Beat the Bloat

There is nothing worse than feeling bloated all the time! You may be eating better than you used to, exercising more regular, but that doesn't always mean you won't feel bloated at times.

There could be a number of reasons as to why you feel bloated. They could be that you have eaten something that doesn't quite agree with your body or digestive system, you might not be going to the toilet regular enough, it could even be a build up gas!
There are a few natural ways you can "beat the bloat" try these suggestions to help:
- Having ginger is great in helping to break down hard-to-digest foods, add some to your tea, smoothies, or even juices.
-Fennel or fennel seeds help to speed up digestion.
-Drinking warm lemon water to also speed up digestion, this is best done on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.
-Avoiding dairy products as they can be a big issue for belly bloating, dairy is very harsh on the human body, have you ever noticed you may get a lot of gas after having too much milk, yoghurt or cheese??
-Eating foods suitable to your blood type so your body can digest them easier.
-Green tea or lemon and ginger tea can be great to have after a meal to help it digest.
-Avoiding carbonated drinks such as fizzy drink, soda water and alcohol.
-Certain Yoga poses such as down-ward facing dog, supine twist, child's pose, cobra pose and angry cat can help with that bloated stomach pain,
they also help with digestion.

-Alpine tea is great to help you go to the toilet more regular, you should be going at least once per day.
-Eating a good amount of fruits and vegetables that are high in fibre to also help with toilet irregularities.
-If you have tried all you can to "beat the bloat" there may be a bit more going on with your insides,consulting your naturopath or GP would be the next best thing to do, especially if you are always in a lot of pain when you are bloated.
-Eat more whole foods and avoid foods that have labels and too many ingredients in them, these types of "foods" are what I consider to be called "man made products". They are not food- as they do not fuel your body with nutrients and they do not properly digest. Food is what gives you your essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients to function properly. Ever noticed why you feel so tired and sluggish after eating a take away meal from McDonalds or a whole bag of Doritos??
Another suggestion I will add is keep a journal of what food you eat, when you go "number two" and see if you can see a pattern with the bloating you are experiencing. Keeping this journal will be great to take to your Naturopath or GP when you try and explain to them your issues as it might help them figure out what it wrong with you.

-Renee x