Bloating — 8 Ways to Prevent It
“Bloating is when your belly feels swollen after eating. It is usually caused by excess gas production or disturbances in the movement of the muscles of the digestive system. Bloating can often cause pain, discomfort and a “stuffed” feeling.”
The opposite of pleasure is looking like you suddenly turned into the Michelin lady. Whether you are passively losing weight, or are happy with your current body shape, bloating can put you off fully. In the worst possible scenario, it could take you into a depressing cycle of thinking about whether you lost as much weight as your beloved skinny jeans would have you believe. In short, you probably have not.
So when you feel like you have been ballooning overnight, or even over some days, you can usually chalk that up to weight gain. Now that you have that reassuring bit of information, there is still one question: Is there any way to cut back on bloating?
Fortunately, the answer to that is yes.
1. Swap to water for all other drinks.
It may be sounding counter-intuitive, but you won’t blow up by drinking lots of water. The body still hangs onto water so that the body does not get dehydrated, but if you are continually knocking back water cans, that allows it to permit to clean out some of its stocks. It is not just that water trumps all other hydration-related beverages — the bubbles in standard carbonated drinks carry air right to your stomach, and you may have a hard time absorbing options based on dairy.
2. Avoid natural sweeteners.
Foods consisting of sugar alcohols, which are technically natural sweeteners, still can make you a roly-poly version of yourself. Sweeteners like — xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol, to mention a few, are used from candy to energy bars. They play elaborate games with your gastrointestinal system and can cause gas, stomach cramps, bloating, and even constipation if you overeat them. These unwelcome illnesses are an indication that it is difficult for your body to disintegrate these sweeteners completely during the digestion. There is also the simple truth that they tend to be available in a lot of highly processed foods, which only compounds the problem of digestion.
3. Beware of your fiber intake.
Fiber is essential to maintain a healthy state. This leaves your digestive system smoothly chugging along and helps you feel satiated for longer, which is a bonus if weight loss is what you are searching for. The problem is if you go from consuming little or no fiber to taking too much in a way, just like when you have decided to overhaul your eating habits to get healthy. Overdoing the fiber when you’re not used to it can make you bloated. Focus on trying for 20 to 25 grams of fiber per day and drink plenty of water, including any fibrous food to help your body digest it more comfortably.
4. Opt for veggies and fruits wisely.
Almost everything in the aisle of products is a fair game based on health. Whatever you find, there is likely to be better for you than the frozen food products. Some fruits and vegetables can still make you feel as bogged down as pufferfish. Fruit such as cherries, peaches, grapes, and mangoes will obstruct you, although they have more than enough nutritional content. All such fruits are healthy, but generally, they have a lot of sugar or act like sweeteners. When you are trying to reduce and come back to your regular size, store fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, and oranges that contain less sugar. They also happen to be loaded with water that can also help with the action of debloating. Cruciferous crops such as brussels sprouts, broccoli are filled with raffinose, the compound that causes gas even when you eat beans. Remove the cruciferous ones and aim for vegetables that have high water content, like cucumber and zucchini, to get your vegetable fix while avoiding any possible future troublemakers.
5. Put the carbs aside.
Carbs are not the enemy, as they are tasty. They are the source of fuel for your body, so you need them. But to produce glycogen, a source of energy that is deposited in your muscles and liver, carbohydrates bind with water as it is their task. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more water you hang on, and the more you will feel bloated. This is still a weak reason to take carbs off your food entirely. But if you want to stop feeling bloated, you may want to cut down on carbohydrates for about a day and make greens and lean proteins the basis for your diet.
6. Keep your mouth closed as you chew.
The culprit is sometimes not what you eat but how you eat. When you talk while eating or eating too fast, you get lots of air along with your food in your digestive tract. Rather than having a chat while you munch, make an effort to feed gradually (chewing the food as much as possible allows absorption faster, which can also contribute to less bloating), and speak in between bites.
7. Erase salty food.
If your bra suddenly doesn’t have a chill and feels as tight as a corset, staying away from food rich in sodium may help. When you eat sodium, your body holds water in your bloodstream to maintain the appropriate balance. If possible, staying below 2,500 milligrams of sodium per day and drinking water throughout is essential to prevent a lot of things that result in bloating.
8. Screen the portions you eat.
The holiday season makes this harsh, but it is one of the top reasons for that sluggish, inflated feeling to overdo it on portion sizes. The more calories you have in your belly, the further that you will feel bloated! Keep in mind that everything is about moderate amounts. A few treats here and there will not lead to actual weight gain, so go out, be carefree, and feel free to have a few cookies after a well-balanced holiday dinner.
