Bloating is the feeling of fullness, pressure, and tightness in your belly — sometimes with a visible increase in your waistline. In most cases it is not caused by a serious disease. It is usually a mix of swallowed air, certain carbohydrates fermenting in the colon, sluggish bowel movement, and a gut wall that is more sensitive than average, so a perfectly normal volume of gas feels like far too much. The good news: most people improve with simple, deliberate changes to how and what they eat — no harsh deprivation and no random elimination diets.
In this guide from Bakery 8 (مخبز ثمانية) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, we take the causes of bloating and gas apart one by one, explain what the research actually says about the low-FODMAP diet, lactose intolerance, and sugar alcohols, and give you practical steps you can start today — along with clear warning signs that mean you should see a doctor instead of trying yet another diet.
What is the difference between bloating and distension?
Gastroenterologists separate two things that usually travel together but are not identical:
- Bloating: the internal sensation of fullness, pressure, and tightness. It is subjective — nobody else may be able to see it.
- Distension: a real, measurable increase in the circumference of your abdomen, so your belt or thobe genuinely gets tighter over the day.
According to Cleveland Clinic, the sensation of bloating can occur even with a completely normal amount of gas, because some people have visceral hypersensitivity — gut nerves that report pressure and fullness more loudly than usual. That matters enormously: not every case of bloating is an "excess gas" problem, and sometimes the fix is calming the signal rather than chasing the gas.
How much gas is normal in a day?
Many people assume they are abnormal when they are firmly within the average. Cleveland Clinic notes that passing gas as many as 25 times a day is within the normal range for perfectly healthy people. Producing gas daily is not a disease — it is the sign of a digestive system doing its job.
Intestinal gas has two main sources, according to Mayo Clinic:
- Swallowed air: we swallow air when we eat, drink, and talk, and the amount rises with fast eating, drinking through a straw, chewing gum, and carbonated drinks.
- Bacterial fermentation: carbohydrates not absorbed in the small intestine reach the colon, where bacteria ferment them and produce gases and short-chain fatty acids.
What causes abdominal bloating?
1. Eating fast and swallowing air
Rushing meals, talking while chewing, drinking through a straw, chewing gum, and fizzy drinks all push extra air into the stomach. In a Saudi multicenter study of 552 adults published in Frontiers in Public Health in 2026, "eating in a hurry" was statistically associated with more IBS symptoms, while drinking water regularly and eating with family were associated with fewer.
2. Constipation and slow transit
When stool sits longer in the colon, bacteria get more time to ferment, and the feeling of fullness and pressure grows. Cleveland Clinic lists constipation among the core causes of bloating — which is why treating constipation, with water, gradually increased fiber, and movement, often solves half the problem.
3. Lactose intolerance
Lactose is milk sugar. When the lactase enzyme is insufficient, undigested lactose reaches the colon and causes bloating, gas, and diarrhea. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, NIH), about 68% of the world's population has lactose malabsorption, with higher rates in Asia and Africa and lower rates in northern Europe. An important nuance from the same source: malabsorption does not automatically mean symptoms — "intolerance" means the symptoms are actually there.
4. FODMAPs — the rapidly fermented carbohydrates
FODMAPs are fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols: short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. According to the clinical review published in StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), they work through two mechanisms: an osmotic effect that pulls water into the bowel, and fermentation by colonic bacteria that produces gas — a combination that causes distension and pain in people with visceral hypersensitivity.
The main FODMAP subgroups are:
- Oligosaccharides: fructans in wheat, onions, and garlic; galacto-oligosaccharides in legumes.
- Disaccharides: lactose in milk and dairy.
- Monosaccharides: excess fructose in honey, mango, and figs.
- Polyols: sorbitol in stone fruits, mannitol in mushrooms and cauliflower, and xylitol in some "sugar-free" products.
Note that wheat is named explicitly as a leading fructan source. That explains why so many people feel better when they cut back on wheat products even without celiac disease — a point we unpacked in our article on non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
5. Sugar alcohols are not all the same
Mayo Clinic lists sugar substitutes such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol among well-known gas triggers, because they partly reach the colon and are fermented there. But there is an important difference inside that family: a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2005 (Arrigoni and colleagues) found that erythritol is completely resistant to fermentation by human gut bacteria within 24 hours, and that roughly 90% of it is absorbed in the small intestine and excreted in the urine — so only a small fraction ever reaches the colon.
The practical takeaway: if you buy "sugar-free" products and feel bloated afterwards, turn the pack over and check which sweetener was used. Maltitol and sorbitol are not the same thing as erythritol, stevia, or monk fruit.
6. IBS and visceral hypersensitivity
Bloating is among the most common IBS symptoms. In Saudi Arabia specifically, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Cureus in 2023 (Albalawi), covering 38 studies and 26,567 participants, put the pooled prevalence of IBS at about 20.7% (95% CI 17.8–23.7). That is roughly one in five people — which explains how often bloating comes up in conversation here.
7. Other causes worth knowing
- Celiac disease: an autoimmune condition that must be diagnosed before any diet change.
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO): listed by both Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic as a possible cause.
- Hormonal changes: menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause.
- Inactivity: a sedentary day slows gas transit and prolongs retention.
What is the low-FODMAP diet, and is it the answer?
The low-FODMAP diet is not a diet for life. It is a three-phase diagnostic tool developed at Monash University in Australia. According to Monash and the StatPearls clinical review:
- Elimination: 2 to 6 weeks (some references say 4 to 8 weeks). It is a substitution phase, not a deprivation phase — you swap one food for a lower-FODMAP alternative.
- Reintroduction: roughly 6 to 8 weeks, testing one FODMAP subgroup at a time (about three days each) to learn what actually bothers you.
- Personalization: a permanent, broad diet in which you avoid only what has been shown to trigger your symptoms, and bring back everything you tolerated well.
How effective is it? The clinical review notes that up to three-quarters of IBS patients may improve within 6 weeks of starting. And in a randomized controlled trial published in Gastroenterology in 2014 (Halmos and colleagues) with 30 IBS patients and 8 healthy controls in a crossover design of 21 days per diet, mean overall gastrointestinal symptom scores were 22.8 mm on a visual analogue scale versus 44.9 mm on the typical Australian diet — roughly half.
Three cautions matter, though:
- Do not stay in the elimination phase. StatPearls warns that prolonged restriction may reduce intake of calcium, B vitamins, iron, and dietary fiber.
- Professional supervision is the gold standard. Dietitian-led education is the recommended way to run this.
- Test before you eliminate. If celiac disease is suspected, testing must come before cutting wheat, because going gluten-free first can invalidate the result.
Bloating in the Saudi context
The local numbers are worth pausing on. In the Saudi multicenter study of 552 adults published in Frontiers in Public Health in 2026, the most frequent symptoms were bloating (18%), abdominal pain (16%), and flatus (15%). Habits associated with more symptoms were eating in a hurry, frequent snacking, spicy foods, and sweets. Habits associated with fewer symptoms were drinking water regularly and eating with family.
Notice that three of those four aggravating factors are behavioral, not nutritional: how you eat, where you eat, and how fast. Those are the easiest things to change today, before any diet.
12 practical steps toward a calmer belly
- Slow down. Give a meal at least 20 minutes and put the fork down between bites.
- Drop the straw and the gum if you notice they line up with your bloating.
- Cut back on carbonated drinks — that gas goes straight into your gut.
- Treat constipation first. Enough water, fiber increased gradually rather than all at once, and daily movement.
- Move after meals. A gentle 10–15 minute walk helps move gas along; Cleveland Clinic lists inactivity among bloating contributors and recommends regular physical activity.
- Read the label. Look for sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, and xylitol in "sugar-free" products.
- Test lactose intelligently. Try two weeks without liquid milk and observe, rather than cutting all dairy at once.
- Change one variable at a time. Removing five foods simultaneously teaches you nothing about which one was the culprit.
- Keep a two-week symptom diary: what you ate, when, and how you felt at two hours and six hours.
- Mind the portion. Even low-FODMAP foods can trigger symptoms in large single servings — serving size matters as much as food choice.
- Address stress and sleep. The 2023 American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) clinical practice update emphasizes taking a biopsychosocial history and the effectiveness of brain-gut behavioral therapies such as diaphragmatic breathing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and relaxation training.
- Do not assume probiotics are the answer. That same update does not recommend probiotics specifically for treating bloating or distension.
What about peppermint oil?
One option with reasonable evidence behind it: in a meta-analysis published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2019 (Alammar and colleagues) pooling 12 randomized trials and 835 patients, peppermint oil was associated with improvement in global IBS symptoms at a risk ratio of 2.39 (95% CI 1.93–2.97) and in abdominal pain at 1.78 (1.43–2.20), with no significant difference in adverse events. This is educational information, not a prescription — discuss it with your doctor, particularly if you have reflux or take other medication.
When is bloating a sign you should see a doctor?
Most bloating is benign, but some signs should never be ignored. Cleveland Clinic advises seeing a doctor if bloating:
- lasts longer than a week;
- causes severe pain;
- comes with fever, vomiting, bleeding, weakness, or unexplained weight loss.
Mayo Clinic adds blood in the stool, weight loss, and persistent constipation, and advises seeking immediate care for prolonged abdominal or chest pain.
Who should be extra careful?
- People with celiac disease: strict gluten avoidance is a medical requirement, not a dietary preference.
- People with diabetes: any major change in eating pattern may require reviewing medication or insulin doses with your doctor.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women: broad elimination diets are not appropriate without supervision.
- Anyone over 50 or with a family history of digestive disease: new symptoms deserve a medical assessment, not a diet.
This article is health education only. It does not replace consultation with your doctor or dietitian, and should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment.
Where do bread and sweets fit into all this?
If you notice bloating rising specifically after wheat-based meals, the smart move is not to delete bread from your life — it is to change its type, after ruling out medical causes with your doctor. Bakery 8 products are made from almond flour and are sugar-free and gluten-free, which means they contain no wheat fructans — one of the most prominent FODMAP groups:
- Samoli bread, cloud bread, and toast — a daily alternative to wheat bread that keeps the shape of your usual meal. (An honest note: almonds themselves are low-FODMAP in small servings, and larger portions can push the content higher — quantity is part of the equation.)
- Keto granola — an alternative to processed, sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal.
- Crackers and manakish — instead of commercial biscuits and chips at snack time.
- Sugar-free chocolate — and here the type of sweetener genuinely matters: erythritol, as the British Journal of Nutrition study showed, is not fermented by gut bacteria and is about 90% absorbed before reaching the colon, unlike sorbitol and maltitol.
For more, read our articles on gut health and the microbiome and our guide to weekly meal prep, which helps you settle into a calm, regular eating pattern — one of the best things you can do for a quieter gut.
Frequently asked questions about bloating and gas
Is daily bloating normal?
A passing sense of fullness after a large meal is normal, and so is passing gas up to about 25 times a day in healthy people, according to Cleveland Clinic. But bloating that lasts more than a week, disrupts your day, or comes with severe pain or weight loss is not normal and deserves medical assessment.
Should I quit gluten to stop bloating?
Do not start on your own. If celiac disease is suspected, testing must come before avoidance, because going gluten-free first can produce a false-negative result. And once celiac is ruled out, any improvement may be due to reducing wheat fructans rather than gluten itself.
Do probiotics cure bloating?
The 2023 AGA clinical practice update does not recommend probiotics specifically for treating bloating or distension. They may help some people in other situations, but do not treat them as a guaranteed fix, and do not let them replace addressing the underlying cause such as constipation or lactose intolerance.
Why do "sugar-free" products make me bloated?
Usually because of the sweetener used. Sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and xylitol partly reach the colon and are fermented, producing gas. Erythritol, by contrast, was shown in the British Journal of Nutrition study not to be fermented by gut bacteria, with about 90% absorbed in the small intestine. Read the label and tell the types apart.
How long does the low-FODMAP diet take to work?
The elimination phase runs 2 to 6 weeks according to Monash (other references say 4 to 8 weeks), and up to three-quarters of IBS patients may improve within 6 weeks. The key is not to stop there: reintroduction and personalization are what give you a broad, sustainable diet instead of permanent restriction.
Does walking really help with gas?
Movement helps move gas along and eases constipation, and Cleveland Clinic lists inactivity among the contributors to bloating while recommending regular physical activity among home measures. A gentle walk after meals is simple, free, and worth trying for two weeks.
The bottom line
Bloating is neither a mystery nor a life sentence. Start with the easy wins: slow your eating, drink enough water, treat constipation, move after meals, and read the labels on "sugar-free" products. Then, if the complaint persists, move to a structured trial under professional supervision rather than random elimination — and see your doctor immediately if any warning sign appears.
And if wheat turns out to be part of what bothers you, you do not have to give up bread and sweets. Browse the almond-flour, sugar-free, gluten-free range at Bakery 8 — healthy and delicious, for a calmer belly.
References
- Cleveland Clinic. Bloated Stomach: Causes, Symptoms & When To Be Concerned. 2024.
- Cleveland Clinic. Flatulence (Gas): Causes and When To See a Doctor. 2023.
- Mayo Clinic. Gas and Gas Pains — Symptoms and Causes. 2024.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH. Definition & Facts for Lactose Intolerance.
- Daley S.F., Syed K., Goldin J. The Low-FODMAP Diet in Clinical Practice: Evidence-Based Indications, Implementation, and Interprofessional Care. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf, 2026.
- Monash University FODMAP. The 3 Phases of the Low FODMAP Diet.
- Halmos E.P., Power V.A., Shepherd S.J., Gibson P.R., Muir J.G. A Diet Low in FODMAPs Reduces Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2014;146(1):67–75.
- Arrigoni E., Brouns F., Amadò R. Human Gut Microbiota Does Not Ferment Erythritol. British Journal of Nutrition. 2005;94(5):643–646.
- Alammar N., Wang L., Saberi B., et al. The Impact of Peppermint Oil on the Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of the Pooled Clinical Data. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2019;19:21.
- Albalawi A.F. Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus. 2023;15(9):e45357.
- Albashir W.M., et al. Dietary Habits and Their Association With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among the Public Population in Saudi Arabia: A Multicenter Based Study. Frontiers in Public Health. 2026;14:1804238.
- Moshiree B., Drossman D., Shaukat A. AGA Clinical Practice Update on Evaluation and Management of Belching, Abdominal Bloating, and Distention: Expert Review. Gastroenterology. 2023;165(3):791–800.
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