7 Foods to Stop Bloat

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• Flat Tummy Happy Drink Recipe

Bloating is a symptom so common, that virtually every person I have ever talked to our worked with, has complained about it and almost everybody at some stage in their life has suffered from it. It can cause so much upset and belly distention that you can look 8 months pregnant, even when you are not. Learn more about 7 common foods that cause bloating.

Luckily there are many foods that can help you combat that buddha belly! Here for you, as part of my Flat Tummy campaign that ran last month, are the 7 most effective bloat reducing foods. Read to the end, I’ve shared a beat the bloat recipe too!

Eat these foods every day, to experience the tightest and happiest midsection ever!

Cilantro

This lovely green herb popular in Mexican and Asian dishes helps relieve many tummy troubles including gas, bloating, stomach cramps, nausea, indigestion and heartburn.  Loaded with vitamins A, C and K and a delicious crisp green flavour, cilantro can be a great relief to your digestive tract.  The oils specific to cilantro, including linalool and geranyl acetate, relax the digestive tract.

Turmeric

Is there anything this golden root cannot do?  Turmeric, with its active ingredient, curcumin, is a powerful anti-flatulent and anti-spasmodic food.  This fleshy yellow root also makes digestive enzymes already present in your body, more active.

Turmeric also lines the stomach and intestines, helping to protect these sensitive tissues from damage by toxins, bacterial infections, alcohol and some medicines.   When we do experience indigestion, bloating, belching and flatulence, turmeric can relieve all symptoms effectively.

One of the main causes of bloat is that the gut microbiome is in distress or imbalance.  Turmeric can positively manage gut microbes, helping to restore balance.

Peppermint

Peppermint tea is a balm for your digestive system and is well known to reduce bloating, stomach gas and flatulence.

Peppermint has molecules that help the digestive tract relax and can help relieve cramps and spasms in the gastrointestinal tract, bile duct and gallbladder.

After a rich meal, you may have noticed how soothing peppermint tea is for your tummy.  That’s because it is ideal for digesting fats. Peppermint also contains oils that encourage liver detoxification.

Kefir

I have begun making my own kefir from a SCOBY (symbiotic community of organisms, bacteria and yeast) dated some 3000 years ago.  I prefer kefir over yogurt because nothing heals the belly like kefir.  Loaded with nutrients, kefir grains are added to warm dairy or plant based milk and allowed to ferment into a sour, slightly effervescent beverage.  As the mixture ferments nutrients are released in a pre-digested state making them more available to you and easing any gastro distress you may be in. Kefir makes you regular and helps reduce bloat, gas and upset.  Science has also shown that kefir is powerful in repopulating the gut with friendly bacteria for those who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer.

See also: KEFIR: Eat More Bugs!

Ginger

Ginger has earned its stripes as a long standing anti-inflammatory and antibacterial food that dissolves bloat.  The active, anti-bloat ingredient in ginger is called zingibain – gotta love that word – and is a powerful enzyme that works to break down protein.

I buy enough gingerroot to steep a few thumb-sized pieces every day in a cup of hot tea.  Ginger tea any time during the day helps your digestive system work better in every way, including reducing inflammation, relaxing the colon and healing the gut.

Apple Cider Vinegar

I am a huge fan of ACV.  People who attend my Clean Living Retreats know this as I include a lesson on the values of this ancient and mysterious food.  I have even gone so far as to make my own ACV for the Costa Rica retreat, that’s how much I love this food.  The key is to purchase raw, organic, unpasteurized ACV like Bragg’s, as it contains the “mother” or the raw enzymes and gut-friendly bacteria that soothe a bloated belly.  As soon as you feel tummy distress, mix 1 – 2 tablespoons of ACV in a glass of warm water.  Drink and wait for the results.  You’ll see!

Melons

Melons and cucumbers are 90% water.  These foods help relieve bloating because they flush out retained water, an issue many women struggle with.  Watermelon particularly has diuretic properties thanks to their high water content, vitamin C and potassium.

Hot Peppers

Spicing up your menu with any one of the hottest peppers can help keep your tummy flat and happy.  All hot peppers contain capsaicin, the heat containing molecule.  Capsaicin stimulates the flow of digestive enzymes throughout your digestive tract.  It also kills any unfriendly bacteria that are often the cause of gas and bloating.

Tips like these and much more are to be found in my Membership Program.  Sign up here for menu plans, workout plans and more.  I’d love to have you!

Remember, I am always listening,

Tosca Reno

PS.  Let me know if these foods have helped your tummy.  Share you story in the Comments section below.

Flat Tummy Happy Drink Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber, peeled
• 2 slices seedless watermelon, rind removed
• a bunch of parsley or cilantro, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1” piece ginger root, grated
• 1/2 glass water
• 1” piece turmeric root, grated

Method:

Place all ingredients in your juicer.  Process and drink.

PSS: We just completed our Beat the Bloat Challenge with our members in the Tosca Reno Membership program. Join our members in this month’s Fit Commit Challenge!