6 Best Natural Ways to Debloat, According To Experts

Bloating is difficult to deal with for so many reasons, including the annoyance of having a puffy stomach. But bloating is a common challenge that many people face. A 2022 study found that nearly 1 in 7 Americans experience bloating in a given week.

"Bloating can have two main causes: Too much gas and a problem with the movement of gas," says Ashkan Farhadi, M.D., a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center and director of MemorialCare Medical Group's Digestive Disease Center in Fountain Valley, California.

"Basically, you either generate too much of it or you cannot move it along, and the reasons for those can vary," he says.

"A wide variety of causes, which can range from benign to very serious" can be behind bloating, says Richard Firshein, D.O., integrative medicine practitioner and founder of the Firshein Center. Those more commonly include clinical gut dysfunction, PMS, and food intolerances, he says.

If bloating is a regular problem for you, we recommend you talk to your healthcare provider to try to figure out what could be behind it.

If trapped gas is behind your bloating, taking a walk may help, given that it prompts your digestive system to move things along, Firshein says. "Individuals may find that simply going for a walk can speed up digestion," he adds.

This is more about relieving stress than anything, experts say. Stress affects your gut and can even slow down muscle contractions in there. Farhadi explains "an Epsom salt bath is a good stress reliever," he says. Firshein agrees, noting that it "helps to relax stressed muscles."

Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi contain beneficial live bacteria (aka probiotics) that happily settle into your guts ecosystem.

Most people use a foam roller to relieve tense muscles, and the same principle applies here—you're just using it on your abdomen. Research has found that abdominal massages could help relieve bloating2.

Yoga is a great way to keep your digestive health on track. It's almost like a massage for your internal organs.

Bloating can be linked to suboptimal balance in your gut flora, the bacteria, and other microorganisms that live in your intestines that help digest food, Firshein says.

"In some cases, simple supplements such as digestive enzymes or probiotics and prebiotics can help repopulate the gut, help break down food, and allow the body to process and digest food more properly,"* he says. At the same time, digestive enzymes and probiotics can "definitely help improve movement in the gut,"* Farhadi says.

Research3 has tied certain types of probiotics to a reduction in gas and bloating, so look for probiotics that contain Bifidobacterium lactis HN0194, Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-075, and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM5.*

Dehydration can lead to harder stools that are difficult to pass—and that can cause a backup in your gut that can make you feel bloated, Farhadi says.

If you're experiencing gas and bloat, you may want to try increasing your daily fiber intake—it can help soothe your stomach by encouraging healthy bowel movements and gut motility.

You should aim to get between 21-38 grams of fiber each day, but most people fall short. Make sure you incorporate high-fiber foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes into each meal.

"Fiber can be a bloating double-edged sword," Farhadi says. Firshein agrees, calling it a "tricky" thing to try.

Sometimes starting a high-fiber diet can lead to gas and bloating (thanks to the increased bulk and the fermentation of sugar in the gut microbiome) in the short-term.

If you find that you're bloated after having fiber-rich foods, Firshein recommends "slowly build the foundation for digesting those foods by eating small amounts of fiber and slowly increasing to tolerance."

Paying close attention to your diet and how you feel after you eat certain foods is important, Sachdev says.

There are a few tricks that may help, too. "Generally, my rule is no raw food after 4 p.m.," Firshein says, noting that raw foods often contain high levels of fiber. For anyone who experiences bloating related to digestion, "learning to eat slower, chewing your food, and not eating too late at night can help," he adds.

Eating more foods that reduce bloating, like cucumbers, avocado, ginger, and yogurt may also help keep future buildup at bay.