Summer is the worst time of year to feel bloated, as you try to fit into swimsuits and clothes that feel good in the heat.
And yet, it’s also a time when we often eat in a way that leads directly to more bloating, whether it’s from vacation foods, backyard BBQs, or cold summer sweet treats like ice cream!
So if you’re feeling bloated, follow these steps to cure the bloat and keep it from coming back.
- Rehydrate with alkaline water.
This might seem counterintuitive, because most people think when they are bloated, they are carrying around excess water. In fact, the opposite is often true.
Bloating is a sign of dehydration.
The first thing to do if you’re feeling bloated is to drink a tall glass of alkaline water with lemon or lime slices. Trying to stay better hydrated all the time will improve bloating if you’re feeling it regularly.
Tip – don’t drop the entire lemon or lime slice in the water, only the fresh juice (unless it’s organic, otherwise you don’t know if there are any pesticides, herbicides, or GMOs that you’ll want to avid).
- Cut out gluten and dairy foods.
Now as you know, I’m a big believer in moderation, not deprivation! So I normally don’t tell you to completely cut out whole categories of food.
But often, making this one simple shift in the way you’re eating will make a world of difference if you find you are commonly bloated.
Both dairy products and foods with gluten clog up the digestive track, leaving your stomach gassy and bloated. And if you’re sensitive to either of them, both being foods that many people have intolerances or allergies to, you’re likely to feel bloated for days at a time after consuming either of them.
Try removing them from your diet and see how you feel after about a week.
Gluten make up a HUGE portion of the total acid load in your body, IF you are consuming them. That number on average for people is 33%, so whether you eat gluten products OR abstain, it’s enough to weigh the scale in either direction of you being alkaline or acidic!
- Eat more fruits and veggies.
If you’ve cut out dairy and gluten foods, what are you going to eat instead? Delicious smoothies, salads made with romaine, spinach, and kale, watercress, and other fruits and vegetables that help stop bloating like:
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Avocado
- Coconut meat, water, and milk
- Fennel
- Drink tea.
Ginger root tea has the effect of relieving stomach inflammation and releasing extra fluid the body is holding onto because of a sodium imbalance. Add some turmeric to it, and you will have one of the most powerful Detox Tea that is also highly alkalizing to your body.
- Add probiotics.
Because bloating can stem in part from an imbalance of bacteria in your gut, add in a good probiotic supplement. Always buy the refrigerated brands – they are higher quality and refrigeration keeps the moisture out, which in turn, creates a larger number of healthy bacteria so they can get into your digestive tract and fight the bad bacteria.
- Reduce sweeteners.
Both sugar and artificial sweeteners are highly acidic and will increase bloating, so try to cut out or at least reduce foods with added sugars, no-calorie sweeteners (the most acidic ingredient on the planet) and high fructose corn syrup.
Sugars contribute to a bacteria imbalance in the gut, while artificial sweeteners are hard or impossible for most of us to digest.
- Drink Aloe Vera juice.
Have you ever tried drinking aloe vera juice? It helps with all kinds of digestive complaints, not just bloating.This is the last step to try once you’ve done the 6 steps above, so your bloating will probably be long gone before you get to this step. Make sure you buy decolorized, purified aloe vera juice meant for human consumption and then store it in the refrigerator.
Bonus bloating prevention! Take Alkamind daily supplements.
By adding AlkaMind Daily Greens and AlkaMind Daily Minerals to your daily routine, you’ll be clearing out digestive back up and ensuring you’re getting enough calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium bicarbonate to neutralize any acid that has built up in your system.
Whether you need to follow the other 7 steps to stop bloating or not, this step is essential to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Stock up on Daily Minerals and Daily Greens now!
