To avoid fluid retention, our diet should be as vegetal as possible. The base is vegetables that have a lot of water, very little salt and a lot of potassium. In fact, this is the key to fighting fluid retention: eat with little salt and increase the amount of potassium in our diet.
The cells of the body have a mechanism, the "sodium-potassium pump," which maintains the balance between an adequate proportion of potassium inside the cell and sodium, the main component of salt, outside. If this balance is broken, we retain fluids, bloat, and gain weight.
But when you talk about foods rich in potassium, you usually think of the banana and little else, although it really is not one of the foods with the most potassium. The Spanish Heart Foundation recommends 9 essential foods against fluid retention. We present them in order of importance because they should become the stars of your diet against fluid retention.
To avoid fluid retention, our diet should be as vegetal as possible. The base is vegetables that have a lot of water, very little salt and a lot of potassium. In fact, this is the key to fighting fluid retention: eat with little salt and increase the amount of potassium in our diet.
The cells of the body have a mechanism, the "sodium-potassium pump," which maintains the balance between an adequate proportion of potassium inside the cell and sodium, the main component of salt, outside. If this balance is broken, we retain fluids, bloat, and gain weight.
But when you talk about foods rich in potassium, you usually think of the banana and little else, although it really is not one of the foods with the most potassium. The Spanish Heart Foundation recommends 9 essential foods against fluid retention. We present them in order of importance because they should become the stars of your diet against fluid retention.
Soybeans
Soybeans
Legumes are important sources of potassium and, among all, soybeans stand out. 100 g of soybeans provide 1,700 mg of potassium, being the richest food in this mineral. Have you never consumed them? It is normal, we are more used to taking it germinated or consuming its derivatives (tofu, tempeh …).
But soybeans are cooked like any other legume –soaked and boiled– and you can take it that way or in stews, etc. It is ideal that of the 3-4 times a week that we should consume legumes, 1-2 times it should be soy to avoid fluid retention. You can combine it with other legumes that are also very rich in potassium, such as dried beans (1,005 mg / 100 g), dried peas (1,005 mg / 100 g), dried beans (1,000 mg / 100 g), chickpeas (797 mg / 100 g) or lentils (790 mg / 100g).
Skimmed milk powder
Skimmed milk powder
It may seem shocking, but powdered and skimmed cow's milk is richer in potassium (1,650 mg / 100 g) than whole cow's milk powder (1,140 mg / 100g) and than normal whole cow's milk that alone it has 157mg / 100g. It is not a milk that we consume very frequently but … if you feel bloated, you can try. Another way to incorporate it is in homemade yogurts. When you mix yogurt with milk, add a few tablespoons of powdered milk. In this way you consume a plus of potassium and, in addition, the yogurts come out with more consistency.
Canned and crushed tomato
Canned and crushed tomato
Another potassium champion, the canned and crushed tomato contains 1,160 mg of potassium per 100 g. It is easy to take it very often in stir-fries, which can be the base for a vegetable cream, for example. Or to accompany vegetable stews. But you can also take it as juice with a little salt and pepper and a few drops of Tabasco.
Pistachios
Pistachios
It is the fifth richest food in potassium, pistachios contain 1,020 mg per 100 g. It is ahead of other nuts, which are foods especially rich in this mineral, such as almonds (800 mg / 100 g) or walnuts and pine nuts (both with 600 mg / 100 g). You can take them between meals (a serving is about 49 pistachios), in salads, as food toppings … But to help you against fluid retention, they should always be without salt.
Dried figs
Dried figs
We tend to think of fresh fruits but not of dry ones, which concentrate all their properties. In this case, by losing water, the dried fig is the one that concentrates the highest amount of potassium, no less than 983 mg / 100 g. For this reason, it is good to take it in moderation as part of our daily diet, for example, in yogurt in the morning or in snacks accompanied by nuts, in salads, fruit salads … In addition to figs, other dried fruits that you can also to incorporate are dried plums (950 mg / 100 g) or dried dates (650 mg / 100 g). In fact, taking two or three dried plums in the morning with a yogurt not only helps against fluid retention but also against constipation.
Parsley
Parsley
It is the aromatic herb that provides the most potassium (800 mg / 100 g) and we are fortunate that it is very common to include it together with garlic in our gastronomy. But the amount is very small, so a good way to take more parsley in the diet is in the form of shakes or smoothies, where you can put a good amount. You can take 2 or 3 green smoothies a week and add the parsley to other dishes, such as broths, or, why not, in salads, as one more vegetable (although to a lesser extent because its flavor is very intense).
Avocado
Avocado
It is true that due to its amount of fat you should not consume it as if there were no tomorrow, but 1/4 of an avocado a day, in salad, on toast, in a buddha bowl, in guacamole or whatever you think of, yes you can afford it. . Eating avocado helps you against fluid retention because it provides 680 mg of potassium per 100g.
Kipper
Kipper
Well, you will surely go for it when you know the amount of potassium it has (520 mg / 100 g), being the second food in the animal kingdom richest in potassium after cow's milk. Herring is not as common in our Mediterranean diet as it is in the Nordic countries, where its consumption is much more common. So you can try it and take it from time to time, but add other fish to your anti-retention diet, which will also help you deflate.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms
In addition to being very satiating, mushrooms are other champions in potassium (500 mg / 100g), so it is ideal that you take them sautéed with garlic and parsley as a garnish for many of your dishes or that you make creams with them. You can even have them raw in a salad or as a carpaccio. Be that as it may, it is very interesting that they are part of your usual diet.
