Picture this: you are out to eat but something you ordered just isn’t settling well and now you’ve found yourself in that uncomfortable situation where it feels like your pants are about to burst at the seams and you’re dreading dealing with this feeling for the rest of your day.
Being bloated is something that can happen to the best of us and it’s never a fun experience.
Bloating occurs when there’s a build up of gas in your intestines. It can be due to something as simple as a food that didn’t settle well, eating too large of a meal, eating when stressed, or it can be as complex as deeper gut issue.
While it’s important to identify the trigger and target it, we all need a little bloat relief from time to time to help ease the symptoms.
Here are our favorite 6 ways to fight bloating naturally:
Mindful Eating Habits
Practice mindful eating by taking a few diaphragmatic breathes before meals and focusing on chewing foods well. By taking deep belly breathes, we can stimulate our vagus nerve which puts us in a parasympathetic state, known as rest and digest. If we’re eating on the go or when we’re stressed out, our body can be operating in the sympathetic state, known as fight or flight, which puts digestion on the back burner and cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms after we eat.
Movement
Aim for a short walk after meals or a 30-minute walk daily. Walking can help strengthen our abdominal muscles and support movement of food through the digestive tract.
Stay Upright
Avoid laying down after eating as this can cause indigestion and therefore bloating.
Herbal Teas
Fennel or peppermint tea: both of these herbs are carminatives, which means they help reduce gas formation and alleviate bloating. A cup of tea when bloated or after meals can help bring relief.
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes with meals help your body break down food. This is our favorite:
biOptimizers Masszymes – Digestive Enzymes
MassZymes full spectrum digestive enzymes supplement. 100% plant-based, naturally-derived digestive enzymes blend that help maximize digestion and nutrient absorption, while helping relieve indigestion, gas, bloating, and other symptoms of poor digestion. Vegan & Vegetarian Friendly. Dairy Free. Soy Free.
If you prefer a vegan powder you can mix in water, we suggest:
Break It Down: Plant-Based Digestive Enzymes Powder (Pineapple Flavor)
A broad-spectrum enzyme blend that works throughout your stomach and small intestines to help break down a wide range of nutrients like lactose, gluten, beta-glucans, and protein.
We also like Double Wood Essential Digestive Enzymes for an economical alternative with an effective formulation.
Double Wood Digestive Enzyme supplement contains multiple enzymes used by the body to break down food for proper nutrient absorption.
Essential Oils
Topical digestive essential oils over the abdomen can help calm the digestive tract and bring relief from bloating. Some oils you can try include Cardamom, Peppermint, and Ginger.
While these tips can help reduce bloating, it’s important to seek medical attention if you feel you are chronically bloated and have other symptoms of GI distress. Our gut plays a big role in toxin clearance, hormonal balance, mood, immune function, and much more.
A healthy gut = a healthy body.
