When you swallow food, you swallow quite a bit of air along with it. This is even more true when you drink bubbly, carbonated beverages with your meal (like your beloved LaCroix). Until that air finds a way out, it can cause your belly to feel uncomfortably full and bloated.
The best way to prevent gas and bloating is, again, to slow down. The more slowly you eat, the less air you will take in. If the damage is already done, Sementelli recommends gentle movement (try yoga or a brisk walk), hydration (to get the bowels moving and lessen bloating), and supplementing with a good probiotic. Certain probiotics (Bifidobacterium infantis, in particular) can actually help to reduce gas production.
Sementelli also urges her clients to remember that "occasional gas and bloating is normal." It does not necessarily mean you did anything wrong or ate something your body can't tolerate. You may have just overdone it a bit.
