Fight the Flatulence: 6 foods for when you need to deflate

Avoiding fried foods, dairy, and all other culprits that make you look like you’re in your second trimester are a good idea before hitting the beach or a backyard BBQ. However, to keep your energy levels high and remain the life of the beach/BBQ bash, you have to eat something. Fun fact: If you eat like crap, you’ll feel like crap. So maybe don’t go diving for the beer-battered hot dogs, and sink your teeth into these 6 foods to feel light, ~alive~, and flatulence-free:

1. Avocado: All hail the guac! This buttery beauty is low in sodium and high in potassium, so it keeps you from retaining water that could cover up your rock-hard abs (ha). So pass the guac. And half a chip
2. Bananas: Go bananas. Research says nanners are a good source of prebiotic fiber, which helps to feed good gut bacteria and improve digestion. A recent study also found that women who ate a banana twice daily as a pre-meal snack for 60 days experienced an increase in good bacteria levels and a 50 percent reduction in bloating.
3. Asparagus: Although you might want to carry around air freshener for after you go to the bathroom, this vegetable is an antibloating superfood that might be worth that funky pee smell. The superfood helps flush out excess water and contains prebiotics, which support the growth of “good” bacteria so you can maintain a healthy balance in your digestive system to prevent and reduce gas.
4. Honey Dew Melons: Pick up that wedge of honeydew melon, honey. Research indicates that a compound found in muskmelon called Cucumis melo boasts significant diuretic properties and can be used to treat edema. And while the fruit helps flush excess water from your system, it also acts as a natural electrolyte replacement due to its high potassium levels.
5. Cucumbers: Cukes can reduce the puffiness of your belly just as well as it can reduce the puffiness under your eyes after a Jodi Picoult novel. They contain quercetin, a flavanoid antioxidant that helps reduce swelling. Hel-lo cukes and guac!
6. Ginger: Put it in a smoothie, eat it in a salad dressing, put it in your cocktail, I don’t give a hoot: this go-to seasoning is a miracle worker for the expansive. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory and a digestive aid that relaxes the muscles of the digestive tract, which can relieve inflation

The takeaway: Dig in to the fruit salad, go easy on the beers, and you won’t feel like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

P.S. Stay away from gum, carbonated beverages, and don't inhale your food like a vacuum cleaner. De nada.