In the last decade, there has been a steady rise in the number of young Indians experiencing bloating and other gastrointestinal issues on a regular basis. Bloating is not just uncomfortable. It brings abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and a dampening of mood and productivity levels. You don’t feel fresh and energized because of a bloated tummy.
Signs of bloating
How do you know if you are bloated? Following are some signs that tell you that you are bloated:
- Abdominal pain
- Distention of stomach
- Tightness or fullness in the abdomen
Bloating: Causes & remedies
Bloating happens due to the gas formation in your tummy due to an undigested meal. What prevents a meal from complete digestion? It is a variety of reasons, including stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and a fast food culture, that contributes to bad eating habits like not eating on time. The following are the five most effective ways to reduce bloating in your life.
Eat at the right time
There are certain times in the day when your body is best prepared to digest a meal. As per Ayurveda, it is best to have the heaviest meal of the day somewhere between 10 am to 2 pm. It is recommended to have dinners at a time that leaves a 12-hour fasting window between dinner and the next breakfast. This time gap facilitates detoxification and the breakdown of fat and protein. If possible, it is best to have dinner before sunset for good digestion.
Be regular in your meal timings
When you have irregular meal timings, your body becomes confused. It doesn’t know when to release enzymes and prepare the body for digestion. So make sure you have your meals at the same time every day. It is good to have a gap of four hours between meals.
Avoid snacking
The seemingly harmless tea and samosa or biscuits during late afternoon office breaks are causing you more harm than good. Snacks in between meals do not allow the previous meal to digest completely, inevitably causing indigestion and bloating. If you do feel hungry between meals, the healthiest snacking option is fruit, which gets digested easily. Instead of tea, opt for herbal tea which unlike caffeinated tea doesn’t produce acid.
Choose the right foods
Certain food items like cauliflower, potatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, bell peppers, and corn tend to cause bloating. Similarly, processed and packaged foods, refined wheat, and sugar also cause bloating. On the other hand, fresh and warm food spiced up with spices like cumin seeds, ginger, coriander powder, asafoetida, and buttermilk reduce and prevent bloating. 
Practice Sudarshan Kriya and Yoga
Stress deactivates your parasympathetic nervous system, which runs life-sustaining processes like digestion. Sudarshan Kriya and Yoga help to de-stress the body and mind, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. In addition, Yoga strengthens the digestive system and Sudarshan Kriya harmonizes the metabolic rate in the body. Reduced stress and a balanced metabolic rate aid in digestion, naturally reducing bloating.
Based on inputs by Vikram M, Director, The Art of Living Wellness Programs
Written by: Vanditaa Kothari
Incomplete digestion of meals tends to cause bloating.
Right eating habits and de-stressing the body and mind with Sudarshan Kriya and Yoga help reduce bloating.
Some of the easiest home remedies for bloating are - 1)Cumin water: Boil a teaspoon of cumin seeds in a glass of water and reduce the water to half. Drink it for relief. 2)Asafoetida: Apply asafoetida and water to the navel for quick relief. 3) A slice of ginger: After your meal, have a slice of ginger with salt.
Yoga strengthens your digestive system, provides stress relief, and activates the rest and digestion mode of the body, preventing bloating.
