Remedies for Bloating

These days we are hearing a lot about abdominal bloating. What is abdominal bloating? Most of the time bloating is caused due to overeating. Sometimes people have a really heavy dinner and next morning have abdominal swelling accompanied sometimes by a slight pain. It makes you feel really sluggish and makes movement a bit difficult. Mostly bloating is just gas, because of overeating, especially foods that are considered gas-producing. Others tend to swallow a lot of air due to nervousness. This is called aerophagia. Women who are expecting their periods, too, complain about bloating. But if you feel bloated a bit too often, it may be due to different reasons like food intolerances, allergies to certain foods, partial bowel obstruction etc. For this you should go and see a doctor. The doctor can then prescribe to you a diet of non-trouble-making foods so that this problem can be avoided.

For those who simply overate last night and are seeking home remedies for bloating, read on.

Home Remedies for Bloating
The remedies for bloating differ based on the causes. So it is essential to first identify abdominal bloating causes.

For Constipation
Overeating can either result in constipation or gas. Either of these will make your stomach feel bloated. If the problem is constipation, the easiest home remedy for bloating is to consume something with a high fiber content. A high fiber diet will help push the food in the intestinal tract along. If you can get your hands on foods that have soluble fiber, that will be even better as soluble fibers will help in softening the stools and easing the constipation and hence the feeling of being bloated.

For Gas
Another cause of bloating is gas. Some foods are notoriously known to release gas while being digested. Hence, to relieve this problem, the simplest remedy is to consume carbonated water. Consuming soda results in belching and automatically helps relieve the problem of gas. Gas can also be relieved by sitting in a particular yoga position, where you lie on your back, fold your knees and hold them tightly with your hands, close to your stomach. Gas can also be relived by consuming certain teas, such as chamomile tea. You can also add some peppermint to the tea. As these teas are natural remedies for gas bloating, there is no problem of side-effects whatsoever. Chewing celery seeds is also recommended.

Some Other Remedies

• Boil bay leaves in water and drink a cup of it at one time.
• Fennel and ginger teas are also helpful as a bloating remedy. You can even chew fennel after meals as a prevention.
• Activated charcoal pills also help in bloating, but they should not be used long-term. Also, consult a health care practitioner before you start on this or if you take other medications.

Bloating Prevention
If bloating is becoming too common an occurrence, there are some preventive measure you can use.

• You need to get a grip on your eating habits. If there are some foods that your system is finding troublesome, you need to find out which ones they are and start avoiding them. Some people have a tendency to get gas a bit often, so avoid gas-producing foods such as beans, broccoli, etc.
• Follow a high-fiber diet plan. High fiber cereals and foods help easing digestion as they push the food along and ease the process of digestion.
• Avoid gulping food or drinking through straw. This causes a lot of air to enter along with the food and drink.
• It is always a good practice to drink enough water. Water too, plays its part in the digestive process. You should avoid drinking aerated drionks as they add to the gas content in stomach.

Do what you can to avoid bloating in the first place. After all, prevention is better than cure! These were some of the preventive measures and remedies for bloating. Like any other problem, this one too is better prevented and you can use some of the suggestions to prevent bloating in the future as well!