By Zethu Zwane
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First Disclaimer that needs to be said it’s really true that the only time your body starts holding onto stubborn fat is around 30! That means if you’re 18 to 27 years old please enjoy your body! Change your eating, sleeping habits, but really enjoy your body! I never understood why my friend’s mom always said this, but now I understand.
She would always tell us not to be insecure about your body because it only starts being stubborn after 30. Now I get it. Among my social groups of people 30 and above, everyone is complaining about that stubborn stomach pooch, or fuppa as many call it these days. Instead of always thinking you’ve gained actual weight, your feelings of bloating can be a result of other factors.
Bloating is the result of many lifestyle factors. One of the best ways to tell whether you’ve gained fat or bloating is you’ll feel immediately full when eating and drinking. You’re most likely bloated whenever you feel full right as you’re eating. You should feel reassured that it’s not excess fat. This is because addressing your bloated stomach is easier than addressing physical weight gain.
Firstly your body’s changes are natural
Bloating can be a result of your lifestyle or physiological changes. This includes hormonal changes or turning 30! Just kidding; however, turning a certain age has more to do with the physiological changes associated with your general body.
For one you need to start taking cholesterol tests, diabetes among others once you turn 25. This is due to the body’s changes that can start to show and influence your general health. Since cardiovascular diseases are on the rise, it benefits you more to take these general health tests with a registered practitioner. Another physiological changes you’ll experience after 30 is your bone mass stops producing calcium.
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That means in order to produce calcium, many registered practitioners like the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health advice you on certain foods and exercise. Your bone mass reduces after 30, so really 30 is your year to evaluate you entire life! One suggested solution from the American Journal of Physiology is to exercise in order to increase your calcium production.
Making Wellness a Lifestyle
Yet that goes without saying, both food and regular movement is needed for optiumum health. The so called pounding of your bones whether in aerobics class or weights room encourages your body produce calcium. So it’s only natural that your body will change.
However instead of fussing about all these internal body changes, make it a lifestyle change. That means fiber should be in your daily intake, and not reserved for when there’s a wedding. And you shouldn’t avoid fruits, just because of sugar.
Certain fruits are pivotal to protecting your motor and brain function, so why eliminate them. Your body also benefits tremendously from solvable and insoluble fibers; they bring optimum health. Unless of course you allergic then eliminate only what a registered practitioner advises.
Nonetheless the other reasons for bloating is stress, anxiety, poor food choices or lack of fiber. The other reasons is sleep patterns and how much water you drink among other reasons. Considering all these factors into your health goals, we’ve got you a free fiber rich meal plan for you to download below. But here’s some every day changes you can make now.
The smallest changes led to the biggest & best results
In a previous article on how to get glowing skin, the the number 1 solution you need is drinking water. Another article on bouncing back to a healthy life, water plays a major role in your wellness. Again not lemon and coffee. However let’s refresh your memory on why water is Key to a flatter stomach today.
Firstly drinking water right when you wake up helps to clean your lymphatic system. In the bounce back to health article, it’s noted your lymphatic system is the water of life. A clean system will show on your face, body and skin. Stressed Skin reflects your poor diet, missing nutrients, digestive issues or lifestyle schedule.
An unclean lymphatic system also reduces your immunity. It’s not called the water of life for nothing! As a result drinking plain water no lemons or coffee cleanses your body. Not only water, but anti inflammatory foods and drinks will boost your wellness greatly. The lymphatic system is washing your every cell and vein all night as you slept. Consequently in the mornings it needs to flush all that out.
Drinking room temperature cool glass of water in the morning assists with the cleaning of your entire body. The Medical News Today advises drinking water around 16c degrees for optimum health. They also encourage you to drink warm water for added benefits. Admittedly it’s hard, especially if you need a good coffee to wake you up, but your skin glow will thank you later.
Set realistic timeline to change your eating habits
Now you know the importance of coupling water with Fiber rich foods. You’ll also see changes in bloating and overall health when you do this first thing in the morning. Again this is only in consideration as as overall healthy lifestyle. Don’t expect changes if you’ll drink 6 cups of coffee and end your day with 3 glasses of wine every night.
Yes it looks absolutely cool on Scandal, but dunking wine every night with fried foods won’t give you glowing skin. Water won’t help you there. However work towards small steps until you’re eating and living a healthier lifestyle. Consider which meals you can change now and work toward changing all your meals and snacks over a 12 week period.
When you set a realistic timeline like 12 weeks, you’ll experience and see better results. I believe it’s okay to treat yourself once a week, so you do binge eat. Change your mindset around eating greatly helps in your transion to living intuitively.
The second lifestyle change you’ll want to make is balancing increased fiber anti inflammatory foods to heal your gut and digestive tack.
Don’t neglect anti inflammatory foods
That’s because your bloating also leads to a puffy face on some occasions. All this swelling needs you to address it with anti inflammatory foods. It’s also advisable to choose natural fibers over opposed to synthetic fibers. Reason being who knows how synthetic fibers change your body’s hormones. So it’s for your own good to reach for more natural fibers.
Another fiber rich food great for bloating is mangoes and bananas. I learned this from body building. A mango and banana smoothie in the mornings will also ignite your body to cleanse. The potassium source in both fruits will aid in regulating your digestion. However, the best vegetable I got from my bodybuilding community is beans and legumes.
Pair these cleansing foods with healing herbs. Certain herbs are an excellent source to healing your gut while cleansing you daily. By Living a life that includes naturally cleansing foods, you’ll avoid the pressure to try look good for a date or any special occasion.
Instead adding beans, ginger, turmeric, coconut, cilantro or parsley will give you that daily boost your system needs. It’s so easy to bounce back into a flowing comfortable body. It just needs these small changes.
Legumes will fight the bulge
Here’s a couple of reasons legumes are your defense againy a big or bloated tummy. One they are slow sugars ,so release energy at a lower rate allowing you to feel full for longer hours. Secondly one cup can account for half of your daily recommended fiber intake.
Women are suppose to take around 20-25g of fiber per day and men up to 30 grams per day. This is why I’m all for creating recipes where you can add beans. Since beans also take long to cook, having a precooked batch in the freezer will save you time.
In comparison to other foods, legumes have the highest content of fiber making them the ideal choice. They’re great for any time of day, and you can make bean burger patties among other recipes. Finally some legumes have carbohydrates inhibiting qualities, making them ideal if you’re shredding or in a weightloss program.
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My pinterest no more bloating recipe board is full of anti-inflammatory recipes including legumes, that’s just how much I love their benefits! They kept my belly tight and regulated. Something has to beat the bulge from turning 30! Only set back is beans are an incomplete nutrient, so make sure you double down on high nutrient foods like spinach, onions that will boost the value of beans.
Power up Your Meals with the Right Nutrient Combinations
Essentially that’s how you should be eating. Pairing herbs, healing spices and foods that boost their nutrient value will help you truly see the medicinal benefits of the foods you eat. That’s because food is the original pharmacy, so learning how to pair the right foods will boost your health while reducing bloating.
A smoothie that I will endorse is the lemon, ginger and pineapple smoothie. I’m against the lemon and coffee solution because of how it affects your alkaline levels, but the ginger, lemon and pineapple drink does the oppose.
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Ginger is another potent herb with high medicinal properties. Not only does it heal a leaky gut, it also soothes the lining reducing swelling. The reason why you feel uncomfortable with bloating is how it makes you look puffy and big when thast all air! Frustrating right, but that’s why ginger is phenomenal.
Again this is the reason why we favor water in the morning, and coupling your water intake with a ginger smoothie only brings added benefits to your overall health. Follow my pinterest page if you’re interest I more food pairings for increased health and wellness.
Bone Broth is the Healer of All Guts
Bone broth is the source of life! Okay only when church moms make that yummy chicken and lime soup! I could drink it all day. Bone broth from boiled fresh chicken, beef or vegetables has strong medicinal properties helping to heal your gut, repair your gut lining and your digestion. If you’ve taken too many pills trying to heal your stomach bloat, you’ll need a good bone broth.
Again I have many recipes on how you can use the liquid from the bone broth as the foundation to all any any of your soups. This will help you heal from a leaking guy or bad stomach problems. Now if you experience severe stomach issues, always seek the help of a registered doctor. The advice here are tips, but nothing beats a doctor.
That’s because stress or hormonal balance could be the reason for your bloated stomach. Prolonged feelings of stress leads to mild or severe depression. And your gut is closely related to increasing or reducing those feelings. That’s why it’s important for you to consider any of these tips along side the advice of a registered doctor.
Nonetheless bone broth is perfect for a slow cooker. Especially if you’re busy, boil your chicken on one of these Saturdays and collect the soup into bottles that you can put in the freezer. Then whenever you make a soup, just throw one cubicle of bone broth into the base of your soups. Talk about regularly healing and helping your lymph system stay glowing.
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These lifestyle changes are not drastic. Okay except for water first thing in the morning, but they’re worth it! It’s a matter of choosing one small food from this list to see drastic and powerful changes in your stomach. These tips are also reassuring because you might think you’ve gained fat, when all you need is a diet change or addition.
Begin today with the glass or water, so when those changes give you confidence add high fiber foods Iike beans and bone broth for a powerful lifestyle change to your daily routine.
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