Life with a Twist by Mare_Petras

• Banish the Bloat

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  May1820125:31 p.m.

  “Chili represents your three stages of matter: solid, liquid, and eventually gas.”

  ~ quoted from Roseanne TV show (May 1992)

   

  In an attempt to keep up with the latest and greatest wellness news, I subscribe to at least a dozen health-related bulletins.  And around this time of year, much of the discussion centers on ways to get that coveted summer-ready, swimsuit-driven, super-flat belly.  Workouts vary and most are noteworthy. Indeed, my realbuzz colleague Suzanne Olson posted this week on the importance of smart fitness training as a strategy to ready your body for summer.

  What I find interesting (and often most confounding) however, are the diet tips. Just this week, I eagerly opened an email health tip entitled “Eat This to Flatten Your Belly Fast.” What’s the “this,” you ask?

  Beans!

  I can say with certitude, realbuzz friends, that legume loading does not hold the promise of a ‘flatter belly fast” for Mare. Before I don my swimwear, no hummus dip, black bean soup, and bean burritos – that is unless I want to don a muumuu over my suit.

   

  To Bean or Not to Bean

  Beans are the most common carbohydrate implicated in gas production. Raffinose, the indigestible carbohydrate present in beans (cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts), causes gas -- and an overabundance of gas causes bloat. All that said  intolerant bean-lovers, like me, do not have to completely avoid this healthful, fiber-rich food.  The trick is to start slow, eating only a half a cup or less at a time.

   

  According to Brigham and Women’s Hospital Senior Nutritionist Natalie Egan, other foods (besides beans, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts) bloat sufferers should avoid (or enjoy in moderation) include spicy, fried or fatty foods, uncooked onions, apple or prune juices, dried fruits, carbonated beverages, and anything containing sorbitol, mannitol, or maltitol (often found in sugar-free or low-carb foods). Bad news for diet-soda lovers: Not only are the bubbles a major bloat producer, the artificial sweeteners are difficult to digest.

  Another bloat-busting tip is to avoid swallowing air – which in turn can cause bloat.  Some air-swallowing behaviors include eating when upset (no more popcorn while watching Old Yeller), smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco, sipping beverages using a straw or sports bottle, drinking very hot or cold drinks, chewing gum or sucking hard candy, drinking from a water fountain, and eating too much in one sitting.

  Five Practical Bloat-Busting Lifestyle Habits

  1. Graze food: Consume smaller, more frequent meals.

  2. Eat Mindfully: Take smaller bites, chewing your foods slowly and well.

  3. Modulate Liquids: Drink beverages at room temperature and don’t overdo liquids at mealtime.

  4. Move More: Increase physical activity throughout your day to improve digestion.

  5. Sit up Straight: Avoid lying down for a post-meal nap; sit up or better yet take a light stroll.

  When pursuing a flatter belly, realbuzz friends, remember it’s not only about crunches. To banish the bloat, you must also address what you crunch on, how you crunch it, and how your body responds to it all.

  How about you realbuzz friends? What are your problem foods?

  Until next time . . . a bloat-fighting and (almost) summer-ready Mare

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  • Suzanne_Olson 'Great info., didn't realize that SO many foods cause bloating!' added 20th May 2012

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