SHOP POST
One thing I learned from Whole 30 is that the state of feeling “bloated” is not a normal state. After eating, you should always feel energized and ready to take on the day! Not bloated!! In real life though, following the Whole 30 for more than 30 days isn’t an option. As much as I would like it to be, my life just doesn’t work like that, it’s not our lifestyle.
On the days when I want to feel my best or my “thinnest”, there are a few things I like to do to avoid having that bloated feeling all together.
Whenever I know I am going to be in a swimsuit or want to fit into a little more form fitting dress, I always try my best to follow these tricks the day before and day of. At the end of the day, I know these tips are not going to change anything, but it is all about how you feel! They are little things we all can do to just make ourselves feel a little bit more comfortable in the moments when we are feeling our most uncomfortable.
5 Tips To Avoid Bloating
- Eat Fruit Before Your Meal: Do you order a cup of fruit with your breakfast and eat it before or after your meal? If you’re eating it afterward, it may cause major bloating. Same thing goes for ordering fruit or dessert. Fruit has a lot of natural sugar in it and if you eat it before a meal, a workout or as a snack, your body will digest it easily and give you energy. But, if you eat it on a full stomach and/or after a meal, it has to wait until the rest of your food digests before it can start digesting. Causing the sugar to just hang out in your stomach and essentially causing gas. yuck!
- Avoid Gum, Even No Sugar Added Gum: Basically, chewing gum makes you think you are eating when you are not. This causes gas bubble in your stomach, ultimately making you feel bloated.
- Avoid Certain Vegetables: For example – Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage and Brussel Sprouts. I know this sounds crazy, because they are veggies, but hear me out! All of these vegetables produce a fiber molecule that has a really hard time being absorbed in the small intestines and causes you to feel bloated. Instead try spinach, zucchini, sweet potatoes, or cucumbers. All are high in water content and will cause you to feel full without feeling over bloated.
- Watch Your Fiber Intake: For the longest time, I thought that eating a lot of high fiber enriched foods was the key to de-bloating. This is because fiber is the key to keeping your gut healthy. It also keeps you satisfied for a longer period of time. The problem is, when you have too much fiber, it makes it really hard for your body to digest it all, causing you to feel extremely bloated. To avoid bloating while getting the correct amount of fiber, aim to get around 20-25 (g) per day.
- Avoid All “Sugar Free” Foods: Aka – anything with sugar alcohols in it such as xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol. These can be found in energy bars, protein powders, diet sodas or any processed food that says “no sugar added”. These sugar alcohols can be very hard on your gastrointestinal tract and can lead to major gas, cramping, bloating. The labels make you think it’s okay, when in reality, they are really hard for your body to process. Instead, try drinking as much water as possible to help flush your system.
If you guys have any de-bloating tricks, I would love to hear them!!
xo,
Lauren
