Blog Post #3 - The 5 BEST Methods to Reduce + Prevent Bloating

Blog Post #3 - The 5 BEST Methods to Reduce + Prevent Bloating

Ever eat a meal and immediately after finishing it, you looked like you were ready to give birth?! 🙋🏽‍♀️

SAME HERE GIRL! 😅

Unfortunately, bloating is something that many women experience, whether it’s periodically, or frequently!

And it’s definitely upsetting and discouraging to see the big bloat appear while being on a weight loss journey and while working so hard to try do everything in your power to shed the pounds! 😢

But you know what’s even more frustrating than seeing the bloat? 🤔

Not knowing WHY the bloating is occurring or having the answers on how to fix it 🤦🏽‍♀️

So what exactly causes bloating and HOW can we prevent it from happening or reduce the symptoms? 🤔

Lucky for you, I’m about to go over the most common causes of bloating, as well as give you 5 of the BEST methods on how you can prevent bloating from occurring or reduce the severity of the symptoms!

So let’s get started! 😈

I know we’ve all experienced bloating before, but do you know exactly what bloating is? 🤨

Believe it or not, bloating is actually when the organs in your digestive system are overstretched, resulting in a buildup of either solids, liquids or gas within the stomach and intestines (most of the time it’s gas) 🤯

Crazy concept, right? Who would’ve thought our organs could get OVERSTRETCHED?! 😳

So what exactly causes this overstretching to occur? 🤔

Some of the most common causes of bloating occurring in women include:

👉🏽 High Cortisol (stress hormone)

👉🏽 Menstruation

👉🏽 Hormone Imbalance

👉🏽 Gut Disorders (i.e. IBS, SIBO, Celiac Disease, etc)

👉🏽 Gut Dysfunction (i.e. diarrhea, constipation, cramps, gas, etc)

👉🏽 Consuming Cruciferous + Leafy Vegetables (i.e. spinach, broccoli, onion, cabbage, etc)

👉🏽 Consuming High FODMAP Foods (i.e. dairy, wheat, beans, lentils, etc)

👉🏽 Food Intolerances + Malabsorptions

👉🏽 Overeating + Binging

…and the list goes on!

So as you can see, there are numerous reasons and causes as to why bloating occurs…but what can we do to PREVENT it from occurring in the future? How can we reduce/slow down the symptoms? 🤔

Glad you asked! 😏

Check out the 5 BEST methods you can start implementing into your daily routine to help prevent bloating from occurring or to help reduce the severity of the symptoms 👇🏽

✨ Method #1 - Change the Way You Cook Cruciferous + Leafy Vegetables

If you have a hard time remembering which ones are cruciferous vegetables, just remember that they are the vegetables that have a head or a bulb, such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, onion, etc. Other cruciferous vegetables also include leafy greens, such as spinach and kale.

So now that we can identify which vegetables are cruciferous, why do these vegetables in particular cause bloating? 🤔

Cruciferous vegetables are actually very high in sulfur and raffinose. Both products remain undigested until the bacteria in the gut ferments them and breaks them down to convert. Once the gut bacteria breaks those two products down and they are converted into two separate byproducts, we are likely to experience bloating, gas and abdominal cramps as a result due to the chemical process.

So how can we prevent that from happening?! Just avoid cruciferous vegetables all together?

Absolutely NOT! 🙅🏽‍♀️

While you can limit your consumption of cruciferous vegetables to help avoid the gut dysfunction and maintain optimal gut function, you can also just cook the vegetables in a different way, such as steaming or roasting.

By steaming, boiling or roasting these types of vegetables, you’ll be able to soften the vegetables and fiber, which will make it MUCH easier for your body to digest rather than if you consumed them raw.. Softening the vegetables and the fiber content allows for an easier digestion process, which will prevent the gut dysfunction, such as gas, cramps and bloating from occurring 😍

But if you’re really adamant about staying away from cruciferous vegetables all together, then you can incorporate other types of vegetables into your diet that are filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help you have a smooth digestion while also reducing inflammation and pulling water from the body. These types of vegetables include:

✔️ Asparagus

✔️ Squash

✔️ Zucchini

✔️ Green Beans

✨ Method #2 - Manage + Reduce Stress with De-Stressing Activities

Cortisol is known as your stress hormone, so anything that you do or encounter that stresses you out WILL affect your Cortisol level (i.e. school, work, relationships, kids, finances, etc.). And unfortunately, once that hormone starts increasing, it can be very hard to stop it from continuing to increase UNLESS you change some habits + behavior within your daily routine to help manage it better.

If you DON’T take your Cortisol seriously and get it under control, then things WILL start to spiral, causing EVERYTHING within the body to become affected!

Believe it or not, high cortisol levels can lead to:

👎🏽 Inflammation + Water Retention

👎🏽 Insomnia

👎🏽 High Blood Pressure + Blood Sugar Levels

👎🏽 Depression + Anxiety

👎🏽 Gut Dysfunction (i.e. diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, etc)

👎🏽 Acne

👎🏽 Getting Bruised Easily Due to Slowed Healing

👎🏽 Headaches + Fatigue

👎🏽 Weight Gain (primarily in the face and abdomen)

👎🏽 Decrease in Memory

…and the list goes on!

So what can we do to manage our Cortisol and NOT get overly stressed?

In order to help keep our hormones in check and prevent any future problems from occurring, we have to incorporate de-stressing and decompressing methods + practices into our daily routine.

Some de-stressing methods + practices you can start incorporating NOW into your daily routine to help reduce and better manage your Cortisol level include:

✅ Taking Daily Walks (20-30 minutes)

✅ Meditating or Yoga

✅. Praying

✅. Journaling

✅ Taking a Bubble Bath with Epsom Salt

✅ Reading

✅ Painting

…and so much more!

Taking time to step away from society and the daily demands/rigor and just being with yourself for a bit will DRASTICALLY help to reduce your Cortisol levels, as well as help boost your dopamine and serotonin levels (aka your feel good and motivation hormones). You’ll notice once you start incorporating these practices, you’ll feel much lighter mentally and emotionally, which will produce positive results for you physically! 😉

✨ Method #3 - Reduce or Eliminate the Consumption of High FODMAP Foods

In case you didn’t know, FODMAP foods are fermentable carbohydrates that are poorly digested and absorbed within the gut (they ferment in the colon). Foods can either be considered low FODMAP or high FODMAP, depending on the sugar content and quality.

Low FODMAP foods are “safer” to consume because the body can easily digest these types of foods due to them not having the high sugar content that causes distress within the gut. Even though these foods are easier on the digestive tract, this type of diet ISN’T meant to be used long term because it’s very restrictive due to it being an elimination diet. If utilized for too long, this type of diet can result in nutrient deficiencies in the long run. Ideally, this diet is only meant to be used short term (about 1-2 months) as a way to help people with severe gut dysfunction identify food triggers + sensitivities, as well as to give their digestive tract a break and a chance to recover from constantly being overworked.

Some examples of Low FODMAP Foods include:

✔️ Protein (i.e. eggs + meat)

✔️ Grains (i.e. quinoa, oats + rice)

✔️ Almond Milk

✔️ Nuts

✔️ Certain Cheeses (i..e Feta, Cheddar + Brie)

✔️ Fruits (i.e. strawberries, blueberries, pineapple + grapes)

✔️ Vegetables (i.e. eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers + potatoes)

High FODMAP foods are the foods that you want to avoid because they are HIGH in sugar and are EXTREMELY hard on the digestive tract. As a result of the digestive tract having a hard time digesting these types of foods, the body will experience higher amounts of fluid in the intestines, causing severe gut dysfunction, such as gas, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. This is a result of the high FODMAP foods being easily and quickly fermented within the gut, causing the bowel to be distended and affecting the bowel’s wall muscles when it contracts.

Some examples of High FODMAP Foods include:

❌. Carbonated Drinks

❌ Artificial Sweeteners

❌ Dairy

❌ Beans + Lentils

❌ Wheat

❌ Fruits (i.e. apples, pears, peaches + cherries)

❌. Vegetables (i.e. asparagus, onion, garlic + artichokes)

So if you’re someone who is always experiencing severe bloating, gas, abdominal cramps or any other form of gut dysfunction, then completely removing high FODMAP foods from your diet will be the best thing for your body! 🤩

✨ Method #4 - Incorporate More Supplements Into Your Daily Routine

If you’re a woman who suffers from gut dysfunction, acid reflux or just her monthly cycle, then you’re going to want to take notes on this section because these supplements are going to help enhance your life BIG TIME!

Let’s talk about Magnesium first…this supplement should honestly be your best friend!

Believe it or not, the properties in Magnesium not only help to combat the typical PMS symptoms, such as cramping and bloating, but they also help to fight against gut dysfunction and heal the digestive tract as well.

How? 🤔

Magnesium helps to neutralize stomach acid, reduce inflammation within the GI tract and relax the stomach muscles…all key factors that are needed to help alleviate the bloat and distress within the gut! 😍 Since Magnesium’s properties are essential in helping to relax the nervous system, your quality of sleep will ALSO improve once you regularly start to incorporate Magnesium.

I take 2 magnesium tablets per day, one in the morning and one at night, and I can honestly feel a difference in how I feel overall when I consistently take them and when I DON’T take them!

The next supplement that helps TREMENDOUSLY to fight against the bloat is Digestive Enzymes!

Digestive enzymes are capsules that should be taken right before eating to help your digestive system break the food down and speed up the chemical process/reaction so the nutrients from the food can be absorbed into the GI tract quicker. By having these nutrients absorbed into the digestive tract quicker, your body is less likely to experience symptoms of gut dysfunction, such as bloating and gas…so go get some digestive enzymes ladies! 😉

The third supplement that you should definitely have in your arsenal is Activated Charcoal!

I absolutely love this supplement because since it responds quickly, it can be used AFTER you have eaten something questionable to help prevent any dysfunction or illness from occurring.

For example, if you go to Mexico and accidentally drink the water or have some sushi and are worried about whether or not you’re going to get sick, you can take a couple capsules of Activated Charcoal and will be JUST FINE because it prevents the poisoning or bad bacteria from being absorbed from the stomach and being dispersed throughout the rest of the body. So make sure you stock up on Activated Charcoal…especially if you’re going to Mexico anytime soon! 😉

The fourth and final supplement that you should incorporate to help fight against bloating is Peppermint!

Peppermint has some AMAZING properties to help fight against bloating and gut dysfunction. Just like Magnesium, Peppermint helps to relax the stomach and bowel wall muscles, which helps to alleviate stomach cramps, bloating and gas. Peppermint also helps to speed up the flow and transit of food and bile through the digestive tract, preventing things like constipation and indigestion from occurring. So make sure you stock up on your Peppermint too!

✨ Method #5 - Eat Slower, Chew More + Focus on Mindful Eating

The fifth and FINAL method to help reduce and prevent bloating from occurring is something that I know we ALL tend to neglect, especially when we’re in a hurry…but it’s to SLOW DOWN, chew more, savior the moment and concentrate on mindful eating.

A lot of times when we eat (especially Americans 😅), we’re usually in a rush. We try to rush and eat in between classes or in between meetings or at the red light. When we’re rushing like this, it’s SO EASY to just scarf down the food and swallow it after only chewing it 2-3 times.

While doing that can help to save time, it is SO BAD for your digestive tract and gut health. Honestly, we SHOULD be chewing about 15-20 times BEFORE swallowing EVERY TIME…but I’m pretty sure most people don’t emphasize or focus on chewing 15-20 times before swallowing 🤦🏽‍♀️ And to be quite honest, this is probably one of the many reasons as to why gut dysfunction and poor gut health is SO COMMON and prevalent these days…because we’re not being mindful or cognizant of what we’re eating or how we’re eating, let alone focusing on making that mind-body connection.

So instead of rushing when we eat and eating on the go or eating in front of the TV, try to section out 20 minutes of uninterrupted time where you can just sit at a table and focus on mindful eating, where you’re chewing 15-20 times before swallowing and drinking water in between each bite. This way, your body will have a MUCH easier time breaking down and digesting the food, which will prevent larger food particles from entering the digestive tract and causing dysfunction, such as gas, bloating and constipation. So moral of the story is to SLOW DOWN and enjoy those 20 minutes to yourself where you’re not rushing and, instead, are focusing on mindful eating and proper digestion. Your body will thank you later for that! 🤓

So I hope this breakdown of the 5 BEST methods to incorporate to help reduce bloating and prevent bloating from occurring in the future was helpful and insightful.

Remember, bloating IS something that can be worked on and prevented…you just have to slow down and take a closer look at your daily habits, behaviors and routines to be able to truly identify what the issue could be and what adjustments can be made to improve upon it.

If you need help creating a solid and sustainable routine or a customized nutrition plan that will help you to reduce the bloating, keep a flat tummy + prevent the bloating from occurring again in the future, then click the link below to book your FREE strategy call with me where we will work together to develop a customized plan that fits YOUR specific goals + needs! 👇🏽

Link: https://SculptingBodies.as.me/15minutes

If you have additional questions about bloating and how to better manage it or you just want to share how these methods helped to improve your bloating, then shoot me a DM on Instagram: @sculpting.bodies or send me an email at: SculptingBodiesLLC@gmail.com so we can discuss further!

Can’t wait to chat with you soon! 🤗

Xo,
Monique 💗