There are two ways to get a plank-hard stomach. You can work your abs relentlessly at the gym to get rid of the accumulated fat, or you can focus on why you keep feeling that bloated feeling.
Because while a bloated belly is physically uncomfortable, it can also affect you psychologically – because it makes you feel like you’ve gained weight when it may be due to the way your digestive system reacts. Luckily, however, there are solutions that will help you reduce this bloating and get a flatter stomach almost immediately.
We’ve consulted with several experts who have given us solutions that can help you combat this problem, although getting rid of belly bloat is more complicated than you might think. It can be due to the stress in your life and your diet, which you should try to change. There are also certain foods that increase the energy of the digestive system and can help you finally have a flatter stomach.
Eat slowly and chew more
Chew slowly. Our mothers used to tell us this when we were little and it is still true. If we chew slowly, in addition to savoring and enjoying the meal more, we will also educate our stomach to eat only what it needs. When we eat quickly, the message of satiety arrives later to our brain.
If your lifestyle has you eating in front of your computer without stopping to work… forget it! This habit can cause heavier digestion. That’s why experts recommend eating slowly and chewing each bite for at least 15-30 seconds. This way, the pieces of food are crushed and the enzymes in the mouth can begin to dissolve the nutrients. It also gives the body a chance to send a timely message to the brain that the stomach is full.
Review your food portion sizes
You need to check the amount of food in the portions you put in your dish. Many people say they can’t eat gluten even though they are not celiac because, in reality, it is not so much the pasta or bread that causes bloating, but the amount ingested. Ideally, you should eat a ration the size of your fist, according to experts.
Because if your diet is high in fermenting carbohydrates, such as bread or gluten-rich pasta, you may have too much gas in your digestive system. The ideal way to keep weight off is to eat protein along with carbohydrates because both are naturally mixed in food: Eating carbohydrates, protein and vegetables is not only the perfect combination to provide our body with all the nutrients it needs but, in addition, this diet will guarantee a healthy weight loss (fat loss and not muscle loss) if we control the volume of rations.
François Ordoyo, nutritionist expert, also points out that the accumulation of fat can be due to “poor regulation of certain hormones of fatty acids, abuse of sweets, pastries, deli meats or fried foods, as well as genetics and stress, which promote the formation of fat that is deposited on the abdomen.
Follow a diet with fermented foods
Fermented foods such as pro-biotics and pre-biotics promote the proliferation of intestinal flora and help you have a flatter sale. That’s why yoghurt, onions, artichokes and various fruits and vegetables cannot be missing from your fridge. In addition, tofu, tempeh and tamari can also help because of their richness in easily digested fito-estrogens, which additionally help your belly return to normal size.
Drink mint tea
Some studies show that mint infusions are very effective for digestion. If you have a bloated belly, mint will help your abdominal muscles relax and will not only be helpful in relieving your digestive problems, but also at the intestinal level. Add a few leaves to your water bottle or sugar-free lemonade.
Eat yogurt every day, in all its variations
One of the foods in your fridge has incredible properties. Besides helping you digest food, it will help you have a flatter stomach and strengthen your defenses. Fermented foods are a great help because they improve your digestion.
While everyone rushes to Kombucha, there is one product in your fridge that has incredible digestive properties: yogurt. It can not only help you digest food, but also help you get a flat stomach and strengthen your immune system.
Get rid of stress if you want a flat stomach
The gut and brain are connected through the vagus nerve, which is a kind of two-way street. That’s why gut bacteria can have a devastating effect on the brain if our gut is altered. And, conversely, our bodies will not be able to digest food properly if we are stressed, because all the blood flow intended to better digest food will go elsewhere.
In addition to poor diet and harmful habits, there are other factors such as stress, fatigue and lack of sleep that also influence the size of our belly. Because not only your intestine but other organs like the liver have more than 500 bodily functions (among others, fighting infections, neutralizing toxins, making proteins and hormones or controlling blood sugar).
When you are stressed, your body secretes cortisol, the hormone that produces energy and regulates the level of sugar in your blood. If the production of these hormones goes into overdrive, it can cause you to gain or lose weight, bloat your belly, impair your immune function, cause memory loss…
Foods that should always be in your fridge
If you want to have a flat stomach, bet on diet vegetables such as chard or peppers, on olive oil and on avocado which have a satiating effect. They are caloric but their monounsaturated fats help you lose belly fat. Whole grain cereals, red fruits and citrus fruits (grapefruit, strawberries, raspberries, lemon…) should not be missing at breakfast either, as well as small blue fish that help control the cravings for snacks and the amount of fat stored after meals.
Avoid salt and sugar and eat every 4 hours
Salt promotes fluid retention and accumulation in the stomach. As for sugar, besides the fact that it converts into fat, it has a high caloric content and makes you fat. If you can keep these foods away and out of your reach, you will ease your digestive system and feel less hungry at main meals.