If you are getting hot flashes, or any of the other common signs of menopause, you might talk about it with your friends to see if anyone can commiserate with you. Your friends might mention that they are having issues with bloating. Bloating can be uncomfortable physically, it can result in outfits that you love not fitting correctly anymore, and it can generally hurt your self-esteem. Here are some tips for making sure that you avoid bloating during menopause.
1. Eat Smaller Portions Throughout the Day
One reason why some women experience bloating during menopause is because their metabolism slows down and their digestive system slows down. This can be frustrating if you like to eat two or three larger meals a day because one meal can give you that uncomfortable bloated feeling for hours. You might feel like the bloated feeling you experience stays until you go to sleep and then pops back up immediately after you finish eating breakfast. If you find yourself feeling especially bloated after meals, consider eating smaller meals throughout the day. Cut your portions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so that you aren't eating as much and then make up the food that you're missing in snacks. The only thing that's going to happen if you cut your portion sizes is that you're going to be hungrier earlier. Simply cutting back on the volume and amount of food that you put inside your stomach can help reduce bloating.
2. Reduce Salt Intake
If you eat a lot of salt, your body is going to compensate by retaining more water. This water is going to make you feel bloated. To reduce this, eat less salt. If you eat an order of fries or a bag of chips, try to offset the additional sodium intake by drinking more water throughout the day.
3. Do Some Cardio
Finally, consider exercising for thirty minutes or more as often as you feel comfortable. This will allow you to force gas through your system and ensure that everything is working correctly. If you get rid of all of the gas in your system, you won't have to be as concerned about adding more gas, water retention, or food on top of it that could result in worse bloating.
For more information, talk to your OBGYN or some other medical practitioner that specializes in helping women get through menopause, like the people at Bay Area Women's Care, with the least amount of stress possible.
