Diuretics are compounds that increase the amount of urine that you excrete out of your body. This helps you lose all of the excess water that your body is retaining. If you have ever woken up with swollen fingers or ankles and feeling bloated around your waist, then that is a sign that your body is water retention. It can be a symptom of a more serious health condition like Kidney or Heart failure. Things can really get uncomfortable when you retain a lot of water. (2)
Aside from cutting back on your salt intake, your diet plays a vital role in beating fluid retention. Here are some of the Diuretic Foods that you can incorporate into your diet so you lose excess water. Not only will this help you lose water weight but also allows you to shed actual pounds. (3)
Diuretic Fruits
Lemons
One of the best things you can do for your health is to start drinking lemon water in the morning. This diuretic fruit does not only make your water taste better but also helps reduce high blood pressure, alkalize the body, flush out harmful toxins, and feed the body beneficial vitamins and minerals. (4)
If you aren’t a huge fan of lemons then you do not have to worry. You don’t exactly have to eat actual lemon wedges. The potency comes from the juice so just add lemon juice to warm water, stir in a little organic honey or sugar, and drink up!
When you start drinking Lemon Water, you might notice that you take so much more trips to the bathroom. Do not be alarmed as this just means that the Lemon Water is doing its job of making you lose the excess water through frequent urination.
Summary
Add a couple of tablespoons of Lemon Juice into your water early in the morning to optimize its diuretic effects.
Watermelon
For most, watermelons are seriously one of the best parts of their summer. Delicious, enjoyable, and extremely nutritious, Watermelons quench both your hunger and thirst. Benefiting your body with its multiple health benefits, Watermelons are a natural diuretic.
True to its name, Watermelons are made up of 92% water and contains many nutrients that stimulate urination. A 2009 study from the University of Aberdeen has found that the nutritional makeup of Watermelons can actually hydrate people much more effectively than water or sports drinks. (5)
The only thing about eating Watermelons is learning when to stop. You do not want to eat too many Watermelon in one sitting because its sweetness can cause your blood glucose levels to spike which could counteract the health benefits of this antioxidant-rich fruit. (6) (7)
Summary
Eating a couple of slices of Watermelon regularly would help you lose water weight by making you urinate much more frequently.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are 94 % water. (8) According to the Department of Food Sciences at North Carolina State University, “Tomatoes are the second most produced and consumed vegetable nationwide and are a rich source of lycopene, beta-carotene, folate, potassium, vitamin C, flavonoids, and vitamin E.” Its water content together with these nutrients is what makes Tomatoes an excellent diuretic.
If you want to reap the full benefits from Tomatoes, you would want to eat them raw. The best way to do this is to add tomato slices in salads or tossing them into a blender for fresh tomato juice.
You can improve the taste of plain tomato juice by adding Carrots or Watermelon to it. Tomatoes are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. With large amounts of the antioxidant lycopene, tomatoes have been found to help reduce the risk of cancer and prevent heart disease of all types. (9) (10)
Summary
Tomatoes are an excellent source of Lycopene. If you want healthier skin while also losing your water bloat, Tomatoes should be your go-to staple food.
Diuretic Vegetables And Herbs
Celery
This popular vegetable has an extremely high water content of about 95 %. For this reason alone, Celery is an excellent Diuretic. Munching on some celery stalks can help flush your system and get you to urinate more often. In addition to being a diuretic, research has found that celery helps to reduce the glucose and blood lipid levels in your body.
Celery is one of the many hydrating foods there are. Hydrating foods are food that is composed mostly of water. In addition to drinking water, eating these foods would allow you to reach your daily water content. Munching on just celery can be a bit boring. You can spice it up by adding it to a diuretic smoothie with other fruits and vegetables like Tomatoes, Watermelons, etc. You will be giving your body a big boost of nutrition. Fresh juice is much more easily absorbed by the body as it goes through the digestion process quickly. (11)
Summary
Celery is an excellent diuretic that you can eat raw, in dishes or in smoothies. This will ensure that you decrease your water retention quickly.
Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts may not be your go-to food for dinner but it does not erase the fact that it still is one of the most powerful vegetables in existence. They provide the body with a lot of powerful nutrients that benefit the body in more ways than one.
Some of the benefits of Brussels Sprouts are that they help fight chronic disease, protect the heart, improve digestive health, alkalize the body, and work as a natural diuretic.
Just a one-cup serving of Brussels Sprouts will help you meet your daily requirement of Vitamins C and K while also reducing the chances of you having to take over the counter diuretic medications.
If you are like me who cannot stand the thought of eating just a bowl of Brussels Sprouts, then you can try mixing them with other vegetables or incorporating them into your main dish. This is a way of cheating your self into eating Brussels Sprouts without making yourself and your taste buds miserable.
Summary
Brussels Sprouts are also rich in essential minerals such as manganese, folate, B Vitamins, and potassium. It is thanks to those nutrients that this vegetable helps stimulate the kidneys and pancreas, remove excess fluids, and purify the body.
Ginger
Ginger can be found in most Asian cuisines. It is considered as one of the healthiest spices that you can eat. Loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have been proven to have powerful health benefits, Ginger can be consumed in various forms — it can be fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil, or steeped with tea or juice.
As a popular diuretic, Ginger is famous for ridding the body of excess fluid. (12) Ginger has a powerful cleansing effect on the body, which is why it is often present in detox programs that help your body flush out toxins. This is why you shouldn’t shy away from buying fresh ginger root when you are in the grocery store. You would be surprised how often you use it when you have it in your fridge.
Summary
Ginger is a great and cheap diuretic that you can even zest and use as a fresh garnish for your meals or have it steep in hot water for a refreshing ginger tea.
Beets
Famous for its Potassium content and rich ruby colour, Beets is a popular vegetable that helps the body pass sodium through urine. (13) When it comes to water retention, sodium is your enemy. Water follows salt and the more salt you have in your body, the more water will stay.
It is important for you to cut back on the iodized salt if you want to lose the water weight. Along with the many health benefits in beets, they also offer a pleasant, sweet flavour that you can incorporate into your meals.
Of course, the best way to eat Beets is to go for fresh beets that you can grill, boil or steam. It may be challenging to find fresh beets but it is definitely worth to look for fresh instead of pickled ones.
Cabbage
When it comes to diuretic cabbage, you can buy both green or red (Purple) cabbage. Both types of cabbage have powerful diuretic benefits thanks to their water content — Green Cabbage is 93% water while Red (Purple) Cabbage is 92%. They are also an excellent source of Potassium.
As if it being diuretic isn’t enough, Cabbage is also known for its high Fiber content. This superfood is used by many people who want to lose weight. Still not convinced? Cabbage has been known to reduce the risk you having cancer and heart disease. (14) (15) (16)
While it can be a bit boring to eat alone, Cabbage can be added into soups or salad. Just remember not to add to much salt as it will counteract the Diuretic effect of helping the body release water and stored up sodium.
Summary
Ginger is a great and cheap diuretic that you can even zest and use as a fresh garnish for your meals or have it steep in hot water for a refreshing ginger tea.
Eggplant
If you want to lose weight, then Eggplants are the way to go. With only 35 calories in a cup, Eggplants can help you lose both water weight and your actual weight.
It also has a long list of beneficial nutrients such as help the body fight cancer, lower high cholesterol, improves digestion, boosts your energy, helps build stronger bones, and of course, flush out all the excess water that your body is retaining. Eggplant’s powerful diuretic effects are a result of its high water content and potassium level. It is also extremely low in sodium. (17) (18)
Summary
Aside from adding Eggplant in your meals, weight loss enthusiasts also created a new concoction called, “Eggplant Water” as a way of blasting water retention and beating bloat. Just cut up an organic Eggplant and boil it in water. Strain the water and put it in the fridge to cool. Drink throughout the day to increase your consumption of Eggplants. Boost the diuretic effects of Eggplant water even more by adding a bit of lemon juice into it.
Parsley
Parsley is now more popularly known as a fancy garnish for food. It is used to embellish meals in high-class restaurants and as the finishing touch for dishes in cooking shows.
However, what the majority fails to recognize are Parsley’s amazing health benefits. This popular herb contains several types of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that have a major effect on the body.
Traditionally, however, Parsley has long been known to be a diuretic medicine. It used to be steeped in hot water and brewed as tea that was taken several times a day to reduce water retention. (19)
Some health benefits include improving digestion, fighting bad bacteria, boosting your immune system, reduces the risk of a heart attack, balances hormones, help strengthen bones, protects eye health, and works as a natural diuretic. You would think that with an impressive list, Parsley would be known as more than an embellishment to plates.
According to a 2002 review study conducted by the American University of Beirut, Parsley works well as a stimulant to Kidneys prompting it to draw out excess water from the abdomen and produce more urine. (20) The study gave rats Parsley seed extract to drink. Within 24 hours of consumption, the rats showed a significant increase in the amount of urine that they have produced.
Summary
Infusing your water with Parsley and other diuretics like Lemons or Eggplants would quickly get you to lose your water weight.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are another hydrating food. Composed of almost 96% water, Cucumbers reign as the vegetable with the highest water content among all the solid foods. However, just because they are mostly made up of water does not mean that they do not have any nutritional value.
Cucumbers are loaded with Vitamin C, K, and B. They also contain essential minerals such as Copper, Potassium, and Manganese. Mixed with the water in Cucumbers and you have a powerful, natural diuretic food! (20)
It is truly no wonder why Cucumbers are among the commonly used foods in detox recipes and weight loss regimens. Aside from helping your body flush out excess fluids and harmful toxins, Cucumbers also help you fight diabetes, cancer and promote weight loss. (21)
Summary
You can easily incorporate Cucumbers into your diet just by eating sliced Cucumbers as a snack or as an addition to your salad. Adding them to your water with Lemons, and other diuretic food will also work.
Carrots
More often referred to as the vegetable that improves your eyesight thanks to its Vitamin A content, Carrots actually have more benefits to them. (22) While they definitely do benefit eye health, Carrots do have a host of other health benefits. One of these benefits is that they are a powerful diuretic. This means that just by munching on a few baby Carrots, you are helping your body flush out excess water weight and bloat. (23)
Carrots are great because they come in a few different varieties and can be used in a wide array of dishes. No matter how you go about eating them, you will get all of the nutrients as well as the diuretic effect that they provide.
Summary
Baby Carrots make for a great snack or as a crunchy addition to salads. Regular Carrots, however, can be sliced, chopped, and cooked in soups, stews or as a side dish.
Garlic
Your friends may not be able to appreciate your breath after you eat Garlic but your body will surely love you for it. Used in the majority of dishes, Garlic is a true superfood.
Filled with many health benefits, Garlic helps to fight Cancer, Diabetes, reduces the risks of Heart disease, and boosts your immune system. (24) (25) (26) (27)
Another benefit that Garlic has but is normally not known for is its powerful diuretic effects. (28) Just a moderate amount of Garlic has been shown effective at curing water retention. One more important benefit is that Garlic contributes to the heavy breakdown of fat.
While you can now buy Garlic pills and supplements over the counter, fresh Garlic is still preferable. Fresh Garlic cloves are much more effective and potent.
Summary
You don’t have to eat clove after clove of raw Garlic. You can just simply use them as part of the cooking process to flavor your meals. This will enable you to see immediate results.
Artichokes
People have been eating artichokes for their medicinal purposes for centuries. Two of the main reasons artichokes were so popular among ancient herbalists was for their diuretic and digestive properties. Since artichokes are an excellent source of Fiber, they are great for digestive health. (29) (30)
Additionally, they contain beneficial nutrients such as Potassium, which are great for helping the body rid itself of excess fluid. While artichokes stimulate urine production, they also help to replenish the body itself with essential vitamins and minerals. (31)
Summary
While Artichokes are extremely healthy, you would be surprised to know that not everyone knows how to prepare them. The most popular way of consuming Artichokes for most is through ordering a side of Artichoke dip which does not contain as much health benefits as preparing fresh Artichokes yourself.
Asparagus
When you think of Asparagus, what is the first thing that pops in your mind? There is a high chance that you will probably think about stinky urine. While it is not the most appealing side effect of eating Asparagus, there is no need to be alarmed. In fact, this just actually shows how effective of a diuretic Asparagus actually is. (32)
The odour is due to a certain acid present in the Asparagus. It is not harmful to the body so there is no need to worry. Asparagus is loaded with antioxidants that benefit your health in so many ways. Aside from its diuretic properties, Asparagus helps with nutrient absorption, aids digestion, fights chronic disease, and reduces chronic inflammation in the body.
Summary
Asparagus can be eaten in many ways. It can be steamed, boiled or added in stews to add more diuretic foods into your diet.
Caffeinated Beverages
Who doesn’t love waking up to the smell of coffee? Coffee is a popular drink that is consumed globally all throughout the day. What makes it so famous is its ability to keep you alert and awake due to its caffeine content.
This caffeine is also what makes coffee diuretic. (33) You may notice that after you drink coffee in the morning, you run to the bathroom soon after. Other caffeinated beverages include tea and sports drinks.
One cup of regular coffee, however, is not enough to get you to urinate more frequently. If you want to reap the benefits of coffee as a diuretic drink, you should ingest around 250-300 mg of caffeine. This is equivalent to about two to three cups of coffee. (34)
To add to this, if coffee is in your regular diet, then they would likely not work as the body develops a tolerance towards the diuretic properties of Caffeine.
Summary
Drinking two to three cups of coffee and/or tea would allow you to lose the water weight. However, this can only be a short term solution as your body becomes tolerant to it.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is famous for being a powerful home remedy for Urinary Tract Infections. This is mainly because of the antibacterial and diuretic properties of Cranberry juice. (35)
Another noteworthy feature of Cranberry juice is that it leaves your Potassium levels intact and also provides extra antioxidants to help your body battle free radicals. Cranberries can also help with weight loss thanks to it being a diuretic that can push your body to flush out your water weight.
Summary
If you are going to drink store-bought juice instead of making it yourself, make sure to get a brand that is not loaded with sugar. Check the label and get something that would have the least sugar. If you can find some, opt for organic cranberry juice as the conventional berries are treated with a lot of chemicals during the growing and preservation process.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar is like nature’s medicine. It has many uses for both health and beauty routines. Aside from fighting chronic disease, balancing blood sugar levels, aiding weight loss, regulating the body’s pH levels, fighting acid reflux, and improving Digestive health, Apple Cider Vinegar can also be used as a natural diuretic. (36) This means that it encourages the body to purge itself of excess water leading to better urinary function and overall health.
Summary
To reap the diuretic benefits, add a little Apple Cider Vinegar to a glass of water and drink it down. You can even add it in smoothies or mixed with other diuretic-infused waters.
Other Diuretic Food
Oats
A lot of people link oats to heart health since they can lower high blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels. What a lot of people don’t know, though, is oats are also considered a natural diuretic. That’s because oats are rich in water-soluble B vitamins along with potassium, a mineral that regulates water levels in the body. (37) It works by competing with sodium to make sure your body stays hydrated. So just in case, you were looking for another reason to start your morning off with a warm bowl of oatmeal, you’re welcome!
Conclusion
When you feel that you are bloated or holding onto excess fluid in the body, you have to be proactive. Immediately incorporate these foods into your diet so you can get a hold of your diet. Water weight can easily make up 2-5 pounds of your overall weight so if you’re frustrated that you are not losing weight, this may be the actual reason why.