can always use onion powder instead of the real thing.
This veggie has the talent to make you cry in numerous ways, apparently
#Artifical Sweeteners
In general, your body will react much better to food that is natural. So, things like artificial sugar will give your body a much harder time to process it. Common types of sweeteners are mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol. These sugar alcohols are also FODMAPs. Which means they will cause digestive problems and lead to bloating.
Alternative: Instead of mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol, choose erythritol. It is also a sugar alcohol and artificial sweetener, but it is much easier to digest. Stevia is also a good option.
Things like artificial sugar will give your body a much harder time to process it
These were some of the foods that cause bloating, as well as what to eat instead of them. We hope you found this article useful. Try to keep these foods out of your daily diet if you want to avoid a painful, bloated stomach.
These were some of the foods that cause bloating, as well as what to eat instead of them
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