Banish Bloat Naturally

CEBU, Philippines - Everyone knows the feeling of stuffing themselves silly and then rubbing their belly in wait of the inevitable discomfort that comes along with stomach bloat. While sometimes you can burp away the pain, feeling bloated is not fun no matter what delicious meal you just consumed. There is a multitude of over-the-counter anti-bloat medications or preventative measures you can take before a heavy meal or trigger food if you are ready for it, but why not take precautions that are organic and don’t cost you extra cash at the drugstore.

First, you must experiment to find out why you are bloated in the first place. Some common culprits are carbonation (soda or soda water), undigested food that is either too heavy for your body at a certain time or simply not friendly to your digestive system, and having excess air trapped in your abdomen which results in the unsightly belly bulge and the painful pressure it creates. Be careful, if you are often bloated or gassy for prolonged periods you could be developing a lactose intolerance, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or something more serious like liver disease, a pancreas condition, or colorectal cancer. Please consult your doctor if symptoms continue or are especially frequent or painful.

Ways to keep the bloating at bay:

Eat more potassium: Bananas, mangoes, spinach, nuts, asparagus, melons, and tomatoes among others are helpful in introducing more of the diuretic amino acid asparagine into your system. Asparagine floods your system and helps to restore your body to it’s chemical and fluidity balances in order to release the air hiding in your stomach cavity.

Beware Swallowing Air: Sounds silly, but some people actually swallow an excess of air and can cause internal problems when it gets caught in the gastrointestinal tract. Ways to cut your chances of taking extra air that your body doesn’t need are by limiting habits such as drinking through a straw, chewing gum, smoking, and eating too fast without taking breaks in between. If you need a fix, suck on a lollipop, grab a water bottle with a small mouth hole, and put the fork down between bites.

Drink More, Eat Less at Bedtime: When people are celebrating, they tend to eat often and late into the night while reveling in someone’s birthday, an anniversary, a bon voyage party, or while enjoying a holiday with family and friends. However, eating a lot of carbohydrates or sugar late at night can cause bloating because they need a lot of time to digest and going to bed or laying down before the heavy items (pasta, bread, alcohol, dairy-based sweets like cheesecake) can fully digest mean discomfort for you and probably not a good night’s sleep. You should also avoid propping your feet up or laying down directly after a meal any time of day because again the air you are breathing in can get locked inside the abdomen resulting in the “big belly” peeking over your waistband.

Women, See Your Doc: If you are a woman who regularly bloats before your monthly period, there doesn’t have to be a reason for concern; unless it occurs more often or with more severity than usual because it could be a marker of deeper, possibly serious gynecological issues. Women with mild bloating before their period can invest in supplements of calcium and magnesium or simply add foods rich in these nutrients to their diet.

Experiment with Remedies: Parsley is an organic, fresh-from-the-garden (or local grocery) diuretic to help decrease your bloat. You may want to try staying away from common foods that do not digest well within the system (cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens, beans, corn, cabbage, and nuts) to find out what is causing your pain and if lessening these foods is an easy fix. Drinking teas such as ginger or peppermint can ease your stomach as well as eating yogurt rich in probiotics.

If you can’t help but eat an extra slice of cake before bed or guzzle soda for that great first burp, lie on your back and hug one knee up to your chest while keeping the other on the floor and hold for twenty seconds. Switch and repeat for at least five consecutive times; this exercise hopes to help push the excess air out of your abdomen instead of waiting for the symptoms to disappear on their own. (healthnews.com)