In some parts of the world, the ultimate compliment you can pay the host after a hearty, sumptuous feast is one prolonged, expressive belch.

Unfortunately, that kind of complementary noise won't earn you the Best Manners Award at Aunt Martha's Sunday buffet. But polite or not, belching does come naturally: A study has shown that healthy young people belch an average of 11 times in 20 hours - excluding mealtimes.

The gas you release while belching comes from your upper gastrointestinal tract. Itg got there because you swallowed it while talkin, eating or drinking. The air that goes down with every swallow just adds to the air already in your stomach - and all this trapped air speaks loud and clear when it comes back up. What to do when belching becomes a bother? Try these tips from our experts.

"Eat small meals, and eat slowly," advises Nicholas Talley, M.D., Ph.D., a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Talley also recommends not eating and drinking at the same time to reduce repetitive swallowing.

Certain food and beverages are particularly gassy or puffed up with air. Watch out for "carbonated or foaming beverages, or dishes made with beaten eggs or whipped cream," says Ronald L. Hoffman, M.D., directors of the Hoffman Center for Holistic Medicine in New York City.

How else do you swallow air when you're not eating? According to Dr. Hoffman, smoking, sipping through a straw, shewing gum and sucking hard candies can add to the trapped air in your stomach and contribute to belching problems. Drinking from water fountains, you're on the go. And when you want a sip of something, try to drink calmly rather than grabbing a gulp on the go.

"Work to reduce your anxiety level," recommends Dr. Talley. "Sometimes you're swallowing air because you're anxious." Among the best stress relievers are regular exercise, meditation and soothing activities such as taking a hot bath.

Many people don't realize that a forced belch will back-fire, says Dr. Talley. When you try to force up the trapped air, he says, you often swallow more air at a time or just afterward, so you end up getting more air down than you actually remove. The bottom line: "Don't force yourself to belch," says Dr. Talley.

"When you slurp a hot beverage, you swallow air," says Marvin L. Hanson, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. To get around that problem, simply let your coffee cool a bit before you take a steamy sip.