Best and Worst Foods for Bloating

Feeling puffed up after a meal? Keep your digestive system humming along by eating flat-belly foods and avoiding those that bloat.
Where does bloating come from? Most people will pass gas 12 to 25 times a day. We all want a flat stomach all the time because of Google images of a fitness model.
After you eat and drink, food and liquids take up space inside your stomach and intestines, and that means some expansion.
A ballooned belly doesn't necessarily indicate that something is wrong with what you eat, but if your abdomen is too swollen to squeeze into your jeans, you may want to identify the belly bloaters in your diet.

Worst: Broccoli, cabbage, kale 

 Kale, broccoli, and cabbage are cruciferous vegetables, which contain raffinose — a sugar that remains undigested until bacteria in your gut ferment it, which produces gas and, in turn, makes you bloat. But don't shun those healthful greens just yet. 

So keep eating the green stuff, but keep your portions in check. And if you absolutely can't part ways with even a gram of your kale, steam it: Cooking any vegetable softens the fiber and shrinks the portion as some of the water cooks out, so it takes up less space in the GI tract, It won't eliminate or prevent bloating altogether, but it may make your veggies easier to digest. 

 Worst: Legumes 

  It's probably not news to you, but beans, along with lentils, soybeans, and peas are gas-causing foods. These little guys are basically bursts of protein in a pod, but they also contain sugars and fibers that our bodies can't absorb. So when legumes reach the large intestine, your gut bacteria take the lead and feast on them. This process leads to gas and can balloon out your waist.

Combine legumes with easily digestible whole grains, like rice or quinoa. Your body will eventually get used to them. 

 

Worst: Dairy 

 If you feel gassy after a few slices of cheese or a bowl of cereal with milk, you may be lactose intolerant, which means your body lacks the necessary enzymes to break down lactose (the sugar found in dairy products). That can cause gas to form in the GI tract, which may trigger bloating.

So before all that gas gets to you, steer clear of dairy products and opt for the many lactose-free or nondairy alternatives out there. The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) also suggests the use of lactase tablets like Lactaid, which help people digest foods that contain lactose. 

 

Worst: Apples 

 An apple a day may save you a trip to the doctor's office, but it does not keep the bloat away. High in fiber, apples also contain fructose and sorbitol, sugars found in fruits that many people can't tolerate.

 Apples are a great snack, however: One fruit provides an average of 4.5 grams of protein and around 10% of your daily vitamin C requirement, so don’t give up on them altogether. 

 

 

Worst: Salty foods 

Eating high-sodium foods can trigger water retention, which can balloon you up, Sass says. Avoiding sodium isn't as simple as steering clear of the saltshaker, however. The CDC reports that about 90% of Americans consume more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet (2,300 mg per day for most people, and 1,500 mg for adults over 50, and people with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high risk of hypertension). 

 

 

Best: Cucumber 

 People use cucumbers to reduce puffiness under their eyes—and you can eat them to do the same thing for your belly. The vegetable contains quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant that helps reduce swelling.

 

 

Best: Bananas 

 Foods rich in potassium—like bananas, plus avocados, kiwis, oranges, and pistachios—prevent water retention by regulating sodium levels in your body and can thus reduce salt-induced bloating. Bananas also have soluble fiber, which can relieve or prevent constipation. 

Best: Papaya 

 The enzyme contained in papaya (papain) helps break down proteins in your GI system, which makes digestion easier. Sass says that the tropical fruit also has anti-inflammatory properties, as well as fibers that support a strong digestive tract. 

 

 

Best: Asparagus 

 Asparagus is an anti-bloating superfood. Sure, it makes your urine smell, but it also makes you pee, period—helping you flush all that excess water, thus relieving any discomfort and bloat. 

 

 

Best: Yogurt with probiotics 

 Get some of those good bacteria into your gut! Called probiotics, they help regulate digestion and champion the overall health of your digestive tract. Sure, you can take probiotic supplements, but you may as well get a breakfast out of it.

So eat your bloat away with a yogurt that has active cultures. You can sweeten it with a little honey, jam, or granola.

 

Best: Fennel seeds

 You can find fennel and fennel seeds in breads, sausages, and other meat dishes. You can also chew on the seeds directly or sip on a fennel tea at the end of a meal.

 

 

Best: Ginger 

 Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and an all-star digestive aid. It soothes the digestive system and relaxes the muscles of the digestive tract, which can relieve bloating, Sass says. It also contains an enzyme that absorbs proteins, thus reducing protein-induced puffiness and gas. 

 

 

Best: Peppermint and chamomile tea 

 If you're feeling stretched out after dinner, you can sip on a hot cup of peppermint or chamomile tea. Both kinds relax GI muscles to help dissipate the gas that causes your stomach to bloat. Aside from improving digestion, chamomile can also soothe and relax, which can help ease any sort of stomach discomfort.

 

 

 

 

 

Keep moving on

If Jacob were willingly consumed with heat in the day, and frost by night, to become the son-in-law of Laban, what should we refuse to endure, to become the sons of God? Jacob speaks of God as the God of his father; he thought himself unworthy to be regarded, but was beloved for his father's sake. He calls him the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac; for Abraham was dead, and gone to that world where perfect love casts out fear; but Isaac was yet alive, sanctifying the Lord in his heart, as his fear and his dread.

Genesis 31:36-42

 

³⁶ And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
³⁷ Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.
³⁸ This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
³⁹ That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
⁴⁰ Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
⁴¹ Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
⁴² Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.