What to Eat to Settle a Gurgling Stomach

October 8, 2025 •

4 min read

The scientific term for stomach gurgling is borborygmi, which is a completely normal process of digestion. However, when the sounds become loud and disruptive, it’s worth examining what to eat to settle a gurgling stomach and bring relief, as certain foods can either soothe or exacerbate the noise.

Quick Summary

This guide provides practical dietary strategies and a list of specific foods and drinks to consume or avoid to help quiet an overactive and noisy digestive system. It covers the causes of stomach gurgling and offers actionable advice for better gut health.

Key Points

Consume Soothing Foods: Focus on easily digestible, low-acid options like ginger, bananas, oatmeal, and plain rice to calm an irritated digestive tract.
Choose Probiotics: Incorporate plain yogurt or kefir with live cultures to help balance gut bacteria, which can reduce gas production and improve digestion.
Avoid Gas-Producing Foods: Limit or gradually introduce foods known to cause gas and bloating, such as beans, lentils, broccoli, and artificial sweeteners, to prevent excessive noise.
Mind Your Drinking Habits: Drink water throughout the day, but avoid carbonated beverages and drinking from a straw to minimize swallowing extra air.
Practice Mindful Eating: Slow down and chew your food thoroughly to aid digestion and reduce the amount of air you swallow, making the entire process quieter.
Manage Stress and Anxiety: Since the gut-brain connection is strong, reducing stress through relaxation techniques can help regulate digestion and calm a noisy stomach.
Eat Small, Regular Meals: Keep your digestive system active by eating smaller meals more frequently rather than large, heavy meals or long periods of fasting.

Understanding the Causes of a Gurgling Stomach

Stomach gurgling, or borborygmi, is the sound produced by the movement of gas, fluid, and food through your intestines. It's a natural part of the digestive process, but several factors can amplify these noises, including hunger, indigestion, swallowed air, or food intolerances. Focusing on your diet is one of the most effective ways to manage this issue. By choosing the right foods and adopting better eating habits, you can create a calmer, quieter gut environment.

Soothing Foods and Drinks for a Quieter Gut

To address a noisy stomach, focus on easily digestible foods and calming beverages. These options can help reduce irritation and promote smoother digestion.

Ginger: Known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, ginger can calm the digestive system and alleviate nausea. You can sip on ginger tea or chew on crystallized ginger to reap its benefits.
Herbal Teas: Peppermint and chamomile teas are excellent for soothing intestinal muscle spasms and reducing discomfort from gas. Fennel seed tea is also an age-old remedy for bloating and gas.
Bananas: As a bland, low-acid fruit, bananas are easy on the stomach. Their high-fiber content can also help regulate bowel function and neutralize stomach acid.
Plain Rice and Toast: The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) is a classic recommendation for an upset stomach. These bland carbohydrates are easy to digest and can help bind loose stools, quieting an overactive bowel.
Yogurt with Probiotics: Plain, unsweetened yogurt contains beneficial bacteria that can help restore balance to your gut microbiome. A healthy gut flora can significantly improve digestion and reduce gas production.
Oatmeal: This whole grain is a good source of soluble fiber, which helps promote smooth digestion without causing excessive gas. It can also make you feel full, preventing overeating which often leads to stomach gurgles.
Bone Broth: The warmth and easily digestible nutrients in bone broth can soothe the stomach lining and aid digestion.

Foods and Habits to Avoid

Just as certain foods can help, others can worsen the situation. Limiting or avoiding these triggers can be crucial for managing a gurgling stomach.

Gas-Causing Foods: Beans, lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and onions are notorious for producing gas, which increases intestinal activity and noise. Slowly reintroducing high-fiber foods can help your system adjust.
Artificial Sweeteners: Sugar alcohols like sorbitol and fructose can be difficult to digest and ferment in the gut, leading to gas and increased bowel sounds. Avoid diet drinks, sugar-free gum, and candies.
Carbonated Beverages: Sodas and beer introduce excess air into your digestive system, causing bloating and louder gurgling. Stick to still water and herbal teas.
High-Fat and Spicy Foods: These can slow down digestion and irritate the stomach lining, intensifying symptoms.
Irregular Eating Patterns: An empty stomach can produce loud, rumbling sounds as hunger hormones trigger intestinal contractions. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can prevent this.
Drinking Through a Straw: Sucking from a straw can cause you to swallow extra air, contributing to gas and bloating.

Comparison Table: Soothing Foods vs. Trigger Foods


Category	Soothing Foods (To Eat)	Trigger Foods (To Limit/Avoid)
Carbohydrates	Plain rice, toast, oatmeal, bananas	Whole grains (especially initially), corn, potatoes
Dairy	Plain, probiotic yogurt, low-fat or nonfat milk	High-fat dairy (cheese, ice cream), full-fat milk (for lactose intolerance)
Drinks	Water, herbal teas (ginger, peppermint, chamomile), bone broth	Carbonated drinks, beer, coffee, alcohol
Fruits & Vegetables	Bananas, melon, leafy greens, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes	Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower), onions, garlic, acidic fruits
Fats	Healthy fats from almonds, avocados (in moderation)	Fried foods, fatty meats, processed meats

Mindful Eating Techniques

Beyond what you eat, how you eat plays a significant role in managing a gurgling stomach. Mindful eating reduces the amount of air swallowed and improves digestion.

Chew Thoroughly: The first stage of digestion happens in your mouth. Chewing food thoroughly makes it easier for your stomach to process, reducing the work—and the noise—later on.
Eat Slowly: Eating too quickly can cause you to swallow excess air. Take your time, put your fork down between bites, and savor your meal.
Manage Stress: Anxiety can significantly impact gut function, as the brain and gut are directly connected. Practices like deep breathing or meditation before a meal can help calm your digestive system.
Stay Hydrated: Sipping water throughout the day, especially between meals, helps digestion flow smoothly. Avoid chugging large amounts of water at once, which can introduce air.
Walk After Meals: Taking a short, leisurely walk after eating can aid digestion by speeding up gastric emptying and helping food move through the system more efficiently.

When to See a Doctor

While an occasional gurgling stomach is normal, persistent and bothersome noise accompanied by other symptoms may indicate an underlying issue. If you experience frequent borborygmi along with abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, or significant changes in bowel habits, it is important to consult a healthcare professional to rule out conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, or lactose intolerance. A doctor can help determine the cause and recommend an appropriate course of action, which may include further testing or specific dietary plans. Early diagnosis can prevent long-term complications and provide significant relief.

Conclusion

While a gurgling stomach is usually just a sign of a healthy digestive system at work, it can be a source of discomfort and embarrassment when overly loud. By making conscious dietary choices and adopting mindful eating habits, you can effectively manage and reduce the noise. Prioritizing foods like ginger, bananas, and oatmeal while limiting gas-producing vegetables, carbonated drinks, and fatty foods can make a noticeable difference. Simple practices such as chewing thoroughly, eating slowly, and staying hydrated are also powerful tools for a quieter gut. If symptoms persist or are accompanied by other digestive issues, seeking medical advice is the best next step to ensure underlying conditions are addressed and proper nutrition is maintained.

For more information on digestive health, consider resources from reputable organizations like the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD).

Frequently Asked Questions

The fastest way to quiet a gurgling stomach is often to drink a glass of water, which helps move contents through the digestive tract and can fill an empty stomach. If hunger is the cause, eating a small, bland snack like crackers can also provide quick relief.

Yes, eating or drinking too quickly can cause you to swallow excess air, which can lead to more gas in the digestive system and amplify stomach noises. Eating slowly and mindfully is recommended.

Yes, stress and anxiety can significantly affect the gut-brain axis, triggering increased muscle contractions and heightened sensitivity in the digestive tract, which can result in more frequent and louder stomach gurgling.

For most people, a gurgling stomach is a normal part of digestion. However, if it is persistent and accompanied by symptoms like pain, bloating, diarrhea, or nausea, it could indicate an underlying issue and warrants a doctor's visit.

For individuals with lactose intolerance, dairy products can cause increased gas and bloating, leading to louder borborygmi. Opting for lactose-free alternatives or probiotic yogurt can be beneficial in these cases.

When your stomach has been empty for a couple of hours, the body releases hormones that signal hunger. This triggers muscular contractions in the digestive tract, and because there is no food to muffle the sounds, they are more audible.

You should avoid carbonated beverages like soda and beer, which introduce extra gas into the digestive system. Also, limit coffee and alcohol, as they can irritate the stomach lining.