Natural Diuretic Foods that Prevent Bloating

• Our body needs water to function properly and efficiently, but many times too much water is retained, and this becomes problematic.
• Eating a balanced diet that includes these foods everyday will help you prevent bloating and water retention.

Diuretic foods, those that can help you eliminate excess fluid in bodily tissues, can be a big help to anyone who is trying to lose weight or stop retaining water. Our body needs water to function properly and efficiently, but many times too much water is retained, and this becomes problematic. Excess water held in your body causes all of your organs to work harder, makes you feel and look bloated, contributes to weight gain, and can even have harmful side effects. There are prescription diuretics that can be taken to eliminate excess water, but these drugs may cause health problems, because they may eliminate too much water along with needed nutrients, especially electrolytes. They should only be used if prescribed by your doctor for serious medical conditions that make them necessary. Instead, eating a diet that is rich in foods which are natural diuretics can prevent bloating and water weight gain without any risks.

There are many foods which act as diuretics and help keep the water balance in your body at the optimum level. Eating a balanced diet that includes these foods everyday will help you prevent bloating and water retention. Watermelon is one fruit that can do this, even though this fruit is packed with water, as well as fiber. Watermelon increases the urge to urinate, which eliminates excess water and wastes from your body and prevents the fluid levels to become unbalanced. Using apple cider vinegar on foods, or taking a tablespoon full a few times a day diluted in a little water can also prevent water retention. This vinegar also helps you to keep your potassium (a major electrolyte) levels even as well. Cranberry juice is another great food if you are retaining water, and this juice not only increases urination but also helps to flush bacteria out of the kidneys to ensure good urinary tract health. Artichoke and dried nettle are both plants that offer diuretic benefits as well, and should be included in a healthy diet.

Cabbage helps your body break down fat deposits and flush them out of your body along with any extra water. Beets also have this effect, and they will target excess fats both in the liver and bloodstream. There are many other diuretic foods as well, and the odds are that some of these foods are already in your diet. This group includes brussels sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, asparagus, carrots, horseradish, green tea, fennel, dandelion greens and leaves, tomatoes, parsley, celery and celery seed, watercress, and oats. All of these foods can help you eliminate bloating and water retention without the risks and side effects of drugs or chemicals. These foods also provide countless other nutrients

There are other foods that work as strong diuretics, but these should be used sparingly to avoid dehydration and other harmful effects. These include coffee, tea, soft drinks and foods that contain caffeine, as well as foods that contain extremely high amounts of animal proteins. This group of foods can have some negative effects is over consumed, so they should be ingested at moderate levels, unlike the diuretic foods in the first group which can be eaten liberally. Foods containing caffeine should not be consumed too frequently, because caffeine has a component which can actually cause water retention if too much is consumed, because the body becomes dehydrated so the urinary system gets the message to conserve water.

Using healthy foods that act as natural diuretics will help allow you to avoid water retention and bloat on a more regular basis. Another benefit is that most of your calories will come from fruits, vegetables, and herbal foods so weight loss may occur simply because of the change in eating habits. These foods are high in nutrients that act as natural diuretics as well as in fiber. In other words, elimination of both waste from the urinary tract and the bowels is improved. Simply changing the way you eat can help your overall health and help you to feel better each day.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.