Feeling bloated after every meal is not only uncomfortable, but it can also impact your confidence. There are several reasons for feeling bloated after eating, including underlying health issues, gut microbiome imbalances, hormone levels, your temperature, the types of food you consume and how fast you eat.
Interestingly, Eleanor Hoath, Healf’s lead nutrition and wellbeing practitioner, says that temperature can also impact how bloated you feel. “During hotter months, your body becomes more prone to water retention and bloating. Heat and humidity can lead to vasodilation of blood vessels, trapping excess water in our cells. And when the body is dehydrated, it conserves water, leading to bloating and swelling,” she explains.
With a balanced diet, you should be able to control bloating, but processed, high-sugar, and high-fat foods can throw your gut off balance. High-fibre foods can also make you feel bloated – though they’re an important part of a balanced diet. Some people don’t tolerate a lot of fibre very well and find that too much of it can cause painful gas and bloating. Experts recommend foods and drinks that contain natural digestive aids to help break down things that take longer to move through your digestive tract, so if you’re eating fast food, chasing that with peppermint or ginger tea can help. Hoath also suggests stimulating your digestive juices to help the process along: “Try eating bitter foods before a meal to stimulate the liver and produce bile from the gallbladder to release digestive juices.”
Of course, even if you eat a balanced diet of whole foods and use these hacks to help your gut, bloating might still be an issue for you. Some studies have shown that an excess of the stress hormone cortisol can cause swelling and puffiness, resulting in a bloated belly and “cortisol face”. Other hormonal factors can cause bloating too – you might feel more bloated during the luteal and ovulation stages of your cycle, so it can be useful to track this and log your symptoms to see which foods you might benefit from eating more of. Similarly, food intolerances can also cause gas and bloating, so tracking what you’re eating, eliminating certain aggravators or working with a nutritionist can help identify what’s causing your gut to complain.
Really, there is a lot to consider. A destabilised gut can be a major source of discomfort. However, some supplements can help. They can balance the gut microbiome and top up the vital nutrients that your intestines need to break down food effectively. They can ease bloating, regulate your bathroom habits and in some cases stabilise your blood sugars to avoid spikes and slumps caused by your eating habits. There are several different types of supplements for bloating, and most contain digestive enzymes, herbs and probiotics to keep your gut functioning optimally. I tested a range of different supplements to find the best ones.
How I tested
Some digestion aids work differently from others. Some are recommended before a meal, and some take a consistent protocol to have a positive impact on your gut health. I tested each according to the recommended use and tracked my symptoms after eating different types of food. Of course, these supplements may work differently for you owing to a whole host of reasons, but keep reading for the best on test.
The best digestive supplements for 2025 are:
- Best overall – JSHealth detox and debloat: £31.99, Jshealthvitamins.com
- Best for balancing blood sugar – Earth’s Secret regulate strips: £29.99, Earthssecret.com
- Best for easing belly bloating – Happy Mammoth, bloat banisher: £54.95, Happymammoth.com
- Best for supporting natural digestion – Organic olivia digestion juice: £35.99, Healf.com
- Best for reducing all-round inflammation – Inessa biosoothe, £39.99, Inessawellness.com
JSHealth detox and debloat
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Best: Digestive supplement overall
Volume: 60 tablets
When to take: Take one tablet with water twice daily, after food
Why we love it
- Tackles bloating
- Eliminates toxins
- Stabilises metabolism
Take note
- Pills are quite large
These supplements contain a blend of natural ingredients to help with bloating, flush toxins from the body and ease inflammation. Turmeric, fennel seeds, milk thistle and dandelion are all natural remedies for gas, bloating and gut dysbiosis.
But these are all the more effective with the addition of essential nutrients that aid metabolism, such as inositol, choline and glutamine. Many people supplement the last three to help with processing sugar, stabilising metabolism and supporting the neurotransmitters that help send signals between the gut and the brain.
While I don’t usually have issues with an upset stomach, after a trip abroad, I was feeling out of sorts and couldn’t regulate my gut. I took these supplements for two weeks, and though I remained sceptical initially, my stomach was back to normal after taking them.
These tablets offer a two-in-one approach to gut issues, soothing the stomach and regulating digestion while also eliminating harmful bacteria that may be making you feel unwell.
Read more: What are inositol supplements and how can they support hormone health?
Buy now £31.99, Jshealthvitamins.com
The Nue Co. Debloat capsules
Best: For daily gut support
Volume: 60 capsules
How to take: Take two capsules a day with food, one in the morning and one in the evening
Why we love it
- Supports daily digestion
These capsules contain many of the same ingredients as the other supplements in this. The blend inside contains ginger, turmeric and liquorice root for treating inflammation, as well as 17 digestive enzymes, including amylase, protease, bromelain, lipase and cellulase to break down different food types.
Each of these ingredients supports a balanced gut microbiome and aids your digestion of plants, proteins, gluten and dairy. The more effectively your digestive system is functioning, the less gas and bloating you should experience.
The brand recommends taking two a day, one capsule in the morning and one in the evening, each with a meal. Usually £45 for 60 capsules – which should last you approximately one month if you’re taking two a day. A great pick if you’re looking for a quality supplement that will support daily digestion, rather than something you take topically.
Buy now £33.75, Lookfantastic.com
Earth’s Secret Regulate mulberry strips
Best: For balancing blood sugar
Volume: 30 strips
How to take: Place one to two strips on your tongue before a carb-heavy meal
Why we love it
- Dissolves on the tongue
- Helps stabilise blood sugar
Take note
- Slightly bitter flavour
If the idea of swallowing a pill fills you with dread, you might get along better with a dissolvable strip. These handy supplements offer the same benefits as other digestive aids but work slightly differently. The Regulate strips by Earth’s Secret need to be placed on your tongue before you enjoy your most carb or sugar-heavy meal of the day, ideally every day.
They contain reducose, chromax, mulberry leaf and apple cider vinegar, which can all help to stabilise blood sugar levels and reduce bloating after you’ve eaten. The brand leans hard into the data behind its ingredients and displays recent studies on its website to help you understand how each component of the strip functions. But at a glance, the main function of these supplements is regulating your metabolism, beating the bloat and preventing a sugar crash after you’ve eaten.
The flavour is mildly fruity, a little bitter but not totally unpleasant. I noticed that after a big meal, I didn’t feel as tired and sluggish. I also found that the bloat wasn’t as bad after a high-carb meal.
Buy now £29.99, Earth’s Secret
Inessa biosoothe supplement
Best: For reducing all-round inflammation
Volume: 60 capsules
How to take: Take two capsules per day with food
Why we love it
- Great for women
- Recommended for chronic gut issues
Take note
- Has a strong smell due to the butyric acid
This soothing formula offers multiple ingredients in one capsule to reduce gut inflammation and reinstate a healthy microbiome. Inessa’s founder launched the company as a solution to her own severe issues with gut health and developed the blend meticulously to pack in as many active ingredients as possible.
The capsules are designed with a delayed release to ensure the ingredients reach the gut without being affected by stomach acid, which can lessen the effects.
Each capsule contains natural ginger, liposomal turmeric, quercetin and boswellia extract to help with bloating, as well as zinc, resveratrol (a powerful antioxidant), bromelain (derived from pineapples and often used to treat digestive disorders) and butyric acid. There’s also a dose of vegan vitamin D3 to boost the body’s immune response to inflammation.
I took Biosoothe after a week of particularly bad PMS symptoms, which included bloating, headaches and body aches. It felt as though the tablets took the edge off and lessened the intensity of aches and pains. I felt like I could push through after taking them consistently, and my stomach definitely felt happier and less swollen.
Buy now £38.99, Inessawellness.com
Happy Mammoth bloat banisher
Best: For easing bloating
Volume: 72 capsules
How to take: Take three capsules before your main meal of the day
Why we love it
- Prevents bloating
- Helps support digesting a balanced diet
Take note
- Higher price point for three capsules a day
These capsules have been specifically formulated to reduce bloating and tackle symptoms of IBD. They contain a blend of natural ingredients such as marshmallow root, chamomile, fennel seed, turmeric, lemon balm and Icelandic red algae to help break down large proteins and rid the gut of harmful bacteria.
Each of the components in the blend offers natural digestive enzymes, such as amylase, protease and lactase, to work on breaking down different food types, from meat to plants and dairy, so that you can enjoy a balanced diet without gut flare-ups.
Happy Mammoth has created its original blend based on 83,347 scientific studies and triple-tested every batch to ensure its effectiveness. For best results, the brand recommends taking three capsules a day, which at a slightly higher price point will mean you’ll be making a larger investment if you opt for this formula.
However, the supplements do offer great results. I trialled them for a week and found that after eating foods that usually caused bloating – especially fried foods and desserts – there were far fewer noticeable symptoms. My stomach felt much happier after eating things that would usually leave me feeling gross. I was a little nervous to carry out the test, but taking three a day definitely seemed to work.
Buy now £54.99, Happymammoth.com
Organic Olivia digestive juice
Best: Supporting natural digestion
Volume: 59ml
How to take: Spray six to 10 times 15 minutes before meals
Why we love it
- Good for those who don’t like swallowing pills
- Good value for money per spray
- Supports a balanced gut
An oral spray might be more up your street if you’re not a fan of swallowing supplements. However, you will have to deal with the flavour. Many gut-friendly supplements contain ingredients that taste bitter because many bitter foods contain healthy phytochemicals. Studies show that gut problems can sometimes be traced back to modern diets prioritising sweet and fatty foods over bitter foods that balance gut bacteria.
This digestive juice provides a hit of stomach-friendly bitter ingredients by way of gentian root, oregon grape root, dandelion, angelica, peppermint, orange peel, fennel seed, prickly ash bark, blue flag root, liquorice and ginger. You’d think that this array of ingredients might taste unpleasant, but though the mixture is bitter, it tastes surprisingly good.
Use six to 10 sprays on the tongue 15 minutes before eating to get your digestive juices flowing. The bitter plant compounds not only signal to your intestines that they need to work hard to digest your food, but they also promote a more balanced gut and soothe inflammation caused by conditions like IBS.
Of course, if you can, you should still eat a balanced diet of as many bitter and natural plants as possible to give your digestion and immune system the support it needs to function well. But using a spray like this will give you a helping hand, particularly if you suffer from bloating and indigestion.
Buy now £35.99, Healf.com
Arrae bloat alchemy
Best: For quick post-meal effects
Volume: 60 capsules
How to take: Take two to three capsules after a meal
Why we love it
- Fast acting
- Added slippery elm protects gut lining
Take note
- Higher price point for three capsules per day
The label on these supplements makes some bold claims so we were keen to put them to the test. Arrae says that its Bloat alchemy works within one hour for immediate relief, relieves all IBS symptoms by 74 per cent and is clinically proven to reduce bloating by 86 per cent.
The capsules contain a herbal blend of digestive enzymes that break down lactose and gluten and reduce inflammation to beat the bloat. Inside you’ll find bromelain (a digestive enzyme from pineapple that breaks down proteins and helps the gut absorb nutrients), lemon balm, dandelion root, peppermint and slippery elm which creates a protective layer in the stomach.
Unlike other supplements of this kind, the brand recommends taking these after your heaviest meal of the day, not before and suggests taking two or three capsules per serving. This will mean you burn through your supply quite quickly but the results seem worth the investment.
These capsules contain some promising ingredients and we were particularly curious to see if the addition of slippery elm would lend them an extra edge. We took three caps per day during a weekend away when eating and drinking things that weren’t a part of our usual diet and routine. They noticeably helped with bloating after a big brunch and huge evening meal and seemed to soothe my stomach after a few glasses of wine too.
Buy now £46.34, Healf.com
What are the best digestive supplements?
Of all the digestion supplements I tried, those listed here are great. Each contains a unique blend of herbal remedies, gut bacteria balancing ingredients and digestive enzymes in different formulas and amounts, and each serves a slightly different purpose depending on your needs.
If chronic inflammation and IBS symptoms are ruining your mealtimes, Inessa’s Biosoothe is a high-quality all-rounder to support managing those issues. If a circumstantial upset stomach is your main concern, JSHeath’s detox and debloat will see you right. But for pre- and post-meal relief and instant belly soothing properties, the Regulate strips or digestive juice are handy helpers to have in your bag or bathroom cabinet.
Looking for more recommendations? Read our guide to the best probiotics to improve gut health
