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Top 5 tips to avoid water retention

Do you feel your ankles often get swollen and that your rings don't fit you anymore? Also, do these symptoms begin to appear after you've had a certain kind of meal?

This is nothing but water retention (the medical term for it is edema). Fluid retention takes place in the circulatory system or within tissues and leads to swelling in hands, feet, ankles and legs.
Here's a list of things that can help you get rid of the problem:
Up your magnesium
Magnesium is a super important mineral that is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions that keep the body functions in balance. Increase your magnesium intake to reduce water retention significantly. Foods that are high in magnesium include nuts, whole grains, dark chocolate and leafy greens. You could also take some supplements.
Lose the salt
Made of sodium and chloride, salt is the main culprit when it comes to water retention, as sodium bonds with water and helps maintain the balance of fluids both inside and outside of cells. Many processed foods are really high in sodium and cause the body to retain fluids in an unhealthy proportion. Remove that salt shaker from the table. What has been added into your food is fine (though try to keep that to a minimum too), but do not add any extra salt to your food. Also, try and switch to Himalayan salt or sea salt instead of the regular iodised processed salt that comes in packets.
Take Vitamin B Complex
This group of Vitamin Bs are important for the formation of red blood cells and its deficiency often leads to edema. Taking Vitamin B complex supplements or adding nutritional yeast to your foods gives you a major boost of Vitamin B and can help reduce water retention.
Ditch those refined carbs
We all know what refined processed carbs can do to our bodies. They lead to rapid spikes in our blood sugar and insulin levels. This, in turn, causes the body to retain more sodium by increasing the absorption of sodium in the kidneys, which, in turn, leads to fluid retention in the body.
Potassium boost
Potassium is the mineral that helps with transmitting the electrical signals that keep the body running and also helps keep the heart healthy. While sodium retains water into cells, potassium helps pump it out. Incorporate bananas, avocados and tomatoes into your daily diet to keep your potassium levels up!
Drink loads of water, make some dietary changes and follow the above tips to reduce that dreaded fluid retention that makes your jeans tight and lives miserable.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com