About twelve years ago, when I was a personal trainer, I saw a presentation called "Flatten Your Abs Forever". I thought the guy was going to talk about exercises to develop a "washboard stomach" (6-pack, whatever you want to call it).
But he talked for 3 hours on why people get abdominal bloating, and how you can't have a flat tummy unless you have good digestion. I'll never forget what I learned that day and I'd like to teach you all about it.
There are three essential simple steps for achieving a sixy flat tummy and this article teaches you those very steps!
STEP ONE - Change Your Food!
The first step in getting a flat tummy is to get rid of foods that cause inflammation in your gut. Any time there's inflammation in your gut, your abdominal muscles shut down and your tummy pops out, making you look 7-months pregnant (in men, too!)
I'm sure you know the feeling. It's uncomfortable - often painful - and embarrassing. It saps your confidence and makes you want to hide.
Start by chucking out gluten, soy and cow's milk. You will be amazed at the results.
STEP TWO - Remove Bad Bugs from Your Gut!
Sometimes, even removing the bad foods foods doesn't work. Why?
Well you may have "bad bugs" living in your gut, and when you eat food, these bad bugs have a party. Many of them ferment the foods you eat, making your gut fizzy, gassy and bloated.
Bacteria like H. pylori (which I had), C. difficile, E. coli, Salmonella and other usual suspects, yeast and fungi such as Candida and parasites of all sizes, shapes and colours can be real nuisances.
These little critters set your gut on fire, they eat your food and make your tummy extend out like a balloon.
To find out which bad bugs are lurking in your stomach and intestine, you have to run a stool test. The ones given my standard doctors aren't that good. Get a test from a reputable specialty laboratory. There are 3 or 4 very good ones and they have distributors worldwide.
STEP THREE - Replace the Good Stuff!
If you don't have enough stomach acid or digestive enzymes, you won't digest your food properly. The bad bugs love this - the less you digest, the more there is for them to eat and that can only mean three things: inflammation, gas and bloating.
Can you find out whether you have low acid and enzyme levels? Absolutely - a good stool test will give you this info, as well as finding the bad bugs.
"Good bugs" (also known as "predominant bacteria" or "probiotics") are also really important - they keep the bad bugs away, support digestion, cut down inflammation and generally keep your gut healthy. The latest research suggests they may even affect emotional function!
If your good bugs have been knocked out by antibiotic treatments, drinking alcohol or eating a poor quality diet, their absence can allow bad bugs in, stop you digesting food, and make your tummy explode.
A good stool test will also tell you about your "good bug" population!
SUMMARY
Getting rid of your bloating and achieving that flat tummy you've always wanted has as much to do with your inside health as it does your outside appearance.
You can do all the crunches and abdominal exercises you want, but if your gut is inflamed and gassy, it will continue to pop out and cause you discomfort and embarrassment.
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