Preventing Bloating
Abdominal bloating is the most common symptom of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Unfortunately, it is also the hardest to treat. There are however some steps you can take to minimize the incidence of bloating.
Eat smaller meals, more often. Overeating is a major cause of bloating. Eat slowly, making sure that you chew your food thoroughly before swallowing.
Avoid or minimize foods that produce large amounts of gas. These would include foods such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, legumes, onions, brussels sprouts, milk and cheese.
Avoid or minimize hydrogenated or saturated fats.
Avoid carbonated drinks.
Don't chew gum or the end of pencils/pens. This will result in swallowing large amounts of air.
Don't smoke.
Avoid 'yo-yo' belching. Belching is a healthy, natural escape of gas, but people who suffer from bloating often get into a habit of trying to belch. This normally entails sucking in air and then releasing it in a belch. The net result of this is that you will suck in more air than you release, thereby actually increasing bloating.
Fiber - some sources will create much more gas than others. Psyllium is a very common source of fibre but creates much more intestinal gas than methyl cellulose.