Digestion, Bloating and Edema

Today we’re gonna talk about some very important topics: the digestive system, bloating, edema and my remedies for them. Sometimes our stomach, which is flat when we wake up, may become bloated at the end of the day, or we may start the day with edema. These actually are absolutely normal. But if it is a constant situation and is repeated frequently, it can be annoying. But let me say that it doesn’t have to be like that. You don’t have to accept bloating and edema as your normal, it’s not your destiny either. Since the two are separate things, we will consider them separately and see what works for me. Let’s start!

Bloating? It hasn’t to be your normal.

There can be many reasons for bloating. First of all, it is quite normal for the abdomen to be a little more bloated in the evening than in the morning. We consume food during the day and these take up space in our stomach and intestines. Overeating may cause bloating as well. As long as it doesn’t cause discomfort and pain, these are normal reasons and do not require much action. For example, I am a sporty person, my abdominal muscles are visible, my stomach is flat and my fat percentage is low. But there are times when my muscles ‘hide’, of course, because of bloating. Our body may not work the same every day, it may react differently to the foods we consume regularly, our stomach may be more bloated in our menstrual period, we are not robots, after all, there is a living life inside. Besides the normal bloating causes, there are also ‘abnormal’ causes. Actually, don’t mind that I say abnormal, I say this to distinguish it from the above reasons. It’s normal for our bodies to not be able to digest every food easily, but this poses a problem because it causes severe discomfort and pain. Your stomach bloats and hurts as if it is filled with gas. You may have eaten something wrong, your portion may have been too large, or you may be experiencing bloating unrelated to food, if these give you a feeling of discomfort in your stomach, then the real bloating problem begins. Below I will share my solutions on how to prevent and reduce bloating, maybe these will give you clues as to why you are constantly experiencing bloating and you can easily solve it with them. 🙂

10 Ways to Get Rid of Bloating

1. Chewing. Chew your food. Digestion begins in the mouth. Try to chew food properly, make it as small as possible in your mouth, and swallow slowly (especially meat). In this way, you swallow less air and ensure that the digestive system works more comfortably. Also, chewing gum can cause bloating because you swallow a lot of air.
   
   
2. Water intake. Drink 2-3 liters of water a day. Let me give an example: When you flush the toilet, very much water flows into the toilet, right? Maybe less water would have cleaned it as well, but it would be difficult of course. Water is essential for our body to cleanse itself as well. You can’t achieve this with just 1 glass of water a day. This can bring along bloating as well as constipation. That’s why we shouldn’t forget to drink plenty of water.
   
   
3. Workout. Exercising accelerates metabolism and stimulates digestion. Even 10 minutes of exercise a day plays a very important role in this case!
4. Herbal tea. Mint, ginger, and fennel tea help to reduce bloating and relieve pain.
5. Lactose? Keep a nutrition diary for your intolerances. Take notes of what you eat and drink each day and write down how you feel. Sometimes bloating may occur not the day you consume the food you are intolerant to, but the next day. However, if you see what you consume in that range, you can determine what causes bloating. For example, most people have lactose intolerance (cow’s milk, dairy products, etc.). My body also responds to lactose with bloating, so I prefer plant milk. Gluten can also cause bloating. Analyze what you eat and the reactions of your digestive system. If you don’t know yourself, who will?
6. Fiber. Make sure to consume fiber-rich foods. These soften the stool and facilitate its movement and expulsion in the intestine, preventing intestinal and digestive system diseases such as constipation and bloating.
   
   
7. Probiotics. Add probiotics and prebiotics to your diet for gut health. I want to share a detailed blog post about this topic later, because I research a lot. 🙂
   I am taking a synbiotic (probiotic + prebiotic containing capsule). I have added the supplement I use here. You can also use my code EYLEM15 to get 15% off your order. 🙂

8. Bloating for no reason? Are you experiencing bloating every day no matter what you eat? In this case, you can have a microbiome analysis done in the laboratory. In this test, a stool sample is taken and your gut microbiota is examined. This is a very useful test because our microbiota is as individual as our fingerprint. This way you can solve the problem of bloating that you think is ’causeless’. Also, gut health isn’t just essential for a flat stomach – our intestines have much more important tasks, namely absorbing nutrients and releasing the happy hormone serotonin. While the brain releases approximately 5% of serotonin, the remaining is released in the healthy intestines.
   
   
9. Chemicals. Sweeteners and preservatives in food also cause bloating. Therefore, it is healthier to stay away from packaged foods as much as possible. For example, I experienced that protein powders cause serious bloating in my stomach, so I don’t use them at all.
10. Video recommendation. I have uploaded a video on YouTube which helps to improve digestion, relieve bloating and constipation, and just feel better and comfortable. Quick solution in just 9 minutes! ♥️

I hope my tips will help you to reduce bloating and improve your gut health. I always realized how my gut health affects my overall health and mood. When I have issues with my digestive system, I don’t just have stomachaches – my skin also gets worse, my mood changes negatively, I feel depressed and sluggish. But when my digestion is running smoothly, the opposite happens and I feel happy and healthy. So don’t forget to be kind to your gut and show some love. 🙂

Edema? Oh no.

We’ve heard or said it a lot: ‘I didn’t gain weight, it’s edema.’ It bothers us a lot, because it feels swollen everywhere. It is different from bloating I mentioned above; bloating is related to gas and food, edema is related to fluids.

Let’s see, what exactly is this edema? The human body is in balance under normal conditions. When the body works as it should, there is a balance between the fluid taken into the body and the fluid excreted from the body. However, some people may experience problems with fluid balance due to various factors. As a result of disturbances in fluid balance, a condition called edema occurs in the body. Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body’s tissues. It can affect a small part as well as the entire body. And why does it happen? It can have different causes, eg infection, medications, kidney problems etc…

5 Tips to Reduce Edema

1. Water intake. How do we excrete water from the body? By going to the toilet, of course. In order to go to the toilet frequently, drink plenty of water.

2. Salt. Salt retains water in your body. If you didn’t know that the extra 1 gram of salt you take in a day retains 200 ml of water, now you do. If you consume too much mineral water, it will cause edema as well, so do not drink a lot of it.

3. Carbohydrates. If you are constantly consuming carbs, edema is inevitable, because carbs are stored in the body with water. Reducing carbs will not only help to reduce edema, but also help you lose or maintain your weight, of course. 🙂

4. Drinks that help with edema. Green tea works great for me. In addition, the detox water I prepare with parsley, cucumber, lemon juice and water also helps a lot.

5. Pineapple. But the thing that works best for me is pineapple! 🍍 Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which improves digestion + reduces edema. Eat 2 slices of fresh pineapple a day or make a pineapple smoothie and the edema is gone. 🙂

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These are the things I can suggest. If you have any other tips that work best for you when it comes to bloating and edema, feel free to write it down below in the comment section, so we can all benefit. 🙂 By the way, did you do my new video on YouTube? How did you like it? 🙂

Kisses,
Eylem♡