How to de-bloat by the weekend!

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Are you tired of feeling bloated and gassy? Let’s get you back to enjoying a flat stomach with regular digestion. Here are the reasons why you bloat and how to de-bloat by the weekend:
 bloating
  • Too much sugar, fruit and starches: Skip all sugar, including that from fruits. Every gram of sugar makes you retain about 3g of water.  As you focus on veggies and protein and forgo the sugar, you’ll notice a flatter stomach quickly. You’ll go to the bathroom to pee a lot more as your body releases excess bloat, and you’ll notice your face and bags under your eyes disappear within 2-3 days. Your rings fit better and your pants feel looser instantly.
  • Too much stress: Bloat isn’t just about food, but also affected by stress. High cortisol levels and make you retain lots of water because the hormone can affect your adrenal glands, which also control your body’s water household. Sleep more, walk instead of killing yourself in a super-intense spin class if you’re stressed.
  • You over-exercised: If you’re bloated and puffy from over-exercising or too many starches, an Epsom salt works wonders. Body builders swear by it in the days before competition as it draws out excess fluid from the tissue and helps them create that ripped and lean look. Soak in a tub for 20 minutes and step out feeling more relaxed and with a tighter, leaner feeling body.
  • You eat too fast. Make sure you chew your food well. The digestion of starches starts in the mouth, where the digestive enzyme amylase is released. Furthermore, high stress levels reduce stomach acid and that reduces the ability to digest foods properly, leaving you with undigested food particles that can irritate your small intestines and then in the large intestines cause gas and bloating.
  • Cook your veggies if you react to raw veggies with bloat. Cooking will help digest the veggies’ fiber better and will reduce the chance of bloating.
  • An imbalance of bacteria in your gut: If the bloat is related to digestive issues, such as food sensitivities or a recent course of antibiotics, or due to an imbalance in the gut, go on a week-long course of probiotics. These friendly bacteria are sure to rebalance the bacterial household in the large intestines and ensures proper elimination, absorption of vitamins and minerals and proper breakdown. An overabundance of bad bacteria will create more gas and bloating and probiotics will balance the bad bacteria with good bacteria and in turn reduce bloating and gas. My favorite probiotic is Bio-K original. Choose the rice version if you don’t do dairy.