Beat bloating now by supporting the body in the digestive process. I like to say there are actually simple rules that should be followed while eating based on how the body functions. Breaking these rules during eating sometimes shows itself through gas, bloating and discomfort. My top 5 rules for eating are all about honoring the bodies process of properly digesting the meals that we consume. Here are my top 5 tips that you can implement while eating to aid in eliminating bloating and helping you to feel your best.

1. Chew, Chew, Chew – Be sure to thoroughly chew your food. It is essential that we chew our food until it becomes a liquid. By doing so we ease the burden on the digestive system to break down our food. In return we have more energy and feel less bloated and weighed down after eating a meal.

2. Eat fruits alone – Did you know that fruits digest super fast because they are made up mostly of water. Therefore, in order to support the body in doing its work it is ideal that we eat fruits on an empty stomach and alone. Just think if you eat a large cooked meal and then eat fruit immediately following the fruit will stay in your system until the large cooked meal is digested which could easily be a few hours. Given that the fruits will sit there and putrefy until it is able to exit the body.

3. Drink at least 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after a meal – Drinking while eating and drinking very close to meal times actually impacts the digestive process by diluting the digestive enzymes needed to help break down your meal. In return your food will go undigested or take much longer to digest leading to gas, bloating and discomfort. Put this into practice and your body will love you for it!!

4. Eat dinner at least two hours before laying down – it’s ideal to eat light during the evening since it’s so close to bed time. However, if you must eat a heavier meal a basic rule of thumb is to eat at least two hours before laying down in order to give the body enough time to properly digest the food taken in.

5. Proper food combining – the basic rules for proper food combining include combining either a protein and veggies or starch and veggies. Also, as stated above eat fruits alone. This way of eating is optimal as the body cannot digest certain foods at the same time(i.e. protein and starch require different digestive enzymes).