bloating

After a long night out of fun, food, cocktails, or all of the above, you can wake up feeling like a giant marshmallow. Although eating or drinking anything else might be the last thing on your mind, certain foods or liquid can cut your symptoms in half. Try one of these items for breakfast the next time you wake up feeling bloated, and see how quickly they shrink you back to normal.

Drink the right fluids: Why not hydrate and de-bloat at the same time? Pineapple juice and peppermint tea are tasty liquids known to help reduce inflammation, as well as coconut water and chia seeds. Try this chia seed drink first thing in the morning to begin the de-puff process instantly. You can incorporate this one on a daily basis to feel more energized in the mornings.

Add fruit to your menu: Papaya is one fruit that helps to move the digestion process along. Slice some as a side to your breakfast or make it the main attraction with this papaya doughnut recipe. These doughnuts have the look you may be craving without risking the possible constipation that comes from the real thing.

Throw water-soluble veggies in: It's no secret that hydration can counteract the effects of a sodium binge or long night out. Throw some fluid happy veggies like tomato or zucchini into your meal to get the ball rolling. This veggie frittata contains asparagus, which eases gas and flushes waste from your system.

Eat foods known to de-bloat: Instead of reaching for that easy bowl of cereal, opt for a de-bloating star like yogurt or quinoa, which can double as your oatmeal. You can even add them together with a breakfast quinoa parfait recipe. By making your main meal one that can shrink the puffiness, you'll be able to feel lighter by lunch time.

If you've had a bloated belly from a burrito, it might make you shun beans forever. Many foods can cause the embarrassing and uncomfortable issue of gas, but that doesn't mean you can't ever eat broccoli, beans, dairy, or pears. Here are ways to prevent intestinal gas when eating these foods.

Beans
Full of protein and fiber, these little guys can cause big trouble for sensitive stomachs. If you soak and cook your own beans or use dry beans in soup or stews, one way to prevent gas is to get rid of the water you soak the beans in (that contains some of the gas-producing enzymes) and fill your pot with fresh water before boiling.

Regardless of how you cook them, the best way to prevent gas is to start small. A serving size is usually half a cup, but you might want to start off with a quarter cup or even less. Choose beans with less fiber such as adzuki, black-eyed peas, edamame, and baby lima beans, and eat them with easily digestible foods like quinoa. Avoid pairing beans with other foods that cause you digestive upset such as spicy peppers or dairy products. As your body becomes accustomed to eating beans, gradually increase the amount you eat.

Broccoli
These innocent green florets can have such a strong effect on your stomach that you might avoid them every time you hit the salad bar. Full of fiber, broccoli is much harder to digest when raw, so it's best to lightly steam or sauté the veggie before you eat it. Enjoy just a few pieces at first, and you should notice an improvement in your tummy postdinner. This can also be applied to other hard-to-digest veggies such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and collard greens.

Keep reading for ways to prevent gas when eating pears and dairy products.

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By Diana Kelly, Prevention

The Flat Belly Diet Four-Day Jump-Start is a great way to reduce belly bloat and start flattening your stomach instantly. It was created to reduce water retention, eliminate heavy solids, and relieve gas so you will quickly look and feel lighter. You can lose up to seven pounds in four days! Make these food swaps and look slimmer fast!

Season Food Differently

Make This Smart Swap Add zing to your meals with salt-free seasoning blends such as the Original and Italian medley Mrs. Dash®.

Avoid These Salt, salt-based seasonings, and highly processed foods.

Why? You may be attracted to your saltshaker, but water is, too. When you take in higher than usual amounts of the salty stuff, you’ll temporarily retain more fluid, contributing to that sluggish feeling, a puffy appearance, and extra water weight.

Ten Flat Belly Breakfast Ideas

Steer Clear of Acidic Drinks

Make This Smart Swap Drink plain tap water or our belly-soothing Sassy Water instead of coffee, tea, juice, and alcohol. Think of it as tough love for your tummy.
Avoid These Alcohol, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and acidic fruit juices
Why? We realize that giving up your morning cup of joe may be tough to swallow (pun intended!), but it's only for four days. Coffee and the other bad guys of bloat on the "avoid" list are all high-acid beverages that can irritate your GI tract, causing swelling.

Learn what other swaps you can make for a flatter belly after the break!

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Shape here on FitSugar!

If you’re one of the 20 percent of people—most of them women—who struggle with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you know that bikini season is one of the worst times to deal with symptoms like chronic bloating, diarrhea, and/or constipation. The condition is not completely understood, but new, natural ways to ease the discomfort have been emerging— like these suggestions from colleen Webb, r.D., a nutritionist at the Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Weill Cornell Medical college:

Best and Worst Foods for Flat Abs

Take supplements
Both peppermint and ginger, sold in capsule form at health food stores, may help fight muscle spasms in the intestines.

7 Quirky Weight-Loss Strategies that Really Work

Try hypnosis
A Swedish study found that hour-long weekly sessions (for 12 weeks) reduced symptoms in 40 percent of sufferers.

The Best Abs Exercises You’ve Never Seen

Cut back on sugars
Research suggests that 30 to 60 percent of people with IBS might have trouble digesting fructose—found at high levels in apples, pears, watermelon, honey, and agave, as well as high-fructose corn syrup. A gastroenterologist can give you a breath test to diagnose this sensitivity. “Sugar alcohols, often found in ‘diet’ foods, can also make symptoms worse,” says Webb. (Dead giveaway: ingredients that end in -ol, like sorbitol or mannitol.)

To get the latest health, fitness, beauty, and fashion news follow @Shape_Magazine on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Eating papaya helps encourage digestion, ease indigestion, and prevent constipation. But it's the tropical flavors that make it the perfect debloating snack to enjoy this Summer. While papaya is good and sweet on its own, here are four recipes to have you enjoying this natural debloating food.

Papaya Doughnuts
Here's a doughnut that's definitely diet-approved! A drizzle of agave syrup and squeeze of lime enhance the natural flavor of papaya, and the sunflower seeds add protein, along with a nice crunch. A great addition to any breakfast or brunch menu.

Berry-Papaya Power Parfaits
Combine the powers of fat-fighting blueberries and debloating papaya into one satisfying snack. These parfaits are rich in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Make a few ahead of time and there's no excuse to not enjoy this healthy snack!

See papaya salad two ways after the break!

It's almost Summer — go tropical. And while a piña colada is one way to get your pineapple fill, all that sugar and alcohol strip away the detoxifying properties of the fruit. Because pineapple is high in the enzyme bromelain, it helps banish bloat by breaking down protein and easing digestion. Enjoy it on its own for a cool and refreshing snack or whip up one of these healthy pineapple recipes.

Pineapple Quinoa in a Boat
The presentation alone is enough to wow guests, but it's the recipe that will have them coming back for more. Made with protein-packed quinoa, this vegan dish is the perfect star for a tropical-themed meal.

Tropical Kale Salad With Creamy Pineapple-Coconut Dressing
Leafy greens like kale move the digestive system right along, but adding pineapple to the mix makes for a happy-tummy party. To achieve the creamy dressing, no dairy is needed — just some good-for-you coconut milk!

See a detoxifying smoothie recipe after the break!

We know you're spending plenty of time getting your body bikini ready with healthy food and fun workouts. While taking tips to make bathing suit shopping easier is a great start, being equipped with as many tools as possible will help you feel confident before running around on the beach. If you're concerned about unnecessary extra bloat before you rock your bikini, here are six foods to avoid right before you hit the beach.

Carbonated drinks: While I hope that you've taken the initiative to say goodbye to soda for good, sparkling water can be a decent substitute if you can't get enough of those bubbles. With that said, it's best to avoid any carbonated drinks before you hit the beach to steer clear of unnecessary belly bulge or gas.

Salt: Super-salty foods or extra added salt don't necessarily make you gassy, but they definitely make you retain water. Even though those cantina chips and salsa may seem like the ideal prebeach grub, opt for something with lower levels of sodium to help you feel your best before you head to the ocean.

Cruciferous veggies: They're great foods for long-term weight loss, but if there's one time not to chow down on a heaping helping of broccoli, cabbage, or kale, it's right before you hit the beach! These veggies contain a complex sugar called raffinose that's known to cause some lovely bloat.

Keep reading for three more foods to avoid before the beach.

A nutritious diet and regular exercise have helped you reach your weight loss goal, but you're still trying to get rid of that little extra pooch around your midsection. Here are three things you can do every week to help you achieve a trimmer belly.

• When eating: Take an honest look at your diet and your bathroom schedule. Your belly might not be caused by fat, but by air trapped in your digestive system. If you're not getting enough fiber (you need 25 to 30 grams a day), constipation can cause bloating. Here are some common reasons women don't get enough fiber and how to overcome them. On the other hand, overdoing it on fiber or eating too many gas-producing foods like broccoli, apples, or beans can also make your belly stick out. There are also foods you can eat, like blueberries, that are proven to diminish belly fat, so be sure to include these five fat-blasting foods in your diet.
• When doing cardio: Studies show that including interval training in your cardio sessions is proven to diminish belly fat. If you find that you normally stick to a consistent pace when running, biking, or swimming, mix it up by adding 10- to 60-second fast-paced or sprinting intervals.
• When strength training: Basic crunches can help tone your abs, but they only target certain abdominal muscles. Incorporate full-body exercises like side planks as well as balancing moves on a ball or on one leg to target all the muscles in your core.