What helps against bloating?

The most important points in brief

• The bloated stomach is not a phenomenon, but it can still be uncomfortable.
• In the morning the stomach is still nice and flat - but after lunch it puffs up in the truest sense of the word.
• Why is that? The bloated stomach can have several causes.
• And the crucial question: What really helps against the bloated stomach?

Do you know that too? You are in a good mood in the morning and are happy about the great flat stomach. But in the afternoon at the latest, when you have had lunch, there is no longer any talk of joy - your stomach puffs up, you feel much less well and your self-confidence also suffers. High time to declare war on the bloated stomach. There are several options.

A bloated stomach can have many causes

But one after the other. First of all, we need to get to the bottom of the causes of the bloated stomach, and there are a number of explanations for this. On the one hand, there is apparently simply too much air in the stomach, which indicates a diet under time pressure. You swallow a lot of air with it.

It is also conceivable that you have eaten food for lunch that is difficult to digest and forms gases in the intestine, such as legumes. Those are the more innocuous reasons. Not infrequently, however, it can also be a food intolerance, an allergy or a disease such as irritable bowel syndrome; in that case you should consult a doctor. However, you can change your diet and nutrition yourself.

How to prevent bloating

Before we deal with the food, let's take a look at the drinks. If you only drink unsweetened tea and water, you reduce the risk of bloating. Fruit spritzers or even soft drinks, on the other hand, contain carbonic acid, which visibly swells the stomach. With two liters of tap water a day, you don't have this problem and you are adequately hydrated.

This leads to a serious problem in the modern world of work. Everything has to be quick and efficient, and eating is no exception. We eat hastily and gobble down our meals because another appointment is due or the customer is waiting for a call from you. So we swallow a lot of air while eating, which triggers the bloated stomach. By eating more slowly and chewing thoroughly, we can minimize the risk and improve digestion at the same time.

Small portions and easily digestible

Anyone who eats large amounts of food at each meal should not be surprised at a bloated stomach. The stomach can digest smaller (and low-fat) portions much better and there is also no bloating. You should also avoid foods that are difficult to digest such as cabbage, mushrooms, fatty foods, legumes, onions or sweets.

The following home remedies can both help and prevent acute bloating: raw ginger, mint oil in lukewarm water, fennel or chamomile tea (or tea made from fresh chamomile flowers) and chewing fennel or caraway seeds. There is also a beneficial effect when you prepare a hot water bottle and place it on your stomach.

If the bloated stomach has set in despite all the measures, then you can at least try to keep the effects within limits - for example with products for gas and abdominal pain.