Beat the Bloat

Beat the Bloat

You know sodium best as table salt, but salt and sodium are hidden in all kinds of products, including packaged foods, fast foods, frozen foods, canned foods, and condiments, to name a few.When you eat sodium, the excess sodium is deposited just beneath the skin where it attracts water, which is retained in your cells. This makes you look puffy and feel bloated.
You don't have to make yourself crazy over this, because there is sodium in everything! But here are a few tips:

• Read labels to check the sodium content of what you're eating.
• Replace processed foods with fresh.
• Avoid prepackaged and canned foods.
• Be wary of salt-laden condiments and use very little soy sauce, mustard, and table salt.
• Go easy on dairy, and avoid processed meat (hot dogs, jerky, bologna, corned beef), anything pickled (pickles, capers, sauerkraut), relish, ketchup, and butter.

Here are some sodium-free substitutes you can use instead: garlic, lemon, olive oil, vinegar, pepper, basil, cayenne, chili powder, cilantro, cumin, curry, dill, garlic powder, ginger, lemon, lime, mint, onion powder, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.

Go Veggies!

Diuretic veggies will also help because they contain potassium, which can help prevent fluid retention and metabolic slowdown. Spinach, lettuce, all greens (mustard, collard, beet, dandelion), parsley, argula, watercress, asparagus, and cucumber all have diuretic qualities. So eat up!