At times, people experience stomach pain after taking their meals,this is not a good sign. It could be that you are suffering from food intolerance, that is your body does not support the foods you have eaten. It can also be caused by factors, such as, poor diet, food poisoning, and food indigestion. This factors are the most common cause of stomach pain immediately after meals. Stomach ache can be as a sharp pain in your lower abdomen, it can also cause you some symptoms like, bloating, nausea, you may have gas or diarrhoea at at a more chronic stage. Constipation will also be noticed but don't panic, it only last for a short while.

       With all these symptoms associated with stomach ache after eating your meal, they are caused by many things, most of which are out of our control, if you are suffering from appendicitis, but some lifestyle changes can reduce your level of having stomach ache. It is important to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, so as to be healthy and pain free. People often ignore the importance of planning a healthy meal and a healthy eating habits before eating the meal. They often make poor choices of foods and lifestyle, sometimes poor eating habits can cause stomach ache. Feeling uncomfortable after meal can be frustrating and demands urgent medical attention. Sometimes, you may experience lower abdominal pain and feeling of fullness after you might have started eating. The most common causes of stomach pain  after meals is excessive internal gas. If you get a bloated stomach after eating, it might be a digestive issue. It might be as simple as eating too much or too fast, or you could have a food intolerance.

     Stomach ache after eating can also be attributed to gallstones, eating spicy foods, a stomach flu, lactose intolerance, food poisoning, peptic ulcer, pelvic inflammatory disease and at a bad stage appenditic. Stomach ache after eating can also be as a result of blocked blood vessels. 

      Discomfort or stomach ache, which begins after we have taken our meals, may have some frustrating symptoms. We may think its because of Overeating or being underfed, but this is not the only cause, it maybe caused by a wide variety of factors, making it necessary to seek medical attention. Most cases of stomach ache are caused by food intolerance, indigestion, or when we eat spicy foods high in fat,this will cause you some persistent pain in the lower abdomen. There are lot of things that can cause you stomach pain after eating, it maybe that you have indigestion or common heartburn,or you are taking advantage of over the counter medication. Eating contaminated foods can cause foods poisoning, bacteria is the cause of food contamination. This can cause nausea within hours of eating, some infections, such as viral infection of the digestive tract,such as stomach flu,can also cause nausea after eating. Overeating can cause stomachs ache, because when you over eat, to make room for the extra food, your stomach stretched like a balloon. This means when you over eat your stomach expand, the more it expands the higher your risk of having stomach pain. Also depending on what you have eaten, eating foods high in fat and fibre, can cause you stomach ache because it takes time to digest.

 When you have undigested food in your stomach, the food will be pushed up to the esophagus, this will cause, nausea, heartburn, and Shortness of breath.

             Symptoms of stomach ache

  • Bloating 
  • Sharp pain in your stomach 
  • Heartburn 
  • Abdominal pain
  • Excessive belching 
  • Loss of appetite 
  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting 

             Causes of stomach ache

 Below are the cause of stomach pain after meals. Stomach ache are caused by many factors, such as, what we eat and drink, our medicines and our lifestyle. This can impact our health either positively or negatively.

Food poisoning 

   Eating meals that are contaminated or intoxicated, this meal canbe harmful to the body and can cause serious health problems, if not treated immediately it can lead to some serious health threatening illness, some sickness caused by food poisoning are, diarrhea, dysentery, stomach pains and nausea. 

Smoking and drinking 

     Smoking can irritate the throat and cause an upset in the stomach. Alcohol takes time to digest and at the process can damage the liver and stomach lining. Avoid smoking and drinking hard drinks, this will help you to live a healthy life.

Sleeping on your stomach 

   Don't lie down on your stomach, especially when you feel pain, as this can cause stomachs ache, and heartburn as the food will be pushed up back to the esophagus. According to false myth, we are being told to always sleep on our stomach if we are having stomach problems, this is false, because sleeping on your stomach will only aggrevate your problem. 

Taking sodas and carbonated drinks 

    Water aids the proper digestion of food inthe body, but taking sodas and carbonated drinks will cause stomach problems as a result of its excess gas. 

Meal portion 

      At times, we eat more than our stomach can carry, this inturn cause our stomach to expand trying to take in the excess foods. This destroys the stomach lining and can cause serious health issues, as our stomach will be causing us to be in pain as a result of the damaged stomach lining. 

Food intolerance 

   Some foods can be harmful to our body system, eating food that works against your body system will surely cause you to experience some discomforts on your body,some of which will be stomach pain, indigestion, heartburn, and excessive gas inthe body.

Indigestion 

   Indigestion is one of the major causes of stomach pain, some foods take time to digest, thereby causing you stomach ache and heartburn. 

Gastritis 

   This is when the lining of the stomach is swollen and inflamed, this is a serious health issue that is caused by food and lifestyle changes,or a long term use of certain medication. 

Excessive gas

   Some people can experience stomach pains as a result of excessive internal gas build up in the stomach. This gas in the body will lead to severe heartburn and can lead to some serious health threatening issues. 

Stress and anxiety 

   Stress may also cause discomfort in the body, mostly in the stomach, anxiety and depression reduces our body digestion rate, therefore it can also cause some abnormality inthe stomach. Although it's minor cause of stomach pain. 


         Treatments of stomach pain 

Stomach pains, in some cases are temporary, it may stop at anytime, but waiting till that moment maybe life threatening and can cause some serious health issues. Mild stomach pain, will definitely go away just a matter of time,incase you have diarrhea, or other chronic diseases. Some of this lifestyle changes can help you to reduce your risk of developing stomach pain.

Eat easy digesting foods 

     Avoid eating foods that have high carbohydrates molecules, this will cause the foods not to digest properly and may even extend it digesting time. This undigested food will cause stomachs ache as a result of, it not being able to digest. Avoid some fatty foods and foods with high carbohydrates values, as this foods take time to digest. 

Stop smoking and drinking 

     Taking too much alcohol and cigarette can damage your liver, kidney, and stomach lining and leave you vulnerable to stomach pain. Alcohol takes time to digest, so, should be avoided. 

Maintain a healthy eating habit 

     Change your eating habits, eat more slowly and know your meal  portion, avoid over eating, notice when your brain signal that you are full. Eat as much as your stomach can contain, avoid overstretching your stomach. 

Eat healthy meals 

   Stop eating, fatty, fried, and even spicy foods,as this will trigger some symptoms of stomach pain and heartburn. The above mentioned foods can also slow down your body's digestive rate and cause constipation. Concentrate more on nutritious meal such as fruit and vegetables, with some fibre based foods,this will speed up the process of digestion and also soothes the stomach lining. 

Drink healthy liquid 

     Drink more water, less carbonated drinks such as, soda, soft drink, and some sugary beverage. Water aid proper digestion inthe body. Try drinking a glass of water when you are thirsty, keep a bottle of water handy, avoid taking, caffeine, soda, and beverages as an alternative to water,as these will cause your body system some health issues. 

Don't stress yourself 

    Too much stress can also cause stomachs pain, as a result of poor digestion. Engaging in heavy exercise immediately after meals will likely cause you to have some stomach pain. So practice light exercise to fasten your digestive tract. Anxiety and depression canbe one of the cause of stomach ache. Visit your doctor to help you know what's best for your health and what's not. 
    

              Other treatments tips 

  • You can reguest for over the counter medication like simethicone, this can help in easing the distension that is causing you pain. 
  • Non steroidal and anti inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen can worsen digestive pain, ask your doctor for an alternative treatment to those drugs. 
  • Take enough ginger, it is commonly known for its medical value, it is a natural remedy for indigestion and stomach pains. You can take it raw after washing it or you grind it to be used as spices to our meals. It can also be taken as liquid. 
  • Try taking some mints, in addition to sweetening the breath, the menthol in mint will help you in the following ways. 
  1. Relieve pain in your stomach 
  2. Preventing you from vomiting and diarrhoea 
  3. Reducing muscle spasm in the intestine 

  Maintaining a healthy live is all about your lifestyle and what you eat, try following the above-mentioned steps, you will be able to live a healthy life. 
   
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