Your symptoms—bloating, excessive gas, continuous burping, and a feeling of tightness after eating protein—suggest that the protein itself may not be the only issue. These symptoms can occur with:
* Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)
* Functional dyspepsia or IBS
* Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
* Lactose intolerance (if dairy proteins trigger symptoms)
* Reduced pancreatic digestive enzymes (less common but important if there is weight loss or oily stools)
What you can do for the next 2 weeks
1. Reduce the amount of protein per meal
* Aim for 10–15 g protein at a time rather than large servings.
* Spread protein over 5–6 small meals.
2. Choose easier-to-digest protein sources
* Moong dal soup
* Well-cooked masoor dal
* Homemade curd (only if dairy doesn’t worsen symptoms)
* Soft tofu or paneer in small amounts (if tolerated)
* Egg whites (if tolerated)
* Thin chicken or fish soup (if non-vegetarian)
Avoid large servings of rajma, chole, soy chunks, and very fatty meat until symptoms improve.
3. Improve digestion
* Chew each bite thoroughly.
* Eat slowly.
* Avoid lying down for 2–3 hours after meals.
* Avoid carbonated drinks and chewing gum.
* Take a 10–15 minute walk after meals.
4. Reduce gas-producing foods temporarily
* Onion, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli
* Excess beans and chickpeas
* Artificial sweeteners and sugary drinks
Helpful investigations (if symptoms are persistent)
Discuss these with your doctor or a gastroenterologist:
* CBC,
vitamin B12, iron profile
*
Liver function tests
* Stool examination (and fecal elastase if pancreatic insufficiency is suspected)
* Celiac disease screening (tTG-IgA with total IgA)
* H. pylori testing (breath or stool test)
* SIBO breath test (if bloating and burping are significant despite treatment)