Beat The Bloat With These Easy Steps
BREAKING NEWS - bloating is NOT a conspiracy theory. The bloat is REAL, let me tell you.
How’s this for real? About 5 years ago, I self diagnosed myself with gluten intolerance due to extreme bloating, sluggish feelings, and joint pain. Since then, I’ve done a pretty good job cutting gluten out of my diet completely (sometimes my cravings win & that’s okay).
Recently, I went on vacation and set out to “live my best life.” Naturally. I definitely overindulged in gluten, alcoholic beverages, and sugar. I don’t think I’ve felt that awful, internally and externally, in my entire life.
The day I returned home, I Amazon primed a scale and weighed myself immediately. I’ve never seen a number that high. For the next 2 days, I ate clean, lean, and green, cutting out any traces of gluten, added sugar, or alcohol. To my excitement and surprise, I lost 8 pounds in 2 days. Let me repeat that for you - 8 LBS IN 2 DAYS. I’ll say it again, the bloat is REAL.
Everybody’s body processes food differently. Many of you will be able to process gluten or dairy or sugar in ways that others of you can’t. Be aware of what foods are often culprits of bloating & figure out what foods do and don’t make you (not Khloe Kardashian) feel good
Our guide below will help you self diagnose some of the bloating culprits. If these tips & tricks don’t help, don’t worry, you’re not sh*t out of luck. It just may require a bit more time and a deeper diagnosis from a nutritionist or GI doctor.
Bloating happens when “large amounts of air or gas build up in the gastrointestinal tract. Eating is a common cause of bloating because when the body digests food, it produces gas. People also swallow air when eating or drinking, which then enters the gastrointestinal tract” (WebMD).
Get your body moving! Whether that's walking around the neighborhood, taking a local studio class, yoga, or having a dance party in your room. Move. Just do it. The natural feel-good endorphins will flow through your body and increase blood flow to your guts.
Decrease sodium, increase potassium. Swap out that Egg McMuffin for a banana, easy enough right? Right. Prepackaged meats and processed foods tend to have high levels of sodium. Too much sodium tends to cause your kidneys to retain water. Luckily, Potassium can help your kidneys get rid of salt, which may help with water retention.
Say sayonara to carbonated beverages. Carbonated beverages may add air in the GI tract and the more air that’s trapped, the more bloating you may have. Swap the La Croix out for a Green Tea!
Eat this, not that! These foods are known to be debloat and happy tummy friendly - asparagus, quinoa, papaya, pineapple, coffee, ginger, turmeric, and avocado. Common culprits of bloating - beans, lentils, broccoli and other cruciferous veggies, processed foods, packaged deli meats, what, onions, dairy, sugar alcohols, garlic, and apples.
Hydrate or diedrate. The most overused, but under implemented trick in the book! Staying hydrated will flush out the toxins in your body that may be causing the bloat, including softening your stools to help them pass.
Drink mint or chamomile tea. Both mint and chamomile teas are known for relaxing your GI tract, Angelone says. Make it a point to sip one in the morning to combat bloat before it even starts.
Add probiotics to your morning routine. The best way to implement probiotics into your daily routine are through real foods - such as greek yogurt, fermented veggies, kefir and kombucha. Some of these products may be high in sugar so make sure you’re reading your labels!