Post-meal, instead of feeling satisfied and fulfilled, sometimes bloating and acidity become routine. You may think it's because of a heavy meal, or even be surprised when you experience bloating despite eating light.

Gut issues may not just originate from what you eat, but also how and when you eat. Your everyday food habits, which are often overlooked, can be one of the key reasons. Even the timing of meals, sometimes perceived as trivial, can play a major role in how your food is digested.

Bloating and acidity happen because your digestive system's balance is disrupted, leading to discomfort. Small changes in your eating patterns can make a big difference, improving your gut health. The burning sensation in the chest, along with the abdominal tightness, can turn your favourite dishes into must-avoids; so to avoid red-flagging your comfort meals, rectify your eating habits.

Rajat Jain, who regularly shares nutrition tips on Instagram, explained the reasons behind frequent bloating and acidity after meal:

Dietician Rajat Jain identified these red flags habits which may be causing you bloating and acidity:

1. Wrong food pairing

• Mixing fermented foods with heavy starches slows digestion and creates the perfect storm for gas
• Avoid common combinations like Dal-Chawal + Curd, Hot chai with paratha, Dosa + Coffee

2. Timing mistake

• Avoid timings like Late-night dinners (post 8 PM), morning coffee on an empty stomach or rushing through lunch.
• The result is that your digestive fire gets confused about when to produce acids.

3. Temperature issues

• Avoid contradictory temperature pairings like ice water with biryani, cold lassi with hot parathas, and refrigerated leftovers without reheating properly.
• Your digestion needs consistency. Temperature changes confuse your stomach and slow things down.

4. Portion problems

• Filling your thali with everything at once, like with multiple chutneys, mixing too many dishes.
• Stomach can't process 10 different things at the same time.

5. Eating with speed and stress

• Avoid eating while working, or 5-minute lunch breaks, and scrolling while eating
• This forces body to choose between digesting or stressing, not both.

6. Food sensitivities

• Dairy, gluten, or high-fat meals, if you're sensitive to any of these, your stomach's already on overdrive trying to break them down.