This guide outlines how to stop bloating and ways to prevent it happening again, plus when you should consult a doctor.
Bloating is the accumulation of fluid in the small spaces around tissues and organs within the body. The most common locations are the feet, legs, hands, arms, and belly.
Other factors can also cause discomfort, such as: obesity, smoking, drinking too much, using contraceptives, and changes in diet and sleep. Excessive salt intake, varicose veins (venous insufficiency), hypothyroidism and even more serious kidney, heart and liver diseases, as well as thrombosis, can lead to fluid retention bloating.
In women, the condition can worsen cellulite and arise due to hormonal changes close to the menstrual period, when progesterone levels increase. You already know the symptoms: swelling in the legs, ankles, hands and abdomen.
Body fluids are composed mainly of water, around 2/3, in addition to proteins (such as albumin) and electrolytes (which are mineral salts, such as sodium and potassium). When there is an imbalance between the components of these fluids, it leaks from the blood vessels and accumulates in the subcutaneous region, between the cells. This causes swelling or retention. It can occur in the body as a whole or in a part of it, in the legs, for example.
How to stop bloating
Learn about 11 simple measures that will make a difference. Check out these simple and effective strategies for how to stop bloating.
1. Legs up!
Raise your legs, which improves blood circulation and reduces water retention. The ideal is to elevate them at the end of the day for about 15 minutes. This causes the liquid found in the tissue to enter the vessel again, and from inside the vessel, enter the bloodstream, reach the kidneys to be eliminated through urine.
For those who work sitting down, another piece of advice for how to stop bloating: Getting up every two hours to walk and move your calves with extension and flexion movements of your feet. It is also worth doing lymphatic drainage. It can be an excellent ally against fluid retention by activating blood circulation, but always with medical advice!
2. Do exercise
Regular physical activity helps combat fluid retention in the body, as it activates blood circulation more efficiently through muscle contraction, which helps in how to stop bloating. This improves the distribution of nutrients throughout the body, eliminating toxins and reducing blood glucose levels.
3. Balanced diet
Give preference to fruits and vegetables rich in water, such as strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, melon, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and carrots. Increase your consumption of foods that are sources of potassium, such as bananas. Avoid eating processed foods, such as sausages and canned foods, and foods that contain high amounts of sodium for how to stop bloating.
4. Reduce salt
Don’t overdo it with sodium, as it is one of the causes of fluid retention. To keep your food from becoming bland, replace salt with lemon and herbs such as oregano, basil and mint. The recommended dose of sodium according to the American Heart Association is 4gm per day for people without health problems, and 2gm for people with high blood pressure.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 11 million deaths worldwide are associated with poor diet, with three million of these being due to high sodium intake. In other words, excess sodium increases blood pressure and, consequently, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. So much so that one of the WHO’s goals is to reduce the population’s average salt intake to 5g, less than 2g of sodium per day, by 2025.
Some substitutions are essential in how to stop bloating, such as reducing the amount of salt used in preparing meals, replacing it with aromatic herbs, or even replacing it with light salt, which is made with potassium chloride, which helps to reduce blood pressure.
Salt is based on sodium chloride. The higher the consumption, the more sodium will retain fluids in our body and cause edema. Hence the importance of drinking water, to generate a flow of fluids through the body and a reduction in the concentration of sodium in the bloodstream, consequently a decrease in retention.
5. More potassium
The nutrient enhances the elimination of liquids and helps in how to stop bloating. Foods such as avocado and banana have a good concentration of potassium.
6. Drink about 2 liters of water a day
It may sound clichéd, but some people can’t drink even a liter of water a day. Increasing hydration helps in how to stop bloating because it allows the blood to dilute more, which makes it easier for the kidneys to eliminate more liquid.
It is important to remember that when you feel thirsty, it means that you are already in a state of dehydration, around 10% to 15%, which can lead to a feeling of dizziness and a rapid drop in blood pressure, with a possible drop in height (spontaneous drop). Therefore, the ideal is not to wait to drink water until you feel thirsty, but rather (drink) regularly.
Some tricks for drinking water include investing in apps or reminders on your cell phone and carrying a bottle in your bag. But water can also hinder the process, demonstrating that individualized medical monitoring is always the best option.
In patients with severe fluid retention, we do not recommend drinking water. On the contrary, we suggest medications to help the person urinate more. If they reduce their salt intake, they will be less thirsty and drink less liquid, experts advise.
7. Drink dandelion tea…
This very common plant is used for its powerful diuretic and purifying action. Its properties help combat fluid retention and, with it, also reduce inflammation of the ankles, feet and legs. Prepare the dandelion infusion and drink three cups a day to help in how to stop bloating. You can also apply it directly to the affected extremities, using a cloth or towel.
But … Be careful with teas.
Teas work to relieve water retention, but it depends on the amount and type you drink. For example, caffeine itself is a diuretic. Green tea (which has a small amount of caffeine) and coffee itself help eliminate water retention. However, the main factor in relieving water retention is not the tea itself and its diuretic properties, but the amount of water in the preparation, which helps maintain and function properly in the kidneys.
But you should be alert to the side effects, even if they are herbal remedies. In the case of green tea, hibiscus tea, among others, they can cause liver damage in excess. You should always keep in mind that anything in excess is not good, even water.
8. And alcohol: does it help or hinder?
Because it initially causes dehydration, so much so that the person has to go to the bathroom several times, it also causes water retention. It is usually temporary and does not require medication to resolve it. That is why alcohol intake needs to be moderate. If you can avoid it, the better.
9. Massages
Massages are very relaxing, stimulate blood circulation and help eliminate retained fluids to boost the methods for how to stop bloating. Use gentle but firm movements, always in the direction of the heart. #Tip: use essential oils to massage swollen extremities for better results. Essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties include: peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon and lavender.
10. Eat slowly
Eating quickly overloads the stomach and can distend the abdomen.
11. Go lactose free
Milk, cheese and yogurt can also be blamed in causing bloating. Consume in moderation.
Finally: When to see a doctor?
Fluid retention is harmful when it is caused by systemic diseases (kidney, liver, heart, vascular problems, etc.), when it causes discomfort for the patient with local pain, redness and heat in the affected skin. Therefore, a doctor should always be consulted if the methods above for how to stop bloating do not have the desired effect. Any complaint of chronic swelling should always be investigated by a doctor, as it may be the first sign of a systemic disease.
