Water Weight, Bloating and Sodium page

[drnemer]

I find that often after I have a meal that I bloat in my stomach. Especially if I eat a lot too fast. I been trying to eat slower. When I am talking about bloating, I am discussing mainly my stomach sticking out more after I eat. Often my bloating is triggered when the meal is either high in sodium or carbs. Eating slower has helped, and so has drinking more water throughout the day, however it is like before I eat i have a six pack and then after I don't see it as well. Usually I have to weight a few hours until I have a bowel movement for it to go away. I am just wondering, is this bloating can be prevented if I change my diet up? I tend to have around 2600 mg of sodium a day. Most of it comes from meat and whey protein. I don't eat any salt additives.

Reading this I feel like I am doing everything right. But, for some reason I have become more sensitive to bloating after eating in my lower abdominal area. My pants still fit fine and only on rare occasions I feel bloating in my face. What strikes me as unusual is the fact that I am so sensitive and it shows in this region.

[noodletoy]

if there is food and liquid in your stomach, it may protrude more than it would in a fasted state. this is normal. there is "stuff" in there.

do you "feel" bloated"? you may want to concentrate on chewing more thoroughly and cutting food into smaller bites.

what kinds of high carb meals are we talking about here? a loaf of bread o a giant pile of spinach?

i don't track my sodium, but do salt my foods and feel fine most of the time. however, when i have something really salty, like soy sauce, i definitely gain some water weight for a day or two.

[Drumroll]

Sodium can lead to water retention and bloating in excessive amounts, for sure. However, it takes a fair amount. As you know, anytime your body excretes water, through blood, sweat, tears, urine, you lose electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. If you're concerned about too much sodium listen to the signs. Are you dehydrated after a meal, despite normal liquid intake levels? Do you seemingly get what I like to call "salt" headaches (possibly due to the VERY temporary increase in blood pressure from excess sodium)? Do you feel fatigued after a high sodium meal (which may just mean an imbalance in potassium/sodium ratios)?

If you notice any of these this might be a sign that the personal intake level you are achieving might stand to be adjusted by lowering sodium somewhat and increasing potassium. But remember, your needs vary based on several factors, the primary ones being activity level (do you lose a lot of water through sweat)? And how often you use the bathroom, ect. Everyone is individual and their sodium needs may vary more or less based on a range of factors.

Being bloated while eating one meal a day is perfectly normal due to the caloric bulk you usually end up taking in during that one meal. You can chew your food more completely and add herbs such as ginger, yerba mate, peppermint, ect, that increase secretion of gastric juices to speed up digestion which may also help. You can take all of these herbs as a tea if you'd rather.

Also, getting some more beneficial gut bacteria in your diet may aid in digestion speed and completeness, and thus decrease bloating.

That said, you'll never really eliminate bloating on the one meal a day plan, but at the very least these suggestions may help somewhat.

[drnemer]

Thanks I am learning a lot. I do get sodium headaches rarely but since my diet became much more health conscious when I switched to primal I stopped eating high sodium foods like take out chinese and such. Those gave me headaches


I do sweat a lot from working out. I tend to sweat more than average. My father is the same way. When it is a hot summer day i often get the back of my shirt wet from sweat. also when i workout i tend to work up a real sweat as well. I do tend to go to the bathroom often because i always have a water bottle with me.

Do you think i am low on potassium? I never considered that as something important in my diet. Also are those herbs really as beneficial that I notice a difference? If so which do you recommend and how much?

[Drumroll]

Thanks I am learning a lot. I do get sodium headaches rarely but since my diet became much more health conscious when I switched to primal I stopped eating high sodium foods like take out chinese and such. Those gave me headaches


I do sweat a lot from working out. I tend to sweat more than average. My father is the same way. When it is a hot summer day i often get the back of my shirt wet from sweat. also when i workout i tend to work up a real sweat as well. I do tend to go to the bathroom often because i always have a water bottle with me.

Do you think i am low on potassium? I never considered that as something important in my diet. Also are those herbs really as beneficial that I notice a difference? If so which do you recommend and how much?

I've read that you should be getting twice as much, if not even more, potassium than you do sodium. This being just a general guideline, don't take it as gospel. I am no expert.

Get your potassium from veggies of course, largely. Fruits a little too. Also, meats have a good amount of potassium, but the ratio of potassium to sodium is a bit higher in meats, even without any added sodium or salt.

Personally, I do not add any sodium to my meals. These days I get it pretty much entirely from what is naturally in the foods I eat, and the fact that I eat a lot of pickled/fermented veggies. Combined, that probably gives me a daily value of well over 2,000 milligrams per day. I'm actually not as active now, as I was before primal. I still workout, but I find that in don't have to putting hours per week on a treadmill just to stay lean.

That being the case, my personal need for sodium has dropped.

Approach potassium and sodium ratios the same way you do O-3 vs. O-6. You can raise potassium intake to match optimal ratios or you can lower sodium to do the same. Just remember, if lowering sodium just make sure you are still getting at least the amount you need for optimal electrolyte levels. It's not a license to drop sodium at reckless abandon, it's more a prescription to figure out your ideal levels and learn to drop any excess.

Too much sodium can be a curse, not enough sodium can be a curse.

One note though, it's hard to have too much potassium, but you can EASILY have too little. Keep that in mind when adjusting intake levels.

[vb66]

Sodium can lead to water retention and bloating in excessive amounts, for sure. However, it takes a fair amount. As you know, anytime your body excretes water, through blood, sweat, tears, urine, you lose electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. If you're concerned about too much sodium listen to the signs. Are you dehydrated after a meal, despite normal liquid intake levels? Do you seemingly get what I like to call "salt" headaches (possibly due to the VERY temporary increase in blood pressure from excess sodium)? Do you feel fatigued after a high sodium meal (which may just mean an imbalance in potassium/sodium ratios)?

If you notice any of these this might be a sign that the personal intake level you are achieving might stand to be adjusted by lowering sodium somewhat and increasing potassium. But remember, your needs vary based on several factors, the primary ones being activity level (do you lose a lot of water through sweat)? And how often you use the bathroom, ect. Everyone is individual and their sodium needs may vary more or less based on a range of factors.

Being bloated while eating one meal a day is perfectly normal due to the caloric bulk you usually end up taking in during that one meal. You can chew your food more completely and add herbs such as ginger, yerba mate, peppermint, ect, that increase secretion of gastric juices to speed up digestion which may also help. You can take all of these herbs as a tea if you'd rather.

Also, getting some more beneficial gut bacteria in your diet may aid in digestion speed and completeness, and thus decrease bloating.

That said, you'll never really eliminate bloating on the one meal a day plan, but at the very least these suggestions may help somewhat.

Is being very thirsty after a meal a sign of too much sodium? This happens to me often.

[Drumroll]

Is being very thirsty after a meal a sign of too much sodium? This happens to me often.

It doesn't PROVE that you are getting too much sodium, it might mean that you simply need to drink more fluids. However, large amounts of dietary sodium are known to dehydrate people, so it could be a sign.

[drnemer]

I don't know how to measure how much potassium but i know i can try to lower sodium. it is just hard because i only get in naturally. there are exceptions such if the college dinning hall is putting salt on their food and i am unaware and the fact that i like bacon and jerky. however i am only 2600 at most. most days i am hovering at 2100something.

my main issue is that i want to drop the bloating from eating and any water retention i can.

if i take more potassium would i notice a difference?

[Drumroll]

Potassium actually can limit the bloating from water if levels are kept in check with sodium in the proper balance. If water bloating is something you're concerned about, you might try drinking some good quality tea. Not herbal teas, but true teas. They are a diuretic and have been shown to reduce water bloating. They can lower sodium a little bit by increasing urinary volume.

I would not consider this a permanent solution, but can be good when you need to lessen bloating on a day where you might not have eaten as well as you liked to, and maybe over-consummed the sodium a little too much.

You should definitely get more potassium in your diet I'd say. Sounds like you get way more sodium than you think you do. Especially if you eat regularly at a college dining hall. They sneak sodium in in the form of preservatives, as well as salted added in recepies, ect. Normally this isn't a huge concern, but it could be contributing to your bloating and your body may be trying to give you a signal that you need to balance out your sodium/potassium ratio.

Most healthy primal eaters don't get too much sodium because they've ditched the processed foods, but if you're eating dining hall food, you have not quite reached this point yet and I'd do things to try and balance this out. We all have our own circumstances, and I'm not trying to blame you or demonize you for yours, but when they are not optimal, it is best that we do what we can to regulate them.

[drnemer]

well, how about if i get a potassium supplement? i know the primal life is about natural choices but i think I would have less stress if i added potassium by liquid or tablet than having to reconfigure my already difficult primal college fitness diet.

do you know what type of potassium supplement i could take? i know potassium iodine is temporary only.


also there are risks to too much potassium. Bodybuilding.com - Clayton's Health Facts: Potassium.


But the only fruit i eat is avocados, blueberries and raspberries.