Water Retention
- ciaralitchfield
- Oct 27, 2014
- 3 min read
Water retention, or Oedema, is a medical condition that occurs when fluid builds up in our tissue. It can be localised in a specific area such as feet or ankles or general over the whole body. Oedema can be a symptom of an underlying condition, often related to the heart of kidneys so you should keep an eye on it if you suffer regularly.
Women often suffer more than men as minor swelling can be due to hormonal triggers such as thyroid issues, pregnancy or the use of hormone replacement therapy/contraceptives.
Symptoms of minor water retention include stiffness, aches and obvious swelling of joints, a generally feeling of being bloated/ uncomfortable. Localised swelling in a joint may be due to a specific injury in which case you will need to rest.
Along with hormonal triggers, diet plays a role in the cause and cure of Oedema. Causes may arise from an absence of certain vitamins and minerals or eating some elements in excess. The list below details some major contributors.
Dietary deficiencies of: Vitamin B1, B6, B5, D, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Having all of the below in your diet will help to reduce water retention.
B1- B1, also known as thiamin, is important for muscle and tissue health. It’s found in eggs, fruit and vegetables.
B6 – B6 can’t be stored in your body so you need to keep up a regular supply through your diet. Luckily it’s found in a wide range of sources such as Meat, Fish, Eggs, Soy beans and cereals. Its functions include aiding Haemoglobin and allowing our bodies to access and store energy from Protein and Carbohydrates.
B5 – Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is also involved in energy release and found in many sources such as meat and vegetables.
D – Vitamin D is not only found in sunlight but also in oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals.
Calcium, magnesium and potassium are believed to be mild diuretics. Having them in your diet allows your body to release any excess fluid preventing any unpleasant side effects. Calcium can be found in dairy products and dark green leafy veg, Potassium in bananas and citrus fruits and Magnesium in nuts, seeds and leafy veg.
High salt intake:
Stop adding salt to your food and be careful of processed foods which are likely to have a high salt and sugar content. Excess salt absorbs water which pulls it into your cells rather than allowing it to be released. Cutting your salt intake down should help to reduce problems.
High intake of dehydrating beverages:
Excessive tea, coffee and alcohol can dehydrate our bodies as they have a diuretic effect. This causes our bodies to switch to retaining water as a defence. Change to herbal teas to lower the caffeine content and up your water intake.
Low intakes of water:
Being dehydrated causes of bodies to retain any fluids it has to prevent further dehydration. Adding water to your diet will have a positive effect generally but in addition will allow your body to flush fluid through reducing retention.
Extra Tips:
If you feel you already have a good balanced diet here are a few extra tips for dealing with water retention.
Increase the amount of foods you eat that have diuretic properties. These include celery, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, carrots, onion, asparagus.
Complete a diary of what you have eaten. Food diaries allow you to track associations between what you have eaten and how your body reacts. You may notice a pattern between certain negative reactions and certain food groups. In some cases it may be wise to cut down on this food group or cut it out completely if negative effect continues to occur. Keep an eye on bloating or swelling in particular.
Exercise!!
Up your protein intake. Having more protein in your diet, in the place of say extra carbohydrate, means you are more likely to use your glycogen stores for energy. When glycogen (stored of glucose) is stored in your muscles and liver it’s accompanied by 2.7g of water. When these stores are burned we also lose the associated water helping to reduce retention.
Herbal diuretics such as parsley, dandelion leaf and hawthorn may help to control water retention. They increase the amount of water filtered by the Kidneys thus aiding our bodies in flushing out fluid.
Talk to your doctor, especially in the case of contraceptives and HRT, it may be that the dose you are on isn’t suiting you and you may need to change.
