How to Eliminate Bloating through Your Diet

It's Saturday night and you are ready to go out on the town, but your favorite jeans won't snap closed. They fit just yesterday, but today you feel so bloated they no longer slip on easily. Why?

That bloated feeling comes from many sources; many of them are the foods and drinks that you consume. These products cause gas in your intestinal tract, which causes your stomach to feel full and bloated. Some of these foods you can live without while others are necessary for good nutrition. Understanding which foods cause that bloated feeling can help you understand where the bloat is coming from.

Caffeine

Foods like coffee, chocolate, tea, and caffeinated sodas contribute to that bloated feeling. When you consider how many cups of coffee or sodas you consume each day it is pretty obvious why you are left with that bloated feeling. Try replacing some or all of these beverages with water. This switch will not only get rid of the bloat but help keep your kidneys functioning properly.

Foods with Sorbitol

Sorbitol is a sweetener derived from the natural sugars in fruits such as apples and pears. It is added to many products, such as chewing gums, soft drinks, cookies, light yogurts, syrups and many other food items. It only takes 10 grams of this product to cause you to feel bloated because it isn't absorbed easily by the body. If you aren't on a restricted diet you may want to eat foods sweetened naturally with sugar instead of a sugar substitute. Real sugar digests naturally and doesn't cause you to feel bloated.

Sodium

Very small amounts of sodium can attribute to your bloated feeling so it is best to keep the sodium levels down in your diet. You only need about one teaspoon of salt each day to keep a healthy level of sodium in your system. Too much salt makes your cells retain extra water and they have a hard time letting this water go. Sodium is in many processed foods so check the labels to make sure you are not overdoing it.

Vegetables

Most vegetables cause gas in your intestines but it is not recommended to give up these healthy foods no matter how bloated they make you feel. A varied combination of vegetables in your diet keeps you healthy and helps to prevent dangerous diseases like cancer. It is recommended to eat 3-5 servings each day for a healthy diet. You might want to take one of the over-the-counter gas reducer pills to help you deflate the gas caused by these nutritious foods.

Fruit

Fruit are another good food for you that can make you feel bloated. Fructose in fruit is metabolized slowly. While this helps to make you feel full longer, if you eat too much fruit in a short time it can ferment in your intestine, causing gas and bloating. It is best to eat a little bit of fruit at different intervals during the day so your body is able to digest it all properly. Don't give up eating fruit; just be aware you shouldn't eat too much at one sitting.

Other things that can cause bloating are lactose intolerance, wheat and gluten intolerance, and drinking excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages.

A healthy, balanced diet should keep your digestive tract running smoothly and gas free. By eliminating unnecessary foods that aren't good for you and being careful to eat your fruits and vegetables at intervals during the day you are sure to combat that bloated feeling and get into your favorite jeans every time.