Diet for intestinal gas or how to deflate the tummy

The feeling of a bloated, heavy belly or abdominal discomfort is one of the most frequent queries. Why does our belly swell or in other words: Why do we button our pants in the morning and in the afternoon they are too tight?

This discomfort is due to the accumulation of gases in our intestine, which is produced by several causes, among them we will mention some of the most frequent. However, the best thing to do, if the advice we will give does not improve your discomfort, is to make an appointment with a doctor specializing in Nutrition to study your case.

Causes of gas in the stomach

The most frequent causes that produce abdominal bloating are:

• Lactose intolerance. The person with lactose intolerance, when drinking both whole and skimmed milk, notices abdominal distension, cramps and more or less diarrhea-like stools.
• Consumption of sweets or sugar-free products, whose sweetener is sorbitol.
• Ingesting air when eating in a hurry, not chewing well, eating chewing gum or drinking carbonated beverages.
• Consuming raw vegetables, vegetables and flatulent legumes (cabbage, broccoli, white beans…).
• Eating highly seasoned or high-fat foods such as industrial pastries.
• Sedentary lifestyle and stress.

Tips to deflate the belly by gases

From this list of causes, the following recommendations can be derived:

• Drink lactose-free milk or drinks made from soy, oatmeal, rice, spelt, etc.
• Avoid sweets and foods labeled as “sugar-free”, or check that they do not contain sorbitol.
• Eat slowly and chew well.
• Avoid salads and eat cooked or pureed vegetables. Among the legumes, lentils are usually the best tolerated, although they should always be eaten very cooked and mixed with vegetables or rice or mashed.
• To be well hydrated.
• Prepare food with simple cooking based on oven, grill, griddle, griddle, steam, and avoid sauces, battered and fried food.
• Avoid everything that is industrial pastries, they are foods rich in fats and with a high percentage of trans fats (also harmful to the cardiovascular system) that slow intestinal transit.
• Do not forget to lead an active life, physical activity promotes intestinal transit and the elimination of gases.

Achieving a good intestinal transit, avoiding constipation and expelling gases is the fundamental pillar of the recommendations we have just given you and you will not achieve the rest if you do not respect these points. When we notice the defacatory reflex we must go to the bathroom, the same as when we need to expel gases, we must find a way to make it happen. Women, more than men, because of haste, modesty, prejudices… often we do not listen to our body and we do not hear the messages it sends us and then we have cramps, tummy ache and we find ourselves very annoyed simply for not having done what was appropriate at all times.

An example of an anti-gas diet

Breakfast

1. Lactose FREE milk
2. Iberian ham sandwich

Mid-morning

1. One low-fat yogurt

Lunch

1. Grilled escalibada timbale
2. Veal fillet
3. Dessert: Peach in syrup

Snack

1. Rusks with fresh cheese
2. A glass of cold rice drink sprinkled with cinnamon

Dinner

1. Pumpkin cream
2. Sole a la Meniere
3. Dessert: Cottage cheese with raisins