Even though I didn’t eat anything salty, my lower body still gets swollen? Nutritionists teach 5 smart ways to reduce swelling

You don’t eat anything salty or heavy-tasting, but you get edema all the time? The annoying edema problem is a common problem for many beauty-conscious women and pregnant women! In the "5914 Call for Doctors" thread, a netizen asked: "What should I eat when I have edema during pregnancy?" In fact, edema not only affects pregnant women, but office workers are also very likely to have edema problems! What should I do to get rid of edema? Let a professional nutritionist explain it to us!

There is a reason for edema! Poor metabolism and circulation are the key

Nutritionist Sun Yuming said that the causes of edema in pregnant women are mostly related to the growth of the fetus and the compression of the aorta and iliac artery by the uterus, which results in blood flow obstruction and water circulation and metabolism failure.

In fact, the human body's circulatory system can be mainly divided into two pathways: blood and lymph. When people sit or stand for long periods of time and lack activity, the speed of the above two circulatory systems will slow down, causing the tissue fluid in the cells to flow into the intercellular matrix and not have time to be metabolized and eliminated, which in turn causes water accumulation and the formation of edema.

Generally speaking, except for the rare pathological edema, the causes of edema are all related to poor metabolism and circulatory functions of the human body! Therefore, edema not only affects pregnant women, but also office ladies who sit or stand for long periods of time are very likely to suffer from edema!

Lifting your legs does not necessarily require you to lift them until your legs become numb and your feet become sore to be effective. In fact, as long as you raise it above 45 degrees and maintain it for 10 to 15 minutes each time, it will be enough.

Get rid of annoying edema by doing this! 5 ways to improve metabolism and help water discharge

If you want to improve the annoying edema problem, the first step is to help speed up water metabolism! In view of this, nutritionist Sun Yuming has specially proposed 5 tips to help improve the body's metabolic capacity and reduce water retention to reduce edema for your reference:

Step 1 / Leg lift:

Moderate leg lifting before going to bed is a good choice to effectively promote blood circulation in the lower limbs and help water excretion! It is especially suitable for office ladies who often sit or stand for long periods of time and lack exercise. However, nutritionist Sun Yuming also reminded that lifting your legs does not necessarily have to reach the point of numbness and soreness in order to be effective. In fact, as long as you raise it above 45 degrees and maintain it for 10 to 15 minutes each time, it will be enough.

As for pregnant mothers, if you find it difficult to lift your legs, you may want to change to sleeping on your left side to reduce the pressure on the aorta, iliac artery and other lower limb veins by the fetus, thereby improving blood circulation in the lower body and alleviating edema discomfort.

Tip 2: Wear loose clothes:

It is recommended that people with lower limb edema should try to wear loose clothes to avoid affecting blood circulation and thus affecting water metabolism.

The sodium content of commercially available instant drinks, white bread, soda crackers, dried fruits, and potato chips is also very alarming. It is recommended to pay more attention to food labels before consumption and consume in moderation to be safer.

Tip 3: Avoid processed products:

In addition to avoiding heavy-tasting, salty seasonings such as salt, soy sauce, and black vinegar, if you want to avoid edema, you should also reduce the intake of smoked and processed foods such as sausages, ham, hot dogs, bacon, and smoked chicken.

In addition, nutritionist Sun Yuming also reminded that in addition to the above-mentioned ingredients that everyone often hears about, the sodium content of commercially available instant drinks, white bread, soda crackers, dried fruits, and potato chips is also very alarming. It is recommended to pay more attention to food labels before consumption and consume in moderation to be safer.

Tip 4: Eat foods containing potassium:

In addition, moderate intake of potassium-rich foods in daily diet is also a good choice to help improve edema! Nutritionist Sun Yuming explained that when the sodium content in the human body exceeds the standard, it will lead to an imbalance of sodium and potassium ions in the body, causing the body to retain water and form edema.

Moderate potassium supplementation in the diet can help excrete excess sodium from the body, achieve a sodium-potassium balance, and help eliminate annoying problems such as edema and swelling. As for vegetables, kelp, hair algae, Sichuan pepper, water spinach, Chinese cabbage, spinach, broccoli, celery, and alfalfa sprouts are all good choices. Fruits including bananas, kiwis, grapefruits, tomatoes, apples, etc. are all good ingredients for reducing edema.

5. Develop a habit of regular exercise:

In addition to changing your diet and lifestyle habits, moderate exercise can also help improve edema problems! It is recommended that people with edema problems develop a regular exercise habit of exercising three times a week, for at least 30 minutes each time, to achieve the goal of improving metabolism. As for pregnant mothers, it is recommended to choose low-burden activities such as brisk walking, strolling, and water walking, which are good choices for stretching the muscles.