BLOATING 101

Hello friends! Happy Summer!! I'm SO happy the sun is out today!!! 😃 So I have been feeling a little bloated the last couple days, which was the inspiration for this post! Years ago bloating REALLY bothered me and I tried everything to stop it. Now I have just accepted that it's normal, I'm fine when it happens, and just wear a looser shirt to be more comfy 😉 There are hundreds of explanations under the sun as to why you could be bloating. Many common reasons are:

1. Not eating enough fiber
2. Dehydration
3. Food intolerances
4. That time of the month for females
5. "Swallowing" air - more on that later

If you are a human, you are going to experience bloating- there's no way around that. Even if you are avoiding all of the common reasons stated above, you are still going to deal with bloating at some point in your life. Even if it's just the end of the day, your stomach will be full of food, and will never be as flat at the end of the day as it is in the morning. 

Butttttt I did want to talk about some ways to help reduce bloating! Give these tips a shot, and you are on your way to a less bloated tummy! 😊

Eat More Fiber

A lot of these tips are going to be the opposites of the reasons listed above, because well, if you doing something is leads to a problem, the simplest way to fix that is to stop doing whatever leads to the problem! Fiber is an interesting little thing- it's not a macronutrient or really even a micronutrient. It acts as a "broom" in your digestive system to help move things along. While fiber isn't its own nutrient, it is a type of carb that isn't broken down into sugars. There are two types of fiber- soluble and insoluble. One dissolves in water, while the other does not. Both types are good!! Fiber is found in foods such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes/beans, etc. Aim to get about 25 grams of fiber each day to have less bloating and a more comfortable digestive system!!

Drink More Water

Similar to fiber, water can help to flush things out. But more than that, since the analogy of "flushing" isn't accurate in every situation, if you don't drink water, your body holds onto water. This is what we call "water weight." If you are dehydrated, your body will go into this survival mode and hold all the water it can (how cool has God made our bodies to take care of ourselves??!!). You hold onto this water throughout your body, but in many it is most noticeable in the abdomen. Drink your water, stay hydrated, and stay *almost* bloat-free!

Drink Less Carbonated Drinks

This is where the "swallowing" air thing comes into play. Whether it's by drinking dissolved carbon dioxide, chewing gum, or even eating a meal too fast, you are swallowing air. You don't want extra air in your tummy! This extra gas in your intestines (literally, air is a type of gas) will lead to that lovely bloated feeling. This can even cause pain, and I mean extreme pain. You can totally feel as if your insides are going to rupture, and all it is is extra gas in your system!! 

Look for Food Intolerance 

Whether it be an actual allergy or just a sensitivity, eating foods your body does not agree with will only lead to bloating, if not more side affects. Start paying attention to how your body feels after eating certain foods. If you think you aren't digesting gluten well, cut it out of your diet totally for a few weeks to see how you feel. This can definitely be hard to do, but it will be worth it! Often times eating less gluten and dairy will help your insides to feel better, even if you don't have a sensitivity (since our bodies weren't really designed to eat these types of food). Also, sometimes it's just certain foods that make me feel bloated or really full. For me, if I eat a big bowl, or even a not big bowl, of cereal, I will feel bloated for a while. This is why I don't really eat cereal that much anymore, also because most cereals really aren't that good for you 😕

That Time of the Month

Unfortunately ladies, this isn't really something we can avoid. Bloating because of this is totally natural! Your body is going through a change, so bloating, cramps, and so forth are going to exist. However, you can at least feel less bloated by doing light exercise, drinking water, and applying heat. 

And those are my tips to feel less bloated! Again, this isn't something you can permanently get rid of, but there sure are ways to reduce it. Happy Wednesday!!
Hannah