• Lemon Water. Drinking water with fresh lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper is my favourite de-bloating tonic. To add some extra de-bloating properties, adding some fresh ginger to your tonic would improve your efforts. Ginger is one of the best things you can use for this. Ginger eases nausea and has anti-spasmodic properties. Enjoying this tonic each morning is a great way to start your day and jumpstart your digestion. You could also be experiencing belly bloat due to indigestion or gastrointestinal distress. The cayenne pepper in your tonic stimulates digestion, eases gas, and can relieve pressure and cramping.
• Chew Your Food. A key cause of bloating is poor digestion, which can be a result of not chewing your food thoroughly. When you chew your food well, it assists your body in digesting the food you’re consuming more easily. Aim to chew each bite 15-20 times to allow your body to receive properly broken down food to make digestion easier on your body.
• Don’t Chug Water With Meals (if you have a sensitive stomach). There is a lot of conflicting information out there about drinking water right before you eat and that it’s beneficial. But drinking large amounts of water with a meal can dilute digestive juices and lead to indigestion and bloating. It’s ideal to have a drink about 20-30 minutes prior to eating to prepare the stomach and then stick with only small sips of water throughout the meal if needed. You may need to experiment with this one and see what works for you. You may find that drinking lots of water during a meal doesn’t affect you, so continue to search for another possible culprit for the bloating.
• Include Bitter Foods. Adding more bitter foods to your diet will help stimulate bile and enzyme flow to aid in the break down of food and the absorption of nutrients. Some great bitter foods to add are: mustard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, collard greens, kale, nettles and watercress.
• Reduce Stress. When we are stressed we are in the fight or flight mode as it’s called. This mode has no time for digestion and reduces our ability to digest food properly which can lead to indigestion and bloating. Make sure you are sitting and relaxed while eating and not rushing.

What’s on your plate is always of top priority when it comes to healthy digestion. Eating fresh, whole foods helps your body run optimally and keeps the digestive system running as it should. Bloating is something we can’t eradicate entirely, but using healthy habits on a daily basis will help you combat bloating and feel more healthy overall. In addition to your food choices and eating habits, exercising on a regular basis helps maintain a healthy digestive system that reduces bloating.