Why Do I Feel Bloated After Eating Carbs? How Do I Get Rid Of It?

Everyone sometime or the other may have experienced gaseous distention and bloating after eating food. It may be quiet discomforting and embarrassing situation. Often after eating a heavy meal some discomfort is possible, but regular bloating of abdomen after a meal must be looked into as this may be linked with the food that you consume daily. In majority of cases those who experience bloating and gasses, the cause is eating large amount of carbohydrate food. Besides excess of complex carbohydrates, certain other medical issues must also be looked into if bloating is regular.

Why do carbohydrates cause bloating?

There are several factors that may be responsible for bloating of abdomen after eating carbohydrates.

• Eating too much of fiber containing complex carbs:
  • Especially the complex carbohydrates that you consume in the form of vegetables, legumes, cereals and grains, nuts and berries are often responsible to cause gassiness and bloating. If you have recently increased consumption of carbohydrate foods you may be experiencing bloating because of increased fiber content in the gut. Complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, beans and grain all contain fiber. This may help to reduce constipation but the fiber content does not completely get digested.
    Although some amount of fiber food is always welcome for formation and easy passage of stool, eating carbohydrate in excess can be troublesome for the digestive tract. It can increase gas formation and intestinal distension.
• Bloating due to gluten present in carb:
  • Many of the carbohydrate containing foods such as pasta and bread are made from wheat, barley or rye flour. They contain gluten which is a protein. If you have intolerance to gluten, you are likely to suffer from bloating and abdominal pain after eating gluten rich carbs. Gluten may not be suitable for people suffering from celiac disease. In this condition, the intestinal lining becomes inflamed due to gluten. Over a period of time gluten exposure in such patients can damage the intestinal lining which may lead to several other health problems because of reduced nutrient absorption.
• Bloating due to intolerance of lactose:
  • Some people may have lactose intolerance. Lactose is a type of carbohydrate (sugar) that is naturally present in dairy products. Lactose breaks down to simple sugar and gets absorbed in the blood. This process of breakdown and absorption is facilitated with some enzyme present in the gastrointestinal tract. Some people lack this enzyme. For them digestion of lactose becomes difficult. The bacteria present in the intestine start to breakdown the undigested carbohydrate. When they do so, gas is released leading to symptoms such as bloating and cramps in the abdomen. Not only lactose, often fructose another natural sugar found in wheat, beans, fruits, and artificial sweeteners can cause troublesome bloating. It may also aggravate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome is a person is suffering from this condition.

How to get rid of bloating from carbs:

As you know by now, there are number of factors linked with carbohydrate to produce gas and bloating. You can take appropriate measure to reduce this discomforting problem in following ways:

• If you suspect excess eating of carb containing food is the underlying cause for gasses and bloating of abdomen, you may reduce its intake. Alternatively you can increase it slowly instead of rapidly upping up carb intake.
• If you are intolerant to gluten present in wheat and other grains, you can opt for gluten free carbohydrate products. Potato, sweet potato, sweet corn, quinoa, Rice and oats, gluten free pasta, amaranth can be used as substitute. It is advisable to follow the advice of your doctor regarding dietary intake if you have gluten intolerance.
• If lactose intolerance is the cause of bloating, you can avoid foods that contain lactose or you can take enzymes that will help to digest the lactose containing food.