Bloating is a very common symptom that people often experience after eating a meal.
The bloating is usually felt in the lower part of the abdomen and sometimes in the upper section.
Bloating usually feels as if there is pressure being applied from the inside and people often report that they can look up to six months pregnant. Bloating after eating is often different to the bloating experienced with menopause, pregnancy and PMS. Bloating after eating feels gassy and is usually relieved after passing wind or burping. This kind of bloating can be caused by certain foods. However, if it happens frequently, it can also indicate a digestive problem such as leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, candida overgrowth, intestinal parasites, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and general food allergies and intolerances. Apart from bloating after eating, a common symptom of all of these conditions is chronic tiredness. This is because your digestive system is responsible for the breakdown and absorption of nutrients from the food you eat. If there is a digestive problem, its easy to become nutrient deficient and this commonly causes chronic tiredness.
So, how do you know if you are bloating because of foods that you are eating, or because you have a digestive problem A person with a healthy digestive system will experience far less bloating, even with foods that commonly cause bloating. However, the list of foods below commonly causes bloating in many people.
1. Raffinose - a sugar found in beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, other vegetables and whole grains. Eaten raw, these foods cause more bloating than when they are cooked.
2. Lactose - a natural sugar found mainly in milk and milk products, such as cheese, cream, yogurt and ice cream. Lactose levels are much higher in milk and non-fat milk than in cheese and yogurt. Lactose is commonly associated with irritable bowel syndrome.
3. Fructose - a sugar found in fruits and honey. It's also used as a sweetener in some soft drinks, fruit drinks and processed foods. Fructose is also considered to be an important contributing factor to irritable bowel syndrome for many people.
4. Sorbitol - a sugar found naturally in fruits, including apples, pears, peaches, and prunes, and is also used as an artificial sweetener in many dietetic foods and sugar-free candy and gum.
5. Starches - most starches, including potatoes, corn, rice, bread, noodles and any products made from flour produce gas as they are broken down in the large intestine.
6. Wheat - in particular, wheat appears to be a major source of bloating and gas. Most people find that if they eliminate wheat and flour products, their bloating nearly always improves.
7. Soluble fiber - this type of fiber dissolves easily in water and takes on a soft, gel-like texture in the intestines. It's found in oat bran, beans, peas and most fruits.
8. Insoluble fiber - this type of fiber doesn't dissolve in water and passes unchanged through the intestines and therefore produces less gas than soluble fiber. It is found in wheat bran and most fruit and vegetable skins.
9. Legumes commonly cause bloating and gas due to their complex structure of starch and protein. Soaking and cooking legumes well helps to reduce bloating.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Angry? It might be something you ate
What we eat and how we feel is very related and important to know how it effects us.
Imagine that a calm, happy life could be served on a breakfast, lunch or dinner plate, even in a brown bag. According to some, it can be.
You won’t find it in a fast-food hamburger box or a vending machine. But more and more research shows there is a correlation between good food and good mood.
“It’s a fast-food nation, and we don’t always take the time to make the connection between what we eat and how we feel,” says Kristy Lewis, a naturopathic doctor at Pure Med Naturopathic Centre in Ottawa.
“We live in a society where people want to take a quick pill, whereas conscious nutrition is a lot of work.”
Aggression is a behavior that many food experts say can be altered by diet. What we eat can even affect our sense of right and wrong.
“Food is not just something that fills our stomach. It’s very active biologically and chemically, and it affects us,” says Jack Challem, Montreal-born author of The Food-Mood Solution. “Your body needs vitamins, protein and other nutrients to make the brain chemicals that help you think clearly, maintain a good mood and act in socially acceptable ways.
Among the foods that cause aggressive behavior, says Challem, are “junk fats” or trans fats.
“Sixty per cent of the brain is fat, so if you consume junk fats, you’re putting a high percentage of junk fats into your brain, and that impedes the way brain cells communicate with each other.”
While the science of food and mood is still evolving, foods linked to allergies are also on the list of suspect aggressor foods, says Lewis.
“Casein, which is found in dairy, and gluten in wheat are two culprits. According to some theories, some people get a toxic effect, creating a substance in the body that leads to aggression or the inability to control behavior.”
Manufactured chemicals like aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG) can also be temper igniters, Lewis says. She suggests nixing foods like instant soups and sauces that contain MSG, plus foods with artificial coloring and low-cal sweeteners.
Aggressive behavior can also be related to low blood sugar, so experts recommend eating more small meals of whole grains, protein and vegetables to keep levels in balance and avoiding refined carbohydrates such as bread, fruit juices and pastries that cause levels to yo-yo.
On the sunny side, some foods dissipate aggression.
“There is evidence that omega-3 fats help improve depression and aggression as well,” says Mona Moorhouse, clinical dietitian at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. Adding protein, high-fiber vegetables and B vitamins to your diet are also good mood bets.
Lewis says when diet is altered, improvements in aggression are tangible, often seen within two weeks.
To assess whether you have food-related aggressive feelings, she recommends keeping a journal. Jot down what you eat and when, and your patterns of aggression during your day.
Lewis also recommends supplements such as 5-HTP, which boosts the brain’s feel-good chemical serotonin, or GABA, which induces relaxation and inhibits overstimulating the brain.
If a good diet and supplementation still do nothing for your nefarious outbursts, you could check with your physician. You might be having trouble absorbing nutrients. Or perhaps it’s just time to take some anger management classes.
FOODS LINKED TO AGGRESSION
Sugar: While carbohydrates initially boost mood by activating serotonin, you’ll also crash quickly after consuming them, making you feel cranky.
Caffeine: While caffeine improves alertness in the short term, the crash that follows can make you irritable.
Alcohol: Alcohol weakens brain functions that normally restrain impulsive behaviors such as excessive aggression.
Wheat and milk: The main allergic response to wheat and casein in milk products is possible brain inflammation, which can cause hostility.
MSG and artificial sweeteners: Their ingredients can heighten reactions, including aggressive feelings.
FOODS THAT COMBAT AGGRESSION
Peanuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, artichokes, spinach, turkey, soy, parmesan cheese, gelatin, mozzarella, peaches, red peppers, papaya, corn, sunflower seeds, lentils, carrots, turnip, squash, broccoli, oats, avocado, potatoes, bran, banana, kidney beans, peas, tomato juice.
Imagine that a calm, happy life could be served on a breakfast, lunch or dinner plate, even in a brown bag. According to some, it can be.
You won’t find it in a fast-food hamburger box or a vending machine. But more and more research shows there is a correlation between good food and good mood.
“It’s a fast-food nation, and we don’t always take the time to make the connection between what we eat and how we feel,” says Kristy Lewis, a naturopathic doctor at Pure Med Naturopathic Centre in Ottawa.
“We live in a society where people want to take a quick pill, whereas conscious nutrition is a lot of work.”
Aggression is a behavior that many food experts say can be altered by diet. What we eat can even affect our sense of right and wrong.
“Food is not just something that fills our stomach. It’s very active biologically and chemically, and it affects us,” says Jack Challem, Montreal-born author of The Food-Mood Solution. “Your body needs vitamins, protein and other nutrients to make the brain chemicals that help you think clearly, maintain a good mood and act in socially acceptable ways.
Among the foods that cause aggressive behavior, says Challem, are “junk fats” or trans fats.
“Sixty per cent of the brain is fat, so if you consume junk fats, you’re putting a high percentage of junk fats into your brain, and that impedes the way brain cells communicate with each other.”
While the science of food and mood is still evolving, foods linked to allergies are also on the list of suspect aggressor foods, says Lewis.
“Casein, which is found in dairy, and gluten in wheat are two culprits. According to some theories, some people get a toxic effect, creating a substance in the body that leads to aggression or the inability to control behavior.”
Manufactured chemicals like aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG) can also be temper igniters, Lewis says. She suggests nixing foods like instant soups and sauces that contain MSG, plus foods with artificial coloring and low-cal sweeteners.
Aggressive behavior can also be related to low blood sugar, so experts recommend eating more small meals of whole grains, protein and vegetables to keep levels in balance and avoiding refined carbohydrates such as bread, fruit juices and pastries that cause levels to yo-yo.
On the sunny side, some foods dissipate aggression.
“There is evidence that omega-3 fats help improve depression and aggression as well,” says Mona Moorhouse, clinical dietitian at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. Adding protein, high-fiber vegetables and B vitamins to your diet are also good mood bets.
Lewis says when diet is altered, improvements in aggression are tangible, often seen within two weeks.
To assess whether you have food-related aggressive feelings, she recommends keeping a journal. Jot down what you eat and when, and your patterns of aggression during your day.
Lewis also recommends supplements such as 5-HTP, which boosts the brain’s feel-good chemical serotonin, or GABA, which induces relaxation and inhibits overstimulating the brain.
If a good diet and supplementation still do nothing for your nefarious outbursts, you could check with your physician. You might be having trouble absorbing nutrients. Or perhaps it’s just time to take some anger management classes.
FOODS LINKED TO AGGRESSION
Sugar: While carbohydrates initially boost mood by activating serotonin, you’ll also crash quickly after consuming them, making you feel cranky.
Caffeine: While caffeine improves alertness in the short term, the crash that follows can make you irritable.
Alcohol: Alcohol weakens brain functions that normally restrain impulsive behaviors such as excessive aggression.
Wheat and milk: The main allergic response to wheat and casein in milk products is possible brain inflammation, which can cause hostility.
MSG and artificial sweeteners: Their ingredients can heighten reactions, including aggressive feelings.
FOODS THAT COMBAT AGGRESSION
Peanuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, artichokes, spinach, turkey, soy, parmesan cheese, gelatin, mozzarella, peaches, red peppers, papaya, corn, sunflower seeds, lentils, carrots, turnip, squash, broccoli, oats, avocado, potatoes, bran, banana, kidney beans, peas, tomato juice.
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