Swollen belly, difficult digestion… Certain foods promote bloating and intestinal discomfort. The reminder to know to deflate.
Common and most of the time not serious, bloating is nonetheless uncomfortable on a daily basis. They appear after meals, when food is fermented by the intestinal microbiota, “because certain foods cause the formation of gas in the intestine” explains Véronique Liesse, dietician-nutritionist.
If we do not all react the same when we ingest these foods, bloating can be more or less important or even non-existent in some people depending on the microbiota of each, certain types of food still tend to create more gas in the intestines than others. “These are the famous FODMAPS” says the nutritionist, mentioning these foods that are very poorly digestible. She explains to us that they ferment a lot in the intestine because they contain small carbohydrates, “very poorly absorbed by the small intestine, which therefore continue to advance to the level of the colon where the microbiota will ferment their molecules and form gases, air, and therefore this causes bloating”.
Although these are healthy foods and it is still important to eat them regularly to have a balanced diet, as Véronique Liesse reminds us, it is useful to know how to identify them to avoid accumulating them during a same meal and finish it with an unpleasant feeling of heaviness in the stomach. That’s why the nutritionist listed us 5 categories of foods that cause bloating.
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legumes
Legumes are rich in fermentable fiber which will create a lot of gas in the intestine. Among them, we find lentils, chickpeas, beans, dried beans, red beans or soybeans.
crucifers
Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower or romanesco cabbage contain sulfur which will also cause gas in the intestine.
Dairy products
They are poorly digestible, because of the lactose. Among the dairy products to be consumed in moderation, there is of course cow’s milk, but also condensed milk, yogurts, fresh cream, cottage cheese and unrefined soft cheeses.
Raw vegetables
Raw vegetables are rich in so-called “insoluble” fibers which are particularly difficult to digest. This is the case with grated carrots, tomatoes, raw peppers, but also cucumbers and corn.
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white bread
When you swallow white bread, you also ingest the yeast it contains. However, these will continue to ferment once in the intestine, which makes digestion difficult and swells the stomach.
Be careful not to exclude any food from your diet.
Although they cause gas and digestive discomfort, these foods should not be completely excluded from your diet, quite the contrary. To reduce bloating permanently, it is even necessary “keep eating it” assures us the nutritionist. First, she recommends “reduce the quantity or consumption of the food” which makes you bloat, in other words to adopt a low fodmap diet, to identify the amount that is well tolerated by the body. Then, “to gradually increase its consumption to get your microbiota used to digesting them better”. Only then will you get rid of your bloating for a long time.
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