5 Diet Tips to Eliminate Bloating

stomach on side view

Bloating is an uncomfortable feeling. Your stomach feels full despite feeling hungry. More importantly, you midsection looks a little too rounded because of the excess water and gas in your stomach. So what do you do in order to have flat belly and eliminating bloating? Go into a detox diet, naturally. Here’s how.

1.      Eliminate high FODMAP foods in your diet

Fermentable Oligo-, Di, Monosaccharides and Polyols (FODMAPs) are small molecular carbohydrates found in certain foods. The problem with eating FODMAP rich foods is that they are not readily absorbed in the small intestine. Instead, they move through the colons where they are fermented by gut bacteria. By-products are created during the fermentation process and one of them is gas. To prevent bloating, you should stay away from high FODMAP foods such as milk and dairy products, legumes, soy products, sweeteners, nuts, grains, and certain fruits and vegetables.

2.      Sip lemon water first thing in the morning

You might be wondering what lemon water can do to your body. First off, lemon is a natural diuretic and aids in digestion so it helps flush out fluids and other toxins from the body. Water, on other hand, is needed in order to eliminate sodium in the body. Sodium is known to cause water retention, which brings us to the next tip.

3.      Avoid salty foods

High sodium foods causes the body to retain water. Excess fluid in the body causes bloating. One wat to eliminate bloating is to limit your intake of foods high in sodium. Avoid chips, processed meats, frozen dinners, ready to mix sauces, salad dressings, cheese, instant noodles and canned goods. Stay away from fast foods as much as possible. Limit salt when seasoning home cooked meals as well. You can use spices, herbs, garlic, pepper and other alternatives in place of salt.

4.      Avoid fizzy or carbonated drinks

For sure, you are familiar with the feeling right after drinking a carbonated drink. You immediately feel full and your stomach looks distended. This is due to the carbon dioxide in the drink. Moreover, most carbonated drinks contain high amounts of sugar, which consequently raises insulin level. Instead of processing the sugar, the body converts the excess sugar into fat.

5.      Eat foods that can aid in digestion

Sometimes, digestion slows down due to various reasons. Therefore, it is recommended to incorporate foods that can help speed up the digestion process. For instance, eat papaya or pineapple for breakfast or dessert. Papaya contains digestive enzymes that easily break down food while pineapple is high in fiber. Another alternative is to eat probiotic foods such as yogurt (unsweetened). The live microorganisms keep the digestive flora healthy, by controlling the number of gas-producing bad bacteria in the stomach.

Additionally, always get a good night’s sleep and avoid stress as much as possible. Stress and lack of rest causes problems in digestion such as a gassy stomach. Emotional stress and anxiety also causes digestive issues and panic attacks so these issues must be addressed as well.

photo credit: 2 via photopin (license)



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