How to Get Rid of Gas and Bloating Fast

One of the most common digestive issues of today’s world is definitely bloating. This is also a major concern for people wanting to transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet or just wanting to include more beans. As unfortunately eating beans have become anonymous with experiencing gas and bloating.

This is an uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing state to be in. Just cutting out animal products unfortunately doesn’t always automatically heal your whole digestive tract and healthy plant foods can sometimes add to much fiber too soon for your bowels to cope with.

As with most symptoms, it is best to find the root cause and eliminate the initial problems instead of just treating the symptoms. It’s also important to know that bloating doesn’t always have to be followed by flatulence.

A holistic approach to reducing stress and irritation is the best course of action. However, if your problem persists or suddenly becomes worse, it is recommended that you see a doctor to ensure you are not suffering from a chronic or serious medical condition. In many cases, bloating can be reduced (or even eliminated) using simple changes in diet.

1. Eat less cruciferous & allium vegetables This family of veggies (including broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts or cauliflower) are pretty tough to digest for some people. Even though they are full of anti-cancer compounds and well worth eating, they are also high in sulfur compounds - which can cause some pretty bad smelling gas.

Make sure to cook these foods thoroughly to break down the sugars. Chewing them well also helps with its digestion and reduce the amount of hydrogen sulfide that reaches your lower intestine. You can also eliminate it from your diet for a few days and introduce them slowly again.

Replace these foods with healthy low gas vegetables, like butternut squash, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, eggplant, spinach, swiss chard and other leafy greens.

Leek, onion and garlic although incredibly healthy contain high levels of fructans such as inulin which can cause gastrointestinal issues for some people, especially when eaten raw. It is therefore wise to avoid too much of these foods in one meal. Rather use small amounts and cook them properly.

2. Regulate your fiber intake

When changing to a healthier diet, one can sometimes increase the amount of dietary fiber too quickly. Initially the digestive system cannot handle this indigestible carbohydrate so well. While fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, it should be introduced slowly (about 5 grams per day until you’re at the required amount for your age group).

When adding fiber, ensure you also increase your water intake as the water helps to move the fiber along. Consider a good balance of soluble and insoluble fiber. When soluble fiber hits the colon undigested, it causes gas.

Sometimes, it’s better to combine whole foods with their slightly processed versions, like white rice & brown rice to get your digestive system used to the added fiber. Foods like fruits, vegetables and legumes also contain a good amount of fiber.

3. Eat small amounts of legumes

If your diet has had only very little or no beans and lentils in it, then your digestive tract needs some time to get used to them again. They not only have a high fiber content but also contain raffinose, an indigestible carbohydrate. The bacteria in your large intestine thrive on it but this also means fermentation and gas production if you don't have the specific bacteria needed to digest legumes.

Any legume will help release short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that strengthen your intestine cells, improve absorption of micronutrients, and help with weight loss. Beans feed good gut bacteria, which in turn boost your immune system. Calorie for calorie, beans also offer the most nutrition bang for your buck. They are packed with fiber, protein, folate, and B vitamins, which play a role in regulating a healthy gut and a healthy brain.

A good way to make them more digestible then is by soaking them overnight in water with a tablespoon of vinegar. This breaks down the indigestible sugars in the skins. Often people neglect or rush this part. You can also add some fennel seeds while cooking as well as the herb “Savoury.” When introducing them to your diet or increasing the amount you eat, opt for mushed version such as hummus to get your digestive used to the increase in legumes.

4. Cut out dairy Contrary to popular belief, It is estimated that 75% of the world’s population isn’t able to digest lactose. This is due to the fact that our bodies as they grow lose the ability to digest lactose (the sugar naturally found in milk) For this reason, only baby animals should drink their mothers’ milk.

Though some people are specifically diagnosed with a lactose intolerance, for many others dairy products can still cause digestive problems such as bloating or constipation. Besides this issue, other classic symptoms of dairy sensitivity are mucus, respiratory problems, fatigue, joint pains and skin problems. Plus, recently studies have shown casein to be very carcinogenic as when it is not properly digested, it gets into your bloodstream which causes inflammation

Rather opt for a plant-based alternative such as soy, nut, oat, coconut, or hemp milk.

5. Cook your food

Even though on paper, raw foods are incredibly healthy – it might not be the best option for everyone. If your body is not able to digest raw foods properly, you cannot reap the benefit and absorb all the nutrients. When starting on a raw food diet, breaking down cellular walls which are raw and unprocessed, can be too much for your digestive system.

Cooking if done properly (steaming etc.) to reserve nutrients, is a form of pre-digesting.

6. Be careful what you drink

It is very important to stay hydrated during the day, however, drinking water with a meal dilutes your stomach acid making it harder for your stomach to break down food. This increases the digestion time and increases the chances of gas production. Rather drink 20min before a meal or at least an hour after a meal.

Drinking huge amounts of water in one sitting (around 1 liter) also stretches your stomach and can lead to bloating. When the water you drink is cold, you can cause extra irritation – so just reach for room temperature (or even warm) water.

How you drink is also important. So, opt for slower sips during the day or using a straw. About half of the gas in the digestive system comes from swallowing air when you drink or eat. Avoid carbonated drinks and soda as their acidity and harmful chemical ingredients in addition to the gas is bound to cause havoc in your digestive tract.

Tea can be useful to relieve bloating, whereas coffee, on the other hand, is a well-known irritant for those suffering from IBS, ulcers, colitis and many more diseases. Coffee appears to stimulate gastric emptying of the stomach before food has a chance to be properly digested. The caffeine content is a strong diuretic, which increases the chances of constipation. Due to coffee’s acidity, it can also prevent the healing of an already damaged GI tract - regular or decaffeinated makes no difference in this regard.

7. Avoid fatty food

Oils aren’t a whole food of course and therefore incredibly calorically dense while being devoid in essential nutrients. Though it can make you feel fuller, using oil usually delays stomach emptying which can cause diarrhea, bloating or stomach pain. In general, eating more fat than your body can digest at each meal can tax your system and slows down digestion. This is true even for healthy fats.

While specific amounts will vary for everyone, it’s usually best to view fat as a small topping but also in its natural state such as a tablespoon of flax or chia over a smoothie, half an avocado or olives on your salad etc. instead of copious amounts of olive oil or coconut oil added to every dish.

8. Cut out junk food

Overly processed food can be harmful to your stomach too, even the healthy “meat substitute” foods. If your body gets in too many additives, preservatives, maybe even pesticides it doesn’t know how to cope with it as it does not see it as a food but rather toxins to be stored.

Most high refined foods are also high in fats (as mentioned in point 7 above) as well as high in sodium & artificial sweeteners. The high salt content causes your body to retain water, predominantly around your abdomen. Sometimes bloating can be due to water retention. The artificial sweeteners contain sugar alcohols that cannot be digested properly. It is best to avoid highly processed foods altogether.

9. Decrease portion sizes

Even if you eat all the right foods – how much you eat is also important. Especially if you have a history of restriction, your stomach isn’t able to handle even normal portion sizes and you can feel great discomfort. But even if you’ve always been a good eater, switching to a whole food plant-based diet means you need to eat a larger volume in order to get sufficient calories.

That said, you should never overstuff yourself since this can be tough on your stomach. If you have a lot of undigested food in your system, it can cause a bacteria overreaction and therefore worsen your pain. Also, eating too fast adds to the risk of bloating after a meal. The remedy is simple - eat more slowly. Satiety signals can take up to 20 minutes to reach the brain and dampen appetite.

One of the longest living people in the world, the Okinawans, have a rule of eating only until 80% full (called “Hara Hachi Bu”) for optimal energy, health and digestion – this goes along with eating more slowly of course, since your stomach needs some time to let the brain know that you’re done.

10. Check for food sensitivities

There are several common foods which people can be sensitive or intolerant towards. These include, but are not limited to, dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, gluten, and corn. When you are sensitive towards any of them, then you are most likely to experience symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eczema, migraine, fatigue, hives and asthma. What’s more, you can develop these intolerances throughout your life.

An easy elimination diet is useful to narrow down your irritants, starting with some food like rice and adding in one other food at a time, can also give you an answer to this problem and lets you know what you need to avoid in order to feel your best.

11. Decrease stress

It can be about little or big things, but as soon as you become agitated, your stomach immediately reacts. There is definitely a gut-brain connection, meaning a stressed mind can manifest itself in the belly with stress-induced GI disorders.

This can be in the form of food allergies, IBS or ulcers, which then of course disturbs your microbial gut flora wreaks havoc on your whole system. To soothe these stress-induced inflammations, try to find coping mechanism that promotes your health.

An overall awareness of your state of body and mind is important here, so you can notice the stress levels rising and take some necessary steps before it’s too late. The mind-body connection goes both ways – so when your gut is happy, your mind will be a lot happier as well. This is because 90% of your overall serotonin (the happiness hormone) is found within your intestines, along with 50% of your dopamine, which is involved in your motivation.

12. Chew well

Chewing your food thoroughly mixes in saliva which starts off proper digestive processes and makes breaking it down easier. Since your stomach doesn’t have any teeth, parts of your food stay there for too long and cause the stomach acid to form gas. Really take your time while eating and opt for 20 chews + per bite. It also reduces the amount of air you swallow with the food, and causes you to eat slower, which in turn is linked to reduced food intake and smaller portions. Chewing gum is a disaster for your digestion because it causes your stomach to ready itself for food. When food then doesn't enter your stomach, an overproduction of stomach acid happens that can compromise your ability to produce sufficient digestive secretions when you actually do eat food, in turn causing bloating. The enzymes and acids that are activated when you chew gum are therefore released, but without the food they're intended to digest.

13. Have some tea or lemon water

Drinking some lemon infused water is a very good way to normalize hydrochloric acid production in the stomach and to produce bile in the liver. Both of them are very important for digestion and assimilation of nutrients, which, in turn, reduces your bloating and other digestive issues. Warm water itself can help move food through your digestive tract as well.

Peppermint helps relieve cramps and spasms in the GI tract, improves the passage of food and allows it to go through smoothly without any pain. It’s best to have a small cup of this tea just before or even during a meal for its positive effects to unfold. The same goes for chamomile.

Ginger is also known to help soothe the digestive tract and relieve gas as it improves circulation and is said to be an effective pain reliever. You can chew on tiny bits of it or make tea out of the fresh root. Just like peppermint, fennel also has anti-spasmodic properties and it stimulates the production of gastric juices meaning it can help with GI problems, heartburn, diarrhea, IBS and indigestion.

14. Choose beneficial food

What you want to focus on are fruits like pineapple and papaya, both of which contain certain digestive enzymes that help ease the stomach and promote easier digestion of protein and fat. Melons, including honeydew and cantaloupe, also help your body to flush out excess sodium. Watermelons contain 94% water and can be an excellent choice to prevent bloating.

Both bananas and tomatoes are loaded with potassium, which helps relieve water retention from too much salt, and are relatively easy to digest – therefore an excellent anti-bloat food.

Furthermore, you can use digestion stimulating spices when making your food. Try for example black pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander, or turmeric to make your belly happy. They either stimulate the digestive tract or the gastric juices and help with an array of health issues.

Another tip is to eat several hours before you go to bed to avoid heartburn or severe bloating, since your body doesn’t digest much when you sleep. Also, don’t eat in a rushed environment and remember to practice mindfulness to slow down, chew thoroughly and recognize slight fullness signals.

15. Add some probiotics

Your gut is home to over 100 trillion bacteria and outnumber human cells in your body by a ratio of 10:1 – we are actually only 10% human! So of course, all of these species and strains of bacteria play an important role in your overall health. If you’ve taken antibiotics in the past, you are very likely to not have a healthy gut flora since these drugs are made to kill off bacteria – whether it’s good or bad bacteria.

Making sure your bacteria is well-balanced between the “good” and the “bad” is thought to be essential in maintaining strong and healthy digestive and immune systems. This can and should be done by eating a diet rich in healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts or seeds. But sometimes, this isn’t enough to fix the root of your bloating – and this is where probiotics come in as helpful additives.

Probiotic offer either a single or multiple strain of beneficial bacteria. A delicious way to include more probiotics into your diet is to make kefir or soy yogurt as well as fermenting vegetables to make sauerkraut.

16. Try some movement & exercise

According to a November 2006 study published in the “American Journal of Gastroenterology,” gas retention was significantly lower in individuals who exercised than those who were at rest. Especially cardio exercises can help relieve abdominal bloating. When you exercise, the gas can pass through the digestive system more easily.

Try to participate in a form of cardio exercise for a minimum of 10 minutes to find relief. Besides walking, you can also opt for swimming, cycling, jogging, step aerobics or stair-climbing. Increase the time of your cardio workouts until you are exercising 25 to 30 minutes three to five times per week.

To tone up your stomach area and therefore let the bloating have a smaller impact on your size, you can do some sit-ups, pelvic lifts or bicycle maneuvers. If you want some instant relief, go for a brisk walk for 30 minutes or do a few jumping jacks or twists. It helps to increase blood circulation since your heart will be beating faster and this helps to release gas.

Walking is gentle enough to prevent further stomach upset, but it also provides enough physical activity to keep food and trapped air moving through the digestive tract. The increased heart rate and breathing causes the digestive muscles to push air and food through the intestines.

17. Keep a journal

Since all of these different factors could contribute, start paying attention towards what's helpful or not. Always ask WHY? Some symptom appeared. When did you feel good or bad after a meal? You can determine which foods trigger your symptoms by keeping a food diary which uncovers the offenders. This is done by recording what you eat, how much and when, as well as writing down the symptoms you might experience. You can be your own best doctor and healer, it's your body!

Also pay attention to the times you eat and your level of fullness. Stacking one food on top of another could be causing you some trouble as well, so make sure most of your previous meal has been digested before eating again. Plant based food take between 3-4 hours to digest, after which your stomach enjoys an hour rest before having to work again.

Try to give your body a good long break overnight too. Aim for 12-14 hours of fasting – this means, if you have your breakfast at 7 am, try to eat your light dinner around 5 pm the latest. Your body will get enough time to restore and prepare for another busy day of digesting.

18. Apply some pressure

Another way to get relief is to lay down on your stomach or – even better – put a pillow underneath your abdomen when lying down. Along with your breathing, this works like a massage for your intestines. When you sit down, you can put a pillow in front of yourself onto your stomach area and provide some gentle pressure.

For quick relief of abdominal pressure caused by gas and bloating, lie down with a hot water bottle or warm compress across your stomach. Allow its heat and weight to help the gas leave your body and the pressure subside. It also aids digestive organs with a soothing circulation boost

19. If all else fails: Supplementation

Bloating may also be caused by altered function of the muscles in the digestive tract. Drugs called antispasmodics, that can help reduce muscle spasm, have been shown to be of use (peppermint oil is a natural substance that is believed to function in a similar way).

It’s also possible that you don’t have enough stomach acid and therefore cannot digest your food properly. An easy way to correct this is by supplementing with digestive enzymes.

However, make sure to get to the root of the problem in the long term, so you’re not reliant on any medication at all. Persistent bloating or distention may signal potentially serious conditions, such as enlargement of one of the abdominal organs or a malignancy.

14. Try a low-FODMAP diet

One common advice for people who have problems with bloating, with or without other digestive symptoms, is eating a low-FODMAP diet. This means that you reduce or avoid foods which contain "Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharides And Polyols." – all of which could be a reason for IBS and other functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Some examples of common high-FODMAP foods are wheat, onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, apples, and pears.

Ultimately, it comes down to your individual situation, body type, and preferences. No one can tell you what foods exactly you should be eating since nobody else knows what works for you. Bloating can have many reasons and you have to figure out which ones the right steps are. Tweaking your diet, a little isn’t harmful at all and can give you a good insight.

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