Bloated

Just wondering if anyone knows any particular foods that bloat you? I seem to always get bloated once I get home from school no matter what I've eaten. Just after a fair bit of walking as well. Sorry if this is a silly question. But yeah, I get bloated from time to time and don't know how to control it.

look for salt (sodium) or msg (found in chinese food).

Salty foods are the biggest culprit. Check the amount of sodium of the things you normally consume around that time, and drink extra water, it's a diaretic (gets rid of excess water weight).

i seem to get like that when i eat heavy meals w/ carbs.... usually i dont get like that as soon as ive consumed it, usually after 15 min or so once its digesting into my small intestine... also i have ibs with constipation which could be part of the problem... who knows anymore:)

ruberta - you are displaying the classic signs of gluten (wheat) intolerance. 

Light - are you eating a lot of fiber? Are you drinking a lot of soda?  That can bloat you as well.

bsmshilltop- could that be it? really ? i have been trying to find the cause for a while now... it has never occured to me... you could be right... i find also when i eat out (pasta, pizza, etc.) i get naseus when im getting ready to fall asleep or sometimes its so bad it wakes me up.... Any suggestions??

Well the last few days there has been no soda at all! And yet I still get bloated. It's weird, it seems to always be a problem no matter how little sodium I have. I eat quite a bit of dietary fiber, try and eat lots of fruit and wholegrain bread..So I really can't figure it out! thanks for all the advice guys.

ruberta20 I can't tell you for sure (all you need to do is have a blood test done for celiac sprue - your Dr. will know which test).  If you have IBS it is probably gluten intolerance.  My Dr. told me IBS is misdiagnosed a lot and the culpret is usualy gluten.  The worst form is Celiac Disease.  I get the same way you do - If I eat something I shouldn't it will wake me up at night.  The pains in my abdomen are terrible.  Bread and pasta hurt me the worst. 

My suggestion is to get tested ASAP.  And make sure you get the test results.  Some Dr.'s will tell you you're not allergic just because you don't hit the high mark with the actual Disease.  There is a range.  For the test I had it the range was 0 to 350.  I scored 285 so I really have an intolerance for gluten but not the disease.  You can also cut the gluten out, but don't do it until you get tested.  The blood test looks for antibodies that are attacking the gluten in your small intestine.  Let me know if you have any questions I'd be glad to help!

Celiac was my first thought as well.  That sounds just like me before going the gluten free lifestyle. New studies show that one in every 133 people in the US have gluten intolerance, and most don't even know it.

It's great advise to get tested and do it before giving up the wheat.  I wasn't tested before (my doctor doesn't believe in it) and now it's not in my medical records.  Not a good scenario, trust me, as some medicines use wheat/gluten in the coating of the pills, and the pain and swelling that come from celiac can be misinterpreted.

Whatever the case that is causing your problem, I wish you the best and hope it clears soon.  I understand the pain and aggravation it is.  If you need support, don't hesitate to PM me.

Fibre can bloat you, so can carbonated beverages.   If you eat a cup of low-fat yogurt every day for lunch then you will have less bloating.  It works for me.

There's a big difference between bloating based on water retention (edema) and bloating based on digestive distress.

Bloating that happens at a regular time like you describe is a classic characteristic of some kind of food intolerance (though it's impossible to rule out IBS, parasites, and other diagnoses based on what you've said so far).  People who've mentioned gluten intolerance being a likely candidate are right -- but it could equally be dairy intolerance (not just lactose, but the dairy proteins casein and/or whey) or even fructose (fruit sugar) intolerance.

If you really want to get to the root of this problem, particularly before it gets worse (and it will), you're going to have to take it seriously and be scientific about it.  In particular you must be willing to completely eliminate certain aspects of your diet for weeks at a time, since it can take up to 2 weeks for an allergen to clear out of your digestive track.

Luckily there are some sure-fire ways to determine your issue based on elimination diets and keeping a food journal.  A detailed food journal with a place to track your symptoms is by far the best way to spot patterns.

Don't randomly follow any advice before you do some research.  The comment about taking yogurt every day, while well-intentioned, could have a completely detrimental effect if your problem is dairy!

Search the web for information about intolerance detection strategies. 

By the way, I'm speaking from experience here -- I didn't figure out I was allergic to dairy proteins until 10 years after I started bloating, and 1 year after I started getting pains in my joints that totally went away after I got rid of all milk from my diet.  So, feel free to ask me questions!  Good hunting!

Diet pop definitely bloats me if I have too much of it!  Popcorn does as well.

im surprised no one has mentioned it yet..... but have a look at the dairy you're eating too.

i'm lactose intolerant (it develops in a lot of people in their teens) and apparently about 1/3 people are to a degree.

i mean, some people are just at the degree where they bloat if they eat too much ice cream or whole milk, but lactose definately will make you bloat, get gassy, diarehha, cramping.... the list of fun goes on.

you can get lactose intolerance tested at a doctor, but a free way to do it is switch to soy for 10 days, then drink a glass of milk on an empty stomach.... and let it work its magic for about 30 minutes. this is actually a terribly uncomfortable thing to do if you are lactose intolerant, i think  my doctor recommended only cus he thought i wasn't. .... but i was.