Body Dehydration: What Causes Body Dehydration?
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Lesezeit: 5 min
Natural diuretics are referred to as foods that are used to treat water retention. They are intended to help with body dehydration. This is a completely natural way to reduce excess water in the body that can make us look more bloated than we actually are. Not to mention the health consequences... Some refer to this process as detoxification, but it's actually about dehydration.
Why Use Natural Diuretics?
While our body is composed of 70 percent water, sometimes too much of it gets stored, and natural diuretics can provide relief. These water retention or edema become noticeable in the form of swollen extremities, such as hands, feet, arms, and legs. They occur when water accumulates and pools in the body. Edema isn't just unsightly, especially during summer, it can also cause pain. In such cases, dehydrating the body can be beneficial. This can be achieved gently with natural diuretics.
Dehydrating the Body Naturally: When Is It Worth It?
More and more people are dealing with water retention in their daily lives, especially in the lower body. The cause is often not only a sedentary office lifestyle but also a lack of movement combined with an unhealthy diet. Water retention is particularly common in women due to the following factors:
- Hormonal fluctuations, such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Hormonally induced water retention at the end of pregnancy
- Prolonged sitting & lack of exercise
- Heat, which slows down blood circulation
- Poor diet, with excessive salt and sugar (both retain water)
If you intend to dehydrate naturally, please seek medical advice and identify the cause of your edema. Serious illnesses could be behind it, requiring treatment. Therefore, dehydrate your body naturally only after your doctor has given you permission.
As a rule of thumb, natural dehydration should only be considered if the edema is of temporary nature, occurring cyclically or due to factors like heat. Otherwise, water retention often indicates heart or kidney weaknesses, making a clarifying conversation with a doctor essential.
Dehydration: 12 Foods That Help Dehydrate Your Body
We're now introducing 12 natural home remedies that can help you dehydrate your body. The practical aspect is that these remedies are very gentle in their approach. Often, they work by being diuretic, which means they stimulate the production of urine. By the way, such remedies are referred to as aquaretics.
- Water: The natural dehydrating agent number 1 is water. It boosts metabolism and kidney activity, promoting the exchange and elimination of tissue fluids.
- Cucumber: Its high water content can encourage dehydration, similar to drinking water.
- Melon: Similar to cucumber, the abundant water along with healthy nutrients helps.
- Tomatoes: Like the watery fruits and vegetables above, tomatoes also assist through their high water content. Similarly, pumpkins, asparagus, and zucchini can help dehydrate.
- Red Berries: Not only their high water content, but especially the flavonoids (plant pigments) can promote dehydration. They thin the blood, making it easier to transport excessive fluids.
- Strawberries: Similar to red berries, strawberries have a similar effect, although they may not be as rich in flavonoids.
- Blueberries: Particularly high-quality blueberries can be good natural diuretics.
- Celery: In addition to a relatively high water content, celery contains a lot of potassium. This helps flush toxins from tissues.
- Teas: Teas can promote dehydration because they contain water and high-quality secondary plant compounds. So feel free to try your favorite green tea!
- Low-Carb Meals: Carbohydrates are stored by the body as glycogen. Glycogen can bind a lot of water; one gram of glycogen binds about three grams of water.
- Nettle: Processed into a tea, nettle can help eliminate excess water.
- Parsley: Boiled in a tea, parsley aids in natural dehydration.
Natural Remedies for Dehydration
In addition to these natural dehydrating foods, there are other remedies to eliminate edema. First and foremost, you should avoid foods high in sugar and salt, as well as alcoholic beverages. Sugar and salt retain water, which can promote edema formation. While alcohol stimulates water excretion, it also prompts the body to retain more water, which can contribute to edema.
Perhaps better than any food is exercise and physical activity. This gets the circulation going and gives the body the opportunity to regenerate. Particularly for edema in the lower body, jogging and cycling are highly beneficial. In addition to such sports, even simple toe-tapping while sitting can help reduce edema formation.
Special Dehydration Methods
In addition to diet and exercise, targeted methods can further promote dehydration. When water retention is already causing pain and is significant, lymphatic drainage may be necessary. This involves gently stimulating the lymphatic pathways, as they are responsible for draining tissue fluid. This method should be performed by professionals.
Foot Reflex Zone Massages can also stimulate the lymphatic system and promote dehydration.
Fascia Rolling can support dehydration of certain body parts. When rolling muscles or fascia, you're squeezing out fluid from them, which can be thought of a bit like a sponge. So, once again, fascia rolling stimulates the backflow of tissue fluid.
Unnatural Dehydration: Too Much of a Good Thing
You might be familiar with athletes having to weigh themselves for weight class allocation in sports. Before weighing, many athletes undergo professional dehydration, where they can lose kilograms of fluids within a few days. This is achieved through methods like sweating, excessive sauna sessions, or controlling salt intake in their diet.
We strongly advise against such practices as they should be done under medical supervision and are not at all healthy. Many bodybuilders have even stopped their sport because they didn't want to subject their bodies to dehydration after a strict competition diet.
Dehydrating the Body with Diuretics: When Power is Needed
When edema occurs due to illness, sometimes the doctor needs to intervene. At such times, the gentle diuretics are no longer sufficient; instead, powerful diuretics are needed. These are medications that pharmaceutically stimulate water excretion and urine production. Diuretics should only be used under medical recommendation.
Natural Diuretics: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I dehydrate my body naturally?
In short, you have the following options for natural dehydration:
- Aquaretics (natural diuretics)
- Avoiding salt, alcohol, and sugar
- Engaging in exercise (especially jogging and cycling)
- Reduced carbohydrate intake
What dehydrates the body quickly?
Quick dehydration should only be desired in cases of illness, as it can otherwise be unhealthy to eliminate edema rapidly. For the quickest dehydration, you can simply combine dehydration methods. Engage in exercise, avoid alcohol and sugar, reduce carbohydrate intake, and use diuretics.
What dehydrates the body best?
Diuretics are the most effective when the body needs to be dehydrated. Therefore, diuretics are reserved for doctors who need to intervene during illnesses.
Does asparagus dehydrate the body?
Yes, asparagus can have a mild dehydrating effect on the body.
Does pineapple dehydrate the body?
Yes, pineapple has a mild dehydrating effect on the body, thanks to its bromelain content.
Does beer dehydrate the body?
While beer has a slight dehydrating effect, the alcohol content can be counterproductive for dehydration.
Does green tea dehydrate the body?
Yes, green tea can have a mild dehydrating effect on the body.
Does ginger dehydrate the body?
Ginger has a very mild dehydrating effect on the body, based on current knowledge.
Does yogurt dehydrate the body?
No, there is no evidence of yogurt having a dehydrating effect on the body.
Does coffee dehydrate the body?
The idea that coffee has a dehydrating effect is unfortunately a myth.
Does rice dehydrate the body?
Rice actually has no dehydrating effect on the human body.