It’s tough enough trying to squeeze yourself into those skinny pair of jeans, the task become all the more impossible on that dreaded “feeling bloated” day. Water Weight/Bloating is the swollen-belly feeling after a meal. It’s usually caused by excess gas production, and/or disturbances in the movement of the digestive system muscles. This can cause increase in pressure within the stomach, sometimes causing discomfort, and makes the stomach look bigger. How to avoid bloating or reduce this water weight? Well, read on…
Water Intake with a slice of lemon- A lot of people avoid drinking water when they are bloated, when they should be really doing the opposite. Retaining water is actually your body’s way of holding on to fluid so you don’t dehydrate. If you’re having a bloating problem, that’s the time you want to push fluids in. Since lemon is naturally diuretic and a gentle laxative when added to warm water, consuming this mixture can help reduce the amount of salt retained in the body which helps get rid of bloating.
Don’t Eat Too Much at a Time- Being stuffed can feel like being bloated, but the problem is that you simply ate too much so eat small meals.
Chewing your food- better can have a two-fold effect. It reduces the amount of air you swallow with the food (a cause of bloating), and it also makes you eat slower, which is linked to reduced food intake and smaller portions.
Celery & Parsley- Celery has a high water content with a detoxing system, which can help to purge your body of toxins. Other top picks for veggies that will help reduce fluid retention include cucumber, summer squashes, parsley is a diuretic, so it helps to flush out the digestive system and any other kind of leafy greens. When it comes to eating vegetables in general, lean toward cooked over raw for elimination of water.
Rosemary and Turmeric- Rosemary treats intestinal gas and helps digestion, can be added it in your tea or combining it with celery or parsley to make your own cooking broth. Turmeric is also key in aiding upset stomach and bloat reduction and has its ability to fight pain and inflammation.
Yogurt- is already pre-digested and the milk sugar is broken down, where as in milk form it’s not, which can cause gas and bloating. The nature of the active cultures lactobacillus and acidophilus found in yogurt can improve symptoms of bloating.
Opt for fresh food over processed- Keep your sodium intake to a minimum and opt for fresh food over processed.
Limit your alcohol intake- When you drink too much you tend to get dehydrated, which will result in your body pulling in fluid which leads to bloating.
Lifestyle- Make sure you get enough sleep and get in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day to keep fluid moving in your body. If you travel often and sit on a plane or just sit at your desk all day, make sure to move your legs or take a lap around the office every hour.
Pack that fibre- If you’re constipated, that gut will not fit into those jeans for sure. The best fruits are Raspberries, pears, and apples. Veggies? Artichokes, peas, and broccoli. Grains? Whole wheat spaghetti, barley, and bran. Then there’s beans, lentils, and split peas which helps you in clearing the stomach and aiding you to reduce the bloat.
Go slow on the gassy foods- Those gassy foods are beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage and cauliflower.
Eat fewer carbohydrates- When muscles store glycogen, a certain type of carbohydrate, they also store water in a ratio of one to three, glycogen to water so go low on carbs especially post 7 p.m.
Green Tea/chamomile Tea/Peppermint tea helps- Its essential oil contains menthol, which has an antispasmodic effect of the smooth muscle of the digestive track. It also soothes nerves & prevents bloating.
Limit your salt intake- This is one you’ve probably heard before: salt leads to bloating. And the reason is because the more salt in your body, the more it desperately clings onto water. Black pepper and chili powder stimulate the release of stomach acid. Other hot ingredients, like hot sauces and vinegar, do the same. When the stomach releases acid, it causes irritation, which can worsen bloating. So going off salt once a month is ideal to get rid of the bloat.
Try anti-bloating food- Bananas, cantaloupe, mangoes, spinach, tomatoes and asparagus are high in potassium — a mineral that’s high in asparagine — a natural diuretic. Those can beat the bloat, too!
Pressure- To help evacuate gas, try massaging your abdomen in the direction of your GI tract: Press your fingers near your right hip; slide up toward the ribs, across and down near your colon in a circular motion. Sounds weird—but it works.
Prep for PMS (for ladies)- If you tend to swell up before (or during) your period, be sure you’re getting enough calcium (1,200 mg a day) good sources of calcium include milk, yogurt, and cheese, beans and legumes, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, celery, broccoli, salmon, tofu, almonds, sesame seeds and magnesium (200 to 400 mg daily), High magnesium foods include dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, beans, whole grains, avocados, yogurt, bananas, dried fruit, dark chocolate, in your diet; both nutrients have been found to help relieve PMS symptoms such as bloating.
Avoid the SODA- The fizz in carbonated drinks will make your belly pooch out. Stick to plain water
Zip your mouth- Beware of habits that cause you to swallow excess air—like chewing gum, drinking through a straw, smoking, and talking while eating.
Some foods avoidable to prevent bloating are: Corn and corn products: Like corn, popcorn and corn atta, Pulse based atta like – besan atta and chana atta, Chinese food, Pani puri ka pani, Fermented foods like idli, dosa, uttapa etc, Rajma and chole, Kali dal or urad dal, Processed foods like Maggie, chips, high salt foods
But remember that people react differently to various foods. You have to make a point of noticing which foods give you problems. Eliminate or cut down only the foods that affect you personally.
So “Eat right and Stay light”