With summer nearly here, women are rushing to get their bikini bodies in shape for swimsuit season. From extreme diets to intense workouts, we’re determined to get that perfect body. However, if you suffer from hormonal imbalance  – and the bloating which can come from it – restrictive diets and strenuous exercise can harm you instead of help you. So, instead of crushing through intense workouts and diets, consider introducing probiotics to your diet.

Where does bloating come from?

Bloating is not only uncomfortable, but it’s also unattractive. But what causes bloating? There are several potential causes, and it’s possible that you are experiencing one or several of them.

One reason for bloating can be an imbalanced microbiome.If you’re microbiome is imbalanced, there are more bad bacteria than good bacteria in your gut, which can interfere with your health and wellbeing.

Furthermore, when the microbe is compromised, estrogen and progesterone levels are thrown off, leading to fluid retention in the body. 

Stress can also contribute to bloating, by making the body hold on to sodium. Finally, a magnesium deficiency can manifest with bloating, too. 

While it’s important to manage stress and increase magnesium in our diet, you can also support a healthy gut by introducing more probiotics into your diet. They can help to restore good bacteria in the gut and prevent bad bacteria from getting out of control.

You can take a probiotic supplement, or you can add small amounts of probiotic-rich foods into your diet. Some good options include yogurt, kefir, kombucha, fermented soy, such as miso, natto and tempeh, along with kimchi and pickled vegetables.