Foods that Beat the Bloat
While extra water is a plus, don't make the mistake of assuming that any extra liquids are your friends. In fact, alcoholic drinks and caffeinated beverages have the opposite effect, and in large quantities can cause further dehydration.
Nix the alcohol, and try limiting your coffee to the one essential morning cup until the bloat passes.
Sodium-Free Foods
You wouldn't think something as tiny as grains of salt could be responsible for so many excess pounds of water bloat, but it's true. When we overdo it on sodium, the body starts holding on to water in order to keep that salt in solution. And it's not just in obvious places like pretzels and chips. Just one can of healthy-sounding soup can have 1,000 mg of the salty stuff. Read your labels for sodium content, or better yet -- eat fresh, whole foods like fruits and veggies and non-processed meats.
Cranberries
Anyone who's ever suffered a painful urinary tract infection knows the magic of cranberry juice. There's real science behind the legendary powers as well. Cranberries are a natural diuretic. In laywoman's terms, that means you'll urinate more frequently, flushing even more unwanted water out of your bloated bladder for sweet relief.