Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : February 9, 2020 11:01 AM IST
A sodium-rich diet causes water retention. This can cause swollen feet when you are pregnant. @Shutterstock
When you are pregnant, your body goes through some major changes. Because of these changes, you may sometimes have to experience some uncomfortable symptoms and go through some discomfort. One such symptom is swollen feet. In your first trimester, the hormone progesterone slows down your digestion. This causes abdominal bloating and a barely noticeable puffiness in your hands, feet and face. In your second trimester, you may notice visibly swollen feet. It is the result of increasing volume of blood and fluids in your body. Hormonal fluid retention is also behind this swelling.
As your pregnancy progresses, you may notice that the swelling gets worse. The weather, your diet, hydration and activity level may influence this swelling too. If the swelling is too much to handle or if it causes pain, redness or heat, call your doctor as it may be a deep vein thrombosis. If the swelling is not too severe, you can try and get relief naturally.
A sodium-rich diet causes water retention. This can cause swollen feet when you are pregnant. So, cut down your salt intake. Avoid processed foods because such foods have a really high sodium content. Also try not to put extra table salt on your food. Instead, you can add spices to your food to make up for the low salt. Rosemary, thyme and oregano are good choices.
Potassium deficiency can give you swollen feet too. So have potatoes with the skin on and add bananas to your diet. You can also have other potassium-rich foods like sweet potatoes, spinach, beans, yogurt and lentils.
Dehydration can make your feet swell even more. So, have plenty of water. This will help your kidneys to flush out the toxins from your body too.
Rest your feet on a stool while you are sitting or put pillows to elevate them while lying down. This will reduce your swelling significantly by improving your circulation. If you have swollen feet, another thing to keep in mind is to avoid standing for too long at a stretch.
If your swollen feet problem is getting out of hand, try wearing compression socks. These will gently squeeze your feet and legs and keep fluid circulating.
