Ever now and again we just don’t feel like ourselves.  Our jeans get tight, we get irritated, grumpy and tired.  I used to think that this was just part of a monthly cycle until I read an article about Potassium in Self Magazine. 

     It seems we DON’T have to just be bloated and mean; we can actually just eat or take potassium to flush out the excess water in our system! 

    Sodium can also play a huge role in how much water we retain. 

The average American consumes close to 4000 mg of sodium a day, despite the USDA’s recommended daily allowance of 2300 mg (recently reduced from 2400).

   You can keep your water retention down by not over eating foods high in sodium.  Taking processed foods out of your diet can also help since they are so high in salt.  Here is a list of potassium rich foods that can help keep you in your “skinny” jeans all month long.

1,000 + mg of potassium
1 cup raw avocado
1 cup cooked beet greens
1 cup shelled, cooked edamame
1 large raw papaya
1 cup cooked sweet potato

750-1,000 mg of potassium
5 Medjool dates (pictured above)
1 cup cooked plantains
1 cup cooked spinach
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup cooked winter squash, such as acorn or butternut

500-750 mg of potassium
½ cup dried apricots
1 large banana
1 cup cooked beets
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 cup cantaloupe
½ cup dried figs
1 cup kiwi fruit
1 cup orange juice
1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 ounces cooked halibut

250-500 mg of potassium
¼ cup roasted, unsalted almonds
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 mango
1 persimmon
1 cup orange sections
1 cup pink grapefruit sections
¼ cup raisins
½ roasted chicken breast, no skin
3 ounces cooked turkey, white meat
3 ounces cooked sirloin steak
3 ounces cooked salmon
6 cooked scallops(source)

Adria Ali