The #1 Snack for When You're Bloated, According to Dietitians

This simple snack may help relieve the unpleasant symptoms that come with feeling bloated.

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

When you’re feeling bloated, the last thing you want to do is eat something that makes the condition feel worse. Though all food may sound unappealing in moments like this, eating certain foods may actually help you feel better. Our favorite snack for beating the bloat is a delicious Pineapple Green Smoothie.

It’s simple to make and consists of a few accessible ingredients. As a matter of fact, this simple green smoothie comes together in just five minutes and tastes great to boot. Plus, it features ingredients that naturally help relieve bloating and get you on track to feeling better faster. This article will discuss what ingredients can help fight bloating, why you should still eat when you’re bloated, and other ways to manage a distended tummy.

What to Look For in a Snack to Help Relieve Bloating

Bloating is a common feeling that occurs when the abdomen feels full or distended. It can have several causes, such as constipation, gas or an overabundance of bacteria in the small intestine. Fiber and water are two key components of food that help reduce bloating.

Eating fiber is a crucial part of digestive regularity. Fiber adds bulk to the stool and softens it, making it easier to poop. Getting the recommended 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day can help prevent constipation and reduce bloating. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes are rich in fiber.

Consuming foods that contain water can also help reduce bloating. Drinking water is important but eating hydrating foods, like watermelon, cucumbers, celery, lettuce and pineapple, can help you meet your hydration goals throughout the day, too.

The #1 Snack for When You’re Bloated

This Pineapple Green Smoothie checks all the boxes to fight bloating. It contains greens, pineapple and yogurt, three foods that can help relieve the unpleasant symptoms associated with bloating.

First, “Greens are very high in insoluble fiber, which helps food move through the digestive tract and can promote bowel movements,” says Ginger Hultin, M.S., RDN, CSO, an integrative registered dietitian nutritionist at gingerhultinnutrition.com. And as an added bonus, greens are rich in the antioxidant vitamin C, which plays a role in immune health and helps reduce bodily inflammation. Chia seeds are also a good source of fiber, so it’s no wonder that just 1 cup of this green smoothie meets 35% of your daily fiber needs.

The smoothie gets its sweetness from the pineapple. “This naturally sweet tropical fruit has a diuretic effect, which helps your body get rid of excess water faster,” says Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, a nutrition expert and author of Everyday Snack Tray. Ridding the body of excess water may reduce fullness in the belly. “This tropical fruit specifically has some helpful digestive enzymes, such as bromelain,” adds Hultin. Some people find that this is soothing to the stomach and helps them digest food better.

Lastly, the yogurt has live active cultures, aka probiotics. “The active probiotics [in yogurt] will help improve your gut health and digestion over time,” according to Largeman-Roth.

Although you feel uncomfortable when bloated, it's important to keep things moving through the gastrointestinal tract so that bloating can subside. “Instead of skipping meals until the bloating dissipates, just eat smaller meals and snacks and avoid foods that you know may cause more bloating, like beans,” says Largeman-Roth

Other Tips to Help Manage Bloating

In addition to drinking a smoothie, “drinking more water can help your body achieve better balance with less bloating,” says Hultin. Drink a glass of water with every meal and try to keep a refillable water bottle with you throughout the day. Largeman-Roth suggests leaning into water-rich foods with natural diuretic effects like watercress, watermelon, asparagus, banana and kiwi.

Bloating is natural and happens to all of us from time to time, but it’s important to talk to your doctor about any chronic bloating that occurs regularly or doesn’t resolve. This could be a sign of an underlying condition and is worth bringing up with your health care provider.

The Bottom Line

Bloating can be an unpleasant side effect of eating, but you don’t have to suffer through it. Next time you feel bloated, whip up this simple Pineapple Green Smoothie. Other methods for beating the bloat include drinking plenty of water and eating fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. But remember that while some bloating is totally normal, chronic bloating isn’t, so speak to your doctor if you’re feeling bloated consistently or it’s impacting your quality of life.

Read the original article on Eating Well.