Has anyone found anything that genuinely helps persistent bloating?

[PrincessofEuphrania]

I am 56 and am constantly suffering from bloating. I was diagnosed last year with mild diverticulitis after being referred to the hospital because of change in bowel movements, bloating etc.

My stomach is huge by the end of the day, embarrassingly so. I can’t wear anything remotely close fitting anymore.

The latest thing I’m reading about is apple cider vinegar but I’m concerned as it says it keeps you regular and I really do not need any help in that direction 😁.

Has anyone successfully beaten the bloat?

I never had any tummy problems until I started taking apple cider vinegar one summer @PrincessofEuphraniahaving read an article about good it was for you.
I stopped years ago but my tummy has never been right since.

I had the same. Got my thyroid tested and I was massively hypothyroid so I’m on medication for that which has improved things.
I cut out bread and pasta which made a huge difference.
I also cut out lactose. I drink lots of milk and love lattes. I switched to Arla lactose free milk which just tastes exactly the same as normal milk and doesn’t bloat. It’s a bit more expensive but worth it.

Right - I’m NOT going to try the apple cider vinegar as I absolutely can’t afford to make my stomach worse!

It seems to me that lactose and gluten are the main culprits so I am trying to cut them out.

I’ve made a start by having porridge made with water for breakfast (I’d love to add a banana but unfortunately I think that bloats me ) and only drinking peppermint tea or warm water. I’ve also stopped drinking my one and only cup of coffee per day.Very boring but at this point very necessary.
Thank you for all your suggestions. It seems to be a very common complaint.

@PrincessofEuphrania if you like milk in your coffee and porridge why not just switch to the Arla lactose free milk? It’s gorgeous and tastes 100% like normal milk. It’s just milk with lactase added to remove the lactose. It’s not oat milk or soya milk.
https://www.asda.com/groceries/product/lactose-free-milk/arla-lactofree-semi-skimmed-milk-drink-1l/1841793

I’ve also found the Arla milk @sociableintrovert123 posted very, very helpful as I really don’t care for plant milk in tea or coffee. (It is fine when required as a recipe ingredient). Their lactose free cream is a treat, too!

Yes peppermint oil is great.

I did try lactose free milk once and didn’t like it. Although I think it was semi-skimmed and I only drink skimmed. I’ll get some skimmed Arla and try that.

Peppermint capsules might be worth a try also.

I did the York Test for food intolerances (though it also covers some drinks, like coffee, tea and cows' milk) a while ago. I knew that there were two things that I definitely couldn't have, and one likely one (cows' milk), but that picked up others, like yeast (which explained why I always bloated after bread), eggs and wheat (which are in practically everything, or so it seems!).

Recently, I had a stomach inflammation, which was VERY uncomfortable. I was advised to "work on my microbiome", but as I couldn't have a lot of the dairy probiotics due to them containing cows' milk, I had a lot of soya yoghurts and pickled food like sauerkraut (I opted for beetroot, which I have in plentiful supply!).

I do exactly like yourself for the same reason. Mine coincided with the menopause, I also have a teaspoon of Turmeric with a little hot water, a little honey and a drop of coconut milk, it works wonders. I also have Optibac gummies probiotics.

p.s use a straw for the Turmeric, otherwise your teeth will look awful 🤪

Has Coeliac Disease been considered, OP?

Is there an easy way to test for food intolerances rather than trying 2 weeks without dairy, 2 without gluten etc?

I wondered that too.
Is the York testing reliable ?

Not recommended by NHS apparently