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A swollen, puffy belly can be uncomfortable – not to mention unflattering. If you’d like to look and feel your best, it’s time to stop that bloated feeling.
According to Legion Athletics, a certain bodily imbalance can be behind your bloated belly.
Too much sodium in the body will cause the body to retain water, leading to bloating.
One teaspoon of table salt contains around 2.3g of sodium – the upper limit recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
Lots of prepared foods – from takeaways and restaurants – contain salted dishes.
Are you guilty of adding salt onto your dinner plate or into your cooking?
While too much sodium can lead to bloating, so can an inadequate amount of potassium.
Sodium pulls water into the cells, while potassium helps pump water out of cells.
Water retention is a major contributing factor to rapid weight gain and bloating.
These two elements – potassium and sodium – need to be correctly balanced in order to beat the bloat; so how do you achieve that?
Reducing sodium
Ditch processed foods from your diet, such as hot dogs, and deli meat, as well as canned or pre-packaged foods.
Check the labels of any sauces and salad dressings, and limit your use of salt.
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The British Heart Foundation (BHF) notes that consuming too much salt isn’t only bad for your belly, it’s bad for your blood pressure.
Adults are recommended to eat no more than 6g per day (one teaspoon); this includes the salts you find in bread.
The key is to be eagle-eyed when watching your salt intake – it’s in more foods than you can imagine.
This is why it’s useful to get into the habit of reading nutrition labels before you put something in your shopping basket.
Harvard Health Medical School commented on how to achieve the correct sodium to potassium balance.
“The best way to get more potassium and less sodium is by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, fish, homemade foods, and low-salt versions of prepared foods,” it clarified.
Offering up a full-day menu, the organisation listed the following meal plan for one day.
In the morning, fill up on oatmeal, alongside orange juice and coffee; then, for lunch, try a peanut butter and jam sandwich with a glass of milk.
For dinner, you can enjoy baked halibut, with a baked potato with the skin, and a spinach salad with half an avocado.
Snack ideas include peanuts, raisins, or a banana – this meal plan has a potassium to sodium ratio of 14:1.
In addition to addressing the potassium to sodium ratio, you need to make sure you’re drinking enough water.
Legion Athletics finishes off by stating dehydration can cause the body to hold onto any water it receives, hence water retention and that bloated feeling.
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