Why do apples cause bloating and a swollen stomach?

03/16/2019 Alena Masheva Health

Apples are a healthy and tasty fruit that has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. But sometimes they cause indigestion. Why do apples make you swell? All common causes and methods of struggle are presented in the article.

Flatulence

It is important to clarify this concept. Flatulence is the name given to excessive accumulation of gases in the gastrointestinal tract. It causes bloating, heaviness, discomfort, pain, belching, and bitterness in the mouth.

In the intestines and stomach of a healthy person there should be about 900 cubic meters. cm of gases and more. This is the norm. On average, they are emitted up to 15 times a day. Gases are needed for the body to function properly. But if this happens too often, then it is also harmful.

How to prevent bloating from apples

Using a number of simple recommendations, you can reduce the likelihood of increased flatulence due to eating apples:

Do not eat unripe apples. Unripe specimens have a high content of acids, which have a laxative effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

Attention! If active gas formation begins after eating just one ripe and thoroughly washed apple, this may indicate the development of a serious disease in the body. In particular, such symptoms may indicate pancreatic diseases.

In most cases, apples make the stomach swell if a person eats them with the peel and without heat treatment. In this case, cutting off the peel and removing the core of the fruit can help. You can also grind the fruit pulp to obtain a mass similar to baby puree - this will make it much easier for the body to digest. You can also heat treat the fruits. Both jams, preserves and confitures, as well as canned, baked, boiled and even fried apples, are quite rich in vitamins.

Properties of fiber

If your stomach bloats from apples, the reason may be dietary fiber, of which there is a lot in the peel. It is a fiber that is important in digestion. After penetration into the body, it swells and acts like a “sponge”. It itself is not capable of digestion, but it includes toxins and wastes accumulated in the body and removes them, which enhances the peristalsis of the intestinal walls.

Due to excessive consumption of fiber, disruptions occur in the digestive system and severe bloating appears. This is due to the fact that food cannot be digested when the intestinal walls contract strongly. As a result, food particles remain unchanged, which leads to the formation of gas and bloating.

Properties of fiber and its effect on digestion

Most of the nutrients in apples are found in the peel. It is all fiber, and in addition, it contains vitamins, iron and other microelements necessary for the human body.

The body needs a small amount of fiber. It is involved in intestinal function, helps to lose weight, and is a sorbent for waste and toxins. But at the same time, this substance can also lead to contraction of internal organs, and this is one of the reasons why fiber in large quantities leads to flatulence and bloating after eating apples. Another reason is a slight acceleration of metabolism, in particular an increase in the speed of food movement in the esophagus and its digestion. Therefore, as a result of eating a large number of apples, flatulence occurs and the stomach bloats.

In addition to fiber, apples also contain pectin, which also affects digestion. The normal daily dose of this substance for humans is 15 g, and one apple on average contains 5 g of pectin, depending on its size.

But it is better to get part of the required daily dose of pectin with other products other than apples. Excess pectin, like fiber, can lead to flatulence and bloating. However, the complete absence of this substance will also negatively affect the digestion process.

Compatibility

When considering the topic of why apples make you swell, you should know about the compatibility of fruits with other foods. The quality of food digestion depends on this. Apples should not be eaten with the following foods:

• potato;
• meat;
• bakery products;
• nuts;
• legumes;
• eggs.

Why else do apples make you swell? The problem also arises from improper consumption of fruits:

1. It is better not to eat them late in the evening, since after 18 hours the production of gastric juice decreases. A product eaten at night can lead to active fermentation. As a result, it will swell in the morning.
2. It is advisable to eat an apple a few hours after a heavy meal. If you do this before eating, it will not lead to fermentation, but heartburn and bloating may occur. The reason for this is believed to be that malic acid, when interacting with recently eaten food, can only intensify negative symptoms.
3. The risk of gas formation increases with age - after 40 years. The reason is age-related features of iron accumulation in tissues, so the body is able to reject the intake of new portions of this element.
4. Different varieties contain different amounts of fiber and pectin, therefore the effect on the body is different. Sweet apples cause more gas because they contain fructose.

It is important to take these nuances into account in order to prevent flatulence from occurring. This problem can be dealt with if you take into account the reasons for its occurrence. There are also effective drugs and folk remedies to eliminate flatulence. And preventive measures will help all people avoid this problem.

Preventing bloating

The fruit of the apple tree should be consumed with caution, and if you use the tips below, you can reduce the likelihood of stomach problems to a minimum.

Preventing bloating from apples:

1. moderation. A reasonable portion is 1 or 2 apples at a time, because eating a large amount of fruit leads to inevitable frustration. The body simply cannot absorb huge amounts of fiber, therefore, nutritionists advise eating no more than 5 fruits per day.
2. hygiene. Eat only washed apples and avoid eating this fruit from growing trees. Chemicals, dirt, moisture are components often found on the surface of fruits that cause bloating or even poisoning. The fruits must be washed thoroughly to remove any harmful deposits.
3. quality. It is recommended to eat fruits without wormholes - cut out the damaged areas. It is worth refusing to buy fruit at a discount: storing apples for a long time negatively affects their composition.
4. ripeness. Unripe fruits contain more acids that have a laxative effect on the gastrointestinal tract. You only need to eat fully ripe apples; the greatest risk of eating unripe fruits is for people who grow their own crops.

It is difficult to completely give up apples - many gourmets prefer to heat treat the fruit. Baked, fried, boiled, canned apples lose their stomach-irritating properties and become a valuable source of vitamins that are easily absorbed. It is equally safe to consume apple jam, jams and confitures, although they contain significantly fewer vitamins than fresh fruits. People who prefer to eat sweet red fruits instead of sour green apples have a lower risk of getting bloated. However, more sugars also stimulate bloating.

Other reasons

Why does an apple make your stomach swell if you follow moderation and other recommendations? In fact, not only foods can lead to bloating. Severe gas formation may be a sign of a malfunction of the pancreas, when it does not produce enough enzymes needed to digest food.

The problem often appears when:

• diabetes mellitus;
• dysbacteriosis;
• pancreatitis;
• cholecystitis;
• gastritis, duodenal ulcer.

For example, with gastritis, the stomach swells because malic acid leads to increased acidity. This aggravates the condition, causing heartburn, flatulence and pain.

Increased gas formation occurs after antibiotics. This reduces the content of beneficial microflora in the intestines. As a result, there is a disruption in the digestion of food and the absorption of components digested by the stomach.

Features of apple consumption

A fruit such as an apple is highly valued by our compatriots. This is not at all surprising, because it contains a lot of organic acids, healthy fibers and vitamins.

Only components such as pectin and fiber become the culprits when a healthy person’s stomach swells from apples.

The peel of the fruit contains plant fiber - cellulose, and in large quantities. It is not capable of being completely digested by the body.

If you consume it in moderate portions, you can reap exceptional benefits. This is due to the fact that fiber acts as a sponge that absorbs toxins and waste. Subsequently, it removes these unfavorable elements away.

An important advantage of fiber is increased peristalsis of the intestinal walls. But why do you experience bloating, diarrhea and flatulence after eating apples?

This phenomenon is most often possible if you overeat the fruit. Strong contraction of the intestinal walls prevents food from the stomach from being completely digested. As a result, a gas accumulation forms, and the person feels his stomach swell.

As for pectin, it is also an equally useful component. It has a beneficial effect on impaired metabolism.

Once in the intestinal cavity, pectin becomes a gel-like mass that inhibits the absorption of sucrose.

Only, again, with excessive consumption of apples, there may be an increased accumulation of pectin in the intestinal cavity.

This condition provokes the fermentation process, the stomach begins to swell after eating apples. A number of phenomena are accompanied by increased gas formation.

It should be noted that the amount of these elements in apples is not always the same. For example, sour fruits or sweet-sour ones are rich in pectin; most often, they are green in color.

But sweet red apples are full of natural sugar. In turn, fructose is also the culprit of flatulence in humans.

Against the background of an excessive amount of it in the body, belching and a burning sensation in the mouth may occur.

What causes flatulence?

Gastric digestion is the initial stage of the complex digestive process. It consists of preparing the food mass for digestion in the small intestine. The consistency of the food bolus and its normal impregnation with saliva and gastric juice are important.

Flatulence can occur from:

• excess fat content of the food bolus, a sharp decrease in stomach tone;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• stress, which leads to spasms and slow bowel movements;
• lactose intolerance;
• intestinal obstruction;
• uncontrolled use of drugs;
• acute intestinal infections;
• defects and deformations of the esophageal walls;
• delayed consequences of surgery;
• chronic gastrointestinal diseases.

Why apples make your stomach bloat - the reason is the properties of fiber

Dietary fiber, which is contained in considerable quantities in the peel of apples, is called fiber. Fiber plays a fairly important role in digestion. Once in the body, fiber swells and acts like a “sponge.” It itself cannot be digested by the body, but it absorbs toxins and wastes accumulated in the body and removes them, while increasing the peristalsis of the intestinal walls.

Excessive consumption of this substance or disruptions in the digestive system can lead to severe bloating. This happens because the food that enters the intestines does not have time to be digested due to intense contraction of the intestinal walls. As a result, food particles remain unchanged, which leads to the formation of gas and bloating.

Properties of apple pectin

In addition to fiber, apple fruits contain pectin, which, when it enters the intestines, turns into a gel-like substance that prevents the absorption of sucrose. In moderation, pectin has a beneficial effect on metabolism. At the same time, the increased content of pectin causes fermentation in the intestines and the development of flatulence.

Compatibility of apples with other products

Consumption should not be combined with the following products:

• with potatoes;
• with meat;
• with bakery products;
• with nuts;
• with legumes;
• with eggs.

Incorrect consumption of apples can also lead to bloating:

1. It is undesirable to eat apples late in the evening, because after 18 hours the production of gastric juice in the human body decreases. An apple eaten at night can trigger the process of active fermentation. As a result, a person will swell in the morning after waking up.
2. It is best to eat an apple a couple of hours after a heavy meal. If you eat an apple before a meal, it will not cause fermentation, while eating the fruit after a meal can cause heartburn and bloating. The reason for this is that malic acid, when in contact with recently eaten food, can only intensify unpleasant symptoms.
3. The risk of developing gas increases with age and is significantly higher in those over 40 years of age. This is due to the age-related characteristics of the body to accumulate iron in tissues, so the body rejects the intake of new portions of this element.
4. Different varieties of apples contain different amounts of fiber and pectin, so the effect on the body is also different. You should also know that sweet varieties of apples also contain fructose, which can increase gas formation.

Other causes of bloating from apples

Why do apples cause bloating if consumed in moderation and following other recommendations? It turns out that it's not just foods that can cause bloating. Intense gas formation may indicate a malfunction of the pancreas, when a sufficient amount of enzymes necessary for digesting food is not produced. The causes of discomfort may also be the following:

• diabetes;
• dysbacteriosis;
• pancreatitis;
• cholecystitis;
• gastritis, duodenal ulcer.

For example, with gastritis, after eating an apple, the stomach swells, because malic acid increases gastric acidity, which, with already existing high acidity, will only aggravate the condition, causing heartburn, flatulence and pain.

An increase in gas formation is also observed after taking antibiotics, which leads to a decrease in the content of beneficial microflora in the intestines. As a result, the process of normal digestion of food and the absorption of substances digested by the stomach are disrupted.

What to do if your stomach is swollen?

You can get rid of excessive gas formation with the help of some medications:

• Sorbents that absorb emerging toxins and other harmful substances due to their porous structure. This can be activated carbon, as well as products such as white carbon, Sorbex, Enterosgel. It should be remembered that the duration of treatment should be no more than a month, so as not to damage the microflora in the intestines.
• Drugs with a carminative effect, for example, Espumisan, which promotes the digestion of nutrients.
• Acid-reducing medications taken to treat high acidity. This helps get rid of belching, heartburn and bloating: Gastal, Gastracid, Barol.
• medications with bifidobacteria, or probiotics, which help restore healthy intestinal microflora, enriching the gastrointestinal tract with beneficial bacteria: Linex, Acylact, Bifidumbacterin and others.

You can also get rid of bloating and flatulence using dill water, which you can buy at the pharmacy or prepare yourself. To prepare the product, dill seeds are poured with boiling water, after infusion and straining, dill water is taken after meals in the amount of half a glass. Instead of dill, you can use fennel or caraway seeds. This will relax the intestines, facilitate the passage of gases and relieve the discomfort associated with bloating.

How to prevent bloating from apples

Following some simple rules will help prevent or significantly reduce the likelihood of bloating from apples:

• The main thing is to maintain moderation, eating no more than 2-3 apples a day. A larger amount can lead to digestive disorders, because it is difficult for the body to process large amounts of pectin and fiber.
• Only fresh and washed fruits can be eaten. If bacteria on dirty apples enter the body, they can lead to poisoning, destruction of healthy intestinal microflora, and cause fermentation.
• The fruits must be ripe. Unripe fruits have a high content of fruit acids, which can have a laxative effect, and also provoke heartburn and increased acidity. In overripe fruits, a process of decomposition is observed. Which causes strong fermentation in the intestines.
• If the acidity level is high, it is recommended to eat sweet varieties of apples. And when it’s low, sour ones are good.
• If your stomach swells when you eat apples with the peel and without heat treatment, then cutting off the peel, removing the core and heat treatment will help get rid of the unpleasant sensations.
• Only high-quality fruits can be eaten. Remove damage, rot and wormholes.

It is worth noting that during fasting days you can eat no more than 5-6 apples a day, otherwise all the negative consequences that we talked about may appear.

It is very difficult to give up eating apples, and you don’t need to do it. Baked, stewed, in the form of jams and preserves, with the peel and core removed, the fruits lose their stomach-irritating properties and turn into tasty and healthy food.

Products

Often flatulence appears from individual intolerance to food and medications. Foods that cause gas and bloating should be consumed in very small quantities to avoid causing the problem. It appears from:

• legumes;
• white cabbage, radish, radish;
• pears, grapes;
• asparagus;
• carbonated drinks;
• raw vegetables and fruits;
• pickled vegetables.

These are all foods that cause gas and bloating. Digesting food with coarse dietary fiber requires more resources. It stays in the intestines longer, which complicates the course of many chronic ailments.

Do baked apples make you swell? This problem occurs in the same way as with raw fruits. This is due to the properties of fiber, which are the same in both products.

Why do apples cause bloating and a swollen stomach?

Why do apples make your stomach swell, increase gas formation, and in some cases cause indigestion? After all, it is believed that this fruit is very healthy and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive tract.

How do apples affect the body?

Apples are a storehouse of healthy vitamins, but they cause bloating. Apples often make your stomach swell due to their high fiber content, acidity, and over-indulgence in these fruits.

Sometimes after eating fresh apples, bloating, increased gas formation, and pain are observed. Why do apples make your stomach hurt and how to avoid it? After all, apples are a product familiar from childhood, familiar to our stomachs, natural and environmentally friendly. So what provokes the body’s rejection of this fruit?

How to help?

If apples make you swell, what should you do? Excessive gas formation can be eliminated with the help of medications:

1. Sorbents. These are anti-bloating and gas medications that absorb toxins and other harmful components due to their porous structure. These include activated carbon, white carbon, Sorbex, Enterosgel. It must be borne in mind that the duration of treatment should be no more than a month, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the microflora in the intestines.
2. Drugs with a carminative effect, for example, Espumisan, which ensures the digestion of nutritional components.
3. Acidity reducers, which are taken when the acidity level is high. This allows you to eliminate belching, heartburn, bloating: “Gastal”, “Gastratsid”, “Barol”.
4. Medicines containing bifidobacteria. These medications for bloating and gas are also called probiotics. They restore healthy intestinal microflora and enrich the gastrointestinal tract with beneficial bacteria. These are “Linex”, “Acilact”, “Bifidumbacterin”.

You can eliminate bloating and flatulence with dill water, which is available at the pharmacy. But you can do it yourself. To do this, dill seeds need to be poured with boiling water. Then you should strain and you can take 0.5 cups. You can replace dill with fennel or caraway seeds. This provides relaxation of the intestines, facilitating the passage of gases, and relieving discomfort.

Treatment

A familiar remedy from childhood - dill water - will help get rid of increased gas production. You can buy it at the pharmacy or prepare it yourself.

Interesting! Why did a woman develop distension in the lower abdomen????

You need to pour boiling water over the dill or caraway seeds and leave for a couple of hours. Take the filtered drug every time after a meal or when your stomach hurts from apples - 100 ml.

Medications to help cope with flatulence:

• Sorbex, Carbolong, Enterosgel - absorbing toxins;
• Espumisan, Infacol, Kolikid - carminatives;
• Gastal, Maalox, Barol - will reduce acidity, remove bloating from apples.

Linex, Laktovit, Acylact will enrich the microflora of the digestive system.

ethnoscience

Eating pumpkin is good for bloating. You should squeeze the juice out of it. You should consume 2-3 tbsp. l. during the day. This will not be difficult to do if you have a juicer. A drink is prepared from fresh, ripe pumpkin.

Another effective remedy is also used. Before going to bed, you need to drink milk (1 glass) and honey (1 tablespoon). They also take aloe juice (3 tbsp) and natural honey (1 tbsp) before bed. To enhance the effect, this composition is eaten in the morning, 1 tsp. on an empty stomach. Although the drug has a positive effect, it should not be treated if the functions of the liver, gallbladder, or kidneys are impaired.

Aloe should not be used during pregnancy or hemorrhoids. This is due to the fact that the plant can pump blood in huge quantities into the pelvic organs.

What to do if apples make your stomach swell

If it was not possible to avoid the occurrence of this delicate problem, then you can get rid of it using a number of medications:

1. Carminative medications. An example is “Espumizan”. Under the influence of the drug, accumulated gases quickly dissolve and are eliminated from the body.
2. Sorbents. Most people benefit from taking activated charcoal tablets. You can use products such as Enterosgel, white coal or Sorbex.
3. Dill water. You can prepare it yourself or purchase it at the pharmacy. Helps reduce gas formation.
4. Reducing acidity. They are used only if a person has a tendency to high acidity, which is not directly dependent on the fact of eating apples. Examples of such products: “Rennie”, “Gastal”, “Gastratsid”.
5. Medicines containing bifidobacteria. Such products help restore the intestinal microflora: “Acilact”, as well as “Linex”, “Lactobacterin”.

Apples are not only very tasty, but also a healthy fruit that has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the VT organs. Why do apples make your stomach swell and cause bloating, and sometimes even indigestion? What are the reasons for this phenomenon, and what can be done to prevent these undesirable consequences of eating apples?

Nutrition

There are no special products that can help reduce gas formation. There are only dishes that do not cause fermentation in the digestive tract. They should be included in your diet if the problem often bothers you.

Normalization of intestinal activity is required. You should check if you have chronic illnesses, intolerance to gluten, lactose - milk sugar, which many adults on our planet cannot digest.

In order not to lead to flatulence, it is important to carefully choose foods for your diet. We also need special methods of preparing food so that it has a special consistency and other consumer properties. The basic principles of nutrition include:

1. Limiting fats. It is better to choose lean varieties of meat or fish instead of fatty ones. And fried foods should be replaced with baked and boiled ones.
2. A gluten-free diet, severe limitation of flour, sweets, and starchy vegetables is useful.
3. The daily diet should include liquid meals.
4. You need to eat mushy cereal porridge.
5. Fermented milk products with low fat content are beneficial.

Spices, including essential oils, not only make dishes savory, but also eliminate this problem. Therefore, you should add coriander, cumin, dill and mint.

Moderation and pickiness in food intake are important principles. They will help reduce the painful manifestations of increased gas formation and get rid of the feeling of awkwardness in society. Intestinal dysfunction, which manifests itself in the form of flatulence, leads to a weakening of the immune system.

Other causes of bloating after eating apples

Why do apples make your stomach hurt if all the recommendations are followed? The reason may be hidden not only in fruits. Increased gas formation occurs when the functionality of the pancreas is impaired, when the organ produces a small amount of enzymes.

If your stomach swells from apples, then the reason may be hidden in the presence of other diseases such as:

• diabetes mellitus;
• dysbacteriosis;
• pancreatitis in acute and chronic form;
• cholecystitis;
• gastritis or ulcerative lesions of the intestinal tract.

In diseases of the digestive system, the stomach begins to swell due to malic acid entering the stomach. This component causes increased production of gastric juice. Against this background, the mucous membrane of not only the stomach, but also the esophagus suffers.

An increase in the amount of gases also occurs after taking antibacterial agents. Treatment inevitably leads to a decrease in beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Because of this, the process of normal digestion of food and absorption of microelements is disrupted.

Prevention

You can prevent or significantly reduce the risk of bloating from apples by following some simple rules:

1. Moderation is necessary, so you should eat no more than 2-3 apples a day. A larger amount leads to digestive dysfunction, because it is difficult for the body to process a lot of pectin and fiber.
2. You only need to eat fresh and clean fruits. If bacteria from dirty fruits enter the body, this causes poisoning, destruction of healthy intestinal microflora, and fermentation.
3. It is important that the fruits are ripe. Unripe apples contain a lot of fruit acids, which have a laxative effect, lead to heartburn, and increased acidity. In overripe fruits, a decomposition process is observed. This leads to strong fermentation in the intestines.
4. With high acidity, it is advisable to eat sweet varieties of apples, and with low acidity, you need sour ones.
5. If fruits with peel or without heat treatment swell, then the unpleasant sensations are eliminated by cutting off the peel, removing the core and heat treatment.
6. You should eat only high-quality fruits. Damage, areas of putrefaction and wormholes should be removed.

On fasting days you are allowed to eat no more than 5-6 apples per day. Otherwise, all the negative consequences mentioned earlier may occur.

It’s difficult to give up eating apples, and you shouldn’t do it. They can be consumed in the form of jams and preserves, as well as with the peel cut off. In these cases, the product loses its irritating effect on the stomach and becomes a tasty, healthy food.

Source: fb.ru

How to prevent bloating

A few simple rules can prevent or significantly reduce the possibility of swelling from the mentioned fruits, for example:

• during the day, eat 2-4 pieces, depending on their size - it is difficult for the body to process excessive amounts of fiber;
• It is recommended to use only fresh, clean fruits - this will prevent pathogenic bacteria that cause flatulence from entering the body;
• unripe fruits contain a high concentration of malic acid, which has a laxative effect, so they should be eaten ripe;
• overripe ones are also dangerous for the stomach; the decomposition process that has begun leads to swelling of the peritoneum;
• stomach pain from sour fruits with increased stomach acidity, sweet fruits will help prevent this;
• Removing the core, cutting off the peel, and heat treatment will prevent flatulence.

Important! Patients with diabetes should be careful when handling this fruit. In addition to causing intestinal pain, sweet fruits increase glucose levels.