Your fingers swell and your rings get stuck. Your ankles look and feel like a pair of mighty tree trunks. Pants fit tighter, and your bra may become uncomfortably snug. Sounds familiar?

Most of us experience this because of water retention, especially around one week before menstruation. Even the headaches and back pain of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are associated with water retention and have been traced to excess fluid in the discs between the vertebrae and the spine, as well as inside the skull.

Why Do We Get Waterlogged?

Many factors can knock our system out of balance, leaving excess fluid in our tissues and causing a condition called oedema.

They are:

• A high-sodium diet packed with processed foods and salty snacks.

• A high-salt diet pumps extra sodium into your blood and body fluids. The mechanism that pushes water out of your cells is disturbed and the cells hold onto extra water. This will cause water retention whether there's a hormonal imbalance or not, and whether you're a woman or a man.

• The premenstrual syndrome in certain women makes them retain water.

• Hormonal changes that occur one week before menstruation can cause bloating, weight gain and water retention.

• The later stages of pregnancy.

A woman may also experience swollen ankles because the baby is pressing against veins in her abdomen, hindering blood flow back from the legs and increasing pressure.

• Heart failure. This is one of the more serious causes of retention in which the pressure of blood backing up in the veins forces more fluid into tissues.

• Kidney problems. These can also lead to water retention. If the kidneys fail, salt can accumulate in the body and attract water.

• Protein deficiencies, tumours and cirrhosis of the liver. These may also lead to bloating and swelling.

Some medications, including steroids and birth control pills high in oestrogen. These also cause water retention because they act on the kidneys to retain more sodium.

Get The Bloat Out!

Experts say the following tips will help ease that waterlogged feeling:

• Reduce Sodium

Daily sodium intake should be about 2,000 mg (one teaspoon of salt). This can be got done from:

• Cutting down on papads, pickles and chutneys, staying away from any pre-packaged food (potato chips, 'farsans' - 'chivda', 'sev', 'chakli', etc), preserved meats (bacon and ham) and processed foods, particularly canned and frozen foods.

• Stalling the shaker - stay away from the salt shaker when you're at the table. Try a salt substitute or experiment with herbs and spices for added flavour.

• Snack on fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Besides cutting down on sodium, you will also reduce the fat in your diet and add fibre and nutrients.

Increase Potassium

Two of the most important minerals your body uses to help regulate fluids are sodium and potassium. For optimal fluid regulation, your body needs to have a proper balance of both. An imbalance, especially less potassium, can raise your blood pressure and your potential for fluid retention. You can double your potassium intake to about 5,000 mg a day by consuming foods such as fruits and vegetables (three to five servings each).

Take Calcium

Researchers have found that women who take 1,000 mg and above of calcium a day have fewer water retention and other PMS symptoms. So, eat calcium-rich diets and take calcium supplements every day.

Try Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 helps the body remove excess amounts of hormones like oestrogen and progesterone that may be present during the premenstrual period. It relieves breast tenderness, headaches and weight gain. Foods high in this vitamin are bananas, chicken, milk, fish, soyabeans, whole grains, cereals, wheat germ, brown rice, fortified breakfast cereals, liver and meat. Also, ask your doctor for a Vitamin B complex supplement.

Eat Small Meals

If water retention occurs in the days before your period begins, try eating small meals spaced about three hours apart. These meals should be rich in starchy foods like, 'rotis', breads, crackers, pasta, cereals, potatoes and rice, to maintain steady blood sugar levels.

Increase Your Fluid Intake

Ironically, the most common cause of fluid retention is actually lack of fluids in the body. Try drinking more water. Your body may be hesitant to release water because you are not putting any in.

Try A Natural Diuretic

Drink pink grapefruit juice or lemon in water. This will force your cells to let go of extra water. Beware of drugstore diuretics and avoid caffeine as far as possible. Too much of it can make you jittery, and also rob your body of calcium and iron.

Get Active

The more active you are, the more water you get rid of. Exercise widens blood vessels, increasing the amount of fluid that goes to the kidneys to be excreted. A half-hour of exercise three times a week will help your body get rid of excess water.

Madhavi Trivedi is a Nutritionist and Healthcare Consultant