I see more and more posts about women showing their flat belly in the morning, and posting a comparison picture, saying half an hour went by and they are looking like 6 months pregnant. All with the caption: let's normalize bloating.
Please, let's NOT normalize bloating.
While it can happen to anyone, and yes, a little bit of bloating is normal, looking pregnant state is not.
It is a sign of irritation of the digestive system, which can have many causes, some really serious ones included. So please don't take it as normal body function and just accept.
The very first step must be a medical check-up to see if there are any health issues. It is not something you can joke around with, IBS, Chron-disease, fructose malabsorption, and many other conditions can cause serious bloating. It is not just about feeling discomfort, but can affect the absorbtion of nutrients, which can lead to abnormal weight loss and finally the need of hospital care.
Allergies (like gluten, dairy) can also be sorted out by running some tests. You can write a food diary, which also can help you and your doctor to see what can irritate the bowels. If you see a repetitive pattern after eating certain foods, than you should avoid that for a while (3-6 months), then try to reintroduce into your diet in small amounts.
Too much fiber can cause bloating, if you are not used to it. A common mistake when someone tries to get healthy overnight and follow celeb diets, or recommendations that are not taylored to their body. A lot of people turned away from plantbased eating, because they felt "gasy".
Let's make it clear. If you are used to eating large amounts of dairy and meat, which doesn't contain any fiber at all and you go all in with plants your digestive system will have to fight with it. Introduce fibers in small amounts first, like adding a tablespoon of beans every day for a week. When you see there is no problem with it, then raise the amount. Don't go extreme, just step by step.
Another reason when you don't chew your food properly. Imagine yourself trying to drink a smoothie with whole fruit pieces in it. What if you try to swallow it? You will likely choke on one of them. This is how your stomach feels itself when you are stuffing it with unchewed food. It tries to break it down, but takes longer and so much more work. If your are someone who eats fast, then try to concentrate at meal time, no phone, no tv, no conversations just smell, taste, chew your foods.
Wrong food pairing. All foods have a certain digestion time, while they are going through your stomach or the whole digestive system.
Fruits are the easiest to break down, that is why it is suggested to eat them on their own, or at least 20 minutes before your next meal.
Non-starchy vegetables are the next in the row, then comes the starchy group.
Meat takes the longest for the body to pass through.
So think about it what happens with foods if you would leave them in a room at 36 Celsius (97F)? They will start to rot, ferment, break down. Fruits will start and if it touches meat, it will rot the meat. All this will happen inside you! Releasing gases inside you!
So try to avoid at least pairing fruit with dairy or meat, and I can guarantee you will less likely be puffy.
Ruined microbiom. It can be caused by eating too much processed foods, drinking alcohol, caffeine, sodas, or taking medications. I usually recommend a symbiotic for this case, which containes pre- and probiotics. Prebiotics are the food for probiotics to reproduce and thrive in your digestive system, giving them the chance for maximum effect.
A juice cleanse can be a quicker fix, but please educate yourself about it before starting one. Not recomended without consultation with a doctor. If you are allowed to do it, then start by some preparation days, eating smaller plantbased meals, no oils, just light salads, so your body can adjust to not eating. Time it for days, when you don't have to work, or do any hard activity, drink enough water and mostly vegetable based juices, like celery, kale, spinach, cucumber. Add herbs to make it taste better. Chew on your juices, I know it sounds weird, but it prepares your stomach for "food". After the cleanse eat light salads for some days to get your digestive system used to solids again.
Natural remedies for bloating: fennel tea, mint, nettle, cumin, warm lemon water, bicarbonate soda in water, warm compress on the belly.
Hope these tips can help you, if you need further information join our community on Instagram, or sign up for consultation with me.
Comments