For a lot of people who want to or need to lose weight, the main focus is on losing the surplus fat in the abdominal area. However, sometimes, we think that we have a big belly with a lot of fat when in fact we are struggling with bloating.
To learn more about the differences between bloating and abdominal fat, continue reading the article.
Bloating vs. Abdominal Fat
According to The Hearty Soul, not every big belly is caused by excess fat, but it may be a result of bloating. This is a condition characterized by a deposit of gases, fluids, and air in the abdominal area. As a result, the belly swells and thus, makes this part of the body rather prominent.
A bloated belly does not necessarily mean that you have surplus fat in this area. This being said, you need to apply the right methods so that you can get rid of the bloating once and for all.
Want to learn how to stop bloating? No worries, check out the 5 tips shown below.
5 Tips How to Decrease Bloating
- Watch out the dairy consumption
A lot of people have problems with dairy consumption, i.e. they are more sensitive to it than others. And, as a result, they may experience numerous digestive problems when they eat dairy products in excessive amounts. Why we are lactose-intolerant? In most cases, the stomach cannot efficiently digest the lactose present in dairy and thus, begins to bloat. Therefore, if you happen to eat a lot of dairy, try and minimize it and see whether there is any improvement in the belly region or not.
- What about gluten?
One does not have to be gluten-intolerant to experience bloating after consuming bread or other wheat-based foods. However, the bloating in gluten-intolerant individuals is more extreme. And, it is often followed by gases and other digestive issues. If you think that gluten may be the cause for your bloating, reduce the intake of foods like pasta, cereals, and bread.
- Balance your salt intake
When you eat a lot of salt, your stomach may begin to retain water and thus, cause bloating. To prevent this from happening, try to minimize your salt consumption.
- Slow down
Eating fast is a significant contributor to bloating. This is why you need to slow down and chew the food you eat more. When we eat fast, our body is unable to signal the brain and inform it that you are full and thus, you end up overeating and making things more difficult for the digestive organs. The undigested food in your stomach further causes expansion in the belly area. And, when we eat fast, we can easily bloat because we breathe in a lot of air whenever we swallow and thus, pump the belly with air and trigger more bloating. This being said, on your next meal, try to reach the recommended 40-chews per mouthful of food and put down your fork after 3 or 4 bites and make a short break before you continue.
- Manage your stress levels
Did you know that excessive stress can cause your belly to bloat? What’s more, stress is generally bad for the whole digestive system. When the secretion of stress hormones elevates, a lot of changes take place in the body. The body now starts to focus on the stress management rather than on the digestion and thus, result in bloating and other digestive issues. By affecting the blood flow to the gut and mucus production, stress easily causes the belly to bloat. This being said, adopt a better approach to stress management, for example, do yoga or meditate on a regular basis. See if this decreases your bloating.
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