It’s 9:48 at night and you’re standing in front of the mirror reminiscing over your body. Your gut protrudes more and your face seems swollen. It appears somehow you’ve gained 10 pounds since the last time you looked at your body.
The next morning, you look back at yourself and clearly see the definition lines in your stomach that were missing last night and a thinned out face. Miraculously, your entire body transformed in an 8 hour night’s rest. Now that’s bloat for you.
Bloat is defined as full of fluids or gas. After a long day of eating certain types of food, your body retains extra water and air inside of your body, making you feel extremely full, gassy, or swollen. Bloating is quite common and doesn’t always come after eating a huge meal.
Although bloating can be caused by eating too quickly or too much, oftentimes bloating is caused by the types of foods we eat. To prevent unnecessary bloating, use caution when eating the foods below.
1. Beans
We’ve heard the tune many a time—beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot, the more you toot, the better you feel, so eat your beans with every meal. Beans, besides their fibrous quality, are a part of FODMAP, a grouping of short-chained carbohydrates that are not processed well by the gut. The colon’s reaction to this is to create a gas.
#SpoonTip: If you are dealing with a sensitive stomach or IBS, limiting your FODMAP intake will improve your health.
2. Carbonated Drinks
Drinking large amounts of carbonated drinks will lead to your body storing excess gas in your digestive system (RIP beer and soda). What doesn’t come out in burps and belches will ultimately make its way to the other side.
#SpoonTip: If you cannot resist drinking a nice fizzy beverage, try Perrier or Saratoga Springs sparkling water. They are naturally carbonated and do not contain as much gas as a can of Coke.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable. It contains anti-inflammatory, properties as well as tons of nutritional vitamins and minerals including vitamin K and folate. However, broccoli also comes along with tons of fiber. For some, it can help more your digestive system along and make you feel fuller faster, but for others, especially those who have a diet rich in fiber, it will cause flatulence.
#SpoonTip: Eating too much fiber will cause your farts to smell. TMI? Maybe.
4. Chewing Gum
While chewing a piece of gum, you inhale air into your digestive tract. The air will get trapped in your stomach until release on the other side. Gum also contains many artificial sweeteners and chemicals that enter your body to cause more bloat. Whether you choose sugar-free or regular gum, it will all affect how you feel afterward.
5. Hard Candy
You might be thinking of ways to reduce your gum chewing habit and think mints or sucking candies will fill the void. Just like gum, it will lead to air making its way back to your gut. On top of that, many lollipops and mints contain sorbitol, a drug usually given to aid constipation. Some of the side effects include excess bloat, vomiting, and diarrhea. I’ll pass.
6. Pears
Sucking candies have added sorbitol, but pears, as well as prunes, apples, and peaches, have a natural source of the laxative. Too many of these fruits can lead to some unwanted after effects. So an apple a day will keep the doctor away, but too many will have you back at the doc.
7. Milk
For many people, eating or drinking large doses of dairy causes stomach bloat. Unbeknownst to them, they may have a case of lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is very common and affects up to 65% of the world’s population. When the body cannot digest lactose, the body creates gas to combat the unfamiliar carb.
8. Corn
Ever wonder why sometimes your corn looks the same coming out as it did going down? It’s due to corn’s carbohydrate, cellulose, which is not easily digestible by the human body. While your body does its best at breaking down the components, the food ultimately causes your body to create gas and cramps.
9. Packaged Chips
Chips contain huge amounts of sodium. One of the properties of salt is its effect to retain water. Your body’s cells will retain the water inside of you can cause your entire body to swell. While sodium is necessary for your nerves and regulated blood pressure, be conscientious of nutrition labels.
10. Coffee
Ever wonder why after a large cup of coffee your stomach starts to feel uneasy? The diuretic properties of coffee dehydrate your organs. Your body, in an effort to supply enough water to the body, retains the water within your body’s cells.
#SpoonTip: Drinking a 3:1 water to coffee ratio in the morning will help to prevent some of the unwanted bloat.
Bloat is inevitable—even the healthiest of food can cause some unwanted after effects. Eating a well-balanced diet can help to alleviate some of the yucky, swollen feeling you get at night. Remember, eating everything in moderation will keep you healthy.