It’s 2pm…you’re sitting in an important team meeting for the rest of the afternoon…suddenly your stomach starts to gurgle and your pants are feeling tight around the waistline… OH NO! SOMETHING you ate for lunch just caught up with you in the worst way! Feeling bloated and gassy is an unpleasant experience that can be prevented in a number of simple ways. Beat the bloat and stop that horrible feeling of gassiness with these simple steps.
Examine Which Foods Might Contribute
While it might seem that feeling bloated happens at random times, it’s important to try and look for patterns. Often difficulty digesting certain food types can contribute to a feeling of being bloated by increasing gas production in the intestines. Dairy is the classic and common example that many people are still not aware of. While you might not be outright lactose intolerant, you may have a mild intolerance that leads to bloating. Pay attention to how you feel for a few hours after you eat while your body goes through the digestion process, and reduce or cut out the foods you find are giving you problems.
Slow Down at the Table
We all swallow a little air when we eat, but eating too fast, aka shoveling food in, can dramatically increase the amount of air you swallow. While some of that air might be burped up (not a great alternative either…), most of it moves into the intestine and can lead to bloating and increased gassiness. If you slow down your eating, you’ll swallow less air and decrease your bloat.
Drop Your Stress
Stress and anxiety have also been found to increase bloating. We know this one can be HARD sometimes…but taking a much needed break from life to get some exercise in is a great way to not only help your body eliminate gas effectively, but it’s also a proven way to decrease stress and lowering anxiety levels.