Breakfast is essential and should comprise carbohydrates like natural, whole-grain cereals. Hot cereal cooked with honey and dried fruit is excellent. Muesli is delicious soaked overnight in fruit juice. Complete your breakfast with whole-grain toast.
Become a grazer. Eat often to keep your blood sugar on an even keel. Eat a green salad every day. Nuts, garbanzo beans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds with minimal salt are excellent snacks. Keep dairy products to a minimum.
Avoid alcohol and sugar -- a glass of wine or piece of chocolate cake (or both!) may seem like what you need, but they can make your symptoms worse.
Herbal teas with basil, rosemary, lemon balm, nutmeg, marjoram and lemon verbena are soothing and keep you hydrated. A large sprig of basil or mint and a few drops of fresh lemon juice elevate a glass of water to a delicious and interesting drink. Non-caffeinated fluids will beat back the bloat.
Occasionally, indulge yourself in a bit of dark chocolate -- the darker, the better. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine that stimulates the release of endorphins, the feel-good hormone. Just don't overdo it, as much as you might crave chocolate.
