5 Fruits and Vegetables for a flatter stomach (or beat the bloat!)
Sometimes we just cannot avoid feeling bloated… some days we feel great, others not so good!
So what can we do to ease this? Try these fruits and vegetables to reset that belly and aid that shrinkage. Please note that adding in additional fruits/vegetables into your diet is encouraged but do it slowly – by introducing these when your body is not used to it can actually lead to bloating, so just start by adding a portion here or there and build up slowly!
Always eat fruit on an empty stomach (if possible) as it can ferment and actually cause gas, if in the stomach with more indigestible foods.
These 5 Fruits and vegetables I like to call the Flat Five and are absolute STAPLES in my life!
1) Carrots – This little powerhouse vegetable is fast becoming my favourite staple! Eat it raw, juice it, steam it, roast it and enjoy it! In this instance of keeping a flat stomach, cooking it actually helps the body break it down. Containing fat soluble compounds known as carotenoids that are linked to preventing cancer, beta-carotene which is absorbed in the intestine and converted into vitamin A during digestion, Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate, Manganese, Vitamin E, Zinc and Fibre to aid digestion and keep it ticking over as it should. What’s not to love! Plus the calorie content is super low, so you can eat as many as you want… if you don’t mind turning a little orange from the carrot overload! (Actually known as Hypercarotenemia, is totally harmless but is just an overload of carotenoids!).
2) Blueberries – Full of antioxidants, delicious on their own or blended in a smoothie, contains catechins that activate fat-burning genes in the abdominal fat cells which assist with weight loss. These super fruits also contain Vitamins C, E, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Folate.
3) Spinach – Great vegetable – you can steam, fry, or have it raw – even pop a handful in your next smoothie, you might see it but you won’t taste it and will reap the benefits of iron (which helps support your red blood cells transport oxygen around the body), Vitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid as well as being a good source of manganese, magnesium, and vitamin B2. It also contains Vitamin K which is excellent for bone health.
4) Apples – deliciously juicy and crunchy – eaten as a filling snack, apples contain quercetin, a compound shown to help fight certain cancers, reduce cholesterol damage, and promote healthy lungs. They have a high water content so keep you full with little calories, and the water helps flush out toxins to flatten that stomach.
5) Tomatoes – is it a vegetable, is it a fruit? (It’s a fruit, but you know what I mean!) These little red bombs contain lycopene which help protect the skin from UV rays and have been known to help prevent cancer (particularly prostate cancer). Eating them cooked actually raises the lycopene and antioxidants, but decreases the Vitamin C. So good to ensure you are getting a varied diet with lots of Vitamin C coming from other sources. Tomatoes also contain a high water content, which will aid in digestion.
Other reasons you could be feeling bloated….
· Eating too fast or not chewing your food properly
· Taking in air when you drink from a glass (if you slurp you will be swallowing air!)
· Drinking fizzy drinks
· Overeating
· Food/Lactose intolerance
· IBS
· Constipation
So ensure you eat foods that do not cause a bloating reaction, drink plenty of still water (without slurping from the glass) and eat mindfully. Think about each mouthful, chew carefully. Introduce them slowly and try to change your habits slowly to allow the body to adjust.