When you’re bloated and gassy, the best things to eat are foods that are easy to digest and unlikely to ferment in your gut: rice, eggs, cucumber, carrots, bananas, and ginger. Equally important is knowing what to skip until the bloating passes, since many otherwise healthy foods (beans, broccoli, apples) actively make gas worse.
Foods That Help Relieve Gas
Ginger is one of the most effective foods you can eat during a bloating episode. A natural compound in ginger root improves gastrointestinal motility, which is the speed at which food moves through your stomach and into the rest of your digestive tract. When food exits the stomach faster, it spends less time fermenting and producing gas. You can eat fresh ginger sliced into hot water, grate it over rice, or chew on a small piece of candied ginger.
Beyond ginger, stick to foods that produce minimal gas during digestion. These are all low in fermentable sugars:
- Rice and rice cakes: one of the least gas-producing grains
- Hard-boiled eggs: high in protein, almost no fermentable carbohydrates
- Bananas, grapes, or small portions of oranges: lower-sugar fruits that are gentler on the gut
- Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and bell peppers: easy to digest raw vegetables
- Plain popcorn: a light snack without added seasoning
- Roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds: simple, low-fermentation snacks
- Nut butter on rice cakes: peanut or almond butter provides calories without adding gas
The common thread here is that these foods don’t contain the complex sugars or fibers that gut bacteria love to ferment. When bacteria ferment food in your colon, they produce hydrogen and methane gas. Choosing foods that skip that process gives your gut time to clear the gas that’s already there.
Teas and Herbs That Ease Bloating
Peppermint tea is a go-to for gas relief. Peppermint oil relaxes the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract, which can help trapped gas move through rather than sitting in one place and causing pressure. It works by calming the muscle contractions that sometimes hold gas in pockets along the intestine.
Chamomile tea, fennel tea, and anise are also traditional remedies backed by clinical use. Fennel in particular has a long history as a digestive aid. You can brew fennel seeds directly in hot water for about 10 minutes. Turmeric, coriander, and caraway are other herbs that Brigham and Women’s Hospital lists as natural gas remedies. Warm liquids in general can help stimulate digestion, so sipping any of these teas does double duty.
Foods to Avoid Until the Bloating Passes
Some of the biggest gas producers are foods you’d normally consider healthy. While you’re actively bloated, set these aside temporarily:
Beans and lentils contain complex sugars called oligosaccharides that ferment heavily in your gut. They’re one of the most reliable gas producers in the human diet. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage have complex fibers that also ferment and generate significant gas. Onions and garlic contain fructans, another type of fermentable sugar that causes bloating, gas, and sometimes nausea. And high-fructose fruits like apples, pears, and watermelon can overwhelm your small intestine’s ability to absorb fructose, sending undigested sugar to your colon where bacteria turn it into gas.
Dairy is another common culprit if you have any degree of lactose intolerance. If you want cheese while bloated, opt for a lactose-free version. Carbonated drinks add gas directly to your digestive system, so swap soda or sparkling water for still water or tea.
Why Fiber Can Make Things Worse Right Now
Fiber is essential for long-term digestive health, but loading up on it while you’re already bloated can backfire. High-fiber foods feed your gut bacteria, and that bacterial activity is exactly what produces gas. This is especially true if you’ve recently increased your fiber intake. Your gut bacteria need a few weeks to adjust to a higher fiber load, and during that transition period, gas and cramping are common.
Soluble fiber, found in oats, beans, and some fruits, dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material in the stomach that slows digestion. That’s great for blood sugar control but not ideal when food is already sitting too long in your gut. Insoluble fiber, found in whole grains and vegetable skins, adds bulk and helps move material through. Neither type is bad for you, but during an active bloating episode, keeping your overall fiber intake moderate gives your system breathing room. Once the bloating resolves, you can add fiber back gradually.
How Water and Salt Play a Role
Drinking water helps your body process sodium and fiber more efficiently, both of which influence bloating. Research from Johns Hopkins found that high salt intake directly causes gastrointestinal bloating, likely because salt triggers water retention in the gut. If your bloating followed a salty meal, drinking more water can help your kidneys flush the excess sodium and reduce that retained fluid.
Aim for steady sips throughout the day rather than large amounts at once, which can stretch the stomach and add to the feeling of fullness. Room-temperature or warm water tends to be more comfortable than ice-cold water when you’re already feeling distended.
When Bloating Signals Something Bigger
Occasional gas and bloating after a heavy meal or a bean-heavy dinner is normal. But bloating that gets progressively worse, persists for more than a week, or comes with persistent pain warrants a closer look. Cleveland Clinic flags several alarm symptoms alongside bloating: fever, vomiting, bleeding, unintentional weight loss, and anemia. Any combination of these alongside chronic bloating points to something beyond dietary gas and should be evaluated by a healthcare provider.