health and wellness

People often complain about their abdominal muscles being flabby, but bigger problems could be more the culprit. Many people suffer from stomach bloating, while others don’t even recognize it as one of the main problems. One of the causes of stomach bloating or abdominal distension, is a digestive system that is not working quickly enough. Stomach exercises won’t do a thing for your bloating, so it’s important to determine how much of your problem stems from this common occurrence. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine if the distension is caused more by abdominal fat, bloating or both. But before we attempt to counter flabby abs, we must first deal with the more core problem by taking a look at improving the effectiveness of the digestive system, and by taking a look at what we are eating.

What Can Be The Possible Causes?

The most common causes of chronic stomach bloating are the irregular digestive processes which produce gases at a much higher rate than normal. It is important to note that women make up nearly 75% who suffer from this disorder. This is often called Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and now we take a look at some of the common causes:

• Premenstrual Tension (PMT) - The symptoms, which include swelling of the stomach, tend to disappear or greatly improve once menstruating actually starts.
• Contraceptive pill
• Excessive alcohol
• Caffeine
• Certain foods such as flour, chocolate, and milk products
• Salt, or processed foods in the diet
• Not enough protein and too much starchy carbs in your daily diet
• Medication

Below are some tips that can be quite helpful to your diet, and can make a significant difference toward a flatter stomach.

• Water - Many women believe that drinking too much water will give them puffy eyes, and bloat their stomachs, but just the opposite is true. Water actually flushes out the digestive tract and helps rid the body of excess bloating. Drinking at least eight glasses of water per day is very important. In fact, dehydration actually promotes bloating.
• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables as they act as a cleanser.
• Avoid ice in your beverage especially after your meal. Research suggests that ice, or the cold temperature of a beverage, can greatly slow down digestion.
• Fennel Tea - Fennel Tea is an organic tea that is very effective for eliminating gas and bloating by relaxing the stomach muscles and relieving spasms in the digestive tract. It is especially good for IBS sufferers.
• Exercise on a regular basis - A 10 minute walk around the block after dinner will help tremendously.
• Over eating - Portion control is key since over eating will ruin all your efforts and do nothing but clog up the digestive tract. By not skipping meals, you will better be able to control your portions, which in turn, will help speed up your metabolism and help accelerate the digestive system into working much more quickly and efficiently.