Which foods, drinks and behaviours are filling you up with gas?
Switch to plant-based milk
Lactose intolerance is the most common food intolerance — when your body doesn’t produce enough of the enzyme lactase, it can’t digest a dairy sugar called lactose, leading to bloating and diarrhoea. It’s estimated that 68 per cent of us have limited ability to digest lactose.
Slow down when you eat
The speed at which you eat your food could cause your belly to bloat — the faster you eat, the more air you swallow, sending it down to your stomach, where it’ll sit uncomfortably.
Skip the bubbly drinks
If you guzzle down carbonated beverages — whether it’s diet drinks, prosecco or beer — the gas in the glass can become gas in your belly. Whatever you don’t burp out makes its way down into your intestines, where the gas leaves you feeling bloated.
Rethink your diet
If you’ve ever noticed how bloated and gassy you feel after eating broccoli or onions, you may be sensitive to a group of foods known as FODMAPs. The small intestine isn’t great at absorbing these, so they just sit there, undergoing fermentation and creating gas.
Add fibre
If your bloating goes away after you have a bowel movement, there’s a good chance it’s related to constipation. The longer your stool sits in your colon, the more time there is for bacteria to ferment its contents, creating more gas. To avoid this, boost the amount of fibre in your diet.