It’s not a comfortable experience.
Bloat is defined as: to make or become swollen with fluid or gas.
Even reading that makes me feel full, round and heavy like a large Michelin (wo)Man balloon.
Why do we bloat in the first place?
Well, according to Dr. Robynne Chutkan, author of The Bloat Cure, there are at least 101 reasons why we bloat.
I read every single one (and still do), so that when I work with my clients who complain about bloat, I can better identify which approaches are best to start with first.
Approaching bloat is like living with a volatile partner.
One day it’s good and then the next day, you do the same thing and BAM, you’ve triggered a series of responses that has left you not knowing where the heck that uncomfortable feeling came from.
You realize after, what you’ve been doing over time is what led to this discomfort. Habits once considered insignificant you now learn have been the contributing factors to why you bloat now.
It’s time to figure out how to tame it down.
If you find that your stomach expands during the course of the day, then welcome, you are in the right place to get that fixed.
But if you can grab your stomach fat with your hand, then that, my friend is belly fat. Start here to learn how to deal with that.
Our habits more than anything reveal why we bloat and so if you are not already incorporating the following ways to reduce that bloated belly, you may never get to the root cause of your discomfort and may even lead yourself towards dis-ease.
Let’s stop that now. Right now.
Here are the dos and don’ts of getting rid of belly bloat fast:
DO Drink More Water
Alcohol and carbonated drinks create gas and makes you feel round.
Drinking water stimulates digestion, prevents water retention and helps excrete waste. Staying hydrated is your best tool for not only de-bloating but also detoxing.
I can’t stress enough that more water is key. It’s common sense, but not always common practice.
Increasing consumption of water loaded fruits and vegetables like asparagus, cucumber, beets and lemon create detoxification and help minimize bloat.
Remember though, you have to know how much you are drinking now so that you know how much you need to drink to get rid of bloat.
Work towards increasing your intake to the optimal consumption amount.
What is the optimal amount?
You won’t know until you start drinking more and taking note of how you feel.
My optimal is 3.5L.
I know this because any less makes me feel tired, I get a headache and over a few days, my skin looses is smoothness.
Find out yours. I created this water tracker to get you started. [Download it here]
DON’T Drink Water with Meals
That’s right.
Timing of water consumption also matters.
Drinking water while you eat decreases the acidity of the stomach, diluting it and impairing its ability to digest food properly.
The acidity of your stomach is primarily used to digest protein.
So when it’s diluted, imagine how long it would take to break down your Mexican Chicken Salad.
Aim to drink at least 30 minutes before or after meals to ease that post meal bloat.
DO Chew Slowly
Carbohydrate digestion starts in the mouth and the breakdown of protein is easier when it enters the stomach in a chewed up bolus versus piece meal.
When you chew fast and swallow too early, you leave the carbohydrate digestion work to your acidic stomach.
Not only are nutrients not extracted properly but undigested food also becomes food for bacteria in the colon causing bloat and that 2 inch waist gain. Not comfortable for you and unpleasant for those closest to you.
DON’T Chew Gum
Swallowing air and consuming sugar alcohols lead to bloat and discomfort.
Look out for ingredients such as maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol.
Not only that, when you chew gum, you train the stomach to release enzymes to prepare for digestion of food.
When there is no food deposited, you now have produced more acid which can lead to not only bloat but heart burn. Ouch.
DO Get More Rest
Stress plays a huge role on our digestive system. It changes the way we eat, the way we breathe and ultimately the way we digest our food.
Sleep or lack thereof, releases cortisol which causes our bodies to focus on survival.
Proper digestion of food is last on the list of the body to take care of to survive. Constipation is a common complaint alongside bloating when lack of rest is involved.
Aim to be more mindful during mealtime.
Activate the parasympathetic nervous system by deep breathing, meditating, creating a sleep ritual and learning how much rest your body needs to function optimally.s
DON’T Rest Right After Eating
Instead of focusing on getting deep, quality sleep, having a large meal too close to bedtime distracts your body from digesting food properly.
When you wake up in the morning, your belly still feels like you just ate and you begin to feel like you didn’t sleep at all.
Have your last meal 3 hours before bedtime or choose an eating window that will support better digestion.
I recommend to start with a 12 hour eating window and a 12 hour fast window. Monitor waist measurements every few days to see results.
My 4 Favourite De-Bloat Hacks
- Drinking at least 500ml of warm water with lemon juice first thing in the morning.My friends and family make fun of me because before I eat, no matter where I am, you will see me sipping a cup of warm water with lemon. There are many benefits to this practice but for me, it is my go to de-bloat hack.Hydrating first thing in the morning helps flush the body of stale toxins and the lemon juice stimulates acid production priming it up for digestion of the protein shake I’m going to have next.
- Magnesium tea aka CALM before bed.Let’s face it, no matter how much we try, stress is not going away. We are exposed to a variety of stressors … physical, environmental, emotional.Magnesium is responsible for over 300 chemical processes in the body including heart rate, energy levels and immunity. CALM tea relaxes my muscles, keeps me regular and helps with keeping stress levels low. Try it, your sleep and belly will thank you the next day.
- Digestive enzymes before each meal. Acting as catalysts to speed the breakdown of food, digestive enzymes help better absorb the nutrients our bodies need. Without these enzymes, it can take uncomfortably longer to digest the food we eat and worse, not be able to use the nutrients efficiently.In our household, we currently use Garden of Life’s Dr. Formulated Enzymes Organic Digest +. Our diets are generally clean, highly plant based and protein rich so we check the labels to ensure the enzymes included suit our diet. To learn which ones may suit yours, check out this great article by Ben Greenfield. He breaks it down well.
- Kombucha drink daily.Good gut bacteria, the “probiotics’ we are hearing more about, need to stay supported just as much as the bad bacteria needs to get out.Like many, I used to be skeptical and was never really a fan of carbonated drinks. But after drinking daily for a few days and no longer experiencing the rock that laid heavy in my belly any more, I was hooked to the flat belly and lighter body. Try a variety of flavours and you will find your favorites.
If you are still experiencing bloat even after trying all of the above suggestions, it’s time to dig deeper and take steps to get to the root cause of your discomfort.
How?
Download my [FREE 14 day #byebyebloat protocol] here to get started.
If you’ve already figured out the cause of your bloating, comment below and share your insights. I’d love to know what’s helped you say bye bye to the bloat.