It’s common to feel full and gassy after eating, especially a large meal.
It’s awkward, to be sure, and it can even be embarrassing in some situations. But the question is whether or not our concerns are warranted.
We’ll find out what causes post-meal gas and bloating, if it’s a sign of a damaged digestive system, and what you can do to feel better.
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The story behind bloating and gas.
1. When there is too much gas or air in the digestive tract, a person feels bloated.
2. Either the oxygen you take in when you eat and drink or the natural gas produced by the bacteria in your digestive tract could be to blame (microbiome).
3. Gas and bloating after eating are common symptoms of digestive disorders and certain foods.
4. Changing your diet in a few simple ways can help you feel much better by decreasing bloating and gas.
What causes bloating and gas after eating?
According to WebMD. The uncomfortable feelings of fullness, abdominal tightness, and gas that might occur after a meal are collectively referred to as “bloating.” When air or gas gets stuck in the digestive tract, it swells up and makes you feel bad.
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So, what causes bloating?
Gas is released during digestion, which is why people often feel full after eating.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for us to accidentally swallow air along with our food. The carbonated gas in soda and beer can also make you feel bloated, but you’re more likely to get rid of it by burping than by going to the bathroom.
You can thank the trillions of microorganisms that reside in your gut microbiome for the majority of the gas you experience in your lower digestive tract. During digestion, microbes in the gut make metabolites, which are a wide range of substances, as well as gases that are often released when we fart.
Intestinal gas production is affected by a number of factors. The most obvious ones are the foods you eat and the kinds and numbers of bacteria that live in your gut. The duration of digestion is known as “transit time.”
The gases that make up intestinal gas are mostly inert gases like nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen sulfide and other compounds with sulfur might have a small part in making that familiar fart smell.
Not all the gas exits your body through this route, which is an intriguing fact to consider. It can also be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the body that way.
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Is it normal to feel bloated and gassy after eating?
The presence of gas is a sign that the bacteria in our gut are getting the food they need. Some people may have more gas than others due to variances in gut flora and diet.
Because they cause a lot of microbial activity, some foods or very large meals may cause you to have too much gas.
But the feeling of gas pushing against the walls of the gut can be painful and uncomfortable even if the person’s bacteria aren’t making an abnormally large amount of gas (visceral hypersensitivity).
Excess gas and bloating can be signs of diseases like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), as well as food intolerances like lactose intolerance and celiac disease (SIBO).
Pain and swelling in the abdomen are not very common, but cancer is one of the rarer causes.
If stomach pains or other symptoms persist despite normalizing one’s food and lifestyle, medical attention is warranted.
