In this month’s guest blog from The Nutrition Professional, Michele Kingston, the focus is on beating the bloat to ensure you look as gorgeous as possible on your wedding day! Over to you, Michele…

Hello Brides to be,

Would you like to beat the bloat to look svelte in your beautiful wedding dress?

I have so many clients who come to me for bloating, they start the day with a flat stomach, but by the evening they have a big bloated belly, gas and feel uncomfortable and unattractive. If you are getting married soon and also suffer with this you may well be worried about how bloating is going to effect you on your big day. No bride wants to feel bloated and uncomfortable in their gorgeous wedding gown, so follow these tips and start about 2 weeks to 10 days before your wedding to get the best results;

1) Avoid wheat and dairy – these are the main culprits for causing bloating. They contain complex proteins that our bodies find very hard to digest, so food particles remain in our gut where bacteria feeds on them and ferments them causing gas, which leads to bloating.

2) Chew your food thoroughly and concentrate on what you are eating rather than watching TV or sitting on your computer. Proper digestion of foods starts in the mouth; if you swallow whole chunks of food you are giving your gut a much harder job of breaking it down. If whole bits of food sit in your gut, as above, bacteria will ferment it and create gas.

3) Don’t drink lots of fluid with meals, a small cup of water or wine should be all we consume with food. Our stomach acid will become diluted by too much fluid, resulting in lack of digestion of foods.

4) Fizzy drinks, beer and cider cause lots of gas in our bellies so should be avoided before the wedding.

5) If you suspect your bloating to be water retention, particularly if it occurs before your period, you need to drink 2 litres per day of water. Drinking more water may seem strange, but water retention often occurs when we are dehydrated and our bodies try to hold on to what little water it has. Water retention can also occur when we have too much sodium in our bodies, so don’t add salt to foods and avoid processed meals which are full of salt. To balance the sodium you need potassium, which is found in fresh fruit and vegetables so ensure you are getting a good 7 portions a day.

6) Food intolerances can also cause gas, bloating and water retention. Try to work out the foods that effect you by keeping a food diary and noting down when bloating is particularly bad. When you have worked out the foods that effect you avoid them until after your wedding. Once the wedding is over seek out a nutritional therapist to help you overcome your food intolerances by healing your gut see www.bant.org.uk

7) If you get bloating along with constipation you need to help ease this. Increase soluble fibre from fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans and lentils and make sure you are adequately hydrated by having 2litres of water each day. Avoid caffeine too, which can aggravate constipation. Put a tablespoon of whole flaxseeds in a small glass of water and soak for a few hours and then swallow the whole lot, this is great for alleviating constipation that won’t budge.

I wish you a beautiful wedding day

Michele x