Proven Foods to Beat Gas and Bloating and Flatten Your Stomach
Gas and bloating can cause a lot of embarrassment and discomfort. Indigestion, abdominal aches and pain, odorous flatulence, and burping are just some of the reasons to look for ways to prevent feeling bloated. Some of the best foods that help with bloating and gas are peppermint, ginger, chamomile, and apple cider vinegar.
Apart from adding anti-bloating foods to your diet, there are other natural remedies that can help flatten your stomach. For example, activated charcoal, probiotics, and certain herbs all help stop gas pains in the stomach. To help prevent feeling full and gassy, you should also avoid foods that cause bloating.
In this article, you will learn about foods that reduce bloating which you can incorporate in an anti-gas diet. You will also find out what to eat to get rid of gas quickly and help get a flat stomach.
Main Causes of Gas and Bloating
Flatulence, or gas, is part of the natural digestive process when food breaks down in the intestines.
The journal Gastroenterology & Hepatology reports that bloating can be caused by consuming gas-producing foods. For example, beans, lentils, and high-fiber foods can also release gas in the intestines during digestion. Also, foods containing fructose and sorbitol can be poorly absorbed and cause you to feel bloated and gassy. (1)
You may find that you have an excessive gas buildup if you have aerophagia. Although this sounds alarming, this reason for having to fart a lot comes from swallowing too much air. (2)
Apart from eating foods like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage that cause gas, stress can also result in digestive problems such as gas pains. In fact, doctors say that stress can cause gas, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea especially if you have a chronic digestive problem. (3)
Other reasons for switching to a low-gas diet are if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), are lactose intolerant, have food sensitivities or intolerances, or acid reflux. (4)
Foods and Herbs That Help with Gas and Bloating
What should you eat when you feel bloated and gassy? Let’s look in more detail at some of the best anti-bloating foods that should help you get rid of gas and bloating.
Chamomile Tea Helps Reduce Bloating and Gas
One of the best remedies to help get rid of gas and reduce the feeling of pressure in your stomach is chamomile.
Chamomile is well-known for its soothing carminative properties on the mind and the digestive system.
The journal Frontiers in Pharmacology reported in 2018 that Roman chamomile is used to treat flatulence, indigestion, nausea, and other signs of digestive upset. Researchers have found that chamomile extracts can help relax the muscles of the intestines. (5)
Other studies into its therapeutic properties show that drinking chamomile tea helps get rid of gas, reduce bloating, and alleviate abdominal cramping. (6)
To use chamomile tea to help you feel less bloated, put 1-2 teaspoons of dried leaves into a cup and pour in boiling water. Cover and let it infuse for 10 minutes before drinking. Consume the herbal anti-gas remedy 3 times a day to help relieve gas pain and bloating.
For more about the amazing health benefits of chamomile, please read my article on how chamomile tea can help give you great health.
Peppermint is a Home Remedy for Gas and Bloating
Peppermint is one of the foods that helps with bloating and gas because it reduces a gassy buildup in the intestines.
The World Journal of Gastroenterology reports that peppermint has antispasmodic properties that help to reduce gas-related stomach aches. Consuming peppermint can help soothe muscle contractions in the intestines and also reduce bloating. (7)
Many studies have found that peppermint oil capsules are good for relieving chronic gas and bloating that are the result of IBS. A 2016 randomized controlled trial found that taking enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules helped manage IBS symptoms within a 4-week period. (8)
Another reason why peppermint tea is one of the foods that eliminates gas is that it helps reduce stress. (9)
To help get rid of feeling that you have a bloated and gassy stomach, drink a refreshing cup of peppermint tea. Put a few fresh peppermint leaves in a cup and pour over boiling water. Cover the cup for 10 minutes to prevent the peppermint essential oils escaping. Drink 2-3 times a day to help relax and get rid of gas pains.
Ginger Helps Get Rid of Gas and Bloating
Ginger is a food that reduces gas and helps with bloating because it has an anti-inflammatory effect on the digestive process.
According to a book about the biomolecular and clinical aspects of herbal medicine, ginger extracts are good for relieving gas because they help break up and get rid of intestinal gas. You can also use ginger to treat a number of other gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal aches. (10)
Other studies have shown that ginger has a positive effect on the digestion and can help alleviate symptoms of indigestion (dyspepsia). (11)
Researchers have identified that ginger compounds such as gingerols and shogaols help to calm the intestines and protect intestinal health. (12)
All you have to stop gas naturally is make ginger tea by chopping or grating a 1-2 inch piece of ginger. Put in a cup and pour in boiling water. Cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Consume this anti-gas drink about 20 minutes before each meal to prevent bloating and gas after eating.
There are many other health benefits of using more ginger in your diet that you can learn about here. You can also use dried ginger as a powerful health tonic.
Turmeric and Ginger Tea to Reduce Bloating and Gas
Turmeric is referred to as the golden spice and can do wonders for your digestion and helping to relieve gas and bloating fast.
Research has found that turmeric has a number of beneficial compounds that help with bloating and gas. Turmeric stimulates the digestive system to help it work more effectively. The result is often a reduction of gassy content in the intestines. Turmeric extract also helps to relieve many symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. (13)
The digestive benefits of turmeric come from the compound curcumin – a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation. Turmeric is a food that helps with bloating, indigestion, and excess flatulence. (14)
If you are feeling gassy and bloated you can get relief from a warming and soothing turmeric and ginger tea.
Put a ½ teaspoon each of turmeric powder and ginger powder in a cup of boiling water and mix well. Steep for 5 minutes and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Then add a teaspoon of honey and a pinch of black pepper to help turmeric absorption in your body. Drink the herbal tea 2 times a day to help quickly reduce bloating and gas.
Learn more about the many ways that curcumin (turmeric) can help to boost your health and reduce inflammation.
Probiotics to Help Prevent Gas
Probiotics help reduce the volume of intestinal gas and can help reduce bloating, abdominal pain, and smelly farts.
The reason why probiotic supplements and probiotic foods relieve gas and bloating is that they promote healthy bacteria in your gut.
For example, scientists say that probiotics reduce bloating because they improve the composition of microbiota. This causes less gas to be produced during the digestion process. (15)
Probiotic yogurt is one of the foods that can help to relieve some symptoms of gas and bloating. Some studies have shown that regularly consuming yogurt with Bifidobacterium strains can help beat bloating, alleviate constipation, and get rid of excessive flatulence. (16)
Learn about some reasons why taking probiotics can be good for you, including to help strengthen your immune system.
You could also try the fermented milk drink kefir as it contains healthy enzymes and probiotics that also help fight gas.
Apple Cider Vinegar to Alleviate Gas and Bloating
If you want to follow a low gas diet, you should start your day with a glass of diluted apple cider vinegar.
Although there are no direct studies showing that apple cider vinegar is a food that eliminates gas, there is evidence that it can help with digestion. For example, the SicenceQ Publishing Group from Harvard reported that apple cider vinegar helps fat digestion in the intestines. (17)
Other studies have shown that apple cider vinegar can help alleviate other digestive-related symptoms such as heartburn. (18)
To help prevent gas and bloating after eating, dilute a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water. Consume before your lunch and evening meal to help eliminate a buildup of gas after eating.
If the apple cider vinegar remedy is too sharp-tasting, try adding a spoon of honey to boost its health benefits.
Find out how much apple cider you should drink every day to boost your health naturally.
Activated Charcoal Helps You Get Rid of Gas Pain
Taking activated charcoal can help get rid of gas pains in your stomach and deal with bloating.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology reports that activated charcoal can lower the volume of intestinal gas caused during digestion. The activated charcoal tablets helped alleviate bloating and a gassy feeling in the stomach. (19)
You can also use activated charcoal to get rid of gas if you have been eating gas-producing foods such as beans, peas, cabbage, or fiber. (20)
Learn more about the many uses of activated charcoal in getting rid of gas, whitening your teeth, and reducing cholesterol.
Cinnamon Helps to Prevent Gas
Anti-bloating foods that contain cinnamon can really help to eliminate the root causes of gas and bloating.
Researchers have found that compounds in cinnamon benefit your digestion. Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties that can kill intestinal infections that cause a buildup of gas. (21)
Other studies have shown that cinnamon compounds help to destroy Helicobacter pylori infections. This type of intestinal bacteria can result in gastritis (stomach inflammation) and gastric ulcers. Some symptoms of gastritis that cinnamon can eliminate are a feeling of fullness and indigestion. (22, 23)
Learn about more ways to incorporate cinnamon into your diet if you want regular relief from bloating and gas.
Caraway Seeds to Relieve Flatulence and Bloating
One of the many foods that eliminate gas is caraway seeds.
Traditionally, caraway has been used to get rid of flatulence, soothe stomach aches, reduce burping, and remedy bloating. Caraway benefits the digestive process because of its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to reduce muscle spasms. (24)
To use caraway to fight gas and bloating, crush up 2 teaspoons of caraway seeds and add to a cup of boiling water. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes, strain, and drink up to 4 times a day to help reduce bloating and gas.
Lemon Balm to Fight Gas
Lemon balm is an effective digestive remedy for reducing bloating and gas quickly.
A 2017 review of the therapeutic properties of lemon balm found that its ability for getting rid of gas is due to its digestive and carminative properties. Researchers describe lemon balm as an anti-gas herb that helps relieve a number of digestion-related conditions. (25)
To make an anti-gas medicinal tea with lemon balm, put a few fresh leaves in a cup of boiling water. Cover and allow to infuse for 5-10 minutes before consuming. Drink the herbal preparation 3 times a day for gas and bloating relief.
Cumin to Reduce Excess Gas
Consuming more cumin in your meals could also help to reduce excessive gas after eating. For example, one medical journal recommends the following cumin tea recipe: (30)
- Grind 10 grams of cumin seeds, 5 grams anise seeds, and 10 grams of fennel seeds.
- Put the cumin powder mixture in a cup and pour boiling water over, cover and leave for 20 minutes.
- Drink the warm cumin tea 30 minutes after your meal to get rid of flatulence.
FODMAP Diet Helps with Bloating and Gas Relief
If you suffer from chronic digestive conditions, it is important to consume foods that don’t make you bloat.
Many IBS sufferers have found digestive relief from the FODMAP diet which contains non-bloating foods. The type of anti-bloating foods on the FODMAP diet are ones which don’t ferment easily thus reduce the volume of gas in your intestines.
One study on the benefits of consuming foods that don’t cause bloating found that symptoms of IBS significantly improved. After a few months, people on the FODMAP diet had fewer symptoms of intestinal gas, bloating, stomach aches, and diarrhea. (26)
Doctors from the Cleveland Clinic say that some of the best foods that don’t cause bloating include lactose-free milk, citrus fruits, kiwifruit, green beans, sweet potato, zucchini, rice, and quinoa. (27)
You can also eat bananas on the FODMAP diet because bananas don’t cause gas.
How to Prevent a Bloated Stomach and Gas in Your Gut
The best way to avoid a buildup of gas and a bloated stomach is to eat foods good for your stomach. You should also eat food slowly to give it time to digest property and prevent overeating.
Doctors from the Mayo Clinic recommend some practical strategies to stop excess gas causing your stomach to bloat. (28) This is what you should do:
- Eat and drink slowly. Eating slowly gives your digestion time to work properly and stops you from stressing. Also, you swallow less air when you eat and drink slowly.
- Avoid trigger foods. If you find that after eating certain foods your symptoms of gas and stomach aches are worse, you should avoid those. Some common foods that cause gas are cabbage, beans, dairy, and fructose.
- Walk after a meal. Going for a moderately-brisk walk can kick-start your digestive system and prevent food fermenting gasses in your gut.
- Reduce your intake of fatty foods. Foods high in fat are not only bad for your heart but they also put the brakes on your digestion.
It is good to remember that fiber, although a gas-producing food, is full of nutrients and benefits your digestion. Doctors recommend that you gradually introduce fiber-rich foods to prevent overloading your digestion. (28)
Dairy
One way to help get rid of gas and bloating is to avoid dairy products if you are lactose intolerant.
Doctors say that many people have trouble digesting lactose – a type of carbohydrate in dairy products. Problems digesting lactose can cause a large amount of flatulence to accumulate in the intestines and give your stomach a bloated, distended look.
If you find that milk, cheese, and other dairy products result in a gassy, bloated stomach, you should avoid these products. You can still eat yogurt or take kefir as these probiotic foods can actually help boost lactose digestion and prevent gas. (29)
To make sure you get enough calcium in your diet, you can try some of these non-dairy calcium-rich foods that won’t cause gas or bloating.
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