Putting the Kibosh on the Infamous Tummy Bloat

Putting the Kibosh on the Infamous Tummy Bloat
Written By: Katie Morra, MS, RD, CDN
The warm weather is on the horizon, which means, bathing suit season is just around the corner.
Many of you are wondering how do I get rid of this perpetual winter bloat I carry around year after year?
Maybe you’re wondering if you have actually gained this much weight and you’re secretly hoping that your
clothes just suspiciously shrank? It is time to consider the real possible offender: inflammatory foods. Let’s
break down the way these inflammatory foods work within your body.
As you eat large amounts of inflammatory foods, it triggers your body’s level of cytokines
(extremely inflammatory proteins) to increase as a protective mechanism in keeping your body in a state
of health. These proteins act as a red flag for your body to fight off a foreign invader. This occurs just as
any other foreign danger is identified within the body, signaling by the inflammatory response- only this
time it is expressed as the bloating you see around your gut!
A key way to combat the dreaded gut bloating is to avoid or eliminate all pro- inflammatory foods.
Many of the main triggers of inflammation are artificial sweeteners, refined flours, refined sugars, trans
fats, and excess amounts of omega-6 fatty acids such as corn oil and soybean oil. These foods lack
the health benefits that you should be seeking on a daily basis and many are found in processed foods and
fast food chain items.
Another key component in reducing gut inflammation
is to make sure you eat enough anti-inflammatory foods to
counter-act the damage being done by inflammatory foods.
The goal to this is making sure that your diet consists of
enough omega-3 fatty acids such as fish and/or fish oil,
walnuts, chia and flax seeds, as well as sufficient fiber
everyday. A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, fruits,
vegetables, nuts and legumes is a great start to working
towards a healthier you. A proper balance between
omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids is essential
in the diet. A few anti-inflammatory food choices that you
may want to pick up at the grocery store on your next trip
are; berries, walnuts, almonds, avocados, salmon, herring, and flax seed.
Cooking your own meals this summer allows you to make wise food choices, as well as providing you
with an opportunity to play around with different herbs and spices that you may have never used
before. Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, garlic and basil are all excellent, naturally occurring
anti-inflammatory agents.
Now that you have a few keys to success, you have the power to feel better and eliminate some of
that unwanted bloating this summer. Remember, you are what you eat, so why eat foods that lead to
bloating? Take charge of your body and vitality today!