Who hasn't experienced symptoms of digestive discomfort? Whether from a heavy meal, food intolerances, or the fluctuation of hormonal cycles, bloat can really throw your day off course. It's hard to feel at your best when uncomfortable.

Here are some simple tips to improve digestion, reduce bloat, and generally feel better.

1. Start each morning with hot water and lemon
   
   Although hot lemon water can't erase all sins, it is a great way to start your day. Lemon water aids with digestion and help prevent spikes in blood sugar. Although lemon is acidic, once your body processes it, lemon juice has an alkaline effect on your body, which has health benefits of its own. Plus, increasing your water consumption is always a good thing to keep things moving in your digestive tract and reduce bloat.
   
   
2. Try taking apple cider vinegar
   
   Apple cider vinegar is a popular choice among the health conscious and has been used for centuries as a home remedy. Many individuals use it to help promote weight loss and digestion, as it's been known to assist the body in detoxing activities.
   
   Drinking apple cider vinegar can irritate the throat and damage tooth enamel, so instead, purchase capsules and include in your supplementation routine. They're easy to find at pharmacies and health food stores. Apple cider vinegar can also be incorporated into your diet by used in recipes for salad dressings or vinaigrettes. 
   
   
3. Brew a cup of peppermint tea
   
   Peppermint has been used forever in natural medicine, and more recently studied in conventional medicine. Peppermint works in the gut to reduce pain and discomfort by essentially relaxing your digestive system and improving the flow of digestive liquids. The benefits of using peppermint as a digestive aid Irritable Bowel Syndrome are well documented and researched, so brew a cup of peppermint tea after heavy meals or whenever you're struggling with bloat.
   
   
4. Add ginger
   
   Ginger has powerful medicinal properties including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. In studies, it has proven to reduce intestinal cramping and bloating, and can be very beneficial to ingest for digestive discomfort. If you're looking to improve your digestion, add fresh ginger to recipes, or grate into a cup of hot water to brew a ginger tea.
   
   
5. Try a probiotic
   
   Probiotics can be taken on an as-needed basis or included in daily supplementation, based on your needs and goals. We recommend speaking to your doctor or naturopath if you deal with digestive discomfort on a regular basis, as more may be at play. But for general health support, taking a probiotic may be a good option. Check out Ora Organic's Trust Your Gut capsules or Seed's Daily Symbiotic.

As always, we at Loba share information for entertainment and educational purposes only. We’ll discuss products and regimens that we like and have worked for us, but everyone and every body is different. We are not medical practitioners. Please be sure to consult a physician and/or a naturopath prior to beginning any diet, supplementation, or health regimen.