How to get Rid of a Bloated Stomach

Beat The Festive Bloat & Gut Troubles

I love the festive season, it’s a time to eat and be merry with the ones you love. However when auntie brings out the Christmas pudding and whipped cream, how can you say no… It doesn’t matter how strict you are all year round! However, if the festive traditions of guzzling wine and scoffing chocolates get too much, here are a few helpful tips to make you feel a little less like an over-stuffed Santa’s sack.

1. Hydrate

No doubt alcohol plays it’s role in the festivities (and rightly so) but alcohol dehydrates your bowel, by producing a sauna affect and in turn slows down peristalsis (movement of the bowel). Because your overall body is dehydrated on of the first places it will steal water from is your bowel and drying out the stool thus resulting in constipation, so, to counteract this you will need to you need to drink lots of water (at least 2.5 litres) to rehydrate your gut again.

2. Eat Clean & Simple

All that chocolate, cream, sugar, meat, gravey etc. is enough to play havoc with even the most resilient gut, let alone people like us who suffer with either IBS or chronic constipation. Adjust your eating habits to a clean and simple approach by incorporating lots of fresh vegetables, fruits and try to cut down on your meat intake if you are suffering with constipation, as it creates methane gas resulting in further constipation. You can substitute the meat for fish as it’s easier on the digestive system. Try not to eat anything from a packet is the key to optimum health.

3. Pump Some Iron

Most of you have probably decided that your New Years resolution is to get fit and toned in 2016 and I think that is great. Exercise can also work as a prevention against IBS attacks, I promise it can take as little as 10 minuets to get your heart rate going. A little exercise is better than nothing, I don’t have a gym membership but instead I use the videos over at XHIT, their videos are easy to do but high intensity, so they will get your heart rate up in about 10 minutes and help you to maintain a flat tummy.

4. Peppermint Oil

I don’t know where I would be without these. They help me prevent SIBO, keep my tummy bloat free and cleanse my digestive system. Some people will take Buscopan for IBS attacks but peppermint oil supplements are much more natural and effective. I take 1 peppermint casual per day usually after breakfast which will set me up for the day. When you first start taking them the taste can be a little over powering but you get used to it. Remember these are not laxatives and you should not take them to cure constipation.

5. Probiotic

All that sugar is not gentle on the gut and can wreck havoc on your digestion by causing constipation or other digestive upset not to mention an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut.  In many cases people opt for drinks like ‘Yakult’ for probiotics but this contains a lot of sugar and I usually avoid it. However you can find probiotics in natural produce such as Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Soft cheeses or you can buy probiotic supplements containing to learn more about probiotics read my other post Probiotcs…Are They Really Worth It?

6. Could It be SIBO?

More often than not bloating is usually down to individual lifestyles and diet. If you find that no matter what you do your tummy is still bloated, you could have SIBO about 1 in 10 people do and you have even more risk of catering to bad bacteria if you have IBS! Take a look at the symptoms and see if it sounds like you, ask your physician to get tested, it could save you a lot of heartache.

 

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year Peeps, listen to your body and respond to it’s needs, this is the key to maintaining a healthy life!

K.

 

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2 Responses to Beat The Festive Bloat & Gut Troubles

  1. Changuis March 11, 2016 at 11:13 pm #

    What peppermint oil do you use? My doc told me that would help too.
    Thanks in advance Kate =)

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