How To Reduce Stomach And Face Bloating

October 1, 2019

How did you wake up this morning? Happy? Sad? Bloated? Don’t worry we’ve all been there. Truthfully, if I started naming the foods
that make me bloated, we’d be here all day. It’s one of the most common gastric problems
out there. Although there’s no standard way to define
and measure bloating, one can describe it as a state of tension and increased pressure
in the abdomen coupled with excessive gas. While bloating is no fun, there’s a difference
in what causes facial and stomach bloating. Today bestie will tell you why you might experience
bloating and some simple hacks to deal with it. So, let’s start with the facial bloating
or puffiness. Facial Bloat
We’ve all stood in front of the mirror in the morning looking like an inflated balloon. Facial bloating is the puffiness you usually
see on your face when you wake up. You have gravity to thank for some of that. Since you were just sleeping, this bloating
could be your face readjusting to the pressure. Besides that, there are 2 major reasons for
that morning moon-face look. Number 1: Dehydration
It’s a common belief that drinking too much water can make you puff up. Ever hear of water retention? While that can happen, it’s probably not the
cause of your morning facial puffiness. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite. When the body is left with very little water,
like any other smart machine, it tries to preserve what’s left. This retention usually starts in the face. If you tend to sleep without any water breaks,
it’s common to get mildly dehydrated and wake up with facial bloating. To preserve the water, the body first tries
to reduce the excretion of water in the form of urine. Instead of throwing water outside the body,
it is reabsorbed. In addition to that, with this buildup of
fluid in the tissue, blood vessels become enlarged, which gives you that swollen face
look. Even though water retention might sound like
a perfect plan, it isn’t. Less water output also leads to less removal
of water-soluble waste compounds like Urea. Which leads us to the second reason for face
bloating. Number 2: Sodium Buildup
Sodium is the second biggest culprit for your baggy face. Our regular diet is plagued with high levels
of sodium. But don’t jump to conclusions and start
using a low-salt diet straight away. In-fact the problem is not salt at all. Sodium is highly osmotic which basically means
that it needs water along with it to keep the osmotic pressure in check. In a healthy individual, this property of
sodium is kept under control by two means. One, by excretion of excessive sodium by the
kidneys and two, by balancing ions like Potassium and Magnesium. If these counter-acting ions are present in
a low amount, sodium becomes ‘unopposed’. This unopposed sodium in the form of iodized
salt is the real issue. Sodium in this form draws more water in the
bloodstream and increases the volume of body fluids. Which then puts more pressure on blood vessels. The best way to deal with it is to start using
Himalayan salt instead of iodized as it contains minerals other than sodium as well. You can also flush the sodium by increasing
your potassium intake. For regular adults, an intake of about 3000
mg of potassium is recommended daily. Potassium controls the effect sodium has on
the body and relaxes the blood vessels. You’re probably wondering about the ways
you can shoot up these potassium levels in your diet. So, we have a simple hack for you. A commonly available kitchen ingredient called
may be your best source for potassium. Also called potassium hydrogen tartrate, it
can provide a bioavailable form of potassium. So go for a teaspoon of cream of tartar in
a glass of water rather than potassium supplements. Just a spoonful will be enough to give u about
495 mg of potassium. Pretty amazing, right? Now, let’s move onto what causes stomach
bloating. Stomach Bloating
Stomach bloating has causes than face bloating. It generally happens when there’s an overgrowth
of bacteria in the large intestine or if your colon flora is having difficulty breaking
down certain foods. A clean colon is a must to avoid the accumulation
of gas in your gastrointestinal tract. The best part is, that it’s pretty simple
to do colon cleansing naturally by using some easy home remedies. These remedies usually need some easily accessible
ingredients and can be made part of your daily routine. To learn some of these, watch our video on,
“5 Home Remedies for Natural Colon Cleansing” linked below. There are some foods that can be hard for
your intestinal flora to digest. These foods are usually high in “FODMAP”,
an acronym that stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. Examples of such foods are cruciferous vegetables
like Kale, Broccoli and Cabbage. These foods contain high levels of insoluble
fibres and sugar called Raffinose, for which we have no digestive enzyme. In the absence of this alpha-galactosidase
enzyme which is required for breaking Raffinose, it just passes through the digestive tract,
unbroken. Once undigested molecules like these land
in the colon, they are fermented by bacteria there. This releases much-hated gas, which contains
hydrogen as well as methane. So, what’s the best way to deal with it? Cooking food can definitely break down some
complex fibres, but complex saccharides like s remain unaffected. So the best thing to do is to ferment such
foods before using them, and it’s easy to do. All you have to do is make is a brine solution. Take about half a gallon of water and add
3-6 tablespoons of good sodium salt like Himalayan salt along with 2 tablespoons of apple cider
vinegar in it. Submerge your broccoli or other cruciferous
vegetables in this solution for about 48 hours. This will initiate the fermentation process
to break down the troublesome Raffinose. Fermentation will pre-digest any other complex
sugars as well and will provide the body with probiotic microorganisms. This way you’ll be able to get ahead of
those foods that may cause uncomfortable bloating before you eat them. Consider these tips and tricks, so that next
time, when we ask how you woke up, your response is… “Flawless”. Do you ever have to deal with bloating? What kind of food bloats your stomach and
face the most? Let us know in the comment section below.

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