What to do when bloating is taking over your life

Discover how changing your diet can help stop the unpleasant discomfort of bloating from taking over your life.

You know you are bloated when you cannot button your jeans, when only moments before you were a pants size smaller. Bloating is not to be confused with belly fat. Bloating is a temporary bulging of the stomach as a result of air pockets trapped inside your colon. It is responsible for doubling and even tripling the size of your belly in minutes. The term bloating is chiefly a female problem; men hardly ever complain about feeling gassy and the surprising reason is this:

• Men have shorter colons, and are shaped straighter from the outside-in; therefore, they are less convoluted on the inside. This creates a free passage for air pockets to push through to the end. Thus, no bloating.
• Unlike men, women have curvier and longer colons (five inches longer in fact), with twists and turns that inhibit the release of gases which often gets stuck in the abdomen. Like a roller coaster it makes the production of digestion harder to travel through to the end. This is the major reason for gassy belly bulge.

To get rid of bloating, eating differently is the key. The top four foods and snacks that cause gas and can be avoided are:

1. Carbonated drinks and sodas, including sports drink.
2. Chewing gum.
3. Artificial sweeteners (which stays in the stomach, gets fermented and promotes bloating).
4. Highly processed foods, high in salt and low in fibre.

Take these three steps needed to eat to get rid of bloating:

1. Have a high fibre breakfast to help move foods through. Avoid bagels, pancakes and cereals that clog the digestive system.
2. Eat your biggest meal at lunch. Start with a salad, then your main course, and finally, dessert of fresh fruits.
3. Eat like a pauper at dinner. Have a light smoothie or salad. After sunset your digestive tract slows down, increasing the chance of bloating.

With these dietary changes, you should soon feel the end of bloating as a constant in your life.