Bloat

Recently I've realised that a lot of people (girls in particular) mistake their bloating for 'belly fat'. For example these 'Skinny Mea Tea' (don't get me started...) progress shots I always see, hardly any fat has been lost, it's mainly just bloating - which is great because bloating is a pain in the rear and trust me, I know. It makes me upset to hear of a lot of girls saying they want to lose weight from their belly area because 1. you can't spot reduct,  meaning you'd have to do cardio and reduce fat off the rest of your body to see progress (when the rest of their bodies are already gorgeous and perfectly fine!) and 2. it's usually just bloating! With the correct diet, bloating can be easily reduced.

Bloating is one of those things that really used to grind my gears, especially in summer when you're in a  bikini and can't show off the body you worked so hard for because bloating gives that illusion that there's belly fat there, BUT I did my research and although bloating can almost be impossible to avoid at times, you can definitely reduce it!

1. Fibre, fibre, fibre. Swap everything white for brown, eg. white bread with rye bread and white rice with brown rice and also start your day off with fibre eg. a fibre rich cereal such as Bran (but don't over do it because...well, you know)
2. Less sugar. Unfortunately, certain fruits form gas - causing bloating
3. Go for a walk or run to help the gas pass through your system and ease the discomfort 
4. CUT down on the booze! This is a major factor for bloating in men especially, but also women. I'm going to make a separate post about alcohol later on this week. 
5. Steam your veggies. You'll still get all your nutrients, but they'll digest better in your tracts preventing bloating
6. Spit out your gum! I used to chew gum all throughout every day, it was a bad habit...but then when I realised it can assist in bloating I went cold turkey. Basically when you chew gum, you swallow air...sounds stupid, but the air can get trapped in your gut causing bloating and belly expansion. 
7. Eating habits eg. drinking through a straw, having a carbonated drink with your meal or eating too quickly are no goes when it comes to bloating! 
8. Go without 'fake sugars', eg. your diet Cokes, sugar-free gum etc. I'm not going to get all scientific and technical on y'all, but basically they included sugary alcohols which can promote bloating.
9. Teas - fennel, peppermint and ginger teas all assist in helping get rid of bloating
10. Cut down on (but DO NOT cut out) high-carb foods if your bloating is really irritating you. A type of carb called glycogen is stored in the body along with three times the amount of water, so decrease the glycogen heavy foods and it will help 'drain out' excess stored fluids which cause bloating
11. Be careful with the beans (the magical fruit) and veggies you eat (eg. cabbage) we all know these foods can give you gas, making you feel bloated and uncomfortable
12. Keep hydrated and make sure you're getting those 8 glasses of water a day 
13. Avoid those acidic drinks eg. coffee, certain teas and juices 
14. Get crazy about banananas! As well as potatoes, spinach and mangoes (yay). These four foods help your bod get rid of excess water weight, making you less bloated 
15. Lucky last and to me, the most significant factor to causing bloating...SALT. Cut those ridiculously salty foods out of your diet it, for one reason: salt = water retention. water retention = excess water which = bloating

Before you turn to those expensive, easy-way-out fads to reduce what you assume is tummy fat, try some of these 15 tips and you'll be sure to feel lighter and less bloated. There's always a natural cure for everything!

Be healthy, be happy! xx