Intestinal cramps with flatulence
If flatulence repeatedly occurs together with intestinal cramps, there is usually no worrying illness behind it. In the vast majority of cases, malnutrition leads to increased gas formation in the intestine and thus triggers swelling and decongesting pain. Avoiding flatulent foods such as peas, various types of cabbage, onions, lentils, unripe fruit or carbonated drinks can often relieve the symptoms. In addition, you should make sure that you chew your food thoroughly, otherwise a lot of air will be swallowed together with the food, which can increase the discomfort.
Bowel cramps with bowel movement
If intestinal cramps occur repeatedly before bowel movements and improve after the bowel has been emptied, the cause is often constipation or a low-fibre diet. Hard, dry stools take longer to pass through the bowel and are therefore excreted late. In the sections of the intestine before that, correspondingly larger quantities of gases and stool can collect and cause intestinal cramps during digestive movements.
To counteract this, more dietary fibre should be taken in with meals. These are found in large quantities in fruit and vegetables, for example. In addition, stools remain softer and pass through the intestines more quickly if enough fluid – at least 2l per day – is absorbed.
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