Food swaps to minimize bloat

Note: this is not meant to be a diet. It’s a list of things to avoid if, say, you have a night out in a sexy dress coming up and you want to look fantastic in it. The site recommends eating this way for 4 days beforehand. But as a general rule, I avoid sodas, most fried foods, sugar substitutes and chewing gum on a daily basis anyway.

Reduce your salt intake: it causes you to retain water.
Avoid carbonated beverages: those bubbles make your belly bloat up.
Swap whole grain for refined grains & reduce the amount of breads/pastas/cereals you ingest: unless you work out vigorously, your body doesn’t need that kind of fuel and will turn it into fat.
Cook your veggies: eating them raw takes up more space in your digestive track, making your belly look bigger.
Skip spicy foods: they cause more stomach acid, which irritates stomach lining.
Don’t chew gum: it makes you swallow air.
Avoid fried foods: this one is just a no-brainer.
Watch out for gas-causing foods: Legumes, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, peppers and citrus fruits.
Skip sugar substitutes: your body can’t digest them and they cause many types of GI irritations.
Be careful of acidic drinks: Alcohol, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and acidic fruit juices all irritate the GI and can cause bloat.

(Source: prevention.com)

07/13/11 at 9:04am

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Food swaps to minimize bloat