Raise a hand if you experience bloating on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Despite not being able to see you through the screen, I am confident most if not all of your hands are raised.
Bloating can be so frustrating and worst of all, uncomfortable. Let’s chat about 5 contributing factors to bloating and 3 ways to reduce or avoid it all together.
Firstly, below are 5 things you may be unknowingly doing that are contributing to your bloating:
- Scrolling and eating (yes, I see you - I know it’s tempting however it’s quite literally distracting your digestive system)
- Not chewing properly. I can honestly hear my grandmother's voice saying to me “make sure you chew 20 times before you swallow”. While that might seem like a lot, our grandmothers have been around far longer than we have so let’s take their word for it.
- Drinking while you’re eating. This is such a common one! If you drink and eat at the same time, you’re diluting your digestive enzymes meaning they can’t function to the best of their ability and as a result, your digestive capability is impacted and bloating can occur.
- Not having daily bowel motions. Now I understand this doesn’t necessarily happen at the click of a finger however, daily bowel motions are so important.
- Move your body. Take the pressure off, you don’t need to do anything too strenuous but daily movement is important to support your digestive system to function optimally.
Alright enough about the causes, let’s get to the good stuff on how you can reduce your bloating!
- Stimulate digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCL)
Digestive enzymes and HCL are key for the breakdown of your food. Your two besties for these are lemon and ginger! Lemon is a great way to stimulate HCL and ginger is traditionally known for it’s ability to soothe the digestive system and nausea. Simply add a small amount of boiling water to a glass of chopped ginger to infuse then add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice in warm or room temp water to drink. - Fibre intake
Increasing fibre intake improves digestive function by helping to bulk stools and make them easier to pass. My favourite go-to high fibre fruits are kiwis, apples and bananas. Regular bowel motions and a soothed digestive system = less chance of bloating. - Herbal Tea’s
Tea’s are honestly such an easy and affordable way to support digestive health. Peppermint has got to be one of the best go-to tea’s to soothe discomfort and bloating by helping muscles to relax.
Hope you love these tips and tricks, they’re honestly a game changer!
