There’s no easy way to prevent bloating if your weeks are filled with fast food and sweet beverages. Whether you’re attending parties, or cookouts, or a home-cooked meal, it’s easy to go a little overboard and get bloated as a result.
But enjoying these your food doesn’t mean giving up your gas-free tummy.
Here are some ways to enjoy every meal without getting too bloated. I’ve also included some tips on what to eat to prevent bloating as well.
How to Prevent Bloating
1. Avoid Too Much Alcohol & Carbonated Beverages
It’s recommended that you have one or two glasses of champagne to celebrate a happy occasion. Most wines and champagnes contain sugar and they’re carbonated, so going for a small amount is the best way to prevent bloating.
If you’re at a wedding or another long event, it’s possible that you’re in for a long night of drinking. The sugar buildup from this will promote the growth of the bacteria that cause gas. Additionally, some of the bubbles will get trapped in your intestines.
If you want to drink, you can enjoy non-bubbly options like wine or ask the bartender to make you some low-sugar cocktails.
Eat: Smoothies, clear cocktails, wine
Avoid: Soda, energy drinks, processed fruit juices, added sugar
Related: Keto, Coffee, and Cocktails
2. Step Away From the Cheese, Please
I often find that the most exciting part of any buffet is the appetizer section. There’s almost always something that’s cheesy, salty, and sweet. And of course, my taste buds love the excitement. I can’t say the same for my stomach though.
Cheese is a dairy product which means that it triggers bloating for a lot of people. If you’re in a position to do it, order dairy-free options or avoid the appetizers altogether and opt for the more nutrient-dense dishes instead.
Eat: Yogurt with probiotics, fresh fruits
Avoid: Prepackaged foods, cheese
3. Stick With Healthy Fats
Many side dishes are made with mayonnaise, butter, vegetable oil, and dairy-based creams.
Popular options like potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and deep fried wings really are delicious, but not only do they contribute to fatigue after eating, they cause major bloating as well.
They also slow down digestion and cause water retention because of the high carb content.
To counter this, stick with vegetable salads and water-dense fruits like cucumber and watermelon. If you can, go for non-greasy burgers and sides, and avoid refined carbs like white bread where possible.
Eat: Avocado, melon, cucumber, salads, fruits, and unsalted nuts
Avoid: Deep fried foods, cakes, frosting, refined sugar, rice, and pasta
Related: 101 Foods For Weight Loss
4. Go Light on the Salt
Foods that are high in sodium can trigger bloating like it’s nobody’s business. From salty popcorn and pizzas to other processed foods, you have to avoid or limit processed and salty foods to prevent bloating.
This is actually one of the things that are really hard to avoid because salt is in everything. We’ve gotten so used to it that we might not even realize when we’re going overboard.
The best thing that you can do is plan ahead and pack healthy snacks.
Eat: Cucumber, banana, unsalted snacks
Avoid: Chips, pizza, salty fries
5. Stay Hydrated
If you do end up at an event where there are no healthier options to help you to avoid bloating, then drinking lots of water is your best bet.
Staying hydrated will help you to flush out excess salt and sugar that contributes to bloating and water retention.
A lot of persons think that water retention means that they shouldn’t drink more water. But our bodies actually hold onto water for a couple of reasons. One of them includes eating too much sodium such as those found in processed food.
Staying hydrated will help to balance things out.
Conclusion
It’s not normal to prevent bloating 100% of the time because the food we eat will take up some space in our stomach and they all react differently. However, there are some foods that will cause extreme gassiness or an uncomfortable bulge.
By following the tips above, you’re on the path to a limited-bloat summer. To find out about more foods to eat to prevent bloating, you can read this article.