How to Stop Bloating After Eating

What and how you eat can determine whether you end your meal feeling satisfied or bloated. Bloating occurs when you ingest air or when your digestive system fails to properly breakdown the food in your stomach. Some of the air will pass through your intestines but the remainder can remain inside your stomach causing visible bloating and abdominal pains.

Instructions

• 1

  Slow down when eating. Eating quickly in large bites or chewing incompletely causes your body to naturally inhale more. The increase of air in your stomach can cause bloating.

• 2

  Drink non-carbonated beverages. Tiny air-bubbles create carbonation in popular drinks, like soda, beer and seltzer water. As you drink these beverages, you're consuming not only the liquid, but the air bubbles. These air bubbles can build up in your stomach creating excess air and bloating.

• 3

  Stop smoking. When you inhale a cigarette, you're inhaling air and smoke into your lungs, but also into your esophagus and stomach.

• 4

  Stop overeating and reduce your consumption of high-fat foods. Your stomach digests fats slowly. Eating significant amounts of fatty food or even overeating healthy foods in one sitting creates a food buildup in your stomach. The result is a distended stomach.

• 5

  Avoid certain vegetables. Some people find that specific veggies, while healthy, cause bloating. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the most common offenders of bloating include cabbage, beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Some individuals also find foods with high levels of fructose, like fruit can cause discomfort.

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• 6

  Skip the artificial sweeteners. Products like sorbitol, found in "sugar-free" items, are difficult for your stomach to completely digest, resulting in excess gas and bloating.

• 7

  Stop chewing gum before meals. Your body naturally swallows more air when you chew gum. Chewing gum directly before eating can cause uncomfortable bloating as your stomach must accommodate the incoming food and the excess air from your gum chewing.