This is Part 2 of Peace Out, Bloat. Find Part 1 here.

I am so guilty of being a little naughty on the weekends, so I feel like I’m ALWAYS a little bloated on Mondays. You feel me?

I mean, it’s not like I totally throw in the towel, but drinks? Check. Dinner at home? Never. Sweating it out at the gym?….not as often as I’d like.

I feel like as I get older, too, my body just DOESN’T adjust the way it used to. Like if I change my routine up just a little, I can tell. It shows. And while I’m not one to really give a shit about a little bloat (trust me, been there, done that, so boring), it’s definitely kind of annoying. So I’ve developed some bloating tricks over the years to beat it…at least by Tuesday.

Again – if you are experiencing major bloating issues that seem really “off” to you or you’re constantly “puffy”….talk to your PCP. I mean, that’s just kind of a no-brainer.

OK, so let’s start with the quick bloating tips – the kind you need when you “just-woke-up-and-feel-like-marshmallow-man”. This is preeeetty common after all you can drink mimosas and late night Chinese food.

Quick Tips

• WATER, WATER, WATER. I don’t care how boring this tip is or how many times you’ve heard it. DRINK WATER. Like a minimum of 8 cups, but 16 (a whole gallon) is even better. And to up the ante –

• ADD LEMON AND ACV. 2 Tbsp lemon juice + 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or more) to every 4 cups of water. Get a big mason jar or huge water bottle and load it up. I also love to add fresh mint for flavor. All of these are super detoxifying and cleansing and will help tame the bloat.

• NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS OR DIET SODA. Just say no. And your beloved La Croix? Yep – causes bloat. Anything with carbonation will bloat you up. Just drink plain water.

• NO STARCHY CARBS FOR A DAY. Let the pasta, rice, bread and even potatoes go. But just for a day – don’t go overboard. It’ll just help release some of that extra water.

• NO BEANS.

• SWEAT IT OUT. It’s amazing what a good, sweaty workout will do for that bloat. Also, sit in the sauna or steam room – same effect.

• DRINK COFFEE. With heavy cream or make it Bulletproof – no nasty skim milk. It’s a natural, safe diuretic which will help you pee out some excess fluid.. plus it helps you poop. I know when I’m bloated most of the time I just need to ‘go’. Sorry.

• DRINK DIGESTIVE TEAS. A few include ginger, dandelion, aloe vera and fennel. Better yet? But some fresh ginger juice and add it to your lemon-apple cider vinegar-mint water cocktail.

Quick tips are great, but what about long-term? Taking care of your belly year round will prevent you from bloating as much in the short term, but it can also help you clear up underlying health issues you may be having that’s causing you to bloat in the first place.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR GUT

• TAKE A GOOD PROBIOTIC + L-GLUTAMINE. Good bacteria = a healthy gut = no bloat.

• GET ~25 g FIBER/DAY. This seems to be the golden amount for most people to keep it regular. Because guess what? Too much poo in you ——> BLOAT. I use 1/2 scoop-1 scoop of this Greens product to help (AND you can get 20% using MEGAN20) reach my fiber goals every day.

• EAT FERMENTED FOODS. Incorporate at least one fermented food daily – kombucha, kraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, apple cider vinegar. Your belly will thank you.

• REEVALUATE YOUR DIET. Did you get lazy? Start packing processed bars and meal replacement shakes because you’re too “busy” at work for real food? Toss them, and pop over to here to find real ‘fast’ food that will kill your bloating problem.

• DO AN ELIMINATION DIET. Dairy and gluten are frequent offenders for bloating. If you have an intolerance to one of these, your body hates you right now. Cutting them out for 30 days and slowly adding them back in will help you determine if either or both are an issue for you.

• And finally my favorite – SAY NO TO YO-YO DIETING. If you’re on major calorie restriction during the week and then drink/eat all the foods on the weekend, you are going to be bloated pretty much constantly. It’s not cool, your body doesn’t like it.

Are there any wild and crazy bloating tips and tricks that you do that I’m missing?? SPILL.

xMeganx