If you are attending a party, or any event for that matter, and are considering wearing something formfitting or midriff, you’ll want that tummy feeling tight and taunt. Of course the right diet and exercise program are the first steps to trimming the fat and toning up; however, if you already have these covered off and are looking for a few diet tricks to look your best, consider these five quick diet tricks.
1. Avoid Bloating Broccoli
Certain foods cause more bloating than others, even though they are extremely good for us. If you have a tight dress to fit into for a holiday party, avoid eating cruciferous vegetables—broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale or cauliflower—for a few days prior to your event. These gassy greens pack a whole lot of fiber along with the indigestible sugar called raffinose. In the gut, methane-producing bacteria feed on raffinose and release gas causing stomach bloat. Cooking these veggies longer won’t help reduce the bloat, but taking a supplement that can breakdown the raffinose enzyme before it can exert its action can reduce gas and bloating to some degree. Instead of swearing off green vegetables a few days before your event, switch them up to natural diuretic greens like asparagus!
2. Drink Plenty Of Lemon Water
Drinking plenty of water can help reduce water retention in the body. When you are not hydrated, the body tends to hold onto more water due to specific hormones that prevent it from being released. Increasing water intake down regulates the anti-diuretic hormone and aldosterone. When these hormones are low, your body will flush out more water. To suppress these hormones, up your water intake for a few days prior to your event to change the fluid balance in your body. If you are accustom to drinking 3 to 4 L per day, trying doubling that a few days before your big event. Then, about 24 hours before your event, decrease your water intake to about 500 mL to 1 L during the day. You will find that your excess water will expel quickly and your body will tighten up fast! If you have a hard time drinking all that water, add a dash of lemon – another natural diuretic that can help flush you out!
3. Eliminate Salty Foods
Salt changes the water balance in the body—increasing blood volume and disrupting fluid balance. What’s more, it can increase dehydration resulting in greater water retention. Reduce your bloat by decreasing your intake of salted foods. Avoid processed fast foods, canned foods, salted nuts and cured meats altogether. Also, skip out on adding salt to your meals. Drink plenty of water to help flush out the salt and the extra water.
4. Stop Sweeteners
Sweeteners are made from non-digestible sugar alcohols, and although they have extremely low caloric values, when eaten in large quantities, they can result in bloating and gas. Sugar alcohols are not completely absorbed or digested, which can cause fermentation to occur in the intestines leading to gastrointestinal distress! Avoid excessive consumption by reducing your intake of sugar-free gum, beverages and other products to about 2 servings per day.
5. Avoid Carbonated Drinks
Carbonated drinks are fizzing, because of the bubbles of gas they contain. Drinking too much can result in the trapping of gas in the belly. If you are drinking plenty of the diet pop variety, you are also getting a hefty dose of artificial sweetener to further exacerbate the bloat! Replace soda with water, or even iced non-sweetened tea with lemon. Tea such as green tea, delivers caffeine, a natural diuretic, along with the active component EGCG to help boost metabolism.