Stomach pain after eating

One of the necessities in life is food. It is so indispensable that most of us strive hard just to get three decent square meals a day.

Food gives us the nutrients and energy our body needs. It makes us grow and develop and sustain a healthy life every day.

However, in order to get the energy we need from food, we need the support of our digestive system, specifically the stomach. Our stomach is responsible for breaking down food into smaller pieces.

Through the use of enzymes, the stomach helps the digestive system to efficiently digest all the nutrients from the food we eat. By eating the right kinds of food, we help our digestive system work accordingly. As a result, we can avoid experiencing stomach pain after we eat. Hence, it is important for our body to keep the stomach healthy.

Stomach pain and other stomach problems can be avoided by eating the right kind of food, in order for the digestive system to work properly for a healthier body.

What is Stomach Pain?

Stomach Pain
Stomach pain after eating is usually caused by eating too much or eating the wrong kind of foods.

Stomach pain is a common symptom that warns us that the body is experiencing a digestive system disorder. Although stomach pain may have many causes, it is, nevertheless, a major discomfort that no one likes to experience.

Most of the time stomach pains occur due to the food we take. It is important to understand that what we eat has a great impact on our stomach because of the nutrients our digestive system digests.

There are different types of stomach pains one should determine.
It could be a stomach pain from different areas of the stomach:

  • the Cardia
  • the Fundus
  • the Corpus
  • the Pylorous
  • and the overall Antrum

So the type of pain may vary depending on the area of the stomach where the pain is felt.

Causes of Stomach Pain after Eating

There are countless possibilities for why we experience stomach pain. These can range from minor causes to major ones and which may exist anytime, any day.

Generally, stomach pain results from excessive food intake, especially: spicy foods, being motionless after eating, drinking too much fluid during mealtimes, or simply when eating the wrong kind of food.

However, stomach ache after eating may also have deeper causes, for example: ulcers, food poisoning, lactose intolerance and appendicitis. There are also other causes of stomach ache after eating that may need serious medical attention. The list is as follows:

  • Stomach cancer
  • Gastroenteritis or “stomach flu”
  • Pain from diverticulitis
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS
  • Chronic mesenteric insufficiency
  • Heart problems
  • Gallbladder trouble
  • Pancreatitis
  • Infection due to bacteria or viruses
  • Intestinal obstruction
  • Food intolerance

Common Tips on How to Avoid Stomach Pain after Eating

1. Avoid unhealthy acidic food and beverages

Try to avoid any kind of food or beverage that is high in acid. These kinds of food, like citrus fruits, are acidic and may give your stomach an uneasy painful feeling especially for people who suffer from sour stomachs, acid reflux and stomach acids.

2. Eat and masticate your food very well

When you over chew your food you might end up having stomach pain. This is a common stomach pain most people feel as some time. If a person eats too fast, there is a high possibility that they will swallow air, causing their stomach to ache and experience gas.

Also, swallowing your food in large pieces will give your digestive system a hard time breaking down all the food properly, thus, giving you unwanted stomach pain.

3. Do not over drink fluids or avoid too many cold drinks during mealtime

Drinking plenty of fluids during mealtime will not only make you full but will also make your stomach painful. This is because of the heavy feeling that fluid gives when you drink together with the meal you eat.

Also, super cold drinks can make your stomach ache because of stomach cramp. The muscles within your stomach shrink as the surface tries to retain body heat. So, if you have a sensitive stomach, try to drink the right amount of fluid and avoid drinking overly cold drinks.

4. Limit yourself when eating processed foods

Processed foods, sugary and greasy foods can also be a cause of stomach pain because these are foods that are made of artificial ingredients and chemicals that are either modified or engineered.

The stomach releases excess acids to process the chemicals and artificial ingredients found within the food. Thus, it makes it harder for the stomach to break down the nutrients from the food, which can lead you to experiencing stomach pain.

You Might also be Interested in:

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  • Chest pain on the right side – the reasons of right side chest pain might completely differ from the causes of pain on the left part of the chest.
  • Heart pain after eating – read more about the most serious reason why your chest might hurt.
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