3 ways to beat the bloat
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“Are you pregnant?"
An older woman blurted out as I stuffed her over-priced sweater into a shopping bag.
“….What?”
My face turned red. I was SO insulted and then really embarrassed.
Yep someone asked me if I was pregnant when I definitely was not.
I was working at Anthropologie part-time during my acting career in my early 20’s and I happened to be wearing a baby doll dress- since that was the style back in 2010.
I was lucky it was the style because I was dealing with major digestive issues at this time in my life. I had to wear that style dress because my stomach was always sticking out and I was uncomfortable in anything else.
Well because of that a woman thought I was expecting.
{Doesn’t she know to never ask someone that unless you're 100% sure!?}
During this time I worked a lot of long stressful hours with shifts where you didn’t have time for a proper meal, you were eating at times where you weren’t hungry at all or when you were absolutely starved, and I was eating a lot of packaged food like protein bars and 100 calorie packs to get me through the day.
These are some of the things that really contributed to my bloating and weak digestive health in general. I saw several specialists, tried diuretics and de-bloating pills, drank teas, and nothing seemed to help.
That’s because those aren’t the things that are going to fix the issue.
The issue isn’t the digestive upset, it’s the reason that’s happening in the first place.
Pills and potions might calm your symptoms in the moment, but they’ll just act like a bandaid and you’ll continue to suffer.
Frankly, I’ve never forgot that moment at Anthropologie 6 years ago.
And that’s part of the reason I’ve dedicated years to healing my digestive issues and found great success.
I never thought I would get to where I am now.
For years I had constant bloating, gas, and on and off constipation. That’s just no way to live. And if you’re going through those things right now, it does not have to be your reality either. It’s very very possible to turn everything around, I can say that because I’ve done it.
Over 60 million Americans suffer with digestive issues, so you are not alone.
Here are 3 easy ways to beat the bloat:
Take your time eating
Our lifestyles nowadays are so busy, filled with endless to-do lists, responsibilities, and mental and emotional stress. That’s a lot to handle. And we’re dealing with all that by eating on the go, grabbing packaged foods or take-out, and eating while we work or do other things.
If this is you, you’re setting yourself up for all the common digestive issues.
When we eat we want to be in a state of rest and digest, called parasympathetic state. If we’re on the go, we’re going to be in fight or flight (sympathetic state)—where our body will give priority to managing tasks and stress, and not proper digestion.
Enter bloating, gas, heartburn and irregular bowel movements.
So instead of rushing through a meal, take your time, take a few deep breaths before and during your meal, and try to relax. Eat slowly and acknowledge the food.
Notice the taste and textures.
Recognize the nutrition you’re giving yourself and take some time to enjoy the activity of eating- it’s awesome!
Chew, chew, chew
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a slow eater because I chew the heck out of my food.
I contribute this to being the major force in beating my bloat.
I love it because everyone can do it, and it will also assist in slowing you down during a meal.
The point here, is to make things easier for our bodies.
By chewing well, we take out the middle man, help to break down our food well before it hits our stomachs, and give the entire digestive process and all our insides a big break. We gain a lot of energy that we can then use for other things! When we chew, we produce more saliva, and ignite digestive juices and enzymes, signaling to our bodies that food is about to make it’s way down. When we chew well, the vitamins, minerals, and proteins present in our food are also more available for absorption…love that!
A lot of our favorite healthy foods are tough to break down by nature, like leafy greens, cruciferous veggies (especially when raw), and nuts, so be mindful and aim for getting things as broken down as possible.
And by the way, chew your liquids too. All of this sends the right signal to our bodies that nourishment is heading it’s way and to set up for digestion!
Drink lots of water—just not while you eat
Here’s the deal, when we drink water too close to eating it dilutes the stomach acid necessary for properly breaking down our food, hindering an adequate digestion process.
A large majority of us don’t have enough stomach acid in the first place. This is from things like often antibiotic use, eating a restrictive, low-fat & processed foods diet, and being highly stressed to name a few. By drinking water with our meals, it just makes digesting our food that much more difficult.
When you don’t have enough stomach acid you can experience bloating, heartburn, gas, and general discomfort after eating.
When I started following this my issues with bloating greatly improved, and quickly.
A good guideline to aim for, is drinking water 30 mins prior to a meal and 45-60 mins after. If you’re unable to abide completely, take small sips and keep it at room temperature. Cold water can affect your hydration level, our necessary digestive enzymes, and prevent the proper break down of protein, fats, and carbohydrates -leading to them sitting like a brick in your stomach…no one wants that.
I hope these tips were helpful and you liked my “are you pregnant" memory ;)
Like I mentioned I know first-hand how difficult digestive issues can be. Honestly sometimes it feels they can take over your life, because you’re always uncomfortable and constantly worried something is going to trigger your symptoms.
It is possible to feel so much better.
Digestion is a big factor of my 1:1 coaching practice, so if you need help don’t hesitate to reach out.
Book a discovery call with me here and learn more about my coaching services here.