10 Ways To Get Rid of Bloating

10 Ways to Get Rid of
Bloating
Last Updated: 11/14/2017
Is your belly bulging after all that holiday food? Follow these 10 quick tips to get rid of
bloating and you’ll fit back into those skinny jeans in no time...
1. Hydrate
Drinking water is probably the last thing you want to do when you feel like your belly is
about to explode.
But downing several glasses a day will restore the sodium balance so your body will give up
fluids.
Water also flushes your system and keeps your digestive tract moving so you don’t become
constipated.
Ditch the sodas and other carbonated beverages.
You may think they’ll make you feel better by inducing burping, but all they do is add gas to
your system and increase bloating.
Instead, quench your thirst with water – the perfect, all-natural drink.
If you have to dress it up, add lemon or lime slices or an instant low-calorie flavor pack, like
Crystal Light, Propel, Water Sensations or any store brand.
Stash them in your purse or gym bag.
If you love the taste of fresh lemon and lime, try crystallized True Lemon and True Lime
(TrueLemon.com) in individual packets with no sweeteners or calories.
Many water-filled fruits and veggies can help hydrate you.
Grab in-season, juicy fruits like tangerines and kiwis for a healthy snack. Or dine on a fruit
salad or a plate piled with hydrating vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers.
2. Cut Down on Salt

Salt makes your body retain water. But cutting back on it isn’t easy – nearly 80% of the
sodium in our diets comes from packaged or canned foods and restaurant meals.
Think fresh and unprocessed. Prepare more meals at home and buy low-sodium convenience
foods.
You’ll win by eating plain fruits and vegetables, but be careful about the dipping sauces or
salad dressings.
Their salt content can bring on the bloat.
You can’t judge a food’s saltiness by its taste, so study the nutritional information on food
labels whenever possible: a 6-inch tuna sub sandwich has more than 1,000 milligrams (mg)
of sodium, but an ounce (1/4 cup) of salty peanuts has only 160 mg, about the same as a cup
of fruit-flavored yogurt.
At home, hide the salt shaker.
Add flavor to your dishes with lemon, garlic, basil, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, jalapeños, or
any of your favorite herbs and spices.
3. Skip Sugar Alcohols

These sugar substitutes – sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, isomalt, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol and
hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH) – could be lurking in any food marked “sugar-free.”
Sugarless products may save a few calories, but they linger in your gut, where normal
bacteria make a meal of them.
The result? A lot of gas.
4. Be Wise About Dairy

A great source of calcium, protein and other nutrients, dairy also contains lactose, a natural
sugar.
Nearly 50 million Americans are lactose-intolerant, meaning they lack enough of the enzyme
lactase to completely digest lactose.
Undigested lactose causes gas and cramping.
Some lactose-intolerant people can eat cheese and yogurt without discomfort, because much
of the lactose breaks down during processing.
They may even drink small amounts of milk.
If dairy bothers you, start drinking about one-fourth to one-half cup milk twice a day and
work up to about two cups daily.
You can also try lactose-reduced milk or Lactaid, an over-the counter lactase supplement.
Take it each time you eat or drink dairy foods.
Read more about lactose intolerance.
If you avoid dairy or eat very little of it, you’ll have to work extra hard to meet your calcium
needs of about 1,000 mg to 1,300 mg per day. Try calcium-fortified soy milk or orange juice
instead.
5. Eat Potassium-Rich Foods

This mineral triggers the kidneys to excrete more sodium.
Most fruits and veggies are loaded with potassium, but some are extra packed: bananas,
mangos, melons, papayas, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and nuts. OJ is another great source –
but watch out.
Fruit juice is a concentrated source of natural sugars, which means the calories can add up
fast.
6. Eat Small
Feel stuffed?
Eat smaller portions to give your digestive tract a chance to work.
If small meals leave you hungry and low on energy, perk up with a healthful snack.
Or divide your meal into two and eat them 2-3 hours apart.
If a typical lunch includes a sandwich, broccoli-apple salad and yogurt, switch to two mini-
meals:
Mini meal #1:1/2 sandwich, broccoli and apple salad
Mini meal #2:1/2 sandwich, yogurt
7. Savor Every Bite

Don’t gobble.
Slow down and enjoy your food.
You swallow more air when you race through a meal.
More air in your belly means more bloating.
8. Take Beano
Plenty of disease-fighting foods – like beans, broccoli and beets – cause gas.
But you don’t have to skip them.
Instead, try Beano, an over-the-counter digestive supplement, which breaks down their
complex sugars into simple sugars before your gut’s bacteria can chow down and leave you
with a gas crisis.
Also, check out the 10 Best & Worst Foods for Your Tummy.
9. Move It
Get off the couch.
Feeling bloated and sluggish is no reason to skip your workout.
You can move gas quickly through your system with a little huffing and puffing.
Turn on some loud music and dance the bloat away.
Take a walk.
Or play tag with the kids.
10. For Chronic Bloat, See a Doctor

Most bloating is no cause for concern.
But if it’s chronic, visit your health care provider to rule out something more serious, like
bowel obstruction or celiac disease, a digestive disease triggered by intolerance to gluten, a
protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

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10 Ways to Get Rid of

Ditch the sodas and other carbonated beverages.

Stash them in your purse or gym bag.

Many water-filled fruits and veggies can help hydrate you.

2. Cut Down on Salt

At home, hide the salt shaker.

3. Skip Sugar Alcohols

The result? A lot of gas.

4. Be Wise About Dairy

Undigested lactose causes gas and cramping.

They may even drink small amounts of milk.

Take it each time you eat or drink dairy foods.

Read more about lactose intolerance.

5. Eat Potassium-Rich Foods

Eat smaller portions to give your digestive tract a chance to work.

Mini meal #1:1/2 sandwich, broccoli and apple salad

Mini meal #2:1/2 sandwich, yogurt

7. Savor Every Bite

Slow down and enjoy your food.

You swallow more air when you race through a meal.

More air in your belly means more bloating.

But you don’t have to skip them.

Feeling bloated and sluggish is no reason to skip your workout.

Or play tag with the kids.

10. For Chronic Bloat, See a Doctor

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