Bloating has been one of my main struggles for the last five years. As you probably already understand if you are reading this, it is uncomfortable and frustrating, both physically and emotionally.
I have spent countless hours researching and learning about foods and diets that eliminate the belly bloat and improve digestion.
As a holistic nutritionist, I already choose to eat unprocessed and whole foods to nurture my body. Because of this I have done a lot of tweaking rather than revamping regarding my food choices.
But all of the tweaking that left others bloat-free did not do the same for me. By taking a step back, something dawned on me. If all of that gaseous air expanding in my gut was not coming from my food, it was coming from somewhere. I was swallowing it!
By only paying attention to food choices, I had turned a blind eye to eating habits that would drop the air right into my belly. And chances are you have as well.
Here are 5 tips to stop swallowing so much air so you can reduce your bloating too.
1. Stop drinking carbonated beverages, especially at meal times.
Pop, beer and carbonated water have been injected with carbon dioxide gas to give them their distinctive fizz. This gas gets trapped in your belly as if blowing up a balloon. Drinking at meal times, carbonated or not, dilutes your digestive juices. Avoid this to improve digestion and reduce bloating.
2. Change your drinking style.
Using a straw, guzzling or taking large mouthfuls when you drink cause you to swallow more air. Instead try small sips without a straw.
3. Quit the gum and candies.
Chewing gum and sucking on hard candies are surefire ways to swallow excess air. Chewing gum also sends a message to your stomach that food is coming, which triggers the release of stomach acid when no food is coming. This overproduction of stomach acid hinders your ability to digest food when you do eat, which can further worsen your bloating.
4. Slow down.
Drinking too fast introduces excess air into the belly and so does eating quickly. Rushing when you eat means you are not chewing your food thoroughly. This leads to undigested food that ferments in the gut and turns into gas, both bloating and flatulence. Talking while you eat has the same effect.
5. Breathe through your nose.
When you breathe through your mouth you swallow more air. Mouth breathing while you are sleeping can cause headaches, sore throat, bad breath, snoring, gum disease, and digestive problems like bloating. Remind yourself to breathe through your nose and try a Neti pot to clear nasal passages during the day. Try breathing strips while you sleep at night.
Don’t let your breathing habits counteract your healthy food choices on your journey to eliminating bloating. Implement at least one of these actions starting today to finally see results.
Jessica Stopard
