Add Ginger And Lemon To Your Water
“Ginger is great for de-bloating,” Scott and Dawn explain, “whether you make ginger tea or have fresh juice with ginger or a smoothie in which you include ginger. We love fresh turmeric, ginger, and lemon for making a juice that’s our favorite.” . A further benefit, Scott and Dawn say, is relief from menstrual cramps that cause bloating.
Consuming Too Much Food In One Sitting
When you eat a lot of food at once, it can impact your digestive tract two-fold. For one, theres more volume, but nowhere else for that volume to go this can cause distention simply from the food itself protruding outward, creating abdominal distention. Secondly, all that food entering your body at once can create gas, leading to bloating.
The Bottom Line On Bloating
Stomach bloating, and bloating in general, can be horribly frustrating. Especially if you know what youre doing with your diet and training and are trying to maintain a lean, muscular physique.
Use the strategies in this article and chances are very good that youll get that flat belly and thin skin youve always wanted.
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What Types Of Food Cause Stomach Bloating
If you’re experiencing regular bloating, you should see a doctor and discuss your symptoms with them. Together, you can come up with a treatment plan. As previously discussed, because there are many causes for abdominal bloating, it can be challenging to determine what causes an individualâs stomach to bloat. â
The first line of treatment for bloating that a doctor may prescribe is the low FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for:
- Fermentable Oligosaccharides. These are found in wheat, onions, garlic, legumes, and beans.
- Disaccharides. A class of sugars that are found in lactose products like milk, yogurt, and ice cream.
- Monosaccharides. This is a type of sugar that includes fructose. It’s often found in fruits like apples and pears.
- Polyols. Also called sugar alcohols, they’re found in apricots, nectarines, plums, and cauliflower. They can also be added to chewing gums and candy.â
A low FODMAP diet cuts down the number of carbohydrates listed above that you consume. It has been found the small intestine can have a difficult time absorbing them, so it then passes the unabsorbed carbohydrates to the colon. In the colon, they become fermented and then make gas and cause bloating. â
Some people may not have a sensitivity to FODMAP foods. The best way to find out if this diet will work for you is to start cutting FODMAP foods out of your diet slowly and then slowly start bringing them back. â
Eat Slowly So You Don’t Gulp Air
When you finally get home after a long day, you’re totally famishedwe get it. But that doesn’t mean you should scarf down your dinner in a hurry. Eating too quickly causes you to swallow excess air, which can lead to uncomfortable gas and bloating. Slowing down the chewing with your mouth closed, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect. Fight off the urge to engorge your entire meal by snacking on something like a small piece of fruit or an ounce of nuts before dinner is ready.
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The Causes Of Bloating
A bloated stomach may result from consuming food or beverages too quickly, chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, drinking carbonated drinks or choosing foods such as beans, cruciferous vegetables and some fruits and whole grains. If you’ve recently upped your fiber intake significantly, you may experience temporary bloating as you body adjusts. A meal high in sodium can cause bloating — as can excess lactose from dairy or gluten from wheat, if you have a sensitivity to either.
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Bloating is also most prominent at certain times of a women’s menstrual cycle. In rare cases, bloating indicates a medical condition — such as rapid gastric emptying — that should be addressed by a doctor. Eating too quickly, being stressed and smoking also cause the digestive distresses of gas and bloating.
Ban The Bloat Eat These 10 Foods For A Flatter Belly
BySam Wood– Updated 21st October 2019
If you suspect you might have a food intolerance or your stomach bloating persists for an extended period of time, please see your doctor.
When youre trying to tone that tummy and keep the bloat at bay, you need to be looking closely at what you are eating. Sit-ups and workouts can go a long way to shedding belly fat, but abs really are made in the kitchen. Never underestimate the power of eating the right foods that can stop bloating, naturally!
Keep reading for some easy recipes to help flatten your stomach. And dont forget to grab a copy of my free 7-day guide to getting a flatter stomach!
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Lay Off The Carbohydrates
In addition to being delicious, carbs are not the enemy. They’re your body’s go-to fuel source, so you need them, period. But in order to create glycogen, a form of energy that’s stored in your muscles and liver, carbohydrate molecules bind with water like it’s their job, says Langer. The more carbs you eat, the more water you hang onto, and the more bloated you feel. “This is still a bad reason to completely remove carbs from your diet,” says Langer. “But if you want to de-bloat, you can cut down on carbohydrates for a day or so and make the basis of your diet greens and lean proteins.”
Feeling Bloated Do These 3 Exercises Daily For Serious Relief
Combat gas and bloating with these 3 low-impact workouts we all could benefit from.
Theres no denying the fact that bloating is downright uncomfortable. It can make our clothes feel tight, our bellies feel puffy, and it can be a real Debbie downer when it comes to our overall energy levels and productivity for the day.
Plus, walking around super bloated all day is no way to live and can significantly impact the overall quality of life.
Heres a bit more about what causes bloating, plus some ways to reduce bloating with exercise and some simple lifestyle tweaks.
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Swap Salt For Herbs And Spices
Whether you like it or not, those salty chips dont just give you empty caloriesall that sodium will also encourage your body to retain water. Before long, youll be sending a search party for your abs.
Over the next two days, try to avoid eating fast food, restaurant food, or packaged foodin fact, thats where most Americans get their dietary salt. Instead, cook at home with whole ingredients such as lean meat and poultry, vegetables, and slow-digesting carbs.
Better yet, swap out the salt and use herbs and spices instead. Use red pepper flakes for some heat, oregano and thyme for some Italian flavor, lemon/lime juice and zest, or turmeric and curry powder for anti-inflammatory power.
Limit Your Intake Of Added Sugar
Added sugar has been linked to many chronic conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease .
Its recommended to limit added sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 200 calories, or 12 teaspoons per day .
However, most people exceed this amount, and adults in the United States consume an average of 17 teaspoons of added sugar daily .
Studies have shown a direct link between high intake of added sugar and increased waist size, especially in people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages (
106 ).
Whats more, one review of 13 studies also found that MCTs were more effective at reducing body weight, total body fat, and belly fat compared with long-chain triglycerides .
Keep in mind that MCT oil is still high in calories, much like other types of fat. Therefore, its important not to just add MCT oil to your diet, but rather replace other sources of fat with it.
Summary
Replacing other fats in your diet with MCT oil could boost energy expenditure and increase feelings of fullness. Some studies also show that MCT oil may be more effective at reducing waist circumference and body weight compared with other types of fat.
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Creating The Illusion Of A Flat Stomach
While You’re At It Drink Only Water
Whether or not you ditch the lemon after that first cup, stick to H2O throughout the day. Water prevents common causes of bloating like constipation and dehydration and doesnt contain any stomach-expanding ingredients like sweeteners and carbonation that are present in other drinks like soda and seltzer.
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Take An Epsom Salt Bath
Relaxing in any tub is always nice, and adding two cups of magnesium-rich Epsom salt may help deflate your belly more effectively Your skin also absorbs the mineral and electrolyte, magnesium, which can help reduce inflammation and may even reduce muscle cramps. Soaking in an Epsom salt bath for 20 minutes can help alleviate constipation as well, which is another cause of bloating.
Eat Regular Meals Through The Day
âIrregular eating can cause a build-up of gas, which means your stomach will end up bloated,â she says. âEating breakfast, lunch and dinner helps keep the gut moving â this is called peristalsis â and it ensures that food is digested efficiently. Putting something in your stomach stimulates that movement, getting your system going.â
If thereâs a long gap between your meals, make sure you eat a snack . Try a piece of fruit, low-fat yoghurt, vegetable sticks or a low-sugar cereal bar to give you energy and fibre.
Handpicked article: How eating more frequently can benefit your health
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Don’t Multitask When Eating
“I’m almost never just eating a mealI’m also on my computer or watching television or scrolling through my phone,” admits Lindsey Metrus, Byrdie’s former managing editor. After a lifetime of bloat, she decided to try traditional Chinese medicine to ward off some of her discomfort. It turns out, the distraction was part of the problem. “Multitasking with some sort of digital distraction leads to overeating or scarfing down food hurriedly, which translates to poor digestion. It’s also one of the main reasons people face spleen qi deficiency,” according to Emma Suttie, D.Ac., AP.
Metrus continues, “I made it a point to enjoy as many meals as I could peacefully and undistracted, focusing on chewing each piece of food since breaking down foods before they get to the spleen means the spleen has less work to do.” Not only will chewing slowly encourage healthier digestion and, in turn, less bloat, but it will also speed up your metabolism .
Sip On Herbal Bitters
According to Passler, herbal bittersmedicinal herbs and botanicals that have been preservedare key to improving bloat. Digestive bitters activate receptors on your tongue that signal the production of more digestive juices down in your digestive tract.”This will help reduce intestinal inflammation and gas production related to consuming offending foods,” he explains. Mix yourself up an elixir of sparkling water and herbal bittersPassler recommends Angosturato soothe a bloated stomach.
Other medicinal bitters claimed to aid with digestion include dandelion, gentian root, burdock, yellow dock, and Angelica.
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Common Causes Of Bloating
There are myriad things that contribute to bloat, including busy schedules and the convenience of a quick takeout mealboth of which can make it difficult to stay on track. Then there are the other factors that may lead to bloating, like dehydration, constipation, and PMS, all of which can leave you stuck with an uncomfortable stomach despite your best efforts.
Among the most common causes of bloating are excess intestinal gas, usually caused by digestive issues or even just your monthly cycle.
Choose Your Fruits And Veggies Wisely
Pretty much everything in the produce aisle is fair game health-wiseobviously whatever you find there will probably be better for you than the wares in the frozen food section. But certain fruits and vegetables can still make you feel as plumped up as pufferfish. Fruit like cherries, peaches, grapes, and mangoes can bloat you even though they have also have plenty of awesome nutritional benefits. “These fruits are healthy, but they naturally have a lot of sugar or sugar alcohols,” says Langer. When you’re trying to shrink down to your usual size, stock up on fruits like blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, and oranges, which have less sugar content. They also happen to be packed with water, which can help with the debloating action.
As for vegetables, cruciferous ones like brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower are loaded with raffinose, the same compound that produces gassiness when you eat beans, says Langer. What is gas but air trapped inside you, inflating you way more than you’d like and popping up at the least convenient moments? To get your vegetable fix while avoiding any potential troublemakers, nix the cruciferous ones and aim for veggies that have high water content, like cucumber and zucchini.
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How Can I Get More Fiber Fast
Wanting to know how to get more fiber fast is a good question. Why? As Ive said, eating more fiber is a long term solution to getting rid of bloat. Fiber provides carbohydrates from plant sources just remember that fiber is best taken in whole fruits and vegetables with seeds and the skins on.
Ive mentioned sweet potatoes and quinoa, chia seeds and flax. Aim for 25grams of fiber for females and 38grams for males.
Also try oatmeal, brown rice, nuts, blueberries, kale and pears. Eat slowly to avoid gas buildup in the intestines. Savor your food and treat your gut kindly by chewing your fibrous food to not cause discomfort.
How Long Does It Take For Bloating To Go Away
The most common forms of bloating tend to go away in less than a day, as the gastrointestinal system processes whatever was causing the bloating, explains Kent Sasse, MD, MHP, FACS, FASCRS, FASMBS and founder of K Sasse Surgical Associates in Reno, Nevada.
Pinpointing the cause of bloating can be a helpful first step, since the speed with which bloating recedes can depend on the underlying trigger.
The strategies below can help ease bloating in the moment and, in some cases, reduce or even prevent future instances of bloating.
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Make Friends With Digestive Enzymes
In a pinch, digestive supplements containing ingredients like amylase, lipase, protease, or HCL might help get rid of bloating quickly. These key ingredients are meant to aid the digestive process and can reduce gas production. Incorporating a high-quality capsule of digestive enzymes before big meals can make a world of difference in reducing bloating.
Essentially, enzymes are meant to aid your body’s natural digestion to better break down the food you consume and to minimize indigestion and, in turn, excess bloating and gas. Snyder likes Solluna’s Feel Good Digestive Enzymes . Hum’s Flatter Me supplement, $26, with a blend of 18 enzymes, also promises bloat relief.
These Steps Will Show You How To Reduce Bloating
When you’re trying to ease the pressure off of your bloated tum , you’ll want to rely on these digestion-promoting methods to help you reduce bloating in just 24 hours. Here, we help you identify which habits and foods can help reduce bloating and rev up your metabolism along the way.
Hopefully, after you follow a few of our 25 tips on how to reduce bloating there will be minimal instances of trying to squeeze into your favorite pair of jeans.
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Improve Your Carb Intake
Fast-absorbing carbssugar, white bread, and white ricecan raise blood sugar and insulin levels, flatlining your energy levels and stressing your bodys 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 doesnt mean easily digestible carbs are off the table, though. Try eating fast-burning, high-glycemic index carbs right after your workout, when theyll be quickly used up. Focus on fruits like watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, and cucumber for a couple of days for extra bloat-fighting power.
Your body stores carbs with water, so going lower-carb for a couple of daysor focusing on dry carbs like rice cakescan help you attain more defined muscles. Focus your meals around lean proteins such as chicken breasts, egg whites, fish, and extra-lean ground turkey. Include greens and other non-starchy vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, celery, and tomatoes, plus a thumb-sized amount of heart-healthy fats like extra-virgin olive oil at each meal.
Dont fall for the low-calorie allure of sugar alcohols, thoughtheyre lower-calorie because your body literally cant digest them well. The result: Gas, bloating, and, in some cases, diarrhea.