10 ways to reduce bloating

Bloating

Bloating is one of the more common symptoms during the menopause transition (peri-menopause thru post-menopause). There are some effective natural ways by which you can reduce the swelling easily. One of the most important factors that you need to consider for this is your diet. During the menopause phase, a woman’s body goes through some hormonal imbalances (1). This can result in retaining water causing “the bloats”.

Here are some of the more effective and essential tips to reduce bloating that may work for you:

#1: Change Eating Habits

It is very important to change diet and eating habits to reduce bloating. For example, if you are eating a large portion very quickly, that can exhaust your digestive system. You don’t have to reduce your food intake but divide the same into smaller portions and eat more often. Eating five to six small portion meals throughout the day may work better for you than having 2 to 3 large portion meals in a day.

 #2: Chew Foods Slowly

It is important to chew your food slowly as the first step of digestion starts in your mouth. You must take manageable amounts of food into your mouth and chew it. This helps the stomach do a less amount of work. When you consume and chew food too quickly, then more gases are formed and produced in your stomach. This can make your stomach or belly bloated. To avoid any kind of gas formation it is important to chew food slowly and consume slowly.

salad

#3: Add Goodness To Your Diet

One of the more important things to know is that having a properly balanced and healthy diet can help your body in various ways.

There are different foods that can trigger bloating in women. Some of the foods that can cause bloating are: milk, onion, pears, apples, broccoli, beans and cabbage. Also, include foods like grapes, bananas, yogurt and eggs in your diet that help to minimize the gas. It is also important to reduce the intake of salt as it can cause the body to retain water (2).

#4: Do Workouts Regularly

During peri-menopause and post-menopause, bloating can be a huge problem for women. But regular exercises and workout can help you to reduce this problem completely. It has been observed that women who engage in working out for at least 30 to 40 minutes daily can reduce bloating (3). Exercising daily can keep your system active and efficient. It can also help to pass the blocked gases through the digestive tract easily. In addition, it helps to produce essential and important hormones.

#5: Practice Techniques For Relaxation

With so much work to do, a woman rarely gets time to relax. Bloating can occur more often because their body is not getting enough relaxation and rest. When your body is not relaxed, the digestive system will not work properly. It is important to relax and breathe properly to increase the flow of blood to the digestive tract. This can stimulate intestinal action and break down food in a faster way. So, you need to practice some of the relaxing techniques like yoga and meditation to reduce stress. This will help to improve the flow of blood in your whole body.

herbal tea

#6: Drink Herbal Tea

Just like you have to be particular about diet, it could be important for you to have some soothing herbal teas. Peppermint tea and ginger tea can be highly beneficial for reducing bloating. Peppermint is undoubtedly an excellent ingredient to reduce the bloated condition of your belly. Peppermint can efficiently relieve the gas from your digestive tract or stomach helping you to sooth the muscle.

Even ginger tea along with some honey and lemon can be the best treatment for bloated belly. With the help of anti-inflammatory properties, ginger can give the best result to reduce bloating and stimulate hormones.

#7: Drink A Lot Of Water

Often due to a busy schedule, people forget to drink a sufficient amount of water. It is very important to have plenty of water to increase the digestive power of your system. Water can flush out the toxins from your body and help your digestive system. Drinking water at a regular interval can remove the excess gas from your body and reduce the bloating.

#8: Eat Cucumber & Watermelon

Adding cucumber and watermelon to your diet can be highly beneficial for women’s health.  Having these two foods every day could work effectively for you to reduce bloated belly. Also, foods like asparagus and corn can help reduce inflammation.

#9: Walk After A Meal

Besides exercising, it has also been shown that walking after a meal is highly beneficial (4). According to various studies, it has been noted that people do not experience bloating, discomfort, or abdominal pain when they walk just after their meal. It doesn’t mean that you have to walk fast. Just walking at a brisk pace for 20 to 30 minutes soon after your lunch and dinner can lead to the reduction of bloating, and also contribute to weight loss.

walking

#10: Get Enough Sleep

Last, but an important solution to reduce bloating, is to get the right amount of sleep. Studies have shown that women who get sufficient amounts of sleep have a more stress-free and relaxed day ahead. Poor sleep can lead to excessive stress which can lead to decreased immunity as well as digestive power. Thus, women tend to get more bloated when they get insufficient sleep or a low quality sleep. It is important to have at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night to reduce bloating and improve women’s health.

References:

  1. http://menopause.northwestern.edu/content/how-hormone-depletion-affects-you
  2. https://www.livestrong.com/article/502042-bloating-caused-by-salt-intake/
  3. https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/gas-and-bloating/get-active-to-beat-bloating/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3119587/

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