5 New Ways to Beat Bloat

Shrink your stomach and avoid bloating by making smart eating choices. These foods will keep your belly in check

Want to fit into your pants? Look at the carbs you're eating, says Jacqueline Wolf, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and author of A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach. Many are high in one of five hard-to-digest sugars: lactose, fructose, fructans, sugar alcohols, and galactans. To help relieve your symptoms, study your diet and follow these tips.

Stop Milking It

If dairy makes you bloated, you may have developed lactose intolerance. Try lower-lactose foods (like hard cheese or yogurt) or lactose-free dairy products, or take a lactase enzyme.

If dairy isn't your problem, you can satisfy cheese cravings and still lose weight with these 400 Calorie Meals

Pick Fruit Carefully

Berries, grapes, and citrus contain a near-equal ratio of the sugars fructose and glucose, making them easier to digest than fruits with more fructose, such as honeydew, apples, and pears.

Switch Your Starch

If fructan-rich wheat, rye, or barley is behind your bloat, choose stomach-friendly rice, corn, oats, or potatoes.

Not every food choice is going to dent your belly. Check out these 7 food safety mistakes you cant afford to make.

Skip Some (Fake) Sugars

Sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol are sugar alcohols found in diet sodas and sugar-free gum. Avoid these if they bother you, or opt for products made with stevia or aspartame instead.

Be Smart About Beans

Limit galactan-rich legumes (soy nuts, chickpeas, lentils, and all beans), cabbage, and brussels sprouts if they're causing you trouble. Soaking dried beans overnight or taking the OTC enzyme Beano may help.