Fluid retention is also called oedema or water retention. It occurs when parts of the body swell due to a build-up of trapped fluid. The fluid gets trapped and makes the area swollen or puffy. Fluid retention is most common in your ankles and feet however you can also get it in your face and hands as well.  Many factors could contribute to water retention. Though medical treatments may be necessary depending on the cause, several simple dietary and lifestyle changes may help reduce water retention and promote fluid balance.  Following a balanced diet and limiting processed foods and refined carbs may be especially beneficial.

If water retention persists even after you’ve made changes to your diet or lifestyle, consult a healthcare professional to determine the best course of treatment.

One of the most direct ways that you can begin to reduce water retention is through your diet. 

1. Reduce Salt Consumption

The sodium in salt binds to water in your body and is an important element in how your body balances fluid levels inside and outside of your cells. Consuming too much salt, such as by eating processed foods can upset the fluid balance in your body and encourage water retention. An easy way to start combating water retention then, is to simply start cutting back on your salt intake. Choose healthier alternatives to processed food, and when you can use salt substitutes for flavouring in your cooking. 

2. Avoid Eating Refined Carbohydrates 

Consuming refined carbohydrates like white flour, white bread, pasta or pastries causes rapid spikes in your blood sugar and insulin levels. High levels of insulin can cause your body to retain more sodium by prompting your kidneys to reabsorb more sodium. This in turn then causes water retention as more fluid is retained by the sodium. You should therefore eat refined carbohydrates in moderation and avoid gorging or overeating them during meals. Eat slower and consider switching to complex carbohydrates like brown rice and whole grain alternatives. 

3. Increase Your Potassium Consumption 

Potassium is another important mineral essential to your body’s metabolic processes.  It helps reduce water retention by lowering sodium levels in your body and encourages urine production. Foods that are high in potassium include bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach, and watermelon. Feel free to explore more potassium-rich foods and see what you’d like to have more often in your daily diet.

4. Consume Natural Diuretics

Diuretics help relieve water retention by encouraging you to pee more often, decreasing the overall amount of fluid in your body. While many of the substances we consume daily, like coffee, may already be diuretics, you can also consider taking natural diuretics like dandelion, and green and black tea, parsley, hibiscus tea, watermelon, grapes, celery, asparagus, onions, garlic and capsicum.

Lifestyle Changes for Water Retention

Apart from making changes to your diet, you can also reduce water retention through other changes to your lifestyle.

5. Get Active 

Sedentary lifestyles can contribute to water retention happening. If you’re standing or sitting for long hours every day, fluid can accumulate in your legs due to poor circulation and gravitational force. That’s why your legs and ankles can sometimes get swollen after standing or sitting all day. Take the time to get up and move around or incorporate some form of daily exercise to keep your circulation going to keep water retention at bay. 

6. Wear Compression Leggings

Compression leggings are made to fit tight. Designed to wrap tightly around your legs, they help to squeeze your tissues and prevent fluid from accumulating. If you’re unable to avoid being sedentary due to your work, they are a great investment to help you avoid or reduce water retention.

7. Elevate Your Feet 

Since we often experience water retention as a result of gravitational force acting on our bodies when we are sedentary, another easy way to reduce water retention is to simply elevate your feet. Doing so encourages fluid to flow away from your legs and back up into your body, reducing water retention. Try doing it several times a day or when your feet feel swollen. 

8. Drink More Water

While it may sound counterintuitive, drinking water actually helps to reduce water retention. When your body experiences dehydration, it tends to retain fluid as much as possible, leading to water retention in your tissues, causing the classic swelling. Drinking about 12 glasses of water per day and staying hydrated can thus help reduce water retention.

9. Weight Management

Obesity or being overweight can lead to poor circulation in your body and contribute to water retention in your lower extremities. The swelling can place extra strain on your feet, causing pain when you walk. This can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle that in turn, further exacerbates the swelling. If you feel that your weight is a contributing factor to your water retention issues, you should consider embarking on a weight management plan.

10. Get a Massage

Sometimes we all need to relax. Great as they are for your mental health, massages are also a fantastic way to help relieve water retention. Massaging your feet or affected areas with firm strokes and pressure towards your heart, helps to push fluid away and reduce swelling. So, it’s perhaps time for you to get in a massage every now and then, or get someone to do it for you if you can. Find a massage therapist who can do lymphatic drainage massage – this will help to move the lymph fluid out of the body.

11.  Try Acupuncture

Acupuncture aims to treat the cause and the metabolic imbalances that led to the formation of the oedema (edema), not just the symptom of fluid retention. The type and method of treatment will depend on where the oedema is thought to originate - lung, spleen, or kidney.  Acupuncture is a non-invasive and effective method to treat all types of edema like peripheral, lymphedema, and macular. Scientific studies have proved that acupuncture has significant benefits in treating edema.