Doctor explains Christmas mistake that causes bloating and how to prevent it
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The festive season is upon us, which means there's an abundance of mince pies, cheese boards and mulled wine doing the rounds. However, overindulging in tasty treats throughout the Christmas period can lead to bloating - which certainly doesn’t feel very festive.
A nutritionist has explained what might be causing the uncomfortable issue and has offered some tips about how to enjoy the lead-up to Christmas without feeling like you are going to combust. According to Dr Emma Derbyshire, public health nutritionist and advisor to PrecisionBiotics, the most common cause of bloating is gastrointestinal gas.
She said: “This can be a digestive issue and may be simply caused by eating too fast, a food intolerance or food allergy that causes digestive issues and gas to build up." Other factors such as the menstrual cycle can also contribute to this unpleasant feeling.
She added: "As your period approaches hormone levels change causing your body to retain water and cause bloating. Anxiety can also cause bloating often due to the swallowing of air. Medical conditions such as irritable bowel may also result in bloating.".
According to the doctor, signs of bloating include "a feeling of fullness or pressure in your abdomen, your abdomen feels bigger than usual, you may have stomach pain and discomfort and your stomach may gurgle or rumble. Bloating can range from mildly uncomfortable to intensively painful.".
Some people are more likely to experience bloating than others due to factors like food intolerances, IBS and an unhealthy balance of gut bacteria, such as a lower proportion of healthy to less healthy bacteria. Derbyshire added: “An unhealthy gut microbiota may be caused by diet with highly processed food high in fat, sugar and salt being a possible culprit.”.
