Feeling bloated can range from uncomfortable to excruciating. Gas, a natural byproduct of digestion, can sometimes go hog wild and produce these sensations. Getting to the root cause of it with the help of your doctor/gastroenterologist is the best idea, but in the meantime, foods/drinks can certainly harm or help.
Now it’s time to eliminate any chance that menacing bloat will find its way into your tummy and forever be immortalized in your social media photos.
Eliminate all:
- refined sugars
- refined flours
- beans
- cauliflower
- cabbage
- broccolli
- Brussel sprouts
- carbonated beverages
- alcohol (sad face)
- caffeine (yep, even green tea! Try decaffeinated green tea and herbal teas)
- popcorn
- corn
- deli meats
- processed foods (anything in a package!)
- canned foods
- popcorn
- pickles
- table salt (hide the salt shaker!)
- no frozen food (fruits and vegetables are okay)
- Inulin/chicory root; this is a prebiotic fiber (the type of fiber that feeds probiotic and is actually beneficial for health) but often results in bloat and gas
- artificial sweeteners (especially sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol)
- chewing gum (this causes gas to be swallowed – yikes!)
- Add lemon, cayenne, ginger, and turmeric to your water and tea
- Hydrate with adequate water for your age and activity level. If you’re under 30, it’s 35 milliters per kilogram of body weight (divide your weight in pounds by 2.2). If you’re over 30, it’s 30 milliters per kilogram of body weight. Use citrus, mint, spices, or cucumber to flavor your water
- Become a fruit fly. Eat three fruits per day (tons of water and will flush bloat out) and at least five servings of vegetables per day. No dried fruit/fruit juices.
- High water content fruits and vegetables we love: watermelon, apples, citrus, cucumber, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, grapes, fresh figs, sugar snap peas, celery, zucchini
- Eliminate bread and pasta. Substitute quinoa, brown rice, millet, plain oats, teff, rye, spelt, amaranth, buckwheat, sweet potato, squash or soba noodles
- Use a vegetable spiralized to make “pasta” out of squash or zucchini. Add organic, no sugar-added tomato sauce + a lean protein and voila! Dinner is served.
- Eliminate cheese and dairy (but yogurt and kefir are fine. Plain 2% – no flavors)
- Take a probiotic with at least 7 different strains and 15 Billion CFUs (colony-forming units)
- Try: tea with fennel or mint; these are indicated for bloat reduction
- Eat parsley; it also freshens breath while blasting bloat
- Get smart with fiber; 25 g/day for women and 35 g/day for men is adequate
- Eat slowly; this will prevent you from intaking too much air when you eat quickly
- Eat smaller meals, more frequently. If you eat too much at one time…well.. You know.
- Exercise; this moves gas around and out!
Essentially Yours,
Monica