Feel like your tummy is stretched and swollen? You’re probably bloated. Sometimes, this is due to excess wind, constipation, swallowed air, or the food and drinks you consume. Here are ways to keep bloating at bay.

Exercise.

Whether you do it at home or at the gym, taking the time to get moving can help ease your bloated tummy. Jacqueline Wolf, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard University and author of A Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Stomach says that exercising stimulates the bowel, which can help end constipation.

Limit gassy foods.
Loaded with fiber, foods like beans, broccoli, and pears are harder to digest and can pose a problem to people with sensitive stomachs. You could still eat them once in a while, but it’s suggested that you control your portions to prevent a gassy stomach.

Say no to sugar-free snacks.
If you think that you’re laying off on the calories when eating sugar-free food, you’re wrong. Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet, says that these kinds of snacks are loaded with artificial sweeteners such as xyitol, sorbitol, and maltitol, which can cause gastrointenstinal distress, leading to excessive bloating and diarrhea.

Lessen your intake of processed food.
Consuming too much sodium results in water retention. Try cutting back on salt, particularly on the main culprit. Toronto based nutritionist, Victoria Orlewicz says, "Over 80 percent of our daily sodium intake does not come from the salt shaker, but rather from processed and packaged foods."

Eat smart.

Instead of eating three big meals a day, try eating five to six small meal portions–this gives your stomach time to digest them, making you feel a lot better after each meal. You could also try snacking on cucumbers which inhibit the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes, papayas which aid in digestion, and bananas which are rich in potassium and regulate the sodium levels inside your body.

Keep yourself hydrated.
Drinking lots of water can do wonders for your body. It flushes waste out of your body and helps in get things moving inside your stomach, lessening the chance of bloating. According to The Institute of Medicine, the adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day, while the AI for women is about nine cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.

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