When the corpulent cartoon starfish Patrick emerges from under his rock, he often complains of feeling out of sorts. Take the episode when he asks SpongeBob SquarePants, "How am I gonna feed my brain when all you have is fancy bubbly water?" before guzzling six bottles, and turning into a cascading mass of bloated marine life.
If you, too, experience gassy, bloated feelings, it may be from drinking carbonated beverages and beer. But if your small intestine regularly suffers from bloating-along with gas, constipation or diarrhea-you may need to look further to identify what's causing your troubles.
1. You're gulping air (really) because you eat and drink too quickly, chew gum, drink fizzy water or smoke anything.
2. You're reacting to certain foods, such as dairy or wheat/barley/rye (they contain gluten). If you lack the digestive enzyme lactase, dairy can trigger gas and bloating, even cramping. Gluten-triggered belly woes may signal the autoimmune disease celiac, or a gluten allergy.
How to beat the bloat:
- Eat slowly. Dodge carbonation.
- Drink fennel tea with ginger to get your digestive enzymes going.
- Massage clockwise around your belly button to stimulate movement of gas and food through your intestines.
- Stop eating dairy and/or gluten for a week. See if your symptoms subside. If you cut out dairy, you can get calcium from dark, leafy veggies; also take 1,000 IU of vitamin D-3 daily. Add a probiotic with Lactobacillus GG. Eliminating gluten? Rely on whole grains without gluten, such as brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat and sorghum.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into "The Dr. Oz Show" or visit www.sharecare.com.
(c) 2018 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.