Month: February 2017

By Deborah Rowe

Bloating comes in various forms. Whether you’re burping or farting excessively, or if you’re sporting a fuller tummy, bloating is rather harmless but can sometimes be pretty embarrassing.

While it’s common to assume one’s bloat is caused by consuming too much food, it can actually be attributed to other factors such as the type of food you’ve eaten or even possible diseases.

Below we list down some possible causes of bloating. Read on to find out which of these various causes might be the reason behind your bloat and you’ll feel a lot better once you address it!

1. You consumed too much food high in fibre and/or sugar

While we all know that food high in fibre is good for your health, consuming too much of these food at one go might be the reason you’re feeling gassier and fuller in size. Likewise, consuming too much sugar, be it in the form of desserts or sugar-laden drinks, could be another reason why you’re bloated.

As fibre cannot be digested in one’s intestines, the bacteria inside your colon digests the fibre and sugar instead. When this happens, gas is produced and causes your bloat. Rather than to eliminate both fibre and sugar from your diet, try reducing your consumption of such foods and hopefully your bloating can be managed. Remember, moderation is key, especially with regard to your sugary goodies!

2. You are experiencing Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a rather common disorder that affects your colon and results in cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloating and gas. IBS is a functional condition, meaning that there’s no issue with the structure of your colon, but the problem is with how it works.

Unfortunately, bloating is one of the common side effects of IBS. While there is no cure for this unfortunate disorder, you can manage the symptoms by mainly managing your diet (reducing your fibre intake), lifestyle and stress. More severe cases might require medication though.

3. You are experiencing constipation

If you’re feeling constipated, you might notice that you’ll feel that extra bit bloated too. If you feel a lot better once you head to the toilet, then it’s probably constipation causing your bloat. The reason for this is that intestinal gas gets trapped slow moving poop and builds up, leaving you feeling fuller.

The best way to get rid of it will be to gradually introduce or add more insoluble fibre into your diet. Focus on fruits, vegetables or nuts, and remember to keep hydrating to get your bowel movement going!

4. You are allergic to gluten

Celiac disease is when one has an adverse reaction to gluten, which is a family of storage proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. This disease is an autoimmune condition where your body mistakes gluten as a threat to your system and attacks it, resulting in damage to the surface of your bowel, which subsequently affects your ability to absorb nutrients from food.

When you experience bloating from this illness, it tends to take a day or two to subside after consuming a trigger food. Besides bloating, you might also experience flatulence and diarrhoea.

If you suspect having Celiac disease, a blood test will be able to prove it. If you are diagnosed with this unfortunate illness, you will need to avoid any food containing gluten. On the plus side, you’ll feel a lot better!

5. You have a bad case of acid reflux

If you feel your bloat in your upper belly especially after eating, or feel uncomfortable or sick following a meal, then you might be experiencing acid reflux, or simply put, indigestion.

This occurs when food, stomach acid and other digestive juices flow back into the oesophagus, which happens when the valve between the stomach and the oesophagus doesn’t close tightly or relaxes at inappropriate times. Overeating might also be a cause of indigestion.

One way to get rid of this will be to consume carbonated drinks as the fizz in these beverages can relive the pressure by forcing you to burp. Otherwise, you could also try eating smaller, lower-fat meals to rule out overeating as a cause, or to take antacids.

6. You are experiencing hormonal fluctuations

Ladies, you might notice that you’ll feel that extra bit bloated when it comes to that time of the month. This can largely be attributed to raised progesterone hormone levels that occur right before your period.

When this happens, it can potentially affect your gut mobility, meaning that food passes through your system a lot slower, hence causing your bloat. Unfortunately, it’s just something you’d have to deal with every month but fret not, because this bloat will be over before you know it.

By Deborah Rowe

While most people struggle to lose weight and fit into smaller sizes, Berenice Seow faced the opposite.

Weighing in at 50kg for her 1.74m frame, many would look at her and think there’s nothing she needs to change about her body. In fact, most people fall prey to eating disorders because they want to be thin like Berenice.

The 26-year-old marketing executive however, became unhappy with herself and once, made a New Year’s resolution to gain weight after hearing one too many remarks about her figure.

“As I grew older, I started to get affected by other’s comments about my body. They would say things like – ‘You look like a stick’ or ‘You look like a bamboo; why don’t you hang yourself out of the window to hang your clothes?’” the ardent Liverpool Football Club fan mentioned.

It’s societal expectations like these that led to Berenice harbouring insecurities about her body, which she never had at a younger age.

However, she’s since understood and accepted that her body is just the way it is and isn’t able to grow much bigger even if she tries extremely hard.

Instead of feeling bad about her small frame, Berenice turned to yoga to get fitter and stronger, and there have been significant improvements to her strength.

Berenice goes for yoga twice a week and occasionally goes to the gym. Yoga has helped to strengthen her; for example, she normally isn’t able to replenish the heavy water tanks in the office but now when she sees that it’s empty, she will volunteer to refill it. Yoga also allows her to calm the mind, which is why she really enjoys doing it.

After chancing upon Rock The Naked Truth (RTNT), she came down for the Official Launch with a friend whom she thought needed to hear she was beautiful the way she is.

“She’s thin; she’s really thin, but she thinks she’s fat. She thinks she’s big sized and that her arms are big. So for the launch of RTNT, I brought her along and after that, she told me she will always try to embrace her own body. I think embracing your body is very important and that’s what I learnt from RTNT.”

Following her personal struggles and after hearing more from others during the RTNT launch, she hopes everyone will be able to accept and love their bodies a lot more.

“Coming from the thinner point of view, it is not about just wanting to become bigger but you really have to start loving your body. You don’t have to copy others. You don’t have to blend into what the media has to say about body image such as having to look skinny or thin. As long as you’re healthy, that’s the most important thing.”

We chat more to Berenice…

Do you still struggle with your body?

I think I still do. When I look in the mirror, I will always think “Why am I so thin? How come I can’t grow any bigger or larger?” But I think it’s just my body; it just doesn’t grow as much as I want it to. I want to tell people – you don’t have to bother about what other people think.

What does body image mean to you?

I think it’s about keeping fit, keeping healthy and having a strong mindset of what your body can do for you. Some of us really underestimate what our bodies can do for us, but actually it’s a lot stronger than what we think.

How did you feel about your own body and yourself after learning about RTNT?

I’m more confident. I’m more confident in showing people that even though I’m thin, I’m not as weak as people think I am. I am strong, mentally. Although I’m still on the journey of growing bigger and stronger, I feel I will eventually get to my end point.