Can a high carbohydrate diet cause you to retain water ?
If you've ever polished off a large plate of pasta in one sitting, you may have noticed a sluggish, bloated feeling later that day. What you felt is water retention, the biological aftereffect of a meal high in simple carbohydrates. While simple carbohydrates do spur water retention, complex carbohydrates can actually help you shed unwanted water weight.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are found in foods such as fruits, veggies, sweets, dairy products, cereal and pasta. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, your body breaks down carbohydrates and turns them into glucose for energy. The CDC notes that in a healthy eating plan, between 45 and 65 percent of your daily caloric intake should come from carbohydrates.
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SIMPLE VS. COMPLEX CARBS
There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. While your body needs both, the CDC notes that complex carbs --- fiber and starch --- take longer to convert to glucose and are found in foods that offer more nutrition than simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are found in sugars, both the natural sugar in dairy products or fruit and the added sugars found in processed foods like baked goods.
HIGH-CARB DIETS
High-carb diets emphasize foods such as potatoes and whole-grain pasta, bread and rice. According to former "New York Times" health columnist and PBS television host Jane Brody, you could follow a diet in which up to 80 percent of your daily calories come from carbohydrates --- provided those are largely complex carbohydrates --- and suffer no ill health effects. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains contain fiber, which helps slow down digestion and makes you feel full. Fiber also increases how much fat your body excretes; Brody notes that this is helpful in weight loss and preventing heart disease.
CARBS AND WATER RETENTION
Unfortunately, there is a relationship between a high-carb diet and water retention. In "Good Calories, Bad Calories," author Gary Taubes writes that carbohydrates cause your kidneys to hoard salt instead of excrete it. Once your body's salt content rises, your water content must also rise to keep the ratio of salt to bodily fluid steady. When you cut carbs, your body can let go of both the salt and the water it was retaining. This is why low-carb diets often produce a quick initial weight loss --- the dieter isn't losing any body fat, but he is losing several pounds of retained salt and water.
PREVENTION/SOLUTION
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, complex carbs such as whole-grain foods can actually help you reduce water retention, while the simple carbs found in refined flour products such as white breads and some pastas can actually cause bloating. To cut down on water retention, eat leafy green veggies, green beans, asparagus, grapes and pineapple, which all have a diuretic effect. The UMMC also suggests you reduce your sodium intake, eat less red meat, avoid alcohol and consume antioxidant-rich fruits such as cherries and blueberries.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/309135-can-a-high-carb-diet-cause-you-to-retain-water/#ixzz2UdVQj9GD
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