Winter bloat, heartburn and gas
If heartburn, acidity gas and bloating are proving more troublesome for you these days, it is really no surprise.
Acid dyspepsia or acidity is known to get worse during winter months. Cold weather sharpens our appetite for fried, spicy foods, push up our consumption of tea-coffee, make us party more often in the evenings and then wake us up in the nights with burning in the chest (heartburn), suggesting worsening of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux) symptoms. GERD is also worsened by alcohol which tends to loosen the one-way valve between the stomach and food pipe.
Longitudinal and observational studies bear testimony that peptic ulcers get active in fact more active during winter months, so does GERD. We are often caught between needing to pop a daily acid-suppressing pill or give up much of the pleasures of the season.
Gas and bloating (gas-bloat syndrome) also become particularly troublesome around this time. A quick look at the vegetable-grocers shelf will tell you why. This the time for appetising green-peas, rajma (legumes), cabbage, cauliflower, radish and carrot, all of which are great gas-producers. The bacteria in our gut love to eat them just as much as we do and thereby breaking them up to produce carbon-dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen.
A temporary respite from matar-paneer or radish salads may be all that is required to reset the gut gas-factory. In stubborn cases, one may have to resort to taming the exuberant gut flora by other means.
Some food items could prove to be double-culprits: gajar-halwa, pea or mooli-paratha for instance. The extra dose of fats, worsen acid reflux, and when they do go down into the small intestines, the gas production can cause embarrassing bloating and flatulence.
SIMPLE TIPS:
Be mindful of fats, oils, fried stuff, pungent spices, caffeine and alcohol if reflux is spoiling your daily life or sleep.
Eat an early light dinner Enjoy the winter veggies but in moderation if your bloats and farts get too embarrassing.
There is however no time like winter for gourmets. Enjoy the season!