The Best
Foods To Eat When You're Feeling Bloated
Here are six foods and drinks that help you bring your belly
back down to size.
·
Salmon
Jacek Chabraszewski/iStock/Thinkstock
If you're dealing with two or three pounds of
PMS water weight, choose salmon for your next meal. Women who took 2 grams of
an omega-3 fatty acid supplement per day -- about the amount found in a 3-ounce
fillet -- were significantly less bloated than those popping a placebo, reports
a 2013 study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Bonus: The
study also revealed omega-3s can boost PMS-associated mood problems. Feel good and happy.
·
Naturally
Fruity Water
Jaroslav74/iStock/Thinkstock
After dousing sushi in a little too much soy
sauce, the excess salt can leave you swollen. "Hydrating will help you
restore the fluid balance in your body to help you let go of extra water
weight," says Samantha Heller, MS, RDN, a senior clinical nutritionist at
NYU Langone Medical Center. If plain water sounds too boring, take a page from
your local spa and add chunks of melon, such as watermelon and cantaloupe, to
your glass. Then eat them -- they're chock full of water. The two fruits are
easily digestible, too, adds gastroenterologist Elizabeth Blaney, MD, clinical
assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Just stay
away from carbonated water, since the bubbles will add air to your belly and
make the problem worse.
·
Flaxseed
anakondasp/iStock/Thinkstock
When your trips to the bathroom get less
frequent, constipation may be to blame. But flaxseed can help act as a natural
laxative to
help you GI system work like it should. The tiny seeds are particularly good
because they're rich in insoluble fiber. Research indicates they may be even
better than psyllium husks (typically the go-to fiber supplement) for reducing
bloating and pain. These fiber-rich seeds add bulk to your stool, making it
easier for you to stay regular. Buy them ground and sprinkle a teaspoon in
smoothies, on oatmeal and in yogurt. Chase with lots of water.
·
Peppermint
Tea
Zsolt Simonyi/iStock/Thinkstock
Peppermint was all over the place in studies
late last year, so let's start with something less familiar. The herbal brew
"relaxes smooth muscles in the intestinal tract to ease discomfort and
help your body release trapped gas in your colon," says Blaney. In fact, in
a 2014 study on IBS patients, peppermint-oil capsules improved IBS symptoms and
abdominal pain better
than a placebo.
·
Fennel
lucia_lucci/iStock/Thinkstock
If you've ever eaten at an Indian restaurant,
you know that many offer a small bowl of fennel seeds after the meal. Fennel has long been used as a digestive aid, says Heller. It may help
increase digestive enzymes and help things move along your system to correct
reflux, bloating and gas, suggests research published in the International
Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. You can eat a few seeds if you
like the taste, cook with them for your next meal or brew a cup of fennel tea.
·
Yogurt
Yelena Yemchuk/iStock/Thinkstock
If you feel as if you've blown up like a
balloon, the culprit may be an imbalance of belly bacteria. "Research is
showing that shifting your bacterial profile may be helpful," says Blaney,
who sometimes recommends patients eat yogurt with live active cultures.
Research in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology examined
two specific strains of probiotics -- lactobacillus acidophilus and
bifidobacterium lactis -- and found they lessened the severity of abdominal bloating compared with a
placebo group within four weeks. Look for plain yogurt with active live
cultures on the label (or sip kefir, a drinkable yogurt) and mix in your own
fruit or honey for taste.
By Jessica Migala
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/foods-that-beat-bloating_n_6932706.html?ir=Healthy%20Living&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003
No comments:
Post a Comment