

7 Ways To Reduce Excess Fluid Retention And Look Less Bloated
Fluid retention is a common problem, causing swelling of the feet and ankles in particular.
Puffiness of the hands, fingers and face is also common. In women, premenstrual fluid retention can cause breast tenderness and abdominal bloating.
Carrying excess fluid on your body can make you look more overweight than you are. Eliminating some of this fluid can give you a much leaner appearance.
Fluid retention is far more common in summer than winter. Sometimes it is simply annoying, while in other cases it may signal a significant health problem.
Here are 7 ways to beat the bloat and eliminate excess fluid from your body
1. Avoid sugar
Most people think of salt in relation to fluid retention. It is true that excess salt in the diet can aggravate fluid retention, but sugar is more likely to cause the fluid retention in the first place. Sugar is a carbohydrate, and all carbohydrates, if consumed in excess can promote fluid retention. This is because sugar promotes your pancreas to release insulin. A consistently high blood level of insulin stimulates your kidneys to retain fluid and sodium. Consuming excess sodium in your diet can aggravate this. If you want to strip your body of excess fluid, base your diet on vegetables, salads, seafood, poultry, eggs and meat (ideally grass fed), along with healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados and coconut oil. Glicemic Balance makes it so much easier to say no to sugars and carbohydrate rich foods.
2. Avoid dairy products
Dairy products cause a lot of lymphatic congestion for many people. This is especially so if you have the lymphatic body type. People with this body type are prone to poor circulation and fluid retention, and dairy products aggravate this. It is the protein in dairy products (called casein) that is the culprit. Serrapeptase is potent mucus disruptor, breaking it down into more simple compounds that can pass through the lymphatic system more easily.
3. Find out if you have any allergies, and then avoid those foods
Food allergies are an extremely common cause of fluid retention. This makes sense because if you ingest a food you are allergic to; your body will consider it toxic and aim to dilute it. Hence your body will hold on to a whole lot of extra fluid. The congestion in your lymphatic system caused by allergies can also make you feel fatigued, depressed and give you a foggy head. It can be difficult to determine food allergies and it’s best to get the help of a healthcare practitioner. However the most common foods to cause allergy or intolerance are wheat, gluten, dairy products, corn, soy, nuts, eggs and artificial additives such as food colors. When allergies are present, it is important to soothe the digestive tract with Dr Cabot's Ultimate Gut Health.
4. Assist your lymphatic system to clear toxins and remove excess fluid
You can achieve this by avoiding the foods already mentioned, and by increasing your vegetable intake. All vegetables help to improve lymphatic flow and waste elimination, but some are more effective than others. Fresh herbs such as parsley and cilantro, asparagus and celery are well known for their ability to help clear excess fluid from your body. Some herbs are particularly helpful also; they include Uva ursi, juniper berry and buchu leaf. These ingredients are combined in Fluid Relief tablets and can provide relief from edema.
5. Have your thyroid checked
An underactive thyroid gland is a common cause of fluid retention. It can also cause dry skin, fatigue, low mood, scalp hair loss and weight gain. All extremely common symptoms. The most common cause of an underactive thyroid gland is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This is an autoimmune disease and is actually the most common autoimmune disease in the world. Mild cases of hypothyroidism often go undiagnosed for some time. If you suffer with the symptoms I’ve mentioned, please see your doctor for a thyroid blood test. You can also learn much more in our book Your Thyroid Problems Solved and you can learn about autoimmune problems here. Thyroid Health capsules are an ideal way to support your thyroid gland.
6. Strengthen your veins
You need good, strong veins in order to carry blood throughout your body. Veins and lymphatic vessels in the legs are particularly prone to weakness, and that can leave them unable to carry blood up towards the heart. The result is fluid pooling in the ankles and legs. Vitamin C and bioflavonoids are the most important nutrients to strengthen vessels walls. It is very difficult to obtain enough of these nutrients in fresh produce because a lot of fresh produce isn’t actually that fresh – unless you grow it yourself in a vegetable patch at home. If you suffer with fluid on your legs, a vitamin C with rosehips supplement may help.
7. Rule out a liver, kidney or heart problem
In rare instances, congestive heart failure, or portal hypertension can cause an excess of fluid to accumulate in the lower body. If you have significant fluid problems, please see your doctor. The earlier these conditions are diagnosed, usually the better the outcome.
If these suggestions do not help you, please consult your doctor for a thorough evaluation.
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
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12 Comments
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(How do I know I’m carrying water in my stomach thank you
Margaret HackerM
Thank you for your enquiry.
The article you were reading when people experience fluid retention without significant medical reasons for the fluid to be present, and the article does state that accumulated fluid may be the result of liver or heart disease, as you have.
The water is not actually in your stomach but it is fluid that has seeped into your abdomen and results in your abdomen gaining a bloated look and may even result in your navel protruding outwards.
Depending on the extent of the ascites (abdominal fluid), and the degree of damage to your liver and lungs some of the strategies in the article may assist the fluid to become less of a problem.
Kind regards
Victoria Taylor
Naturopath
I am 30, female. 6 years ago I became allergic to dairy. I cut it out. Then I started noticing that I was retaining a lot of water from eating : peanuts, coconut, wheat, soy, chocolate, garlic and beef. All of those things especially (garlic and soy) give me gas so bad it starts coming out frequently all day and I have no control over it. I’ve done the best I can to avoid all of these but they are in everything! I am already allergic to soo many other things (any metal that isn’t gold or sterling silver, all soap except dove sensitive, contact solution, cats, pollin, pine trees...) I feel like I am losing out on so many things in life and I don’t know what to do anymore. Doctors have given me soo many test and I am always fine. I don’t understand what the problem is. I use to be able to eat anything I wanted. What’s going on?
We recommend you follow the eating principles in Dr Cabot's book 'Healthy Bowel, Healthy Body'.
Please avoid these problem foods until you have healed your gut, and then perhaps gradually introduce one at a time and monitor your reactions.
Wheat and soy can be very problematic for a lot of people.
We recommend you take
Glutamine - 1 tsp in water daily to calm, soothe and heal your gut lining.
Floratone - 1 cap after the main meal of the day to improve your intestinal flora.
Digestive Enzymes - Take 1 to 2 at beginning of meals to help you digest your food more thoroughly.
These can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutrition Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
We suggest you follow the dietary information in the above article.
There is excellent information in this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/fluid-retention/
There is juices for fluid retention in Dr Cabot's book 'Raw Juices Can Save Your Life'.
We recommend you take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to stimulate liver detox pathways and improve fat burning efficiency.
Fluid relief 1 tablet before meals to help relieve symptoms gradually.
These can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutrition Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
i have water retention problem with hypothyroidism. Instantly i will gain 4-5lb over night and hands and body will be heavy throughout the day. my electrolytes are imbalance. sodium is high and chloride is little potassium is ok. when i do waking or doing intense exercise to eliminate fluid retention it effects opposite on me instead of eliminating fluid my body swells. No dr told me reason and i am trying very hard to lose weight but nothing working.
please suggest me.
thanks
We recommend you see your healthcare practitioner and get a liver function test and thyroid function test.
In the meantime we recommend you follow the eating principles in the above article.
You may benefit from taking:
Thyroid Health 1 cap daily with food as it contains the nutrients needed to support healthy thyroid function.
Livatone Plus 1 cap twice daily to improve liver function.
These supplements can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
We recommend you reduce or eliminate inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, processed food and takeout meals.
There is some dietary information in this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/soles-feet-sore/
We recommend you download our free e-book on pain relief:https://www.liverdoctor.com/ebook/pain-relief-a-holistic-approach/
Dr Cabot recommends you take
Serrapeptase start with 1 capsule, twice daily half an hour before food or 2 hours after food. After one week, you can increase the dose to 2 capsules, twice daily. Serrapeptase can reduce inflammation and improve circulation.
Advanced Curcumin 1 cap daily as it is a powerful anti-inflammatory.
Fluid Relief 1 tab with a glass of water before meals to reduce fluid retention and improve circulation.
These supplements can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
Dear Dr Cabot,
I had a flat tummy until 15 years ago when stress and a busy life meant I mainly consumed coffee and juice as I worked.
I lost 15kg of excess weight but had a huge fibroid that my doctor was convinced was a baby (although that was not possible) although I certainly looked pregnant.
An ultrasound revealed too much fluid to inspect my ovaries so I returned for an internal one. This showed my ovaries appeared ok.
Five years later, the fibroid appears to have shrunk, since the change, but I still have the pregnant looking belly.
The intern replacing my Dr refused to even feel my fluid filled belly and did not recommend any tests.
The ultra sound was my idea.
My regular Dr suggested nothing either, although I was tested for a cancer marker. It was ok.
I feel well, 5 years later, and hope all is ok but your comment made me wonder if I should trust previous tests and just keep trying to improve my diet to reduce fluid from my belly.
I have greatly reduced my stress levels and sugar / carb intake over recent years and take Livertone tabs.
What else do you recommend?
Thanks
It is important to make sure your liver is healthy via a blood test and ultrasound, as retaining too much fluid can be due to a liver fault. It would be good to have a scan of your ovaries every 6 months, as well as a blood test for the cancer marker.
You could also be carrying too much fat around your torso. If that is the case, berberine would help:https://www.liverdoctor.com/berberine/
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com