8 Tips to Help Reduce Bloating
We all know that uncomfortable feeling when you experience bloating. It’s a topic that nearly 30% of Americans experience and are researching in order to ease their discomfort. There are a handful of things that help reduce bloating naturally like exercise and certain lifestyle choices like what you eat and drink. We’ve done some research ourselves and have come up with a list of the best tips and tricks to help you reduce bloating.
1. Move your body
One of the most obvious tips is exercise. Being active is one of the most underrated tips for most issues. Adding a small amount of physical activity can do wonders for so many different areas of your life. Your mental and physical healthy are massively impacted by how much activity you are getting in a day. If you’re feeling sluggish and bloated, try taking a walk or yoga poses like cat cow or hugging your knees to your chest. Incorporating activity into your days will aid with digestion allowing the body to push the gas through your colon. Don’t forget that when you sweat, you’re releasing salt which naturally holds on to more water not helping with that annoying bloat!
2. Intermittent Fasting
Within the last 4 years, intermittent fasting has become a huge craze throughout the health and fitness industry. For those of you who have been under a rock intermittent fasting is when you eat your meals within an 8-hour window and fast the other 16. Based on your preferences and schedule you can place your eating window where you’d like. Depending on your preferences you can even shorten or extend your fasting period. A lot of people who have been experimenting with intermittent fasting have claimed to notice a huge decrease in bloating within the first week. With the large fasting time your body gets more of a chance to digest and absorb the nutrients in the body.
3. You are what you eat
When was the last time you were actually monitoring what you were putting into your body? Believe it or not, that old saying “You are what you eat” is pretty accurate. Take the time to look at what you’re fueling your body with. Foods like dairy and legumes can easily cause bloating because of what it’s comprised of. Take legumes for example. Like other foods that are high in fiber, once the legumes reach the large intestine the bacteria begins to eat the gases being created causing your waist band to expand! SCIENCE! Try implementing food that reduce bloating like yogurt with probiotics, bananas, ginger, and cucumbers. Also watch your portions. Eating in excess can also cause bloating.
4. Stressed?
You’re looking a little blue. Believe it or not, stress can be a huge contributor to why you’re struggling with bloat. When cortisol, the stress hormone, is realized in your brain a main symptom is bloating. Stress directly effects your digestive system and can cause extreme discomfort. Haven’t you ever had a nervous poop? Try monitoring your stress and reduce bloating by implementing habits into your routines that relax you like a long walk, hot bath, and meditation.
5. Liquids
We all know how important water is. Drinking enough water for your body is imperative to working things through your digestion. That’s a no brainer, but liquids in your diet can be the main culprit to why you’re bloated and unhappy. It’s time to move on from the soda and coffee. Try implementing green juices and smoothies to clear out your gut and ease the bloating. You can also focus on eating foods that are soft and high in water. The softer the food, the easier it is for your body to digest it. Cooking your foods longer and steaming with water can put those liquids into you as well.
6. Probiotics
Probiotics are the good bacteria that live in our intestines. These little capsules of magic work in unison. Together they increase the bacterial diversity in your intestines. The also encourage growth of the good bacteria that’s in your gut. Lastly, the probiotics reduce inflammation and promote recovery when there are imbalances in the gut. Taking a probiotic every day or incorporating foods that have them naturally just might be the key to reduce bloating.
7. Food Allergies
If you’re experiencing painful bloating, consider getting a food sensitivity test to see what foods you may be intolerant to. Food that you are intolerant to or have allergies to can cause excess gas when consumed causing that dreaded balloon waistline. Foods like lactose, eggs, gluten and fructose could all be causes for your uncomfortable bloat. Try substituting some of these foods in your diet to reduce bloating and discomfort.
8. Low-FODMAP Diet
This type of diet has been studied and proven to drastically reduce bloating. A low-FODMAP diet is used most commonly for those who suffer from IBS. Bloating is a key symptom so look into this diet and see if it works to reduce bloating. Essentially the diet is comprised of different food groups that could be potentially triggering your digestion. Try switching out high FODMAP foods like gluten, garlic, apples, and asparagus for low FODMAP foods like brown rice, chives, blueberries, banana, and bell peppers. All of these foods are more easily digestible and don’t cause as much gas in your intestine while its fermenting and being absorbed. There is a lot of information about the low FODMAP diet and how it works in conjunction with your body to reduce bloating. Make sure to do your research and consult with your doctor before making a drastic dietary change!
I think we all know how uncomfortable bloating can be. Food is one of the greatest parts of life, but can be the most common issues when it comes to bloating. Although there can be other attributing factors to bloating like stress and lack of physical activity, it’s important to heal your body from the inside out. With the help of our 8 tips, reducing the bloat will be easier than 1,2,3.
