By PENELOPE ROSE MORRISON
After a weekend of indulging, it's no surprise you feel bloated on Monday. But it's not always rich, fatty foods that cause ballooning in your midsection. It turns out that the biggest culprits for those prone to tummy troubles are FODMAPs, finds research from the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
The acronym stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. In short: "These carbohydrates are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and rapidly fermented by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract," says Julia Greer, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. This process creates gas, which leads to symptoms like bloating.
For short-term relief, Greer recommends lying on your stomach, exercising, and drinking water to help gas bubbles move along. But if you...