Are you eating clean but still feeling puffy? If pants that usually fit are not fitting, you can blame bloating.

One of the most frustrating situations I see clients face is eating healthy but still feeling fat.

All those veggies and your button just popped. I feel your pain.

When it comes to feeling puffy, you can blame the extra inches circling your waist on gas and/or rebellious digestion, which can be caused by:

• overeating
• eating high fat foods
• eating too fast
• chewing gum
• drinking from a straw
• sucking on hard candies
• consuming sugar alcohols
• consuming artificial sweeteners
• drinking carbonated beverages

Some of our fave healthy foods, like beans, dairy and veggies like Brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, can even make us bloated. Unfair, I know.

Good news for you,  we can get rid of some of your discomfort with a few delicious flat belly foods.

3 Best Flat Belly Foods:

Dandelion greens

Dandelion greens are great at deflating your bloat thanks to their fiber profile and ability to stimulate the digestive system, moving things along your digestion pathway.  Think, moving along at a nice pace on the highway versus getting backed up in traffic.

They also have amazing diuretic properties (can you feel that puff reducing already?), which have earned them a claim to detox fame. Although there is no concrete scientific evidence, they have been linked to cleaning up your liver and kidneys for centuries.

Dandelions aren’t just for picking.  Add 1 cup dandelion root tea to your night time routine until your symptoms subside and add into your salad or side veggie rotation a few times per week.

Kimchi

Kimchi is fermented cabbage and it’s as famous in Korea as peanut butter is in America.

Kimchi’s fermentation process loads it up with probiotics, those friendly bacteria that aid digestion, rid your belly of gas and fix the bloated feeling.  Yes, I often recommend a probiotic supplement, but I never want people to skimp on getting nutrients from real food, which is usually the most absorbable form.

Nowadays, kimchi is hanging out on local bodega and supermarket shelves somewhere near the pickles. Its exotic presence (think 10th grade science lab jars) is hard to miss.

Aim to have at least one fermented food per day. If you choose kimchi, eat it as a side dish (a few bites or a 1/3 cup is all you need), top a salad or saute it up with an egg for a delicious lunch or snack.

Bananas

Bananas are my go-to bloat-busting tool. The potassium in bananas helps drain your body of water it sometimes likes to retain.  Our bodies often retain water in and outside of our cells due to consuming foods high in sodium.

Have you avoided bananas because you fear they’re constipating? Let’s debunk this one: unripe bananas are linked to constipation, but ripe bananas are actually full of fiber and excellent for constipation prevention and relief.

I recommend 1 or 2 max pieces of fruit per day.  When you’re feeling bloated, add a banana to your rotation. Have one with a couple teaspoons of nut butter or treat yourself to banana pops for dessert.

Want more? Thought so. You’re welcome!