Eat This Popular Fruit To Shed Excess Water Weight
Whether you've eaten a high-salt meal or it's that time of the month, chances are you've probably dealt with excess water weight. You might feel puffiness in your fingers or face, not to mention your belly. You probably will notice several extra pounds on the scale. Because your body is made up of up to 60% water, you could see your body weight fluctuate by 2 to 4 pounds because of water (per Medical News Today).
Eating in a restaurant can increase your water weight because many restaurant foods, packaged foods, and fast foods are high in sodium. Carbohydrates can also have your body storing more water as carbs are converted to glycogen for stored energy. Your body needs 2.4 grams of water for every gram of glycogen. Sitting too much throughout the day will also signal your body to store water in your tissues (per Prevention).
According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, potassium helps keep your body's fluid levels in balance by helping your body get rid of excess sodium. Bananas can give you 10% of your daily potassium and help you shed excess water weight.
Eat bananas to help increase your potassium intake
While most people get too much sodium in their diets, they don't get enough potassium. An adequate amount of potassium each day is 2,600 milligrams for women and 3,400 milligrams for men. A single banana has 375 milligrams of potassium. Sodium and potassium play complementary roles in the body. Sodium increases blood pressure, and potassium relaxes blood vessels. Sodium regulates the fluid outside your cells while potassium manages fluid levels inside your cells (per Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). A high-sodium, low-potassium diet is linked to an increased risk of death.
However, you don't want to go bananas over bananas if you're trying to shed extra body weight. While bananas are great sources of potassium, they also have 18 grams of sugar. Eating too many bananas might be a problem for people with diabetes or people who are on diets to control their sugar intake, according to the American Heart Association. A cup of acorn squash gives you almost 900 milligrams of potassium, and a baked potato with skin or a cup of spinach can help you meet your potassium needs without the excess sugar (per Mayo Clinic).
Avoid extremes when trying to shed water weight
Even though the potassium from a banana can help shed excess water weight, too much potassium can be toxic for your system as your kidneys work overtime to shuttle the potassium out of your body, according to the American Kidney Fund. People who have kidney disease can't do this, so the extra potassium stays in the blood. This could result in a heart attack. Although kidney disease can cause too much potassium to be in your system, dehydration can also result in excess potassium. Unless your doctor recommends it, potassium supplements aren't recommended (per Mayo Clinic).
Water weight can be frustrating, but taking a diuretic isn't an effective way to lose the excess weight, according to HealthMatch. You'll probably notice a slight drop in the numbers on the scale, but they will rebound once you rehydrate. Relying on diuretics for the long term might result in kidney disease or electrolyte imbalance. Besides, diuretics can have side effects such as dizziness, upset stomach, hair loss, or diarrhea.
Balancing your sodium and potassium levels; drinking more water; and getting in a good, sweaty workout are healthier and more moderate ways to lose excess water from your body.