4 Ways to Get Rid of Bloating (and Shrink Your Belly)

Just to cover the basics, bloating involves excessive amounts of solids, liquids or gas in your digestive system. It’s actually quite common, with up to 30% of people reporting they regularly experience it.

Bloating can often cause pain, discomfort and may even make you look heavier, giving the perception of larger amounts of belly fat.

Although it is sometimes caused by serious medical conditions, it is most often caused by the diet and some foods or ingredients you are intolerant to.

So let’s look at some ways to reduce or eliminate bloating.

1. Rule Out Food Allergies and Intolerances to Common Foods

Food allergies and intolerance are relatively common and become more pronounced as we get older, particularly intolerance.

When you eat foods that you are intolerant to, it can cause excess gas production, bloating and other symptoms.

Some common foods and ingredients to consider include lactose, fructose, wheat and gluten, and even eggs.

So you can try avoiding some of these to see if it helps. But if you strongly suspect that you do indeed have a food allergy or intolerance, you should see your doctor.

2. Try a Low FODMAP Diet

There’s also a whole group of short-chain carbs called FODMAPs that cause digestive issues in those who are sensitive or intolerant.

This is actually a common condition called Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), said to affect about 14% of people.

The majority of IBS patients experience bloating, and about 60% of them report bloating as their worst symptom.

Cutting out these problem FODMAPs in what is known as a low-FODMAP diet is the only clinically proven way to successfully treat IBS. It’s highly recommended you do this under the guidance of a dietitian who specializes in food intolerances.

3. Eat Slower and Smaller Portions

Sounds obvious, but the problem for most is that they simply eat too much in one sitting, and too fast.

Chewing your food better reduces the amount of air you swallow with the food (another cause of bloating) and it also makes you eat slower.

A person with a tendency to be bloated will experience discomfort from a smaller amount of food than a person who rarely feels bloated.

For this reason, simply eating smaller meals will also be incredibly useful.

4. Avoid Swallowing Air and Gases

There are two sources of gas in the digestive system. One is gas produced by the bacteria in the gut (which is more pronounced in those with IBS), and the other is gas that is swallowed when you eat or drink.

The biggest offender here is soda or fizzy drinks.

Carbonated drinks contain bubbles with carbon dioxide, a gas that can be released from the liquid after it reaches your stomach.

Chewing gum, drinking through a straw, and eating while talking or while in a hurry, can also lead to increased amounts of swallowed air.

Together these can all contribute to bloating.

Lastly I just want to mention if this is an ongoing issue, you should see a doctor to rule out anything serious.

But in the majority of cases, bloating can be reduced (or even eliminated) with these simple changes in diet.

Study mentioned in video:

Study 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24076059