Feeling bloated after eating

Depending on what you eat and drink, feeling bloated after eating is actually pretty common and not usually anything to worry about. Certain foods take more time to digest, leading to bloating sensations as the food sits in your stomach for longer. Take a look at this question and answer from a member of our community for more information if you’re struggling with feeling bloated after eating.

Why do I feel bloated after eating?

“I’ve been trying to lose weight for quite some time now and I’ve done a lot of research into different types of dieting. But I’ve started skipping breakfast because I always feel bloated after eating cereal. It makes me feel like I’ve put loads of weight on. Is this natural? How can I try and get my body to accept breakfast as part of my routine?”

As you’ve probably discovered, breakfast plays an important role in most diets. This is because it sets your body up for the rest of the day, both mentally and physically.

Cereal can make you feel bloated after eating

As grim as it may feel, that bloated feeling you get after eating cereal is quite normal and generally down to the cereal doing its job. Wholegrain cereals, like bran flakes and porridge oats, are classified as unrefined carbohydrates. This means that they contain lots of fibre, which makes you feel fuller for longer. These types of carbohydrates are also processed by the body to produce glucose, which gives you the energy that you need to think clearly and be active throughout your day. So it’s ideal to include unrefined carbohydrates in your diet because you’re less likely to snack or eat unhealthy throughout the day.

Cereals are also classed as insoluble fibres, so when mixed with water they create a bulking effect that improves the movement of waste around your digestive system. It may well be a variety of these processes that’s making you feel bloated in the morning. However, although they’re common causes of bloating these are all good and healthy processes and will aid any potential balanced diet.

What is a balanced diet? Learn more here.

Feeling bloated due to food intolerances

If other foods do not make you feel this way, then it might be something particular to the cereal. Lactose intolerance is a condition which causes the body to react to dairy products, for example. If you’re having your cereal with cow’s milk, you might like to try it with a plant-based milk such as oat or almond milk and see if it still has the same effect. You can find out more about lactose intolerance and other types of food intolerance in our article on allergies. You could also experiment with different breakfast foods and keep a food diary to work out if a particular type of food gives you this bloated feeling.

If you ever have these feelings about food at other meal times it might be worth talking to your doctor (GP) about why this is happening.

Changing your breakfast routine

There are lots of things that you could do to make breakfast more enjoyable, like adding fruits to your cereal or using natural yoghurt instead of milk. You could also try changing the conditions in which you have breakfast to help you enjoy it more. For example, you could use it as a more social time with your family or friends, or perhaps something that you do once you get to work or college when you’re away from the stresses of home life.

Feeling bloated after eating vs. IBS

If you’re finding that this feeling is actually making you need to rush to the loo, you may be suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. IBS is a condition affecting the digestive tract. Take a look at our article on IBS here for more information.

More support

Do you struggle with certain types of foods? Why not reach out to the community on our discussion boards for support. Check out the rest of our body problems resources here.