Betty Doyling

Do you ever get that too full, uncomfortable feeling immediately after eating? Does it sometimes happen the morning after you’ve eaten out?

It feels horribly annoying and can cause you to feel tired and lethargic. It can also lead to flatulence pain and cause your jeans to feel too tight around your abdominal area.

The sensation is also common during menstruation, brought on by excess air in the intestines. The good news is that bloating can be prevented and treated with certain foods and healthy habits.

To fight bloating naturally, try and abstain from foods and drinks that bring on its symptoms.

Key things to avoid are salty foods, alcohol, sugary drinks, carbonated beverages and some raw vegetables.

Follow the tips below and get your stomach back to feeling normal throughout the day:

Slow down with the salt

Salty foods cause your body to retain water, which will give you the classic bloated belly. If you are feeling puffy after lunch, try to avoid salty foods for the rest of the day to deflate quickly. All processed foods, frozen dinners, chips, pretzels, sandwich meat, bacon, hot dogs and cheese, are on the list of no-nos.

Cut back on the coleslaw

If you are prone to bloating, reducing your intake of fibre-containing vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts can help to reduce the symptoms.

Have small quantities of legumes

Eating beans can lead to increased gas production. Beans are also high in fibre and protein so try not to remove them from your diet completely. Try eating smaller portions or speak to your doctor about a gas-reducing supplement.

Limit the chewing gum

Chewing gum can cause excess air to enter your intestine. In addition, artificial sweeteners, such as sorbitol, which is found in gum, can give you gas.

Avoid carbonated drinks

Just like gum, a glass of carbonated soda will puff up your stomach, as they release carbon dioxide. Try drinking lots of plain water to deflate. Add lemon or lime if you need a little extra flavour.

Eat more fruit to avoid constipation

Fibre helps to maintain bowel regularity. Avoiding constipation is one way to avoid bloating. Apples, pears and strawberries contain soluble fibre that can aid in avoiding constipation. Pineapples contain potassium that helps combat water retention caused by eating foods high in salt.

Don’t forget: watch what you eat, try some bloat-busting foods and B-Active For Life.

• Betty Doyling is a certified fitness trainer and figure competitor with more than a decade of experience. Check her out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/B.ActiveForLife