A bloated belly is a huge annoyance, especially when you're wearing a fitted top or dress. A puffy tummy is also a sign of poor digestion or you have too much sodium in your body.
Many people want to get rid of their bloated bellies but don't have the patience to spend hours exercising. Fret not; the book "The Bloat Cure: 101 Natural Solutions for Real and Lasting Relief" written by Dr. Robynne Chutkan has compiled five foods that are the culprits behind your bloated tummy. Remove these from your diet if you want that perfectly flat stomach.
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Cruciferous Veggies
Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli are famous for their ability to fend off cancer. These green veggies, however, contain the carbohydrate raffinose. Digesting raffinose is a tough job for your internal organs, and this component can become methane gas in the colon. This ultimately leads to a bloated belly.
Artificial Sweeteners
This is not surprising. We all know the negative consequences of consuming food laden with too many artificial sweeteners. The small intestine cannot break down artificial sweeteners properly, so it ends up in the colon and becomes intestinal gas like bloating, belching and flatulence.
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks such as Gatorade, Powerade and Accelerade carry carbohydrates and electrolytes to help people regain their energy after doing rigorous physical activities. But do you know that these energy boosters give you a bloated tummy? This is because sports drinks contain too much sugar and artificial sweeteners, which, as we mentioned above, is harmful to your body's digestion process.
Soy
Processed soy contributes to bloating due to its effects resembling estrogen on the body. Chutkan advised people to opt for rice milk, coconut milk or hemp milk as an alternative to soy milk.
Soy reportedly affects people's estrogen and testosterone levels, and can even lower men's sex drive. Soy can also prevent the digestive system from absorbing minerals, and make people develop hypothyroidism.
NSAIDs
NSAIDs, or pain relievers, do not just give you a bloated tummy. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs also target the rest of your body and make you look puffy. Chutkan warns people to avoid NSAIDs that contain ibuprofen or aspirin.
Foods That Help Flatten Tummies
There are plenty of foods you can eat to achieve a flatter belly and avoid bloating. Some of these are bananas, brown rice, cantaloupe, olive oil, whole-grain bread, artichokes, avocados, Korea's famous side dish Kimchi and fish that have fatty acids like mackerel and salmon.
Drinking water with lemon helps banish a bloated tummy as well. It is also advisable to eat celery, watermelon, yogurt and food that contain rosemary and turmeric.
