So you just finished a meal, but the meal isn’t quite finished with you.
You feel an uncomfortable bloated feeling in your stomach and the perception that you
suddenly have a big belly that may last for hours.
It's not just your imagination, this bloating can make you look like you have a bit of a
pooch very quickly.
The cause of belly bloat is often hard to pin down but simply put, that bloated feeling
can be caused by water retention, excess gas, and sensitivities or imbalances in your gut.
It may also be due to an enlargement of the abdomen and a sensation of distention.
But don’t worry, there are many remedies that can help you reduce or even eliminate
bloating and in today’s video we will tell you all about these remedies.
From eating certain gut friendly foods, controlling your meal portions, slowing down your eating
to reducing your salt intake and many more.
Keep watching to find out more.
1.
Reduce Your Workout Intensity: This may sound strange but sometimes you may feel bloated
after a workout.
This is due to the increased cortisol in your body from the stress of intensity.
When your body is in a stressed state, even from something healthy like working out, it
releases the stress hormone cortisol which causes your body to retain more water than
normal.
Pay attention if this is happening frequently.
Take another rest day or add in more restorative yoga to help your body calm.
You can also add in more mindfulness or meditation to help your mind calm.
2.
Eat Bananas: When you hear bananas, the first thing that may come to your mind is Potassium.
Just one medium banana contains 422 milligram of this mineral, which is essential for fluid
balance and maintaining a flat tummy.
Bananas are also a good source of resistant starch, which can help combat constipation
and relieve trapped gas that causes bloating.
To get the most digestive benefits, stick with bananas that are still slightly green,
which contain more resistant starch and less fermentable sugar.
3.
Chew Your Food Thoroughly: Yes, your mom was right!
Give your digestive system a head start by chewing all your food thoroughly especially
the foods like meat, dairy, and legumes that are harder to digest.
Chew, chew, chew, then chew some more, ideally this means 30 or more chews per mouthful.
Chewing your food well physically mashes the food making it easier on your stomach, and
also triggers enzymes to be released via your saliva and digestive juices to break it down
further into absorbable nutrients.
4.
Breathe Deeply: Yes, something as simple as breathing deeply can help reduce stomach bloating.
Practicing meditation or mindful breathing trains your body to draw out air deeply into
the lungs instead of taking short breaths that direct air into the esophagus.
It also reduces stress and anxiety, both linked to increased sensitivity to gas.
There’s a brain-gut axis, so calming your brain helps regulate the autonomic nervous
system in the Gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to less gas and lesser bloating.
5.
Maintain a Food Journal: While there are a host of foods that commonly cause people problems,
everyone has different sensitivities.
So it's best to observe and note when you are feeling particularly bloaty so you can
rule things out.
If you run into a hard, puffy stomach quite often, it may be due to certain food intolerances.
Keeping a food journal in these cases can help you to go back and see which foods seem
to cause these types of symptoms.
Avoiding such foods in the future can keep a bloated belly at bay.
6.
Improve your Carb Intake: Fast-absorbing carbs like sugar, white bread, and white rice can
raise your blood sugar and insulin levels, flatlining your energy and stressing your
body’s digestive system.
Instead, choose slow-burning carbs like oats, barley, sweet potatoes, and wild rice, which
provide more sustained energy and help reduce sugar cravings.
That doesn’t mean easily digestible carbs are off the table, though.
Try eating fast-burning, high-glycemic index carbs right after your workout, when they’ll
be quickly used up.
Focus on fruits like watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, and cucumber for a couple of days
for extra bloat-fighting power.
Don’t fall for the low-calorie allure of sugary drinks, though.
They're lower-calorie because your body literally can’t digest them well which results in
Gas, bloating, and, in some cases, diarrhea.
7.
Drink Lots of Water: Boosting your water intake can work wonders.
Water flushes waste out of your system and helps get things moving if you're constipated
which is a frequent cause of bloating, especially in pregnant women and new moms.
Don't forget to eat lots of fruits and veggies, because they're about 80 to 90 percent water.
Oranges, cucumbers and watermelon are great options.
8.
Eat Slowly: One big cause of bloating is swallowing too much air when you eat.
For example, you might gulp air if you snack on the run and eat too quickly, talk while
eating, drink from a straw, or down a lot of soda.
Force yourself to take more time for meals, skip carbonated drinks, and eat smaller amounts
of food at each sitting.
One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of air you swallow is to chew with your mouth
closed.
9.
Do Dairy Wisely: Sometimes dairy products like milk and yogurt can give you gas.
If that is the case, start with small servings and slowly up your intake over time, just
as you would with other hard-to-digest foods.
You may want to try taking lactase enzymes like Lactaid before indulging in foods such
as ice cream and cheese, since this will help your body digest dairy products more easily.
If gas still gives you grief, try switching to soy or lactose-free foods.
10.
Take a Probiotic: A healthy gut is packed with good bacteria which help to break down
food and prevent yeast overgrowth.
However, due to factors such as stress and medication (particularly antibiotics) levels
of good bacteria can get low.
When this happens, digestion and levels of yeast in the gut are affected, both of which
can lead to bloating.
To rectify this, try taking a probiotic supplement.
You can also get your probiotic fix from yogurts, although dairy can be a cause of bloating
for some, so be cautious.
11.
Exercise Regularly: To help gas pass through the digestive system more quickly when bloated,
try heading out for a brisk walk or jog.
Also, try to establish a regular exercise routine as regular workouts help to keep your
digestive system working efficiently.
It will also strengthen your core abdominal muscles, which will help to reduce the extent
that abdominal muscles relax when gas builds up in the gut causing bloating.
12.
Avoid Stress: One of the biggest precursors to digestive problems and bloating is stress.
Your digestive tract can be extremely sensitive to stress hormones, which is why many people
experience abdominal pain or bloating during turbulent times in their lives.
To help reduce bloating, try to manage your stress by experimenting with different relaxation
techniques, such as yoga and meditation, to find one that works for you.
13.
Reduce Your Salt Intake: Those chips or fries may be tempting, but they are loaded with
sodium which causes fluid retention, a big reason you might be bloated.
This is because sodium affects the kidneys’ ability to rid your body of fluid and waste.
In general, your body needs around 1,300 to 1,500 milligram sodium per day, and if you
are not careful, you may end up consuming about 7,000 milligram a day.
So, next time you feel bloated, stay away from foods with salt and sodium.
14.
Drink Peppermint Tea: Peppermint is a popular herb for easing digestive issues because it
contains the active ingredients menthol and menthone, which have antispasmodic and digestive
properties.
Peppermint also stimulates the secretion of gastric juices and bile to help expel gas,
making it a perfect method to beat the bloat fast.
According to a study, a combo consisting of 90 milligram of peppermint oil plus 50 milligram
caraway oil in enteric coated capsules three times daily has been shown to significantly
reduce Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.
The best way you can use peppermint is in the form of peppermint tea to combat bloating.
15.
Limit Hard to Digest Foods: Cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels
sprouts are packed with nutrients, although your body has to work hard to digest them.
This can lead to gas and bloating as they ferment in the digestive tract.
Keeping them off the menu for a few days can help if you’re looking to debloat.
You can also kick off artificial sweeteners because they can cause bloat-inducing stomach
woes.
16.
Massage Your Belly: This may sound rather interesting and simple but manually massaging
your belly can reduce bloating.
Massaging your belly in circular, downward motions for two to three minutes can help
move air and gas through your digestive tract.
It also has the added benefit of being a calming, pre-bed ritual.
17.
Don’t Eat Two Hours Before Bed: Just like eating quickly can cause extra air to enter
your stomach, eating too soon before bed can cause gut issues, since your body doesn't
have enough time to digest before sleep.
This can also cause sleep issues, as your body is basically trying to do two things
at once.
By making sure you're not giving your body extra work, it can focus on digesting the
food that's already in your stomach.
This is helpful in avoiding bloating in the morning as well.
Have you experienced Bloating?
Were you able to tackle it?
Let us know in the comments section below!