Be sure not to make your satisfying meal too satisfying–avoid over-eating. An overly full stomach will take to grumbling as it struggles to digest; keep the portion size comfortable to prevent causing the problem you hoped to avoid. Be sure to make this satisfying meal one that is thoroughly stomach-friendly, or else you may not be preventing anything.
Water won’t be a substitute for food, however. Don’t fill up on water to try and satiate an empty stomach. A belly full of only water is likely to grumble even more. If possible, drink bottled water when looking to avoid stomach grumbles. Tap water sometimes includes some fluoride or chlorine which, while harmless, may upset your stomach just enough to cause some rumbling. Be sure to stay hydrated regularly. It won’t do to drink a bunch of water right beforehand; you’ll need to keep hydrated so that your digestion can always work as well as it should.
Try plain rice. Use basmati rice or wild rice, which contain less fiber than other varieties; too much fiber may make the digestion too quick and disruptive, which you’ll want to avoid. Use mint. If you’re someone who drinks smoothies or tea, consider throwing a few mint leaves in your next cup or mix. Mint calms the muscles of the digestive tract, making those grumbles much less likely. Include potatoes in your diet. Specifically sweet or white potatoes, these contain filling starch which helps to settle the stomach. Be sure not to include too much spice or butter to keep from upsetting the stomach. Eat non-dairy yogurt. Most commonly bought as Greek yogurt, yogurts made with soy or almond milk without sweeteners are excellent digestive aids. The bacteria which comprise yogurt have a calming effect on the stomach.
Pre-packaged nuts are a healthy and calorie-rich way to fill a rumbling stomach. Be sure to keep nuts that aren’t salted, as they may upset your stomach more than raw or plain roasted nuts would. Fruits and vegetables that package well like bell peppers, apples and carrots make great snacks. Healthy and refreshing, fruits and vegetables also contain plenty of the vitamins which aid digestion. For a mix of both of the above, look out for fruit and nut bars which have become popular in recent years. Be sure to finds ones low in fat and sugar, without too many additions (like chocolate) to the fruit and nuts.
If you’ve got the taste for it, certain teas can make great alternatives to coffee. You can even keep the caffeinated kind on account of many of the other metabolic benefits tea provides. At the very least you can cut down on your intake. If you’re a heavy coffee drinker, try to bring it down a couple of cups a day and see if it helps.
Foods which lead to flatulence like beans, broccoli, and asparagus (among others) will upset the stomach when you’re trying to calm it. Hopefully you’ll have a good understanding of what foods affect you in order to stay away. Don’t chow down on anything too greasy or fatty. While not themselves a guarantor of stomach grumbles, they tax the process of digestion which might worsen other factors at work. Keep the hamburgers for those moments when you can afford the noise.
Fructose is usually used as a sweetener in soda and fruit drinks. It occurs naturally, however, in foods such as onions, pears, and wheat. Sorbitol is included as artificial sweetener in many diet foods and snacks labelled “sugar-free. ” Like fructose, it does exist naturally in foods such as apples, peaches, and many other fruits.
Certain food intolerances, especially lactose intolerance, may be to blame for stomach troubles. Be extra diligent for foods your stomach can’t handle when eating for a quiet belly. Any conditions affecting digestion, from irritable bowel syndrome to celiac disease or Crohn’s, will have an affect on when and why your stomach growls. Try to bring up stomach grumbles at your next doctor’s visit.
Regular meals unfortunately aren’t a catch-all prevention, you’ll still need to watch what you eat and keep snacks around just in case. Regular here means regular not just in terms of time, but portions as well. Don’t have a nibble for breakfast with a large lunch planned and expect to be grumble-free in the AM.
Using a pencil (eraser-end first) or pen, press into your stomach with some force (don’t hurt yourself) when you feel your stomach begin to churn. Be sure to target your stomach (near your navel, but not on it) and not higher up for best results.
