No one likes being bloated. Your belly feels stuffed, uncomfortable, or even painful. Not to mention, it can make your clothes feel tighter around the waistline. (Way to ruin an outfit. 🙄) It’s a common condition, experienced by 16 to 30 percent of Americans. But there’s one solution that can make bloating not-so common: Fiber.

Before we dive into how fiber helps with bloating, let’s start with a quick primer on what the condition actually is. Bloating is the result of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract being crammed with air or gas, leading to a full or tight feeling in the belly. It can be caused by indigestion, constipation, or simply gas accumulation. It’s typically harmless, but if your symptoms change abruptly and your stomach pain increases, you should seek out a doctor’s advice ASAP. Bloating can be a sign of a more serious issue, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroparesis, or gynecological problems.

...there’s one solution that can make bloating not-so common: Fiber.

OK, back to fiber. Since fiber promotes gut health, it can prevent some of the contributors to bloating, namely constipation. Fiber gets waste moving through your GI tract efficiently, avoiding the formation of gas that can result from that waste moving too slowly. And, yes, by “waste” we mean poop. 💩 

So, if you’re looking for a way to relieve or prevent bloating, start by getting more fiber in your diet. Taking an all-natural fiber supplement like Bellway is an easy way to do so, as each serving contains 18 percent of the fiber you need every day. (Considering only 3 percent of Americans get the recommended amount of fiber daily, it’s a significant supplement to your diet.) 

Just be sure to confirm with your doctor that Bellway is right for you, and to increase your fiber intake gradually. Your body needs time to adjust, and rushing the process can actually cause bloating. We wouldn't want that now, would we?