Flatter Stomach - Causes of Bloating
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
We all or most of us have had it, it feels horrible & we want to get rid of it fast!!! Yes, the dreaded bloated stomach! After all our hard work at losing weight & watching our diet, that dreaded bloat will not go away! Let me talk to some of the many reasons for bloating, some suggestions to decrease the bloating & just relating to you as well! We all want our hard work to show so let's try to eliminate some of the bloating!
Lactose Intolerance is a common cause of bloating. Nothing new there. If you have it, try some of the many lactose reduced or free products out there to see if they help. Me, I choose to eat Greek non-fat yogurt. Love it & use it in so many ways! I even substituted it in a homemade bread recipe for the milk & it came out great!
"The monthly": Most of us can relate to that. Try to reduce caffeine & sodium intake & take your Advil/Motrin or whatever you can to help you out! Drink your water.
Cruciferous veggies & beans: Very common reason for bloating. Many of us have trouble digesting these foods. Some fruits may cause bloating too but less so.... although I have trouble with apples, as much as I love & eat them. I have been told by people that Beano & other products like it really help with the bloating under these circumstances. I have not tried any of them myself although I should!!!!
High Fiber Diet: We all know that fiber is good for you but it can cause gas/bloating if you eat too much & are not drinking enough water. Also, if you are trying to add more fiber into your diet, DO IT SLOWLY & allow the body to adjust as well as drinking adequate water.
High Sodium Intake: Many people have problems with this but not everyone. Too much sodium draws water causing bloating but we also get thirsty & drink more adding to the excess bloating. Watch your sodium for your health too!
Slow Down & Chew Your Food: I think we all have been there when we are rushed & stressed. We "inhale the food" without even knowing we ate it! I know from experience what this does to stomach! Actually, just the other day, I was in a hurry & rushed my food. The consequence, major bloating a couple hours later! Also, follow the principle of "conscious eating". Take a bite, put down the food & utensil, chew it thoroughly before taking another bite. Not only will you enjoy your food more but it will have time to digest as well. Another added benefit, this gives the stomach time to register that it is full. It takes 20 minutes! You may just enjoy the food more AND lose weight!
SUGAR-FREE GUM: Last but not least!!!! I am bolding this just in case you are one of those people that use sugar-free gum to help control eating or stress. I used to be one of those in my 20's. I had horrible stomach probs!!! I chewed a lot of sugar-free gum. I started to think about whether the gum might be a cause of some of my tummy probs. I cut out all sugar-free gum cold turkey & my stomach probs got so much better. I still have issues with my veggies & dairy but I know how to deal with that. BUT THE GUM WAS A HUGE PART OF IT AS WELL. Sugar-free gum has sugar alcohols like sorbitol, xylitol & other ingredients that end in "tol". These ingredients cause major bloating for many. Also, you tend to swallow a lot of air when chewing gum. If you chew a lot of sugar-free gum, cut it out & see if this helps at all. It did for me! Other foods & bars also have some of these ingredients so as I always say... READ LABELS!
I hope this helps some of you, especially the gum item since many still do not know that gum can cause such horrible bloating. Here is to less bloating so we can see our hard earned work!
Don't forget, more on "Sexy Arms" tomorrow!
We all or most of us have had it, it feels horrible & we want to get rid of it fast!!! Yes, the dreaded bloated stomach! After all our hard work at losing weight & watching our diet, that dreaded bloat will not go away! Let me talk to some of the many reasons for bloating, some suggestions to decrease the bloating & just relating to you as well! We all want our hard work to show so let's try to eliminate some of the bloating!Lactose Intolerance is a common cause of bloating. Nothing new there. If you have it, try some of the many lactose reduced or free products out there to see if they help. Me, I choose to eat Greek non-fat yogurt. Love it & use it in so many ways! I even substituted it in a homemade bread recipe for the milk & it came out great!
"The monthly": Most of us can relate to that. Try to reduce caffeine & sodium intake & take your Advil/Motrin or whatever you can to help you out! Drink your water.
Cruciferous veggies & beans: Very common reason for bloating. Many of us have trouble digesting these foods. Some fruits may cause bloating too but less so.... although I have trouble with apples, as much as I love & eat them. I have been told by people that Beano & other products like it really help with the bloating under these circumstances. I have not tried any of them myself although I should!!!!
High Fiber Diet: We all know that fiber is good for you but it can cause gas/bloating if you eat too much & are not drinking enough water. Also, if you are trying to add more fiber into your diet, DO IT SLOWLY & allow the body to adjust as well as drinking adequate water.
High Sodium Intake: Many people have problems with this but not everyone. Too much sodium draws water causing bloating but we also get thirsty & drink more adding to the excess bloating. Watch your sodium for your health too!
Slow Down & Chew Your Food: I think we all have been there when we are rushed & stressed. We "inhale the food" without even knowing we ate it! I know from experience what this does to stomach! Actually, just the other day, I was in a hurry & rushed my food. The consequence, major bloating a couple hours later! Also, follow the principle of "conscious eating". Take a bite, put down the food & utensil, chew it thoroughly before taking another bite. Not only will you enjoy your food more but it will have time to digest as well. Another added benefit, this gives the stomach time to register that it is full. It takes 20 minutes! You may just enjoy the food more AND lose weight!
SUGAR-FREE GUM: Last but not least!!!! I am bolding this just in case you are one of those people that use sugar-free gum to help control eating or stress. I used to be one of those in my 20's. I had horrible stomach probs!!! I chewed a lot of sugar-free gum. I started to think about whether the gum might be a cause of some of my tummy probs. I cut out all sugar-free gum cold turkey & my stomach probs got so much better. I still have issues with my veggies & dairy but I know how to deal with that. BUT THE GUM WAS A HUGE PART OF IT AS WELL. Sugar-free gum has sugar alcohols like sorbitol, xylitol & other ingredients that end in "tol". These ingredients cause major bloating for many. Also, you tend to swallow a lot of air when chewing gum. If you chew a lot of sugar-free gum, cut it out & see if this helps at all. It did for me! Other foods & bars also have some of these ingredients so as I always say... READ LABELS!
I hope this helps some of you, especially the gum item since many still do not know that gum can cause such horrible bloating. Here is to less bloating so we can see our hard earned work!
Don't forget, more on "Sexy Arms" tomorrow!
love this post! anything to help with a flatter stomach is totally welcomed by me!! hahaha!
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For me I thinking its the chewing of the food and sodium. I love salt! I'll twitter this post!
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Thx Josie! I will have to learn more about Twitter. As I told ya before, I am not that tech savvy!
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I used to be bloated a lot. Then I followed a lot of these tips like less gum, and avoiding high sodium intake and I feel so much better. Nothing worse than a big old bloated belly.
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I hear ya on that!
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Thanks for the tips
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