by Louanne Cox

Created on: October 08, 2008   Last Updated: October 14, 2008

No one likes feeling bloated, not only is it an uncomfortable feeling it also does not look flattering. There are ways to get rid of the bloated feeling and bloated look however, read on to find out more.

One of the biggest culprits in causing bloating is sodium, this means that we need to avoid sodium or neutralize sodium to eliminate the bloating. The most common form of sodium in our homes is plain old table salt, to beat the bloat you need to stop using it. Unfortunately table salt is not the only culprit. What gives processed, pre-packaged and canned food it's flavor? If you answered sodium you are correct. When battling the bloat fresh foods are best.

Let me explain why excess sodium is bad. Basically excess sodium sits just underneath the skin and acts like a sponge to water keeping it in your cells so that you look all puffy and feel uncomfortably bloated.

Sodium may be used as a flavor enhancer in food, but you can substitute pepper, lemon juice, vinegars and fresh herbs to keep your taste buds happy.

I mentioned neutralizing the sodium, well potassium is another mineral that will help to stop sodium from acting as a sponge for fluid. Eating vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, asparagus and cucumber will help to neutralize any excess sodium that you have eaten. Herbs such as dandelion and parsley can also help stop fluid retention.

British actress Zoe Lucker had to keep the bloating at bay when playing the vixen Tanya Turner on Footballer's Wives. She claimed that drinking peppermint tea after every meal helped her. She was correct as one of the causes of bloating can be undigested foods. Undigested foods in the body can cause gas to build up which will lead to bloating.

Peppermint tea helps to relax the muscles so that any gas can be easily released. Peppermint tea also improves the flow of bile which helps the body's digestive system to work more efficiently.

Water is another weapon to use against bloating and you should drink at least 8 glasses a day. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables are also a way of increasing your fluid intake. Keeping your fluid intake up helps to flush out the system and stop fluid retention.

Eating plenty of fiber is very important if you wish to win the bloating battle'. Fiber helps food to move along the digestive system effectively which reduces the incidence of undigested food in your gut causing bloating.

So if you want to beat bloating you need to take the following three steps: step one is limiting your sodium intake and increasing your potassium intake; step two is to drink peppermint tea after your meals; step three is to make sure you have plenty of water and fiber.

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