Reviewed by Lindsey Wilson, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (IIN) · November 2026
The foods that help most with bloating are the ones that don't add much gas: cooked vegetables, rice, oats, potatoes, eggs, fish and chicken, plus a few traditional helpers like ginger, peppermint and fennel. Just as useful is knowing what to go easy on while you're feeling puffy: beans, onions and garlic, raw cabbage-family vegetables, fizzy drinks, sugar-free sweets and very salty food.
That's the short version. Below is the longer one, written the way we'd explain it in the kitchen, plus a simple day of meals and an honest answer on bone broth.
A quick note first: food helps with ordinary, after-a-meal bloating. If you're bloated most days, start with our guide to bloating after eating, which covers causes and when to see a doctor.
Why some foods bloat you and others don't
Most food-related bloating comes from gas. Certain carbohydrates aren't fully absorbed in your small intestine, so bacteria in your large intestine ferment them and produce gas (NIDDK). Researchers at Monash University group many of these carbohydrates as FODMAPs, and their work is the reason "low FODMAP" lists exist (Monash FODMAP). Air from fizzy drinks and fast eating, a lot of salt, and constipation are the other usual suspects.
So "foods that help" mostly means foods that are easy to digest, low in fermentable carbohydrates, or that help keep things moving.
Foods that tend to help
1. Cooked, soft vegetables. Carrots, zucchini, spinach, green beans, peeled squash, pumpkin, parsnips. Cooking softens fiber, and these are lower in fermentable carbs than onions, cabbage or cauliflower. Roast them, simmer them in soup, or blend them. A puréed soup is about the easiest way to eat a lot of vegetables without feeling heavy afterward.
2. Rice, oats and potatoes. Plain staples that rarely cause trouble. White rice is the gentlest; congee, rice cooked long in broth until soft, is gentler still. Oats are fine for most people in a normal bowl (about half a cup dry).
3. Eggs, fish and chicken. Protein foods contain essentially no fermentable carbohydrate, so they don't feed gas production. Keep the cooking simple: poached, baked, scrambled or simmered rather than fried.
4. Kiwi. If your bloating comes with constipation, two green kiwis a day is worth trying. In a U.S. trial of people with chronic constipation, kiwifruit improved bowel movements about as well as prunes or psyllium, and it was the best tolerated of the three (American College of Gastroenterology summary).
5. Ginger. Fresh ginger in tea, soup or congee is a traditional after-meal habit. One small study found ginger helped the stomach empty faster in people with indigestion, though it didn't measurably change their symptoms (Hu et al., 2011). So: promising, not proven. We still put it in nearly everything.
6. Peppermint. Peppermint tea after dinner is pleasant and calming for many people. The stronger evidence is for enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules in IBS, which gastroenterologists suggest for overall symptoms (ACG guideline). If you have reflux, peppermint can make heartburn worse, so skip it.
7. Fennel. Fennel seeds chewed after a meal, or fennel tea, are used across many food cultures for exactly this. Research is limited, but it's a food, it's cheap, and it's in our Salmon & Fennel Soup for a reason. Our carminative herbs guide covers fennel, ginger, cumin and the rest.
8. Potassium-rich foods and water. Salt can leave you feeling puffy; in one large diet study, higher sodium intake meant more bloating (Johns Hopkins). Cutting back on very salty food matters most, but cooked spinach, potatoes, squash and firm bananas are easy ways to eat more potassium, and water keeps things moving. (Very ripe bananas are higher in fermentable carbs, so go for ones with a little green.)
9. Yogurt or kefir, if dairy agrees with you. Some of the lactose in fermented dairy is already broken down, so many people tolerate it better than milk. If dairy reliably bloats you, lactose-free versions work too. Probiotic claims for bloating are mixed, so treat this as food, not a fix.
10. Warm, brothy meals. Soups, congee, kitchari and stews built from the foods above. Warm, cooked, simple meals are easier on most stomachs, and they're the backbone of how we eat at OWL. More ideas in What to Eat When Your Digestion Feels Off.
Foods to ease off while you're bloated
Not forever. Most of these are healthy foods, and cutting them out long-term isn't the goal. It's about what to go easy on today, and noticing which ones bother you.
- Beans and lentils. Start with small portions, rinse canned beans well, and cook dried ones thoroughly. Lentils are often easier than larger beans.
- Onions and garlic. Two of the most common triggers, and they're hiding in stocks, sauces, spice blends and most store-bought soups and broths. Here's how to cook without them and still get flavor.
- Raw cabbage-family vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale, especially raw. Cooked and in smaller amounts is often fine.
- Fizzy drinks. Sparkling water and soda add gas directly. Drink still water.
- Sugar alcohols. Sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol in sugar-free gum, mints, protein bars and "keto" sweets are well-known gas producers (NIDDK).
- Some fruits. Apples, pears, mango, watermelon and dried fruit are high in fermentable sugars. Berries, citrus, kiwi and firm bananas are easier.
- Wheat, for some people. Not because of gluten in most cases, but because wheat contains fructans, the same carbohydrate as onions. Sourdough is often better tolerated.
- Large, rich, salty meals. Fatty food takes longer to leave your stomach, and restaurant food is usually very salty. Portion size matters as much as the food itself.
If you notice several of these bother you regularly, a structured low-FODMAP approach with a dietitian can help you find your specific triggers without cutting out more than you need to (Monash FODMAP). It's meant to be short-term and guided, not a forever diet. Our FODMAPs explainer has more.
A simple day of eating when you feel bloated
This is the kind of day we'd put together for ourselves. Nothing fancy, nothing you need to buy specially.
- Morning: oats cooked in water or broth, topped with sliced kiwi or berries. Or a soft scrambled egg on a slice of sourdough. Ginger tea instead of a second coffee.
- Midday: a bowl of puréed vegetable soup (carrot, squash or zucchini) with shredded chicken or a piece of baked fish.
- Afternoon: a firm banana, or a small bowl of lactose-free yogurt if dairy suits you. Still water.
- Evening: ginger chicken congee or rice with steamed spinach, carrots and salmon, finished with olive oil and lemon. Eat it sitting down, slowly, a little earlier than usual.
- After dinner: peppermint or fennel tea, and a ten-minute walk if you can.
Does bone broth help with bloating?
There's no research on bone broth and bloating specifically, so anyone telling you it "beats the bloat" is guessing. Here's what we can say honestly after many years of making it.
Why many people find it easy: broth is warm, mostly water, and contains very little of the fermentable carbohydrate that drives gas. It's an easy way to get fluid and a little protein when a full meal feels like too much, and it makes plain rice or vegetables taste like something.
Why some people feel worse: most store-bought broths are made with onion and garlic, two of the most common bloating triggers. Long-simmered broths are also higher in histamine, which some people don't tolerate (Is Bone Broth High in Histamine?). And some broths are very salty.
Does bone broth make you gassy? Usually not on its own, since there's so little in it for gut bacteria to ferment. If you notice gas after broth, look at the label for onion, garlic or other vegetables, and at what you're eating with it.
If you want to try it: start with half a cup, warm, sipped slowly, or use it as the cooking liquid for rice and soup. Our Chicken Bone Broth Elixir and Vegan Mineral Broth are made without onion or garlic for exactly this reason. Broth is food, not a treatment; for the research on broth and digestion in general, see Bone Broth for Gut Health.
Foods that help with bloating: FAQs
What foods reduce bloating fast?
Nothing works instantly, but if you're bloated right now, a warm ginger or peppermint tea, still water, and a small, simple meal (rice, cooked vegetables, egg or fish) are the gentlest options. Skip fizzy drinks and sugar-free sweets for the rest of the day.
What's a good breakfast when you're bloated?
Oats or congee, eggs, sourdough toast, kiwi or berries. Go easy on large smoothies with lots of fruit, and on bars sweetened with sugar alcohols.
Are bananas good for bloating?
Firm, slightly green bananas are easy on most people and provide potassium. Very ripe bananas are higher in fermentable sugars and can bother sensitive stomachs in larger amounts.
Are eggs good for bloating?
Yes, for most people. Eggs contain essentially no fermentable carbohydrate. If you notice eggs bother you specifically, that's worth mentioning to your doctor.
Is yogurt good for bloating?
It can be, if you tolerate dairy. Fermented dairy has less lactose than milk. Lactose-free yogurt is an option if milk products bloat you.
Does drinking water help with bloating?
Water helps keep things moving, which matters if constipation is part of it, and it doesn't add gas like carbonated drinks do.
Is it better to eat cooked or raw vegetables when bloated?
Cooked, for most people. Raw salads and crudités can come back when you feel normal.
When should I see a doctor about bloating?
If it's new and persistent, happens most days, or comes with weight loss, pain, vomiting, fever, blood in your stool, or a lasting change in bowel habits. See our bloating guide for the full list.
Keep reading: Bloating After Eating: Why It Happens and What Helps · What to Eat When Your Digestion Feels Off · How to Cook Without Onion and Garlic · Carminative Herbs · How to Make Congee · Is Bone Broth High in Histamine?