Against water retention, of course

Oh my God, how swollen I am…. It can happen, especially to women, to suddenly find themselves with swollen legs, the belt that tightens a little, a general feeling of discomfort: they are not fattened, it is simply the body that retains too much water.

There are stages of life – pregnancy, but also the arrival of the menstrual cycle – in which retaining excess fluid is normal.

In other cases the annoying swelling is due to the consumption of certain drugs, but generally the swelling is due to poor circulation, or a wrong lifestyle.

It is therefore good to run for cover, before the problem becomes chronic by opening the door to orange peel skin and cellulite.

If you want to know how to deal with the problem of capillaries in evidence on the legs read this article.

Less salt on the table

First of all with a proper diet: in a healthy organism – let’s not forget that excess water in the tissues can be the indicator of serious diseases such as cardiac or kidney dysfunction – retention problems depend first of all on a diet too rich in salt.

It is precisely the balance between sodium and potassium in the body, in fact, to favor the correct elimination of liquids.

The first step is therefore to eliminate foods that are too salty – sausages, aged cheeses, chips, fried or fast food foods – learning to use spices, lemon juice and chili pepper to flavor food.

The table shows some of the foods with the highest salt content:

It is also very important to limit alcohol and sweets and abound in fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing especially the very colorful one rich in vitamin C and antioxidants that protect the capillaries.

The next step is to ensure a smooth functioning of the intestine and prevent constipation that contributes to the feeling of bloating, choosing foods rich in fiber: bread, pasta and whole grains, and even vegetables.

Lots of water, but not too much

But you also have to drink enough, about a liter and a half of water a day, corresponding to more or less six glasses.

Drinking too much is useless, you would run the risk of eliminating important substances such as mineral salts, it may be useful instead to choose a water with a low sodium content if you prefer the mineral.

But tap water or herbal teas are also fine, hot in winter and cooled in summer.

Start the circulation

Physical activity is also very important, especially because it helps to reactivate and strengthen the microcirculation: walking or cycling and swimming, accompanied by some stretching movement, are ideal, while sports that involve frequent impacts with the ground such as jogging or tennis may be contraindicated.

It is obviously essential to stop smoking, since smoking causes retention and causes circulation problems.

And, especially if the problem concerns the legs, it is good to avoid staying still in the sun for a long time and wear too stressed clothes that hinder circulation.

Women’s friendly nature

Even phytotherapy can help, both with herbal teas or external applications of creams or lotions, and with real treatments.

Plants are used with diuretic effects – that is, that stimulate the activity of the kidneys – which increase the resistance of the capillaries or that favor drainage, ie the elimination of water from the tissues.

Among the first, orthosiphon or Java tea and horsetail – to be avoided in case of renal failure – grass, pilosella and dandelion, a bitter plant that is also consumed in salads, in addition to the pineapple stem, not to be used in case of stomach acid or ulcer.

To increase capillary resistance, horse chestnut, centella asiatica, which is also slightly diuretic, red vine and ruscus are very useful, while among the plants with draining action we remember birch, cherry stems and artichoke.

Diuretic preparations should however be taken with caution, and the use of diuretic drugs should be avoided unless prescribed by a doctor.

To find relief, particularly in the hot season, warm baths or foot baths with water added with common salt may be useful, or you can take a “Scottish shower” using the shower phone to wet your legs alternately with jets of warm and cold water.