Post Holiday cleans

Jul 06, 2010

Overview

If you binge on salty foods, you'll likely feel bloated and puffy a few hours later. That's because eating too much salt causes your body to retain water. The extra water in your body can amount to a few extra pounds of weight and can lead to high blood pressure. Your kidneys can filter only a little sodium out of your blood at a time, so there's no magic way to get rid of all the extra salt. All you can do is reduce your sodium intake, keep your metabolism high and wait.

Step 1

Cut back on your salt intake. Experts recommend a daily sodium intake of no more than 2,300 mg, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. That's about a teaspoon. If you've binged and are retaining water because of salt, you probably have consumed much more than 2,300 mg in a day. For the next couple of days, you should consume much less; shoot for 1,000 mg. Don't worry about getting too little---some people in primitive cultures consume less than 200 mg per day and get by just fine.

Step 2

Drink bottled spring water while you're ridding your body of sodium. Tap water can contain small amounts of salts that could sabotage your effort to rid your body of sodium. Avoid soft drinks and sports drinks that contain salts and electrolytes.

Step 3

Rinse your foods to wash away excess sodium. Processed foods in particular tend to contain large amounts of salt. Packaged cold cuts and canned vegetables are prime examples of foods that should be rinsed to wash away excess sodium.

Step 4

Exercise during your salt fast to increase your metabolism. When your metabolism is working at a high rate, your blood will circulate faster, and your kidneys will clear salt faster.

Step 5

Consume the recommended 2,300 mg of salt per day after two to three days of a low-sodium regime. Toward the end of that time, you might notice an increase in the volume and frequency of urination; this happens as your kidneys filter out excess salt, which water naturally follows. You'll know when the extra salt has left your body because you'll no longer feel bloated and puffy, and you might notice that you've lost a little weight because your body is retaining less water.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/127640-cleanse-body-after-eating-much/?utm_source=julynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100706#ixzz0sy7pEg6T

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