25 Ways to Beat the Bloat ...

Gas and bloating is uncomfortable. The food and liquid you consume takes up space in your stomach which naturally expands, but if that food gives off gases or takes a long time to digest you get bloat. These are some things you can try when your jeans won’t zip up over your bloated belly.

1 Avoid Fizzy Drinks

Fizzy drinks are full of gas and they release that carbon dioxide into your stomach when you drink them.

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2 Avoid Drinking through a Straw

Using a straw to drink will make you swallow extra air that will cause bloating.

3 Avoid High-Acid Drinks

Tea, coffee, alcohol, hot cocoa, and acidic fruit juices irritate your gastrointestinal tract. Avoid them.

4 Say No to Gassy Veggies

Avoid veggies like broccoli, beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and others with complex carbohydrate Raffinose to prevent bloating.

5 Eat and Drink Slowly

Drinking or eating too fast will make you swallow more air that gets trapped in your digestive system and leads to bloating.

6 Avoid Milk

Say no to cow’s milk if you are lactose intolerant because undigested lactose can cause gas, cramping, and bloating.

7 Cut down on Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber may help with constipation but too much of it will cause bloating by slowing the movement of gas through the bowels.

8 Eat Smaller Meals

Eating smaller meals more often may provide your stomach with more time to break down food, which will prevent bloating.

9 Limit Your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol leads to constipation and dehydration, which not only causes bloating but makes it worse too.

10 Eat Fewer Spicy Foods

Avoid foods seasoned with nutmeg, black pepper, hot sauce, cloves, mustard or garlic to avoid bloating.

11 Avoid the Sugar Substitutes

Sugar substitutes such as manitol, xylitol, maltitol, or erhthritol found in cookies, gum, snack bars etc., stay in your stomach longer and cause abdominal distention and bloating.

12 Drink Plenty of Water

Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day and drink more if lead an active lifestyle to beat bloating.

13 Limit Your Salt Intake

Avoid processed foods, packaged foods, and food with high salt content because salt makes your body retain water.

14 Go for a Post-Meal Walk

Walk for at least 5 minutes after a nice meal to get rid of any air trapped in your digestive tract.

15 Reduce Your Intake of Bulky Raw Foods

Eat cooked vegetables instead of bulky raw foods that take a lot more space in your tummy.

16 Say No to Caffeine

Excessive caffeine intake can over-stimulate your gut that makes it to puff up and bloat.

17 Don't Eat Fatty Food

Avoid fatty foods, especially fried foods, because fat delays stomach emptying and make you feel bloated.

18 Eat More Potassium-Rich Foods

Foods like white beans, tomatoes, spinach, bananas, nuts, papayas, and kiwis are rich in potassium that causes your kidneys to excrete sodium to reduce fluid retention and prevent bloating.

19 Avoid Hard Candy and Chewing Gum

Sucking on hard candy or chewing gum makes you swallow more air and causes bloating.

20 Treat Weak Intestinal/Stomach Muscles

Weak or poorly functioning intestinal muscles will find it difficult to transport air through the digestive tract. Talk to your doctor for a treatment option.

21 Try Natural Remedies

Increasing your intake of parsley, drinking chamomile, peppermint, or fennel tea, and taking caraway and peppermint oil capsules will help reduce bloating.

22 Treat Acid Reflux

GERD or acid reflux makes you swallow extra air that is the reason why you feel bloated after a meal.

23 Eat Balanced Meals

Don't cut out too much protein from your diet because a lack of protein may cause bloating. Too many carbs or too much fat will promote water retention. So, eat balanced meals.

24 Manage Stress Levels

Beat stress through physical exercise and relaxation techniques to reduce stress hormones that slow down your digestive system and cause bloating.

25 Take Calcium Supplements

Calcium will help when your abdominal fullness and bloating is due to premenstrual syndrome. Try a supplement with calcium as well as vitamin B6 and magnesium to reduce fluid retention and bloating.