You Aren’t Fat, Your Stomach Is Just Bloated – 8 Ways To Get Rid Of That Bloated Belly

There’s nothing worse than having a nice dress you’d like to wear, but not being able to zip it up because you’re too bloated. 

Reasons for bloating can include:

Overeating

Eating fatty foods


And though sometimes the culprit is obvious–remember eating burritos, french fries, burgers, and ice-cream?–other causes are not as apparent.


So here’s a list of things you can avoid doing–or start doing–to avoid getting bloated throughout the day.

Consume more potassium – it counters some of the side effects of the salt if you consume it a lot. Try eating bananas, tomatoes, melons, citrus fruits, and asparagus.

Drink 8 glasses of water each day – it will help waste flush out of your body.

Coffee can also help. It adds bonus of contracting your colon and will help you to go.

Drink peppermint tea – it alleviates gas by relaxing the digestive tract and boosting normal peristalsis.

Don’t eat too fast – Eating quickly can cause air swallowing–which leads to bloating. 

Keep in mind that digestion starts in the mouth, and chewing your food more can go a long way in this department.

Stop drinking carbonated drinks – the gas in these drinks traps gas in your stomach, thus replace it with flavored water using cucumber, lime, or lemon.

Stop chewing gum –  This leads to swallowing air, which can cause bloating.

If you have the need to be chewing something, try sucking on a piece of hard candy or eat lower-fat popcorn.

Read food labels – if you buy processed, canned, or frozen food, make sure there is no more than 500 mg of sodium per serving as it provokes bloating.

Stop it before it starts –  Cutting excess salt can go a long way when it comes to bloating. Drinking three liters of water a day also helps when avoiding excess salt to prevent water retension.