I hit an all time frustration high a few months back and decided to try and tackle this daily dilemma!
Please tell me I am not alone here.
Like clock work I would wake at 7AM feeling like a svelte tight tummy teenager and by 3PM I looked like I was three months pregnant! There were days when I felt so uncomfortable that my elastic hugging lululemons were even starting to squeeze me tight!
Sick and tired of feeling like FRUMPTY DUMPTY, I started to play around with eliminating the usual suspects from my diet like dairy and gluten. Surprise, surprise this helped a bit! I also decided to seek some professional help and sought out a naturopath doctor for some food allergy testing. And just as I had suspected I did have sensitivities to certain foods like full fat dairy, gluten based foods and a shock to me as a protein powder queen, WHEY PROTEIN!
So back to the drawing board I went with this GOOD TO KNOW information! I began paying close attention to my intake of these FLARE UP FOODS and how my body would react when I did indulge. I eliminated all coffee creamers and have fully converted to substituting with almond, coconut or hemp milk. I am on the JUST SAY NO program to ice cream (sad), I refuse to JUST SAY NO to cheese, but I mainly stick to soft cheese such as goat & feta which wreak less havoc on my gut. And I have fully crossed the WHEY border and am now officially a 100% plant based protein girl!
As I had mentioned earlier these little tweaks definitely helped, but I was still experiencing digestive drama! I decided to do a little research and quickly determined that another instigator in the BLOAT BATTLE was artificial sweeteners. Sneaky little bloat bugs like aspartame and sorbitol where creeping into my gut from everyday things like chewing gum, sugar free sauces & flavored water enhancers. I instantly became mindful as to where these sneaky little buggers are hiding and try my best to steer clear of them.
I have to say becoming mindful about what does and doesn't work well in my system has a made a huge difference in how my belly has been feeling. But the ONE TRUE GAME CHANGER has to be this little miracle elixir I have been sipping back on the daily! I had dabbled with drinking WARM WATER w/ LEMON in the past, but without consistency fell short of any great benefit. It wasn't until recently that I started to make it part of my MORNING ROUTINE. I have religiously started my day with this little miracle juice for over 3 months now and I can honestly say it's changing my life!
For the first time in OH, I don't know 10 years my system is actually moving smoothly (if you catch my drift). And not only is my system running regular, but my daily belly bloat is non existent unless of course it's that time of the month or I indulged in one of my NO-NO foods. IT'S LIKE LITTLE LEMON MAGIC!!! And another little bonus .... as someone who struggles with adult acne, I have noticed a huge difference in my skin. Can you say BYE BYE BLEMISHES!!!
I can honestly say this is a habit that I will forever have in my daily routine!! It's so easy yet so effective, I just had to share it with all of you!
If you are like me and are fed up with the bloating blues check out this easy to follow
6 Steps To Banish The Belly Bloat cheat sheet I created!
Feel free to download the image or if you are a Pinterest freak like me pin it to your favorite board:)
xoxo~
Valerie
