How to Get Rid of Bloating Naturally

I know you’ve been there. . . flat stomach in the morning, not so flat by night. . .

If you haven’t, nice work! For the rest of us, let’s explore what we can do to avoid that uncomfortable feeling of a bloated stomach.

How to Get Rid of Bloating Naturally

Get into the Right State

What if the most important part of a healthy diet is not WHAT you eat, but rather HOW you eat it? This concept can be life changing when we fully understand that our eating experience plays a far bigger role in our health than the actual food we are eating.

Activities that Interfere with Digestion and Absorption of Nutrients

• Not cooking and preparing our own meals
• Eating while driving
• Eating while in front of the TV or computer
• Eating fast without paying attention to what you are eating
• Not chewing enough
• Drinking liquids at meal times

Do any of these sound Familiar? ?

Your body has to be in a relaxation response to absorb and use the nutrients you are eating- which it is not when you are eating in a rush, in front of a TV or computer, or in the car. Eating in a rushed state shuts down digestion leading to bloating, constipation, weight gain, low energy and no absorption of nutrients. You could be eating the healthiest food in the world, but if you eat while working, watching tv, or driving, you won’t absorb the amazing nutrients you are eating.

We can learn a lesson from the French. They set aside at least on hour for each meal, enjoying every taste and pleasure from it.

This may not be realistic at all times, but we can certainly be more intentional about slowing down to eat, knowing that the absorption of nutrients is dependent on it.

I have had clients that just focused on this one concept alone, and it completely changed their life. They did not even change their diet, they simply changed HOW they were eating and their metabolism, energy, and mood dramatically shifted!

Break down your food!

Most bloating is happening simply because we are not breaking down our food enough. So first, you must be in a relaxation response, then you need to properly break down what you are putting in your mouth. This happens by. . . CHEWING. So simple, yet how many of us really chew our food enough? If you knew your bloating could be eliminated by chewing more, maybe it would make you a bit more motivated to slow down and chew your food (a lot).

You can also stimulate enzymes that help break down your food before you eat by consuming a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or some digestive bitters.

Digestive Support

Let’s face it, sometimes you don’t have the luxury of sitting down, really chewing, and enjoying every meal (especially if you have little ones running around!).

For these times, I like to take extra digestive support so my food still gets broken down, even if I can’t be in the state to do it.

I like taking digestive enzymes or HCL before meals to provide my body what it needs to break down and assimilate the nutrients from the food. Try not to over-use these or take them at every meal so your body does not rely on them for digestion.

Gut-friendly lifestyle

Much of the bloating that is happening at this time in history is because most people have intestinal permeability, or leaky gut. If you have gut problems already, your body will have a hard time breaking down and assimilating your food.

Avoid things that harm the gut:

• non-organic animal products
• unfiltered water
• medication, antibiotics, and birth control
• rancid oils (vegetable, canola, corn)
• grains, beans, and nuts that have not been soaked or sprouted (learn how and why you want to do that here)
• most importantly, emotions like fear, anxiety, envy, anger

Include things that help your gut:

• anti-inflammatory diet
• fermented foods
• bone broth and collagen
• aloe vera and l-glutamine

Balance Your Hormones 

Ladies, is your body bigger for half of the month? This is because excess estrogen and cortisol cause the body to store water and salt leading to that unwanted bloat.

To treat hormonal bloating, it is best to follow a hormone balancing diet, take hormone balance supplements, and most importantly, detox your thought life as hormones are being created or destroyed based on the thoughts you are thinking.

Top tips to avoid bloating:

1. Set aside time for each meal- and allow your attention to be just on that- your meal.
2. Take 5 deep breaths before each meal.
3. Really focus on the tastes and sensations of the food.
4.  Chew until liquid.
5. If you know you are not going to be in a good state for digestion, take digestive enzymes or apple cider vinegar 10 minutes before the meal.
6.  Go for a short walk after each meal to help with digestion and metabolism. Especially if you have eaten a bit too much- if you do some gentle movement after the meal, your body will burn the food you ate instead of storing it as fat!
7. Do not drink liquids during a meal- this dilutes the digestives enzymes you need to digest and use the nutrients in your foods. Drink 15 minutes before a meal and wait 2 hours after a meal.
8. Try not to eat in an angry, worried, or rushed state.
9. Eat an anti-inflammatory, gut healing diet, and hormone balancing diet and lifestyle.