Looking Good, Babe!: Drink Me Slim

Misleading as it may seem, I am not talking about any special diet drinks. What I am referring to about some readily available or easily made drinks and methods to help you fight the bloat brought about by water retention. Without further ado, I present to you my tried and tested methods.

Black Coffee

A well known diuretic. It flushes out water.  But those sensitive to caffeine might want to try other options.

Tea

Black tea or green tea should do the trick. Does the same thing as coffee,but with a little less caffeine. Again, those sensitive to caffeine might want to take note.

Barley Water

Listed as 'Cooling' in Chinese/Asian food. It helps to flush out excess water and toxins in the body. (Just boil barley in water, add sugar to taste, and if you like, a squeeze of lemon to add some zing)

Cranberry Juice

Again,a diuretic, plus yummy goodness. Mmmm...

Lemon Water

A refreshing drink that helps cleanse the insides. Feels particularly good after a meal-- it also helps to cut out the greasiness.  (Tip: To save time, freeze the juice into ice cubes. when you are ready to drink, just pop the preferred number of cubes in into a glass of water.)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Add a tablespoonful ACV to water, with some honey to taste. This not only helps with water retention, it has many other health benefits too. More about that later.

The list is not exhaustive. I have however tried and liked the above. Just be sure the restroom is nearby when you try them out. And try only ONE at a time please...(Those with existing health problems, please check with the doctor what you can or cannot take.)

With water retention, it is important that you avoid salt like the plague. Strange as it may sound, you need to drink more water to fight water retention. (Water retention happens when there is too much salt in the body, and the body therefore retains water to try to maintain the balance.)

 While the above may not slim you down immediately, they will greatly reduce bloatedness brought about by water retention. (And allow you to fit better into that gorgeous dress, or tight pair of pants.)

Coming next, quick tricks to make you look slimmer (ALMOST) immediately.