Foods That Help Reduce Belly Bloating
There’s a lot of talk in the health world about looking in shape and looking healthy. That is definitely important, but what is more important is feeling healthy! One thing that can keep us from feeling our best is when our bodies are bloated. It’s that extra struggle to wiggle into your jeans after a weekend of junk food, or just feeling more sluggish than usual. We can’t always prevent bloating, but what we can do is be proactive. When you know you have a cheat day coming up or are just going about your regular week, load up on foods that will actually help your body flush toxins out and stay hydrated. Read on to find out which foods will help combat belly bloat, and you may be surprised to learn that you’re already eating many of the foods on this list!
1. Cucumber
Cucumbers are often found in spas to be placed on the eyes because they are known for reducing puffiness around the eyes. It turns out, they have the same effect on your body if you eat them!
Cucumbers have a special antioxidant called quercetin which helps the body reduce any swelling or bloating. After a cheat day, this veggie is a great place to start a healthy, new week.
2. Bananas
Bananas are a great fruit to freeze or keep fresh and add them to your muffins or smoothies as a sweet treat for breakfast. They are packed with nutritional benefits – especially when it comes to cleaning your body!
Potassium is the famous component of bananas that possess all the debloating powers we could ever want. Potassium regulates your sodium levels so that your body doesn’t hold on to extra water weight. The bonus is that this fruit is a very filling snack that can tide you over between meals.
3. Papaya
Papaya may not be a fruit you have in your diet, but next time you go to the grocery store, pick one up! You can add it to a smoothie, eat it for a snack at work or add it to a fruit salad.
Papaya has an enzyme in it called papain. It’s the superhero that helps break down proteins in your digestive system, making it easier for your body to digest food and absorb its nutrients.
4. Asparagus
Asparagus is a veggie you may have hated as a child, but if you haven’t tried it as an adult, dive in! Add it to a stir-fry, grill it up for a salad topping or serve cooked, on its own with some chicken.
Asparagus has very important prebiotics within its green walls that helps us stay cleansed. The prebiotics help essentially “fertilize” the good bacteria already in your digestive system to help it expand and grow so it can beat out all those toxins.
5. Probiotic Yogurt
When you’re in the grocery store, check the label on your yogurt and make sure it says somewhere on it that it’s probiotic. This will ensure you are maximizing the number of benefits you get from your daily snack.
Probiotics are the healthy bacteria in yogurt that helps your body have a healthy digestive tract. They are present in your system by the tens of billions but are always fighting those bad bacterias. Eating foods like yogurt with probiotics help increase the number of good bacteria in your system, but when you also are eating prebiotics such as asparagus, your body will be an unstoppable force of good bacteria!
6. Beets
Beets are not only beautiful in color, but they taste fantastic as well! Roasted beets are a favorite way of preparing for many and can be added to a salad of fresh greens with goat cheese.
Beets really cut to the chase in terms of how they benefit your body. Thanks to the presence of fiber, beets are a diuretic, which means they help you go to the washroom and cleanse your body of any toxins from unhealthy foods you’ve eaten recently.
7. Fennel Seeds
Fennel seeds are present in a lot of seasonings and rubs you probably already have in your cupboard. It has a sweet taste and can also be added to loose leaf teas.
If you struggle with a gastro-intestinal spasms from time to time, fennel seeds can help you overcome that. They can actually help relax these spasms, allowing your body to eliminate bloat and digest your food properly and smoothly.
8. Cilantro
Cilantro is something people either love or hate. Try your best to love it because, first of all, it’s in delicious Mexican food, and second of all it’s very beneficial for your digestive health.
Cilantro is actually very powerful, it works on your digestive system in the same way that over the counter medications help relax overactive guts. There are two oils inside cilantro that assist with this which are linalool and geranyl acetate. Next time you eat Mexican food garnished with cilantro, you can now be aware of the benefits of what you are eating!
9. Ginger
At this point, we should just address the fact that ginger is a super powerful food we all need to be consuming through our day. Whether you add it to your tea or grate some into a recipe you are making, ginger can help your body remain strong and healthy.
A lot of times, protein is an absolute must in every meal. Keep that up because you need energy! However, there are times where the protein can cause bloating. Ginger contains an enzyme that will go in and absorb that protein, thus helping to reduce that extra belly chub that you are trying to eliminate. The kicker about ginger is that it is also extremely soothing to your body’s digestive system.
10. Peppermint Tea
It’s rumored that Victoria Beckham drinks six cups of peppermint tea a day, so she must be onto something. It’s a tea that is easy to sip on and immediately makes you feel less bloated and a whole lot healthier.
Peppermint tea assists with improving your digestion while soothing it, so it is clear that there are no toxins welcome in your body! It also helps your body stay hydrated which is an added bonus if you have a hard time drinking enough water every day.
11. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has been getting a lot of attention in the media for its incredible benefits. Try drinking two tablespoons of it each day to optimize on some of its fantastic benefits.
Apple cider vinegar not only cleanses your body of bad bacteria, but it can also lower your blood sugar levels, which can help with debloating your body. It also supports the good bacteria in your gut so that you can digest your meals in a healthy, smooth way.
12. Lemon
Lemons are an easy fruit to add to your daily routine. Cut up slices of lemons and keep them in a container in your fridge. Whenever you get a glass or bottle of water, add a few slices to it!
Lemon juice has a very similar acidic composition to our stomach’s digestive juices, including bile and saliva. This makes it an ideal candidate for helping with indigestion and even with burping.
13. Garlic
Garlic is the one thing you absolutely have to add to your cooking if you don’t already. Do you ever wonder why restaurant food tastes so good? It’s the garlic enhancing all those flavors in the foods you love.
Garlic is so powerful it can actually protect your liver from toxic heavy metals in your bloodstream, so imagine how cleansing it is after just eating a good ol’ bag of chips! Garlic relieves extra gas in your body that is produced by indigestion which can definitely brings down some bloating you have.
14. Tomatoes
Tomatoes make their way into just about everything we eat from pasta to sandwiches – and so it should! One simple way to incorporate tomatoes into your food is through tomato pasta sauce or on whole grain bread with Havarti and pesto.
Tomatoes are packed with a special antioxidant that helps debloat your body and cleanse it of any toxins that would cause inflammation.
15. Oatmeal
Looking for a healthy breakfast in the morning? Making oatmeal with some banana and blueberries is a great debloating meal that will help your gut ease into a day of eating.
Oatmeal, much like asparagus, is a prebiotic food. It helps probiotics grow and expand in your digestive system which increases the ease at which food can be digested. If you eat this every morning, you are definitely doing your body and more specifically, your gut, a favor!
16. Avocado
We rave about avocados all the time, but how often is it that a fruit like this can become our favorite chip dip and all the while provide us with much needed healthy fats and other nutrients?! Serve up some mashed avocados with garlic, lime, salt, and pepper for a deliciously healthy veggie or chip dip at your next get together.
Avocados fall into the same category as bananas when it comes to how it helps debloat your body. Avocado has potassium which regulates sodium levels so you don’t hang on to too much water weight. Avocados also have enzymes that help digest any fatty cheat day food that would cause you to bloat.
17. Chamomile Tea
A nice cup of chamomile tea when it’s a blustery night is the perfect way to end your day. Let that bag of tea soak a little extra longer than normal so you can get as many benefits from your tea as possible.
If you have a sore stomach, chamomile tea is a great option for you. With the soothing and relaxing effects it has on your body, it will help ease any indigestion or stress.
18. Melons
What did you eat on hot days in the summer when you were little? That’s right, watermelon! Did you know that much like watermelon, the other melons such as honeydew and cantaloupe also are made up of mostly water? Talk about hydrating!
Eating a serving of melons is approximately equivalent to drinking one glass of water. This increases your hydration and allows your body to cleanse itself of unwanted toxins.
19. Egg Whites
If you are looking for a light breakfast, egg whites are an excellent choice. You can scramble them or turn them into a gourmet omelet.
Egg whites contain next to no fat as the majority of fat comes from the yolk. This makes it an easy food for your system to digest, especially in the morning when your body is just waking up. No bloating here!
20. Cranberries
I’ve heard Victoria’s Secret model drink cups upon cups of 100% all natural, organic cranberry juice when prepping for their big show. This is a pretty intense drink, so you can water it down a little bit or mix it with some carbonated water.
Cranberries help detox your liver of anything that is harmful to your body while also helping the lymphatic system neutralize any toxins as well. Drinking a splash of this juice a day goes a long way!
