How you eat may be just as important as what you eat.
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Key Points
- Eating too quickly or using straws can cause bloating by trapping excess air in your digestive tract.
- Managing stress and eating slowly can help reduce bloating and support healthy digestion.
- Persistent bloating may signal a more serious issue—consult a health care provider if symptoms persist.
You’re eating more fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains, limiting added sugar and drinking more water—yet you’re still dealing with bloating and discomfort. While fiber often gets blamed for digestive symptoms, it’s not always the culprit. In many cases, how you eat can be just as important as what you eat.
One often-overlooked cause of bloating is swallowing excess air, a phenomenon known as aerophagia. Everyday habits such as eating too quickly, drinking through a straw or chewing gum can cause air to become trapped in the digestive tract, leading to bloating—even when you’re eating plenty of nourishing foods.
Before cutting healthy foods from your diet, take a closer look at habits that may be contributing to excess air in your gut. Read on to learn how swallowing air can lead to bloating, plus expert-backed strategies to help reduce discomfort and support healthy digestion.
Why Swallowing Air Can Cause Bloating
Bloating can often be caused by an intolerance to certain foods or by eating too much fiber too quickly. As certain fibers and other compounds or undigested sugars (as seen in lactose intolerance) reach the large intestine, they’re fermented by your gut bacteria, producing excess gas that can lead to bloating.
Alternatively, swallowed air travels through the digestive tract to the large intestine, which can increase bloating and gas as your body tries to expel it. Certain habits like drinking through a straw, eating too quickly or chewing gum can cause you to unconsciously gulp air as you swallow food or fluids that are heading to your digestive tract. While some people do not experience any adverse effects despite swallowing air each day, others may notice symptoms even with small amounts of air.
How to Stop Swallowing So Much Air
If you’re struggling with excess bloating, small changes could make a big difference:
- Avoid drinking through straws
- Limit carbonated beverages
- Be mindful of chewing gum or sucking on hard candies
- Try to eat more slowly and avoid talking while chewing or swallowing
- Avoid smoking
- Get checked for ill-fitting dentures or difficulty chewing
- Find support to help manage anxiety and stress
- Talk to a health care provider if you use a CPAP.
Limiting carbonated beverages and drinking from a cup rather than through a straw can help reduce air buildup while drinking. How you eat your meals may also need to be adjusted. “Slow down while eating and chew food thoroughly,” says Talia Follador, RDN, LDNwho recommends taking smaller bites and putting your utensils down between bites to help you slow down naturally. And if mealtime is also social time, get in the habit of taking a bite, chewing and swallowing before talking.
Working to manage stress and anxiety levels can also make a big difference. One small study found that people with moderate to severe anxiety swallowed significantly more air on average than those with mild anxiety. Follador explains that stress can increase rapid eating and air swallowing, so seeking treatment for anxiety and practicing stress-relieving techniques, such as deep- breathing exercises, could help.
Note that people who use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy as a treatment for sleep apnea are at a higher risk of experiencing excess flatulence or bloating from swallowed air. If this is the case, talk to a health care provider to explore treatment options.
Other Tips for Promoting Healthy Digestion
Taking steps to swallow less air is just part of the puzzle for healthy digestion. Here are other expert-recommended strategies to support a healthy and comfortable digestive system.
- Eat regular meals. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, may increase the risk of acid reflux and indigestion. “I generally recommend eating within two hours of waking up and every three to five hours after that. I find that clients who wait too long to eat tend to overeat and feel more bloated as a result,” says Follador.
- Eat enough fiber (but take it slow!). Getting at least the recommended 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories eaten can help support regular bowel movements and a healthy gut microbiome, but you don’t want to add too much too fast. “It’s best to go slow and steady when increasing fiber instead of the trend ‘fibermaxxing’ in one meal,” says Nicole Ibarra, RD, LD.
- Manage your stress levels. The gut and brain have a bidirectional connection via the gut-brain axis, meaning what happens in one will affect the other. “Stress and anxiety can significantly impact digestion, bowel habits and bloating,” says Follador, who recommends starting each meal with a few deep breaths, which helps stimulate the “rest and digest” parasympathetic system for improved digestion.
When to Be Concerned About Bloating
Regularly feeling bloated is not only uncomfortable, but it can disrupt your daily life if it’s persistent or severe. But at what point should you take a pause on home remedies and see a health professional? Ibarra recommends seeking medical attention “if bloating persists without improvements or gets worse throughout the day, or you’re experiencing both bloating and another GI symptom like feeling full quickly after a meal.” These could all be signs that something more serious may be causing your bloating and require proper evaluation and testing.
Our Expert Take
Bloating after a healthy meal isn’t always caused by what you’re eating. Sometimes, it’s how you’re eating. Swallowing excess air is a surprisingly common culprit, often triggered by habits like drinking through a straw, eating too quickly, chewing gum or having unmanaged stress. The fix doesn’t involve cutting foods out of your diet, just changing some of your eating habits to reduce the amount of air you gulp and swallow. If bloating is persistent, even with habit changes, it’s worth checking in with a health care provider to rule out something more serious.
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