Be Warned: The Hidden Sugar In These Foods Can Cause Gas And Bloating

Those who suffer from bloating issues often wonder why, despite eating well, they experience indigestion. "There are some hidden foods that people consume, which cause gas and bloating," said a nutritionist.

It is a known fact that consuming excessive sugar and sugar-based foods and beverages is bad for health. In the long run, it can give rise to various health problems. Too much sugar can harm your skin and scalp, cause heart issues, etc.

According to health.harvard.edu, the top sources of sugar in the American diet are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurt, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and most processed foods. But, did you know that there are some foods that have hidden sugar, and consuming them can aggravate gas, bloating and indigestion issues?

Anjali Mukerjee, a nutritionist, explained in an Instagram video that those who suffer from bloating issues often wonder why, despite eating well, they experience indigestion. "There are some hidden foods that people consume, which cause gas and bloating," she said, adding that sugar-free chewing gum is an example.

"When you consume gum, you consume a lot of air while chewing the gum over a period of time. Secondly, it contains artificial sweetener, because people who want to lose weight and are on a diet eat sugar-free gums. When you have sugar-free gum, you consume the artificial sweetener, which will cause stomach distension, gas and bloat," the nutritionist explained.

She went on to list the second food, which is 'diet' drink. Diet drinks, she said, are also made with artificial sweetener. It would naturally cause a lot of gas and bloating, because it impacts the gut bacteria which, in turn, causes stomach distension. "Also, soft drinks are extremely acidic. When you consume it, it will cause indigestion," she warned.

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Mukerjee also said there is a list of foods made from white sugar that would definitely cause gas and bloating. "Some of the foods sold in the market today are labelled as 'sugar-free'. Supposedly, they do not interfere with our weight loss efforts, but cause gas and bloating," she said. The expert added that white sugar "directly impacts the gut bacteria". "The bad bacteria grow with the help of white sugar. So, all desserts, chocolates, cakes, pastries, mithais, milkshakes, all things containing white sugar, will cause stomach distension, gas and bloating."

The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 100 calories (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) and men no more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams) of added sugar per day.

TheHealthsite.com had previously reported that sugar affects white blood cells in our body. WBC's main function is to protect the body from attacks by bacteria or virus. If we consume excessive sugar, this function gets affected, thereby impacting immunity.

Another important point to note is that most sugary foods are devoid of basic nutrition. Besides having high sugar content, they contribute nothing health-wise. Instead, they lower the immunity; increase inflammation in the body; decrease longevity; cause chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.