How to Stop & Prevent Bloating

If your face appears puffy and your stomach is swollen, you are likely bloated. Retaining water and having too much gas in your gastrointestinal tract cause bloating. Severe bloating may lead to abdominal pain or cramps. A variety of factors contribute to bloating, including premenstrual syndrome and your diet. For example, salt is a common culprit of water retention. To curb your bloating and prevent it from happening in the future, examine your lifestyle choices and your typical diet.

Things You'll Need

• Calcium supplement
• Peppermint supplement
• Charcoal supplement
• Oatmeal
• Papaya
• Yogurt
• Asparagus
• Quinoa

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Instructions

Stop Bloating

• 1

  Take a brisk walk or engage in other cardiovascular exercise. Physical activity encourages the body to expel gas more quickly.

• 2

  Take a 1,000 mg calcium supplement if you experience bloating from premenstrual syndrome. PMS causes bloating in many women; calcium may help alleviate it.

• 3

  Try alternative remedies like peppermint capsules and charcoal capsules, which may ease bloating. Charcoal capsules can absorb gas.

Prevent Bloating

• 4

  Avoid or reduce your intake of foods that produce a great deal of gas. These include foods like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and baked beans. Fried, fatty foods delay the digestion process and can increase bloating. Avoid seasonings and processed foods with salt, because sodium causes water retention. Certain beverages can also cause bloating, such as coffee, alcohol, carbonated drinks and acidic fruit juice.

• 5

  Add foods to your diet that can help improve your digestion and reduce bloating. These include oatmeal, papaya, yogurt and asparagus. The potassium in quinoa may also reduce water retention.

• 6

  Perform yoga twisting postures daily to encourage healthy digestion. Take a yoga class and ask the instructor to teach the "Triangle" and "Seated Spinal Twist" postures.

• 7

  Reduce the amount of air you swallow. Your abdomen can become bloated if it contains too much air. Eating too quickly, drinking from a straw, talking while you eat or chewing with your mouth open can contribute. Chewing gum also increases the amount of air that gets into your digestive tract.

• 8

  Increase your water intake to help prevent water retention and bloating. Drinking plenty of water also helps prevent constipation, which may cause bloating.