Good Bye Bloating!
We’ve all walked out of a dinner with a ‘food baby’ and unbuttoned our pants to let that bloat breathe and thought about some new trendy detox that we think might help with our gut health. I know we all would love our morning skinny to last all day but did you know most of those trendy detoxes are either useless or even harmful to you and that there are actually natural ways to boost your digestive health and help you say goodbye to bloating?
How Detox Diets Are Harmful
Everyone has seen liquid diets being advertised to clean out your toxins, help you drop weight fast, and get rid of bloating but what it doesn’t mention is the low energy, low blood sugar, muscle aches, fatigue, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and nausea that comes with it. The advertisements for these detoxes are often untrue and misleading for those who think they needed to detox toxins out of their body, spoiler alert, you don’t. These detox diets often force you to fast and only consume liquids for multiple days at a time, which is clearly unhealthy, especially when those liquids aren’t actually doing anything for you!
Another popular option to ‘rid the body of toxins’ are colon cleanses, which are we even more harmful than detox diets. These cleanses can cause dehydration, infections, perforated bowels, nausea, cramping, vomiting, and guess what, even more bloating than you started with. These kinds of detoxes and cleanses can be extremely harmful to the body and in the end, won’t actually accomplish anything you are looking for it to do. During one of these cleanses you may loose a few pounds, but it will all come right back once you finish the cleanse, and that it just not worth the risks that can come along with it.
Natural Ways to Rid the Body of Toxins and Say Goodbye to Bloating
Instead of putting your body through possibly harmful and ineffective diets, why not just help it out with what it already knows how to do? There are a variety of healthy options that not only will help you heal your digestive tract and help you say goodbye to bloating, but are also just overall great lifestyle changes that have you feeling the best you have in years!
1. Hydration
You might be thinking everyone says staying hydrated is the cure to all your problems, but they say it for a good reason. Your body needs water for your systems to function properly, and that includes your digestive system. Staying hydrated helps break up and prevent constipation and helps your bowels to function properly. Everyone needs a different amount of water based on a variety of factors, but to keep it safe most adults need 4-6 cups of water a day. So grab your Stanley Cup or Hydro Flask and fill it up!
2. Diet
Now this one might be a little obvious, but there is certain foods to avoid or incorporate into your diet to help maximize your digestive health! A main part of your diet should be to to incorporate fruits and vegetables, even if they are in powdered greens form. They are full of healthy nutrients and fiber to support your digestive system and overall health. Plus, fruits can be used as a sweet treat when you’re craving it to help you avoid added sugars, which is another important factor in having a healthy diet! Whole grains are the best option when you’re needing a carb overload they have dietary fiber, iron, antioxidants, and other healthy nutrients plus, they also support healthy gut bacteria.
Finally, try to include food that is packed probiotics, like yogurt or kimchi, to keep that bad bacteria in check and support good bacteria! Now, I’m not telling you to that you can’t eat that cupcake the next time you really need it, but making these changes for your overall diet will help support your digestive health, beat your bloating, and even help you loose a few pounds if you are looking to!
3. Exercise
Exercise is extremely important for digestive health, it helps move food in your digestive tract faster, and reduces the risks associated with bad gut health, including nausea, bloating, and constipation. You don’t have to be in a gym for an hour every day to reap the benefits of exercise for the digestive system either. You could simply go for a thirty minute ‘hot girl walk’ at some point throughout the day! Going for a walk works best after meals, but it really can be done at anytime throughout the day when you have time!
4. Sleep
We all know that we can feel it when we didn’t get enough sleep, and I’m not talking about just feeling tired. This is because not getting enough sleep causes all of your systems to not work properly, including your digestive tract! Not getting enough sleep can cause overall inflation in your bowels, which causes, you guessed it, nausea, bloating, and constipation. So stop staying up late searching for ways to get rid of your bloating, and go to sleep earlier to actually help reduce your bloating!
5. Chiropractic Care
If all else fails, then you might have to get your spine adjusted! Your spine is directly connected to your digestive system, so if you have a misalignment in your spine you might also not be able to break down your food correctly to be digested. It could also cause issues with absorbing those nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that you really need to have a healthy gut! Unfortunately, no matter how good of a diet you have or how much water you drink, if your spine needs to be aligned you can still have trouble with your digestive system. So stop ignoring your back pain and dealing with digestive issues and try going to your local chiropractor!
I understand that the advertisements online can be tempting, but the claims they are making are often not true and are a waste of your money. Your body knows how to take care of you and rid itself of the toxins that are not needed, but sometimes it might just need a little help. It is a natural process, so stop trying to help with unnatural products and make these few lifestyle changes that will have you feeling great, and help you say goodbye to bloating!