What to add and subtract from your diet to look and feel slimmer in less than a week. If belly bulge is sapping your body confidence, don't despair. The reason for your puffy midsection may well be bloat, not fat. That's because one of the worst culprits for this problem-a slow digestive system-is common among women over age 40. However, exciting research now suggests you can get your digestion moving and beat bloat with a few easy menu and lifestyle tweaks. Put all of these ideas into effect right now, and you should be flatter, sexier, and fitting comfortably into your clothes in less than a week.
Add 2 Kinds of Fiber
Start the day with a better breakfast
Why it beats bloat: Constipation distends your belly, and one easy way to get rid of it is by starting your day with a breakfast cereal that guarantees your body a daily dose of fibre.Breakfast as the name suggests, is breaking the night-long fast. A fibre-rich, healthy breakfast helps kick start the basal metabolic rate of the body (the rate at which heat is produced by an individual in the resting state.Fibre gets the digestive system moving within a day or so and keeps it that way. Based on a recent study of breakfast cereals, University of Toronto researchers say that consuming two kinds of fibre at once is most effective. The two types work together to pull water into your colon and speed up elimination. Fibre, unfortunately, is often missing from most Indian diets. Ideally, we should consume 30-35 g daily, including soluble and insoluble fibre. However,most of us probably end up eating only 15-20 g in a day. Bridging the gap and eating more fibre will make you look and feel lighter.
Good food fix: Eat 1 bowl (150-200ml) of milk and cereal, made of oats and wheat (mixed in equal proportion); or you can opt for one slice of wholewheat bread with a bowl of salad with 50 g of boiled beans, cucumber, carrot, tomatoes tossed with 1tap ground flax-seeds.
Subtract Sodium
Put down the shaker
Why it beats bloat: Sodium makes you certain water, puffing up your belly. Most Indians consume 8 g of salt on an average, according to a National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau survey;as opposed to WHO recommendation of 5 g salt or 2 g sodium a day.
Good strategies: Stop salting your food at the table, use herbs like mint and basil for seasoning instead. Check sodium content on the labels of packaged foods like pickles, ready-to-eat food and sauce.
Add: Potassium-Rich Food
Banish bloat with bananas
Why it beats bloat: Foods rich in potassium, such as bananas and potatoes, help your body get rid of excess water weight, minimizing your middle. Water retention is common when sodium and potassium (minerals that control the amount of water in your body) levels get disturbed. When your sodium levels too high, your tissues hold on to fluid. You can restore your sodium-potassium equilibrium by increasing your potassium intake to an optimum 4,700 mg per day. To do this you need to eat about 4 1/2 cups of produce daily, including the especially rich sources that are mentioned here. As you re-balance your system, you'll flash out the extra sodium along with the water, presto: Less puffiness.
Food is a safe source of potassium, but supplements are not. They can cause potassium to build in your body and potentially lead to abnormal heart rhythms and even heart attack, especially in people with kidney or heart problems.
Good food fixes: 1 medium baked potato with skin, 1 medium banana, 1 medium papaya, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup cooked spinach, 1 medium orange.
Subtract: Sugar Alcohols
Watch out for these diet food belly buster
Why it beats bloat: We don't completely digest these low-cal sweeteners (found in flavored waters and low-carb, diabetic and sugar-free foods). Bacteria in the large intestine ferment them, causing gas and even diarrhoea.
Why it beats bloat: We don't completely digest these low-cal sweeteners (found in flavored waters and low-carb, diabetic and sugar-free foods). Bacteria in the large intestine ferment them, causing gas and even diarrhoea.
Good Strategy: Check food labels to help avoid them; common ones are sarbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and lacital.
Add: More Fluids
Guzzle more liquids through-out the day
Why it beats bloat: Drinking enough liquid supports the other ways you're trying to flatten your tummy. When there's enough fluid present in your system, the dual-fibre cereal you have eaten is better able to pull liquid into your lower intestine and ease constipation. Women who don't drink sufficient fluids can get t
hat blown-up belly feeling, despite all their other efforts to get rid of it.
How much fluid do you need? Getting rid of bloat means being well-hydrated, so aim for at least 8 glasses of fluids each day, plus plenty of fluid-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. You can meet your quota with any liquid, including water, milk and fresh fruit/vegetable juice-though not alcohol, which has a dehydrating effect on your system.
Good fluid fix: Water is an excellent option because it has no calories, salt, sugar, or additives.
Subtract: Candy, Soda, Gum
Avoid these bubble-inducing belly bloaters
Why it beats bloat: Once air from any source reaches your digestive system, you experience it as gas and a distended belly. Eating or drinking quickly, sipping through a straw, sucking hard candy, and chewing gum can make you swallow air.
Good strategies: When eating, chew slowly with your mouth closed. Trade carbonated drinks for flat ones, such as fresh juice or water, and lose the gum and candies.
Add: Yogurt with Probiotics
Enjoy this cool, creamy treat for better digestion
Why it beats bloat: Imbalance of bacteria in your gut can cause your digestive system to slow down and your belly to puff up. However, yogurts that contain live bacteria, otherwise known as probiotics, can help. Bacteria seem to tame tummy bloat by causing an improvement in intestinal mobility, thereby relieving constipation.
Subtract: Raw Produce
Cook these foods to shrink your stomach
Why it beats bloat: Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy, but they're also high-volume foods that take up room in your stomach, distending it.
Good strategies: Spread fresh produce consumption over the day, so at any sitting you're not eating more than one-third of the recommended daily total of 4 1/2 cups. You can also shrink produce by cooking it, creating a more compact serving.
Sources of Soluble & Insoluble Fibre
Soluble Fiber Insoluble Fiber
Oatmeal Wholewheat
Oat bran Bread
Nuts and seeds Barley
Legumes Couscous
Beans Brown rice
Dried peas Bulgar
Lentils Wheat bran
Apples Carrots
Pears Cucumbers
Strawberries Zucchini
Blueberries Tomatoes
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