You may think ‘flatter middle’ and ‘BBQ’ have no business being in the same heading. Oh, but they do. Read on.

If you eat the standard American diet (SAD), there is a very good chance you will feel bloated or sick to your stomach from time to time. For those who can eat fried, processed foods and not feel ill, you are incredibly lucky but beware that your crappy diet may catch up to you one day. For others, an antacid is the ‘solution’ to stomach issues but that’s just dealing with the symptom rather than the root of the problem. Wouldn’t it be easier to deal with the source and make belly bloat a thing of the past?

Indigestion is just that – the inability to digest food properly. There are many reasons why people have digestive issues. Often, the quality or type of food consumed is the culprit and a diet based on unprocessed, mostly organic foods is essential. However, belly bloat could also be brought on by foods that are by all accounts healthy but are not jivin’ with your unique body. Food sensitivities or intolerances are surprisingly common and they can change throughout your lifetime. While allergies affect numerous organs in the body, food intolerances affect mainly the digestive track.

This will sound strange if you don’t know me but I actually like to get a cold or a bellyache. It’s important for me to know when something is out of whack in my body. That way I can take steps like de-stressing and slowing down before the problem becomes more serious. The symptoms are nearly always short lived when taking this approach. Our body gives us many important signs before we come down with the flu or something more serious like cancer or another disease. Disease is dis-ease/lack of ease. Our bodies must be at ease to function properly. When we listen to the messages our sacred temples are sending us and act accordingly, only then does the magic happen. Our bodies are amazing machines that are designed to heal. We just need to give them the help and the breathing room they need to do their best work.

I’m naturally thin but have often felt like the puffer fish pictured above. I would start out the day feeling svelte but by days end, my belly was distended. It was embarrassing and uncomfortable. However, I got a handle on the belly bloat and can’t remember the last time I felt puffy around the midsection.

10 Steps to a Flatter middle

1. Water. Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of spring or filtered water a day. If you drink coffee or tea, increase the number of glasses of water by the number of cups of coffee or tea you consume. Caffeinated drinks are diuretics and dehydrate you. Drinking adequate water is one of the most important and often overlooked ways to ensure a flatter middle.
2. Eat more unprocessed, organic foods. You will have less health problems in general, better digestion and glowing skin if you eat more fruit (including avocados), vegetables, leafy greens and whole grains. Soak your grains for increased digestibility. Foods with additives and preservatives are foreign to the body and therefore difficult to digest. Concentrate on the outer aisles a the supermarket and avoid the processed, packaged foods found on the middle aisles. Also, avoid foods with sugar and if you have a sugar addiction, deal with it now. There is plenty of research out there about how sugar leads to disease. Here’s a link to my post on kicking the sugar habit.
3. Magnesium. Magnesium enables the muscles to relax and helps to alleviate constipation and cramps associated with digestive issues. Magnesium can reduce health issues associated with stress. If you haven’t noticed already, stress plays a negative role in our ailments including belly bloat. I personally like Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement but there are many on the market you can try.
4. As mentioned earlier in this post, it is essential that you check for Food Sensitivities. You could be eating grapefruit every day without realizing that your body has an intolerance for it. Even a mild intolerance can cause you problems. A health coach can help you identify food sensitivities. Contact me if you would like guidance.
5. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). You would think I have stock in the company since I recommend ACV almost daily. The saying ‘an apple a day’ should be ‘2 tablespoons of ACV a day.’ Seriously, incorporate ACV into your daily routine and you will not only help with any digestive issues you may have but also help to clear up skin imbalances and a whole host of other issues. Take 2 T in a full glass of H2O one or two times a day. Not into drinking vinegar even ACV, the panacea of all panaceas? Make a salad dressing with it. Here’s a link to my Nutty Salad Dressing recipe.
6. Consider taking a probiotic. An over-the-counter probiotic (look for raw, vegan) supplies good ‘bugs’ and ensures a healthy gut. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha do the same thing. A probiotic is especially important if you are on antibiotics as antibiotics kill the good bugs in addition to the bad ones. Take a probiotic or eat fermented foods to replace the good critters.
7. A simple ab workout daily or core exercise can make you feel and look better. If you have issues with your middle, digestive or otherwise, incorporate a simple ab workout into your daily routine so that those muscles fire and you feel strength instead of annoyance with the state of your middle. As I write this post, I am doing subtle sitting crunches.
8. Send that belly love. I can’t tell you how healing it is to love and accept your body. Place your hand over your midsection and in a circular motion, tell it you love and support it for all the amazing processes it goes through every day for your benefit. If it’s not digesting properly, love and accept it all the more and imagine yourself free of bloating, pain and distention. Sound hippie dippie? I like hippie dippie. I am hippie dippie.
9. Chew your food. The digestion process starts in your mouth. Our saliva has enzymes that break down the food and aid in the digestion process. Chewing each bite 20-30 times is ideal. At the very least, be more cognizant of chewing and aim to chew more. If you do suffer from digestive issues, chewing 20-30 times is imperative.
10. Get help. Talk to your doctor and be prepared with your own research regarding natural remedies for digestive issues. If you are reading my blog, you are likely sick and tired of being sick and tired and taking pills. You want to heal the source of the problem and assist the body do its amazing work. Dealing with just the symptoms only covers up what’s causing the imbalance in the first place. Seek the guidance of a Naturopath in addition to your conventional doctor and do your own research. It is your body and you are the ultimate decision maker. Contact me if you would like health coaching and/or some recommended books addressing your specific issue. I will recommend right now My Kitchen Cure by Mee Tracy McCormick which is about healing autoimmune diseases with diet. Mee Tracy is the essence of awesomeness.

So can you eat BBQ and still have a flatter middle? H.E. Double Hockey Sticks YES. Here is a hearty, healthy lip-smackin’ recipe from another one of my favorite healing food goddesses, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Her book Isa Does It is currently my favorite cook book just after My Kitchen Cure. Isa does it with her Korean BBQ recipe. I must admit it was better the second time so this one may take some practice. The key is to really char the portobello and get a gooey texture to the BBQ sauce. I give thanks to my dear friends Sheri and Peli who told me about this recipe and have nailed it on numerous occasions!

SIZZLING KOREAN BBQ PORTOBELLO BURGERS

October 21, 2016

by Susie Belanger

Category Recipes Self Care

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup light molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (like from the tree, not from the lab)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut amino acids
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons liquid smoke (I am not crazy about the smoke flavor so I omit this)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (if you can't find toasted, regular is ok)
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 average-sized portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
• Olive oil, for spraying or brushing the grill (I prefer to use coconut oil since you are heating at high heat)
• For serving:
• 4 large Ekekiel hamburger buns (or ciabatta bread if it's your cheat day)
• Vegan mayo (Earth Balance makes a good one)
• 1 cup kimchi (the spicier, the better)

Instructions

1. MARINADE: Combine all marinade ingredients in a shallow casserole dish with enough room to hold mushroom caps in a single layer. Marinate mushrooms gill side up for at least 15 minutes and up to one hour. Make sure mushrooms are fully slathered in marinade.
2. STOVETOP DIRECTIONS: Preheat grille pan over high heat. Brush pan with oil. Place each mushroom cap in the pan gill side up and partially cover with a large lid. Cook for about 5 minutes spooning more marinade over half way through. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes or until center where stem was is nice and juicy and mushroom is nicely charred.
3. OVEN BROILER DIRECTIONS: Preheat broiler. Brush shallow cookie sheet with oil and and arrange mushroom caps gill side up. Place 6 inches from the heat. Broil approximately 5 minutes each side spooning marinade over half way through.
4. ASSEMBLY: Toast buns and cover with a generous amount of mayo. Layer mushrooms then kimchi and enjoy with a big salad. OMG good.