Uncomfortable gas? Unwanted bloating? In this article, we’ll fill you in on a few things you are probably doing that are causing it – and how to get rid of it!
First, let’s not confuse a full stomach with bloat. Your stomach naturally expands from morning to evening. Also, occasional bloating is normal, especially if you have recently upped your fiber intake or are eating lots of cruciferous veggies.
But if you are experiencing excess bloat, sharp belly pains and your stomach is hard or painfully distends – it’s time to look at your lifestyle!
Here are 5 things that could be causing you to bloat, plus some tips to help reduce it!
1. Stop Stressing Out: Stress can interfere with hormone and neurotransmitter balance creating an environment where food isn’t properly digested. Excess stress also stimulates the body’s “fight or flight” response, increasing cortisol production and impacting your gut lining. And if that’s not reason enough to keep your stress levels low – over 90% of the body’s serotonin (your “happy” hormone) is in your gut! So is about 50% of dopamine (your feel-good hormone). Your gut is home to your second brain. It knows when you are stressed, and bloating is often its way of telling you that you need to chill out!
2. Cut Down On Processed Foods & Artificial Sweeteners: Many processed foods are high in sodium. This doesn’t necessarily cause “bloating” but can cause your body to retain water and lead you to temporarily swell. Many processed foods are also high in saturated fat. Fat is much slower to digest than protein and carbs. When it comes to sweets, sugar is hard for many people to digest, and artificial sweeteners (like sucralose, sorbitol and aspartame) are even worse! They can’t be digested at all and can wreak havoc on your gut microbiome! Exactly why all of our products at Inno contain ZERO sucralose, artificial sweeteners, fillers or harmful additives.
3. Eat Slower & Chew Your Food: When you scarf down your food, not only are you swallowing a ton of air, you aren’t giving your body time to realize that it is full (satiety signals can take up to 20 minutes to reach the brain) leading you to overeat – both of which lead to bloating. Also, the mouth is the first stage of digestion. Food gets broken down into smaller particles when you chew properly, making it easy to digest. Chewing your food also creates saliva, which contains digestive enzymes.
4. Drink Plenty Of H2O: Better hydration = better digestion = reduced bloating! Water helps food travel down your GI tract, breaks down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients, and helps soften stool, which helps prevent constipation that leads to gas and stomach bloat. And while it may seem counterintuitive, drinking a lot of water may help reduce bloat by ridding the body of excess sodium. When your body gets the hydration it needs, it can let go of the water it doesn’t.
5. Naturally detox your gut with Inno Cleanse: Most people don’t focus enough on gut health in general, leading to toxic build-up and an unhealthy gut microbiome. If you never address the root cause of your bloating, it will always come back! We have a science-backed, doctor-approved cleanse that arms you with EVERYTHING you need to transform your gut and overall health. It’s called Inno Cleanse— a powerful yet gentle digestive aid formulated with natural ingredients for:
✓ Digestive system support
✓ Flushes out pounds of waste and toxic
✓ Reduced bloating
✓ Improves energy levels and mood
✓ Hunger regulation
Try implementing these 5 simple tips, and in only a matter of days, we guarantee you will notice a significant improvement!
