See What to Eat Instead

Bloating is a mild digestive disorder that occurs as a result of eating certain kinds of foods. It is characterized by the swelling and enlargement of the belly after eating. It causes discomfort, gives you a lot of gas, and makes your belly unnecessarily strong.

Bloating is mostly caused by digestive issues. Being a common digestive issue that can happen to anybody regardless of their age and class, about 30% of people experience bloating almost regularly.

Seldom, bloating can be a symptom of a major medical condition. This is why it is important to find out what exactly the cause of your bloating is. When it becomes too constant, you might need to check what the cause is with a professional medical health provider.

Most bloating issues are caused by the foods we eat. Some people mistake bloating for water retention. Water retention is the increase of the water amounts in the body. It has nothing to do with bloating as they are two different things entirely.

Food that Causes Bloating

The following are 13 foods that can trigger or lead to bloating. Also attached to these foods are better foods substitutes or alternatives you should eat instead, as they can reduce your risks of experiencing the discomfort associated with bloating.

Beans

Bean is a member of the family of legumes. They have high amounts of nutrients and are on the list of foods with the highest protein contents in the world. They are also packed with healthy carbs, rich in fiber, and contain reasonable amounts of vitamins and minerals.

However, despite this high nutritional profile, most beans are packed with alpha-galactosides, a kind of sugar, which also apply to a group of carbs known as FODMAPs (a short chain of carbohydrates.) This group of carbs is during digestion try to escape the process of digestion, and end up being fermented in your colon by your gut bacteria, and then gives off-gas as its end result. This is why you begin to experience bloating after eating beans.

FODMAOs for healthy people might not cause bloating. However, in people with bowel issues like irritable bowels, they might experience bloating. The latter group of people is advised to soak the beans in water and change the water as often as they can before eating, as this can reduce the FODMAPs level, thus reducing their risks of bloating.

Alternative; one of the healthiest alternatives for beans is quinoa, grains of meat. Also, not all beans are unfriendly to the digestive system. for instance, black and pinto beans are great kinds of beans that are friendly to the digestive process, especially when they are soaked before cooking.

Lentils

Just like beans, lentils are also members of the family of legumes. They have high fiber, protein, minerals, manganese, iron, and healthy carbs contents packed within them.

Most times, the common content of lentils that causes bloating is their fiber content. They have high fiber contents. People who have sensitive bowels tend to always get affected by the fiber in lentils. It also contains FODMAPs like beans that promote the production of gas that causes bloating.

However, when you soak your lentils before eat, it reduces your risks of experiencing bloating.

Alternative; if you have noticed that your bowel is sensitive or you get affected by fiber easily, you can try out only a few kinds of lentils that have only a few fiber contents. Some of these lentils include light-colored fibers.

Carbonated Drinks

Another major cause of bloating in most people is the consumption of carbonated drinks. This is because the most common component of carbonated drinks, as the name implies, is carbon dioxide which is a kind of gas. Drinking carbonated drinks opens you up to swallowing high amounts of this gas which can cause discomfort and pain and end up leaving you bloated as the gas accumulates in the digestive system, causing discomfort.

Alternative; one of the healthiest beverages in the world is water. It is best to drink water instead. If you must take a sweetened drink, take natural fruit juices or blend fruits by yourself at home and make juices out of them, rather than taking carbonated drinks. Other healthy substitutes for carbonated drinks might include coffee or tea.

Wheat

Wheat contains a kind of protein known as gluten. This makes it a very controversial food. Wheat is one of the most universally consumed food in the world. It is the major ingredient in almost all baked products in the world. Some of these baked foods include bread, pizzas, pasta, pancakes, waffles, and so on.

For people with gluten sensitivity, eating wheat can give them bloating, gas, stomach pain, and even diarrhea.

Alternative; rather than wheat, eat oats, quinoa, buckwheat, coconut flour, and almond flour if you are gluten sensitive. They are the healthiest substitute for wheat.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts, and Brussels are members of the family of cruciferous vegetables. They are healthy vegetables and should be consumed by everybody. They contain minerals and nutrients like vitamins, potassium, iron, and fiber.

One thing that adds them to the list of foods that cause bloating is their FODMAPs content. However, cooking them might reduce the impacts of FODMAPs on your stomach health.

Alternative; try out other healthy vegetable substitutes like cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, and sweet potatoes.

Onions

Onions are known not just for their numerous health benefits but also for the mouth-watery flavor they add to recipes. They can be devoured both raw and cooked and are popular ingredients in raw food diets.

However, they contain fructans, a fiber that has a high tendency to cause bloating. In addition, some people are naturally sensitive or have high intolerance for onions, especially raw onions.

Due to its fructans content, onions cause bloating and discomfort. However, cooking onions can help reduce the impacts.

Alternative; try out other healthy and natural spices as onions substitutes. Or cook your onions before eating.

Barley

Barley is a highly nutritious cereal and one of the most consumed cereals in the world. It has high vitamins and minerals contents like selenium and manganese.

Because barley has high fiber contents, it has the tendencies to cause bloating, especially in people whose bodies can tolerate only tiny amounts of fiber. In addition, gluten contains gluten and can be a major turn-off for those who are gluten intolerant.

Alternative; barley can be substituted with other grains like quinoa, oats, buckwheat, and brown rice.

Rye

Rye is a source of fiber, phosphorus, copper, B vitamins, and manganese. It is similar to wheat. People who are gluten-free might find it difficult to eat rye food. This is because rye has high gluten amounts.

Alternative; eat other grains like brown rice, quinoa, or buckwheat.

Dairy Products

Dairy is one of the most nutritious foods in the world, just like eggs. They are easy to incorporate into diets and easy to eat, except in cases of people with milk allergies and lactose intolerance.

Dairy products include; cheese, yogurts, butter, and milk.

People who are lactose intolerant might find it difficult to digest milk. Thus they might experience bloating if they consume milk.

Alternatives; you can consume lactose-free dairy, or coconut milk, rice, or soy milk.

Apples

Apples are part of the most nutritious and most popular fruits in the world. They have high vitamins and minerals content and supply the body with numerous health benefits.

However, most people have complained of having bloated stomachs after eating apples. The apple ingredients that cause bloating are the fiber and fructose content. They can cause digestive issues. Cooking apples can be a better step to avoiding bloating.

Alternative; eat other fruits like bananas, strawberries, oranges, blueberries, grapefruits, and mandarins.

Garlic

Garlic is a kitchen spice that is not only popularly known for its health benefits. It is also known for its ability to enhance the flavor of meals. However, eating garlic comes hand in hand with experiencing bloating in most cases. This is as a result of the compounds that are contained in garlic. This is why it is best to cook garlic before eating it. This can help reduce its bloating effects by a lot.

Alternatives; use other herbs to spice up your foods. Other healthy and natural spice substitutes for garlic include; parsley, thyme, basil, and chives.

In conclusion, if you experience bloating very often, it is possible that you have been eating one or more of the foods on this list. These foods are highly nutritional and should not be avoided completely, as properly cooking or soaking them can help reduce bloating cases. However, if there is anyone that always has a severe effect on you personally after eating it, then avoid it as much as you can.