Belly bloat. The bloat is real, but it doesn't have to be.

There's no escaping it. And even the healthiest of meals can cause a little extra bloat during the holidays (or anytime, really). We just got through the biggest bloat-inducing time of the year: the holidays! I'm sure we areallfeeling the effects of those parties, snacks in the break room, and drinks with out of town friends, am I right? Yep!

Even if we made healthy choices, those extras add up to make us feel a little wonky and, well, fuller than we'd like. Some of thebiggest culprits? Too much fiber, sugar, salt, cruciferous veggies (like Brussels sprouts & cauliflower), cheese, bread (?rolls), and, of course, booze. So, how do we ditch holiday belly bloat?

The good news?It's super easy to do if you follow a few simple steps.

Get Your Body Back on Track With My 4 Best Tips

Up Your Water Intake?

From the moment you wake up, you should start drinking good old H2O! Bloating is usually caused by what you ate combined with your body storing excess water (usually because of too much salt in your diet). It sounds counterintuitive, but drinking more water will actually help flush out the body, allowing you to ditch that excess water weight!

Chug, Chug, Chug!

• Start the day off with a shot of ACV and 8 oz of water first thing in the morning
• Make sure to get 2-3 L of water throughout the day. That's just 2-3 of your LSF day drinking bottles each day! Easy peasy!
• Eat fruits and veggies that are high in water content. Think strawberries, oranges, zucchini, and cucumber. Asparagus is another great choice since it acts as a natural diuretic (aka it helps pull excess water out of the body), so it makes it a great choice to ditch holiday belly bloat.

Step AWAY From the Carbs?

Sorry girls, I know the bread just really makes the cheese that much better, but if you want to ditch that post-holiday bloat, you're gonna need to lay off those processed carbs. Yes – your body absolutely NEEDS carbohydrates. Carbs are the body's number one go-to for energy, but it's about eating the right carbs in the right amounts. The way your body creates glycogen (energy) is by binding carbohydrates to water molecules, so basically the more you eat, the more water your body stores, and the more you feel bloated.

Instead, get your carbs from things like vegetables (yep, they're packed with them), brown rice, quinoa or my favorite source, sweet potatoes! (Be sure to try these sweet potato burgers and snag a ton of other ways to prepare and love healthy carbs in my Guiltless Nutrition Lifestyle and Recipe Book!)

Go Salt-Free

This goes back to the whole excess-water-thing. When you have too much salt in your diet, your body holds on to excess water. Your kidneys need a perfect balance of electrolytes in order to stay happy, so they keep that extra water around to balance out that extra salt. Ditch the salt and you can say bye to the bloat.

Check Yourself?

Enjoy yourself, but get ready to get back on track and ditch the bloat the next day. I ALWAYS do a 1 Day Detox after a big event (ahem, the holiday season) to help reset my body then jump back into week 3 of the Hot Body Meal Plan. It's my favorite week AND the best for de-bloating!