How Can I Reduce Bloating?

Do you avoid eating large meals?

Do you try to eat slowly and chew food longer?

Do you carefully avoid food you are not intolerant to?

Do you avoid eating in a hurry or during conversations, drinking on a straw, drinking fizzy drinks or chewing gum?

Do you avoid eating food that give you gases?

Do you avoid carbohydrates called FODMAP (wheat, onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, artichokes, beans, apples, pears, watermelon)?

Do you avoid sugar alcohols (hard candies, cookies, chewing gums, soft drinks and throat lozenges)?

Do you take digestive enzyme supplements?

Do you use probiotics?

Based on your answers, there are several other ways that can help you reduce bloating. You should avoid eating large meals, but instead eat smaller meals more often. It is better to chew food longer, eat slowly and avoid drinking through a straw because that way you will swallow less air with food, which is often the cause of bloating. Also avoid fizzy drinks. These drinks contain bubbles with a gas called carbon dioxide, which can be released after it reaches the stomach. Food intolerance is a common cause of bloating, so be sure to read food labels to avoid food you are intolerant to.

Based on your answers, you know a lot about how to reduce bloating. You should avoid eating food that give you gas (vegetables in the cabbage family, dried beans, and lentils), as well as fatty food that can slow down digestion and gastric emptying. Sugar alcohols are sweeteners that can cause bloating if you consume them in high amounts. They can be commonly found in sugar-free food (candies, cookies, soft drinks) and chewing gums. You can take digestive enzyme supplements, which can help break down food. Also, you may use probiotics that can improve the bacterial environment in your intestines and reduce bloating.