Beat the Bloat

 

 

Bloating is the most common health complaint amongst men and women, so don't feel embarrassment if this issue affects you- you're not alone. I have suffered from belly bloating as long as I can remember. I always blamed it on too much carbs like bread, but even when I took that out of my diet I would still have the same symptoms. In the morning my stomach looks flat and I feel really lean, then by 12 pm that day my stomach has bloated out and feels hard and I feel sluggish. This caused me great stress, as I work out regularly and eat clean so I didn’t understand what was causing it or if there was a remedy.

From having friends who have IBS, I knew my symptoms were not severe enough, but there was definitely something in my diet that did not agree with me.

The more I researched into it, I realised that most men and women have the same problem. That is when I came across the beauty of probiotics.

Probiotics

There has been more and more awareness in the last few years about consuming enough probiotics (good bacteria) in your diet. Probiotics have dramatic beneficial benefits for your digestive system and immune system. Probiotics kill off the bad bacteria trapped in your intestines which in turn reduces your bloated stomach.

Mike Geary explains:

Throughout history, humans always ate large amounts of live bacteria in everything they ate. They consumed about 10 times the amount of live bacteria than we do today.

 
As our food is sterilised (canned, processed, pasteurized, packaged with added chemicals) this increases the bad bacteria which disrupts our gut causing us to bloat and feel uncomfortable.
 
Our ancestors ate a certain amount of dirt on a lot of foods as they had no method of thoroughly cleaning foods. Even just a tiny amount of fresh dirt on your root vegetables that were pulled out of the ground can give you billions of live bacteria.

As refrigeration was pretty much impossible, foods were fermented as a method of preservation which means humans ate large amounts of fermented foods which have billions of bacteria.

It is those friendly bacteria that help to crowd out pathogenic strains that could get you sick and that good gut bacteria also forms a barrier in your intestinal lining.

If you feel bloated after eating a dessert or chocolate etc it’s because bad bacteria flourish on sugars.

What is Bloating?

 

Bloating is caused by excess gas, produced by the bacteria in your intestines that are trapped in your intestines. It is also important to note that if you have used or use antibiotics you need to replenish your body with probiotics as antibiotics can kill off the good bacteria in your intestine.

What do probiotics do?

Probiotics can help alleviate the symptoms of bloating and sluggish or irregular bowels.

The beauty about probiotics is that it helps move the bloating, causing foods to push through your body faster. They help restore the balance in your gut flora in the long term. If you have a healthy gut, you should not experience bloating.

So what can you do to re-balance your gut bacteria and begin experiencing these belly flattening benefits?

I introduced the following into my diet and it has worked miracles. Within a few days I have noticed the difference.

• Sauerkraut –is a fermented cabbage. I have a few spoonful’s with my dinner in the evening. There are many fermented and pickled vegetables available in the shops that would have a high probiotic content. I bought mine in the local supermarket for a £1 for a large jar.

 

 

• Kefir- is fermented raw milk. It has a quite thick consistency like a yoghurt. A polish girl in work grew up on this and got me some in an Eastern European shop for 69p for a large bottle. So check out any Eastern European or Polish shops near you as they have a lot of foods that are full of probiotics. I drink this in the morning, evening or use it as a yoghurt with my fruit. LOVE this really works wonders for me.

 

 

• Supplement- I also take a probiotic supplement as you can never have enough probiotics in your system. I take Bio-Kult-Advanced probiotic multi-strain formula. I take a tablet every day with food.

 

• Castor Oil-If I feel really bloated I also take a tablespoon of Castor Oil-100% Cold Pressed. Castor oil is made from the seeds of the Castor plant. It is an effective, old time remedy for constipation, gas, and bloating. Castor oil is very thick and tastes unpleasant, so it can be difficult to swallow.

Note: Be patient some people might not notice the change until after a few days!

I am so glad I found a remedy that is not only effective but also cheap! Now I feel great all day with out that sluggish bloated feeling.

 

BLOATING     0                  THE CHIC PHYSIQUE  1