How to remediate gas problems

Published: 08/15/2012 - Updated: 11/05/2017

If you suffer from gas, you feel bloated (a) as a ball, and your colicky pain spreads from the abdomen to the chest, even causing a sensation of drowning, it is important to check carefully what foods are leading your daily diet .

Intestinal gas, also known as aerophagia, flatulence or bloating are caused mainly by poor nutrition, which in turn can lead to back problems and constipation, only in some cases the gases are generated by problems of nervousness or stress, but in lower incidence.

A lot of pain

When it’s chronic you can feel the air pushes like a ball and pain in the genital area, you may think that the cause is other than intestinal gas.

Other causes concern that a person is more prone to gas if he/she eats too fast, if speaks a lot while eating, if diet contains plenty of fiber and dairy products and if also he/she suffers from irritable bowel and lack of intestinal flora.

Check what you eat

If the problem is your diet, the first thing to do is to eliminate from your diet food such as dairy foods. If you do and the problem disappears, the lactose was responsible. Then, it is best that you replace the cow dairy for vegetable milk such as soybeans, oats and almonds.

If the gas pain, cramps and stitches do not go away by eliminating dairy, you can try removing the grain of your list, to certify that you can’t digest gluten.

Now with sweeteners, often these increase gases. Drink water with your meals, no soda.

Other foods that can generate gases and must be evaluated every day are lettuce, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, artichokes, peas and legumes. Similarly, the whole food or with an excess of fiber.

Watch out for this because it is not necessary that you remove all these foods unexpectedly, the best way is to distinguish which are responsible for your gas and which are harmless.

Five meals

Experts recommend doing five meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a snack mid-morning and mid afternoon, which could be a fruit or food that do not generate high calories.

Spending many hours without eating and being hungry increases insulin levels and weakens the digestive system.

Tips

  • As we have developed in previous articles, we recommend that you take your time when eating, tasting and savoring the food, is necessary even chew at least 20 times a morsel of food.
  • If your problem is aerophagia, caused by stress or nervousness, it is important that you relax after meals, even a few minutes.
  • You should avoid constipation as it is the leading cause of intestinal gas.
  • Once you have eaten, wait some time before going to bed.
  • Taking digestive enzymes and "gut flora" (acidophilus, bifidus, etc.) is often helpful to avoid flatulence.

Infusions

The most recommended natural teas are lemon verbena, lemon balm, chamomile or linden. Charcoal is another thing that goes very well for gases, it absorbs them, exiting through the feces.

Not recommended

Other foods that should be on your list to evaluate if they are the cause of your gases are: sugar, cucumbers, turnips, beans, wheat bread, whole wheat products, grapes and plums.

About the author
  • S.M. Aiquipa

    She has a degree in Communication. She has complemented her work as a journalist with an in-depth study of dietetics and health. Sally has a solid background in journalism and great communication skills. She is able to explain in a clear, simple and understandable way complex nutritional concepts or high level scientific studies. Linkedin profile.