No, you’re not getting fatter. You’ve just been hit with the bloating blues. For many women over 40, bloating can become a regular occurrence. The discomfort it causes can put a damper on living your best half-time, so we scavenged the internet to find a few pressure-relieving tips to help you beat the bloat:

Tip #1: Cut Out the Sugar

Now, this is a tough one. Whether you love on sugar like it’s your last child or try to avoid it like the plague, removing sugar from the typical American diet is difficult because so many products contain hidden sugars. Be sure to check the labels on everything to ensure you’re keeping your sugar intake low.

In particular, try to eat fresh foods as often as possible. Processed foods tend to be high in sugar, a known cause of bloating.

Tip #2: Wave Goodbye to Wheat

If you’re like, “hold up – wheat?” Yes, wheat. Like sugar, wheat is one of those sneaky ingredients that seems to appear in literally everything. It’s also one of the top foods people are intolerant or sensitive to.

Try going gluten-free for a few days to see how you feel. If your bloating decreases, wheat might’ve been the culprit.

Tip #3: Lose the Lactose

Lactose definitely doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to being a stomach-friendly ingredient and for good reason. As we get older, our ability to digest lactose decreases. There’s some science behind this, but essentially it breaks down to your body not being able to digest lactose due to a deficiency of the enzyme lactase.

Lactose in the form of milk and milk-derivatives is found in all kinds of foods such as snacks, crackers, processed food and desserts. If you notice an increase in bloating after consuming these products, try cutting lactose out to see if it makes a difference.

Finally, hormonal changes can also contribute to bloating but it is generally short-term and limited to a few days.

If you’ve made the suggested dietary changes here and are still suffering from bloating, talk to your doctor to see if there is a different reason for your bloating.

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