It’s easy to get carried away and overeat during any holiday. But, if you’re trying to stay in the Keto Zone and eat a healthy diet, the indulgence can cause a host of issues in your body including:

• Increased blood sugar and insulin
• Increased fluid retention
• Inflammation
• Weight Gain

If this describes your current condition, it’s time to get right back on track. One of the best ways to get back is a detox smoothie. It provides both a physical and mental shift back towards Beyond Keto eating. There’s no wallowing in guilt. Here’s what it is and why it works.

Make it, drink it, and consider yourself back on track.

BEYOND KETO BLOAT DETOX SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups almond milk
• 1 cup spinach, loosely packed
• ½ cup cucumber, sliced (approximately ¼ medium cucumber)
• ½ cup celery, chopped (approximately 1 medium stalk)
• ½ small avocado (peeled & pitted)
• 1 scoop MCT Oil Powder
• 1 scoop Fiber Zone
• 1 scoop Fermented Green Supremefood
• Optional: 3-5 drops organic liquid stevia or low-carb sweetener of choice, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a blender, mix almond milk and spinach. Pulse to break down spinach and make room for the other ingredients.
2. Add all ingredients EXCEPT stevia.
3. Blend for about 1 minute or until creamy.
4. Taste it. If you’ve used flavored MCT Oil Powder and/or Green Supremefood, it may be sweet enough. If not, add stevia (or another low-carb sweetener), to taste.

Nutrition Info: 375 Calories, 25g of Fat, 20g of Protein, 4g of Net Carbs

DETOX FROM SUGAR BLOATING AND DESTRUCTIVE PATHWAY:

If you’ve overeaten, eaten too many carbohydrates, or indulged in sugary desserts recently, there’s a good chance you’re not feeling so hot. But, don’t despair because we’ve got a secret weapon in our detox smoothie: celery.

Sugar can cause damage in the body. Thankfully, celery can help you stop the damage, reverse it, and get back on track.

DETOX CELERY SMOOTHIE TO THE RESCUE

While we are definitely not encouraging anyone to overeat sugary desserts and carbohydrates, we all live in the real world and know it happens. Rather than pretend it doesn’t, let’s focus on a tool to get you back on track.

One tool is celery and this Keto Zone Celery Detox Smoothie.

Why celery?

Celery has a gentle diuretic effect which quickly normalizes fluid retention without leaving you dehydrated.  This beats the bloat.

Next, it’s loaded with nutrients. In fact, celery is:

• A nutrition powerhouse. It contains calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium.  In addition, a plethora of vitamins: including vitamin A, C, E, D, B6, B12, and vitamin K as well as thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid and fiber (1).
• Rich in Vitamin C, which promotes good immune function and works as an antioxidant to reduce oxidative stress.
• A blood pressure reducer. It reduces stress hormones and relaxes arteries to make them more elastic (2).
• A cholesterol-binder. Celery increases bile production which binds cholesterol in the gut and promotes excretion out of the body (3).
• A gentle diuretic.

DETOX CELERY SMOOTHIE SUPER INGREDIENTS

The other ingredients in the Detox Celery Smoothie are not exactly slouches. They bolster it to the next level and provide a full-nutrition meal with healthy fats and protein.

Cucumber also promotes gentle diuresis, helping you beat the bloat from extra foods and sugars.

Avocado is full of vitamins and minerals along with health-promoting omega-9 fats and cholesterol-binding fiber.

Spinach provides many phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Its deep green hue is an indication of health-benefitting chlorophyll.

MCT Oil Powder is a convenient and non-greasy form of the best MCTs available. They are easy-to-digest and produce ketones your brain can use as a super-fuel.

Fiber Zone promotes healthy digestion, elimination, and overall health by encouraging great gut health. Fiber can help you bloat detox quickly.

Fermented Green Supremefood, a blend of fermented vegetables and wheatgrass, provides concentrated vitamins and minerals. The fermentation process “opens up” these natural superfoods to get more nutrients out. Plus, it contains healthy bacteria to support digestive and whole-body health.

BOTTOM LINE

If you’re feeling bloated, it’s time to take action. Detox with our Anti-Bloat Smoothie and you’ll feel better in no time. Then, consider yourself “back on track” and move forward with your Beyond Keto lifestyle!

The post Binge on Sugar? Our Bloat Detox Smoothie to the Rescue appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

Causes of Bloating

Although most people consider bloating a rather minor health issue, it can often be a sign of a serious underlying problem in the digestive system. The sensation of bloating is often caused by a buildup of gas in the digestive tract. This gas comes from either air that has been swallowed or from the bacteria in the gut.

Anxiety

Swallowed air is usually a result of anxiety. When the nervous system is in “fight or flight” mode the breathing becomes short and shallow and can lead to excess air being swallowed. In fact, anxiety attacks are frequently accompanied by bouts of burping up of air that has been swallowed due to improper breathing. Effective anxiety reduction techniques include prayer, meditation, nature immersion, and relaxed time spent with loved ones

There are other reasons for swallowed air such as eating too quickly, using straws, chewing gum, or sucking on hard candy.

Gut Dysbiosis

The other common cause of air in the digestive tract is from the fermentation of sugars and fiber by the bacteria in the gut. Trillions of bacteria live in our gastrointestinal systems and the collection of these bacteria is referred to as the “microbiome.” Some bacteria are good, some are bad, and some are neutral. The good bacteria help us break down and assimilate our food, modulate our immune systems, and protect our bodies from foreign invaders.

Unfortunately, due to our modern lifestyles, the ratio of bacteria can become imbalanced and the bad bacteria can take over and even migrate to parts of the digestive system they are not meant to be in. This is referred to as “intestinal dysbiosis.”

Bacteria and Bloating

In those with dysbiosis, foods that contain certain types of sugar and fiber will feed the excess bacteria who then produce gas as a byproduct of digestion. The buildup of this gas is often the cause of bloating.

In order to ease the symptoms of bloating it is essential to balance the microbiome. This can be done by eliminating foods that feed the bad bacteria and consuming more good bacteria (probiotics) and food for the good bacteria (prebiotics).

FODMAPs

Sadly, many otherwise healthy vegetables can potentially contribute to bloating in certain extreme cases. This is because vegetables like onions, garlic, and leeks contain specific carbohydrates called FODMAPs. These carbohydrates are readily fermented by bacteria in the bowel and can feed an overgrowth of bad bacteria.

Beat the Bloat!

In order to reduce the incidence of bloating it is important to pay attention to the lifestyle factors that contribute to this phenomenon. There is no one cause of bloating universal to everybody. It is important to listen to your body so you can figure out what foods and factors are major contributors for you. To make it easier for you, here is a list of foods that likely contribute to bloating and foods that will likely help prevent it.

Foods to Avoid

• Sugar
• Difficult to digest grains such as wheat, corn, brown rice, barley, rye, and oats.
• High FODMAP veggies such as cabbage, brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower
• Pasteurized dairy

Foods to Add

• Probiotics
• Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, raw yogurt or kefir, kombucha, and Fermented Green Supremefood
• Water rich and low sugar fruit and veggies such as leafy greens, cucumbers, berries, and celery

Feel the Fermented Difference

Dr. Colbert developed Fermented Green Supremefood as an easily digested alternative to conventional greens powders. By fermenting the vegetables before consumption, the chances of bloating are dramatically decreased. The result is a delicious and nutrient dense formula that provides a substantial dose of probiotics!

More and more, science is proving that a healthy digestive system is the key to a healthy brain and body—and the power to keep your gut healthy lies directly with you! Get Dr. Colbert’s Healthy Gut Zone book today to help you understand the connection between your gut and your health. You will learn that whatever inflames your gut will eventually inflame your brain and the rest of your body. Making the right food choices will become the medicine in which you will walk and live in divine health.

References

1. https://draxe.com/bloated-stomach/
2. http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/788563/bloating-stomach-symptoms-cause-link-to-IBS-diet

The post How You Can Beat the Bloat! appeared first on Dr. Don Colbert, MD.