⠀I have been struggling with bloating for the most part of my life as I have IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome). So, unfortunately, I am more than prone to this condition. But I always wanted to get rid of bloating because the symptoms were pretty annoying: pain after eating, meteorism, permanently bloated tummy even though I have abs and all this preggy feeling without being pregnant 😀
With time I figured out how to get rid of bloating and have a flat stomach. So I hope this article will help you as well.
Main reasons of bloating:
- Food intolerance
- Intestinal disorders (like IBS, SIBO, IBD)
- Bacteria disbalance
- Birth control pills
- Bad eating habits (like talking during your meal, chewing gums etc).
- Excess fiber in your diet
You need to know your main reasons in order to reduce bloating effectively. But anyway, tips that I provide below are very versatile and can help you to get rid of bloating in most cases.
Here are some tips that are really powerful if your follow them daily:
🌟 Determine your food allergens
It’s not necessary that you have a food intolerance but as it’s pretty common so you should check it first. Most common food sensitivities are:
- Lactose intolerance – to the milk sugar found in cow’s milk or any other commercial products containing cow’s milk.
- Fructose intolerance – to the sugar found in fruit, honey
and some commercial food products. - Gluten intolerance – this is sensitivity to proteins in wheat, rye, barley
and triticale. - Caffeine intolerance – to caffeine-containing beverages like coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks.
The best way to determine any intolerance is to follow elimination diets when you remove foods that may cause intolerances for some time until symptoms disappear. Then you reintroduce this food one at a time while monitoring for symptoms.
A food diary can help you keep track of how you feel after you eat certain foods and figure out if this is a problem for you.
🌟 Know foods that cause bloating
If you want to know what causes bloating in your case you should also check a list of products that are known for producing excess gas and therefore may lead to bloating. Some beans and vegetables that cause bloating as well as sparkling waters, dairy and wheat gluten.
Check this file to find out what foods you should be careful with if you suffer from a bloating belly:
And I would like to focus on beans especially for my fellow vegans out there. Beans and legumes are a great source of plant-based protein which you don’t want to avoid but they are difficult to digest so that’s why I recommend adding them slowly to your diet so the body can adjust.
For all these years my stomach already got used to beans but I still prefer to take digestive enzymes/add lots of fermented foods to help my digestion when I know that my food is too “heavy” of proteins and compound carbs. For example, if I eat tofu together with any dish that contain beans I would take Enzymes to help my body to digest it. Keep reading to know more about Digestive Enzymes.
I also highly recommend to soak beans and nuts to activate them and make them more “digestive friendly”. When you cook beans it’s better not to only soak them overnight but also pour out water after it boils and then pour new water to the pan with beans to cook until they are ready.
🌟 Eat your food thoroughly
If you eat fast you may gulp down air which gets trapped in your gut. Moreover, if you are in a rush you might not be chewing your food properly that makes it harder to digest.
I’ve noticed how tremendously this tip helps in my case. All my childhood my grandma reminded me to chew every bite at least 30 times. Of course, I didn’t do it at that time. Kids are so stubborn, you know 😀 But now I feel much better if I don’t rush and focus on chewing my food.
🌟 Avoid drinking while or after the meal
I’ve noticed that it can’t be suitable for everybody. Some people prefer to drink while eating and they feel good. Even more, they can’t even have any meal without a glass of water. But in my case, it was one of the reasons for my bloating and poor digestion.
It was a habit of mine to have a cup of tea right after the main meal. I used to live in a cold climate, unfortunately, so tea was my must-have everyday drink to keep me warm and happy. It was also kind of a ritual when together with my husband we were drinking tea and having long talks about everything. But when I decided to postpone the tea ceremony for an hour after lunch, my digestion became much better and I got rid of bloating faster.
🌟 Avoid eating fruits and sweets right after your meal
Another holy grail for me! I get bloated every single time I eat fruits after my main course. But damn, I crave sweets all the time (check my post on “How to stop sugar cravings“) right after finishing a meal! Luckily, nuts and seeds helped to solve the problem.
So if you want to get rid of bloating and notice that drinking/eating sweets after meals makes your symptoms worse try to change this habit. You can also go for a walk or distract yourself in some other way. In an hour or so it’s totally fine to have a dessert or tea.
🌟 Take Digestive Enzymes to get rid of bloating
Depending on what digestive issues you have you have to choose proper digestive enzymes to get rid of your bloating tummy. Some of them help to break down proteins, others improve digestion of carbohydrates, fats, sugars or fiber.
That’s why there are different types of enzymes:
- Lactase enzyme allow you to digest dairy.
- Alpha-galactosidase is very helpful to break down vegetables, beans and legumes
- Xylose isomerase can help to digest fructose-containing fruits and sweets
It can be also beneficial to take Peppermint Oil to prevent bloating and digestive problems. I met many people who noticed a significant improvement in their symptoms after taking peppermint oil. So give it a try 🙂
I also highly recommend
🌟 Eat probiotics & prebiotics to have a healthy gut flora.
It’s difficult to get rid of bloating if
The effect can vary from person to person. Some people don’t believe in probiotics or don’t notice any results. But I personally see the effects so I do recommend to try taking probiotics. But make sure you have quality supplements. Because the bacteria should be live (it’s better if you can find cold storage products. Or even make your own probiotics.
In my YouTube video I show what probiotics&prebiotics I use to get rid of bloating and improve my gut health. Check it out:
And I’ve also prepared a list of the most common prebiotics & probiotics you can print out and stick to your fridge in order to remind yourself what food to consume
🌟 Be careful with artificial sweeteners
They can be tricky to digest and very likely may cause bloating so try to avoid these: aspartame, saccharin, sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, mannitol, cyclamates, sucralose, fructose.
It’s better to use erythritol and stevia. I personally used to hate the taste of stevia so much! But after learning about this natural sweetener and all its benefits I did my best to get used to it. And it worked. Firstly I started to add stevia to my bakery and dessert because its taste was subtle when combining with other ingredients. But with time I’ve managed to use it in drinks and any other meals. Cool!
🌟 Incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet.
Apple cider vinegar increases stomach acid and helps to digest food better. It’s better to mix ACV with water and drink before meals.
I personally prefer this brand – Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar. But you can use any you like. Just make sure you use natural unfiltered vinegar that contains a layer composed of yeast and acetic acid bacteria. It forms naturally during the fermentation process.
⠀🌟 Stay regular.
You may feel bloated if you
🌟 Be more active.
If you move a lot, you digestion becomes much better. I even recommend you special yoga exercises that helped me when I had severe pains due to my bloating. Together with other remedies they relieved my pain pretty effectively
Walking, running and swimming can also help. I would say that any physical activity are important if you want to get rid of bloating. If you are sitting for many hours in front of computer and don’t move it can slow down your bowel movement and lead to different digestive issues. So be sure you have many breaks during the day and include some workouts in your week schedule.
🌟 Drink camomile and dill tea to reduce severe bloating
These herbs have been used for centuries to improve stomach issues. I’ve noticed that I become more bloated in the evening. So I just try to drink these teas before going to bed to soothe my gut and to get rid of bloating.
Some other little things that usually cause bloating and you may want to avoid them:
chewing gum a lot, consuming soda and other sparkling drinks, drinking alcohol, speaking while eating.
P.S. If none of these tips helped you to relieve your symptoms it’s better to go to the doctor and to diagnose yourself. Because if you have any serious issues only medicines and special treatment can help.
Easy-to-use Printables to help you reduce bloating effectively:
I hope my article helped you to understand how to get rid of bloating. I also encourage you to share your experience, tips, and remedies that may be valuable for others. Or leave any feedback/questions in the comments below. I am always so happy to hear from you, guys!
Stay tuned for more health-related posts 🙂
Angela Waterford says
Excess gas and stomach cramps have always been my problem whenever the cold season sets in, not to mention I begin feeling bloated all the time. I think I’ll see a specialist regarding this so I can address this problem. Thanks for the tip that I can take probiotics and prebiotics so I’ll have a more balanced gut.
Jane says
Thank you for your comment. I’m happy it was valuable to you. And hope you will heal your gut soon!