Water retention also called fluid retention or edema, is the buildup of fluid in the tissues of your body. The causes of water retention can vary from person to person, but common causes include a high-sodium diet, certain medications, and hormonal changes.
These home remedies for water retention can help reduce swelling and discomfort.
Water retention is a condition in which excessive accumulation of fluids occurs in body tissues. It is a more prevalent problem in women than men. The condition is also known as Edema.
Your legs begin to look fat, your feet can't fit into your normal shoes. Your belly and breasts or any part of the body may swell and feel tender. If these symptoms last longer than a week or 10 days, then you should be alert. Get medical tests done and rule out kidney, heart, liver, lungs, or thyroid disorders if any.
Once it is clear that major organ disorders are not responsible for fluid retention, you can focus on lifestyle changes and other home remedies for water retention to regain normal condition.
Do not get into the trap of quick fixes to resolve the problem through chemical diuretics. The major disadvantages of diuretics are that they flush out important minerals such as potassium and magnesium along with the main culprit sodium. As a result, your blood circulation and muscular functioning activities get affected.
1. Drink Lots of Water
This might sound counterintuitive, but this is the most effective method to flush out the excessive accumulation of water in the body. You might question whether my problem is water in the body and won't more water intake increases the problem.
No, it will not.
This is how it works. When you are dehydrated kidneys try to act as reservoir tap. It lets the water be conserved. The sodium which is the main cause of water retention doesn’t get flushed out because the fluid is not getting into normal exit routes. This conserved water seeps into body cells where it is not supposed to.
More water will keep the body properly hydrated and make the kidney function normal. The excess water will flush out the sodium. Make sure that you drink water by sipping slowly, not gulping down in one go. Do not drink too much water at a time as it can increase your blood pressure. Sipping one glass of water at every one-hour interval can be good. If you are a high blood pressure patient, then keep checking your blood pressure before and after drinking water.
2. Reduce Sodium Intake
Since sodium is one of the catalysts to retain water in the body, it becomes the most obvious point of attention. You must take precautions to avoid water retention. Our current busy lifestyle has made us dependent on fast foods and canned foods. Both of them contain excessive sodium, the fast foods contain it to add taste, and the canned food for preservation purposes.
Out taste buds become habitual to expecting high salt-containing food so even with homemade food you will end up adding more salt than required.
Take extra precautions. Consciously consume less salt. Ensure to check and confirm low salt contents before consuming any food item. if you can do it for 3-4 weeks then your taste buds will be settled for a low sodium diet with pleasure.
Sodium also increases fluid in the blood resulting in high blood pressure problems, so less intake of sodium is very good for overall better health.
3. Eat Potassium Rich Food
Excessive sodium alone is not the catalyst but in combination with low potassium, it becomes the water retention agent. It is the low potassium-sodium ratio that needs correction.
One way is to reduce the sodium intake which we have already discussed. The other is to increase potassium intake. Low potassium hurts body tissues and cell health.
Potassium also helps kidney function. Eat lots of fruits potassium-rich fruits such as apple, apricot, avocado, blackberries, banana, bell pepper, melons, mushrooms, peaches, raspberries, spinach, strawberries, sunflower seeds, etc.
4. Consume Natural Diuretic Foods
Many foods improve kidney functioning and help kidneys to flush out toxins. These foods are natural diuretic foods as they help excretion.
Natural diuretics are better than medicinal diuretics because natural diuretics don't flush out important minerals such as potassium and magnesium. They flush out toxins as a result the sodium water balance improves which stops water retention.
In addition, unlike the chemical diuretics which provide temporary relief and water retention is generally resumed after stopping diuretics, natural diuretics have a long-term positive impact, and even if you don't eat them consistently the kidney functions normally.
Foods like artichokes, asparagus, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, cranberries, cucumber, eggplant, grapes, leafy vegetables, leeks, lemons, lettuce, onions, pineapples, pumpkins, watercress, and watermelons are good natural diuretics.
Keep some of these foods in your daily consumption list and you can rotate them to main the variety in your daily diet.
5. Dandelion
We have separated it from the list of above foods because it is an all-around food to solve the water retention problem. It contains both potassium and magnesium. In addition, according to a 2009 research study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, dandelion is a great diuretic.
The dandelion leaf has all the diuretic capabilities. You can take dandelion extract 3 times a day until your water retention problem is resolved.
Since it is a natural diuretic, you can continue to take it if you have high blood pressure because it reduces water from the blood also.
6. Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is also a powerful tool to reduce water retention. It works slightly differently than all the above methods as it helps lever by producing proteins that combine with water and get excreted, thereby reducing water in the body.
Take them as a Vitamin B complex supplement for the best results.
7. Bouncing on Mini Trampoline
Jumping up and down the mini trampoline is a great exercise to reduce water retention. The jumping works on the lymphatic system ( the series of vessels that moves and drain the fluid).
10-15 minutes of daily bouncing on the trampoline twice a day can not only get rid of your water retention problem but will make you overall healthy by working on your full body, mind, and soul.
Bottomline
Most of the above effective home remedies for water retention can reduce bloating and swelling. You can also try gentle exercises such as walking or yoga to reduce inflammation. If you are still experiencing discomfort, speak with your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions.