Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Change Your Diet
• Method 2 of 3: Maintain a physically active lifestyle
• Method 3 of 3: Take Gas Medication
• Tips
• Warnings

Although gas is a natural process, excessive bloating, belching, and flatulence can cause discomfort, pain, and discomfort. If you are constantly experiencing these kinds of problems, try to figure out which foods are giving you trouble and eliminate them from your diet. Exercise stimulates the digestive system, and taking a short walk after meals can help reduce flatulence. There are also many medications available to help you deal with gas. Because they work in different ways, choose a medication that is designed to relieve specific symptoms.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Change Your Diet

1. 1 Try to track which foods are causing the unpleasant symptoms. If you frequently experience painful gas and bloating, write down everything you eat and drink. As soon as symptoms appear, review your notes and note which foods may have caused problems. After that, eliminate it from your diet and see if it helps.
   • For example, you may experience increased gas production and bloating after eating a large serving of ice cream. In this case, reducing the consumption of dairy products or avoiding them altogether can help.
   • The same food affects people in different ways, so try to identify what exactly is causing the problems you are experiencing. You may find that the problems are associated with all types of food that lead to increased gas production, or unpleasant symptoms are caused by 1-2 foods.
2. 2 Avoid one food group at a time to find out why. Most often, increased gas production is caused by food that contains difficult-to-digest carbohydrates, dietary fiber or lactose. Try skipping dairy for a week and see if your symptoms improve. If gas production does not decrease, try not eating beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
   • If you continue to suffer from gas, try cutting down on your fiber intake. See if reducing the amount of whole grains and bran will help.
3. 3 Avoid foods that contain sorbitol, such as chewing gum, candy, and soda. Sorbitol is an artificial sweetener and promotes gassing. Although sorbitol can cause gassing on its own, products containing sorbitol often worsen gas problems in other ways.
   • For example, soda can produce gas, and sorbitol soda can be even harder on your digestive system.
   • Swallowing air can cause bloating. You swallow more air when you chew gum or suck on hard candies. Your condition may worsen even more if the chewing gum or hard candy contains sorbitol.
4. 4 Avoid beans, vegetables, and fruits that cause gas. Beans and some other vegetables and fruits contain hard-to-digest carbohydrates. Do not eat or try to limit your intake of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, apples, pears, prunes and juice made from it.
   • Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, so don't skip them entirely. Just choose vegetables and fruits that are easier to digest, such as lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, berries, and grapes.
   • To make the beans easier to digest, soak them in warm water for at least one hour before boiling. Remember to then drain the used water and boil the beans in fresh water.
5. 5 Try to eat less fatty foods. Avoid fatty foods that can slow down digestion and cause flatulence in the intestines. These include fatty red meat, processed meats (such as bacon), and fried foods. Replace them with less fatty and easier to digest foods such as poultry, seafood, egg whites, and easily digestible vegetables and fruits.
6. 6 Chew food thoroughly before swallowing. Larger pieces of food are harder to digest, so chew the food until it turns into a thin gruel. In addition, the longer you chew your food, the more saliva you produce. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that break down food and make it easier to digest.
   • Put smaller pieces in your mouth and chew them at least 30 times or until they turn into gruel.
7. 7 Take your time when eating and drinking. Hasty absorption of food and drink leads to more air entering the digestive system. Swallowing air is a common cause of gas, so eat slowly and drink in smaller sips.
   • Among other things, try not to speak while eating or chew with your mouth open. Chewing food with your mouth closed will help you swallow less air.
   • Rushing to eat can lead to overeating, which also contributes to gas formation. Eat enough, but not too much.
8. 8 Include probiotic foods or dietary supplements in your diet. Probiotics help maintain a healthy intestinal biome, which means balancing bacteria in the digestive system. Include probiotic foods or dietary supplements in your daily diet. Probiotics are found in the following foods:
   • yogurt;
   • kefir;
   • sauerkraut;
   • miso soup;
   • kimchi.

Method 2 of 3: Maintain a physically active lifestyle

1. 1 Exercise 30 minutes a day to improve digestion. Regular exercise can help improve blood circulation, engage your core muscles, and promote overall digestive health. It is best to do simple aerobic exercise every day, such as walking, running (normal or jogging), and cycling.
   • When playing sports, try to breathe through your nose, even in winter. Remember that swallowing air through your mouth can lead to gas and cramping.
2. 2 Walk after meals for 10-15 minutes. Although it is necessary to exercise regularly, even a light walk after a meal will be of great benefit. Walking will help food pass through the digestive tract normally. Intense exercise can make you feel nauseous, so take your time for a walk.
3. 3 Don't spend too much time lying down. Although the digestive system continues to work while you are lying down, gases pass through it more easily when you are sitting or standing. To prevent or reduce gas build-up, do not lie down after meals. Try to go to bed only to sleep.
   • Gas formation in the digestive system can also be affected by sleep posture. Try to sleep on your left side. This will help improve digestion, reduce gastric buildup, and make it easier for gas to pass through the digestive tract.

Method 3 of 3: Take Gas Medication

1. 1 Take antacids for upper abdominal heartburn. If you have burning pain in the upper abdomen or chest wall, you may have heartburn. Try over-the-counter antacids about an hour before meals. Do not take them with food.
   • Take any medication according to the directions for use. Check with your doctor before taking antacids regularly if you have kidney or heart disease, are on a low sodium diet, or are taking any prescription drugs.
2. 2 If gas is trapped in the stomach, take a foaming agent. Foaming agents include simethicone, which is part of such drugs as Alka-Seltzer and Espumisan. These drugs may be the best option if you have bloating and flatulence in the middle of your abdomen, which is the stomach. However, they will not help if gas builds up in the intestines, that is, pain and bloating in the lower abdomen.
   • Take simethicone medications 2–4 times daily, after meals and at night, or as directed for use.
3. 3 If gas builds up in the intestines (lower abdomen), take enzyme preparations. There are several types of enzyme preparations that can help relieve gas symptoms by helping to digest sugar. Products with the enzyme alpha-galactosidase, such as Orlix, help the body digest gas-producing foods such as beans, fruits and vegetables. For dairy-related problems, try lactase digestion aids such as Lactazar.
   • Most enzyme aids to aid in digestion must be taken immediately before meals. When doing so, follow the enclosed directions for use.
   • Heat can destroy enzymes, so add it to your ready-to-eat foods.
4. 4 Try activated charcoal if gas builds up in your intestines. The usual dose is 2-4 tablets, which should be taken one hour before meals and then after meals with a glass of water. While there are conflicting opinions about the effectiveness of activated charcoal, it may help relieve gas in the intestines that accompany bloating in the lower abdomen.
   • Check with your doctor before using activated charcoal if you are taking prescription drugs. Activated charcoal can interfere with their absorption by the body.
5. 5 Talk to your doctor about using prescription drugs. If you have not been able to cope with persistent digestive problems with over-the-counter remedies and dietary changes, see your doctor. Tell him about your symptoms, diet, and stool frequency. Your doctor may recommend prescription antacids, simethicone medications, or laxatives, depending on your concerns.
   • You may feel uncomfortable talking about digestive and stool problems. However, remember that the doctor's job is to help you. Don't hide anything - this will help your doctor choose the best treatment plan.

Tips

• For gas pain, avoid taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and ibuprofen. These drugs can irritate the stomach and, as a result, make gas pain worse.

Warnings

• See your doctor if you have severe pain, unexplained weight loss, blood in your stools, or less than three times a week. Painful or chronic flatulence can be a sign of a medical condition, such as Crohn's disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).