6 Easy Ways to Ease Bloating on a Vegan Diet

It’s true that eating a vegetarian diet, or a more plant-based diet in general, can benefit your health. But, a significant change in your diet can leave you with some unpleasant digestive problems, including bloating, gas, heartburn and upset stomach. Fortunately, being more intentional about the foods you eat is one way to alleviate your gut issues. Here’s how to ease bloating on a vegan diet, plus six ways to combat stomach issues.

Why does eating vegan cause bloating?

10- to 25-percent of healthy people experience occasional bloating. However, bloating, gas and stomach cramps seem to be especially big problems for new vegetarians, vegans and vegetarians.

The culprit is usually dietary fiber—indigestible plant fiber that, unlike protein or carbohydrates, passes through your digestive system intact. Fiber is found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes and has a number of benefits, including lowering “bad” cholesterol, regulating blood sugar levels, increasing longevity and helping to maintain a healthy gut.

Some vegetables can cause bloating more than other plant-based foods. “Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are also responsible for these unwanted effects, thanks to an oligosaccharide called raffinose,” Stephanie Wells, RDN, tells VegNews. “Raffinose is not digested until it is fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, which produces gas.”

How to ease bloating on a vegetarian diet

“Going plant-based is going to increase a person’s fiber intake exponentially, especially if they replace significant amounts of meat with more beans and legumes that are high in fiber,” Jenna Volpe, an RDN who specializes in gut health, told VegNews. says

Bloating may last a few days for some and weeks for others as the body adjusts to the increased fiber intake. It can also be a sign of an underlying condition, such as leaky gut or irritable bowel syndrome. The best way to know if you need treatment for bowel problems is to see your doctor. If you experience regular discomfort, you should talk to your doctor.

Ruling out digestive issues that should be addressed by a professional, here are six ways to manage everyday bloating on a vegetarian diet.

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1 Eat slowly and mindfully

Eating slowly is not just about savoring food. It can also help reduce swelling. Research shows that people tend to eat less when they eat slowly because it leads to an increase in fullness hormones. There are a few reasons why this happens. When you eat quickly, you tend to swallow more air, which can cause bloating.

So, being more aware of how much fiber you’re adding to your diet can also help. Wells recommends introducing high-fiber foods into your diet gradually rather than all at once.

“Start with small amounts of beans or cruciferous vegetables in the diet, and try to alternate whole grains with refined grains,” she says. “Some people find that lentils cause less gas than other beans, although this varies from person to person. Tofu and tempeh are other plant-based proteins that are more easily digested.”

If you have persistent problems with bloating, you may want to start logging your daily meals and symptoms in a journal, which can help you or your doctor identify potential triggers.

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2 Drink water – and not just at mealtimes

Most vegan diets, especially whole food plant-based diets, are high in fiber. But, like most diets, drinking enough water (3.7 liters a day for men and 2.7 liters for women) is essential to keep your body in good working condition. Water prevents soluble fiber — found in oats, beans, apples, citrus fruits and carrots — from sitting in your gut for long. Insoluble fiber — found in foods like whole wheat flour, beans and potatoes — attracts water to the small intestine, speeding its exit from your body.

“It’s better to spread your water intake throughout the day rather than only drinking at mealtimes, so that water is readily available when needed for digestion,” Wells says.

3 Soak lemon before eating

Legumes—chickpeas, black beans, lentils of all colors, pigeon peas, mung beans, and split peas—are staples in many recipes and a top source of plant-based protein. However, they are high in fiber, which can make gas and bloating worse. Soaking dried beans overnight removes the sugars responsible for them, reducing your chances of an upset stomach.

“Some people also find that mixed beans are easier to digest, such as hummus and other bean spreads,” says Wells.

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4 market

If you are able to do so, a short walk or light exercise session after eating can help reduce bloating and gas. Whatever you do, keep it casual so your body doesn’t overwork itself trying to digest food. As an alternative, take care of some chores around your home.

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5 Limit processed foods, salt and fat

Some processed foods can trigger bloating and gas. These include soda and other carbonated beverages and sugar substitutes such as xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol.

Salt is another culprit. Because the sodium in salt causes the body to retain water, which can cause bloating. Many processed foods such as cured meats, cold cuts and fast food are high in salt.

Limiting your fat intake to small amounts of healthy oils and plant-based fats can also help reduce bloating. This is because your digestive system needs more time to process fat.

To combat gas and bloating, limit your intake of highly salty and high-fat nosh, including fast food, chips and other snacks, fried foods, and other highly processed foods.

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6 Eat more probiotic foods

Research suggests that probiotic foods — such as sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, miso and tempeh — can help reduce bloating. However, more evidence is needed to understand which probiotic strains are particularly beneficial. Either way, the medical community accepts the fact that probiotics are good for your gut in other ways, so try to include them in your regular diet. Try kimchi in this vegan Korean BBQ bowl.