Foods that Cause Swelling in Feet

Swollen feet and inflammation are common problems for people with diabetes. Besides, some significant factors can lead to swelling in the feet, including various health conditions, exhausting exercises, and associated diseases. If you experience chronic pain, have arthritis symptoms or swelling in your feet, you need to closely check what you are eating. 

Swelling in the feet or Edema is not a severe condition. However, it would help if you got proper treatment. Otherwise, it may lead to complications and other health problems. Other reasons, including injury to feet and some medical conditions, can also cause inflammation. Moreover, swelling in the feet may be due to pregnancy. 

However, you can reduce or control it by taking a proper diet and certain foods that minimize swelling. Excessive inflammation in the feet can lead to arthritis, kidney diseases, diabetes, and stroke. 

Studies state that if you feel swelling and redness in your feet, you should consult with a doctor immediately.

What is Edema?

Edema is the condition in which fluid accumulates in your body's tissues. It causes puffiness and swelling in your feet and may occur on your face and hands as well.

Numerous factors can cause Edema, such as sitting or standing for long or taking too many medications or pain killers. You may experience associated symptoms like shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or chest pain. If you experience these symptoms or get stretched or shiny skin, you should consult with a doctor immediately. 

Foods that Cause Swelling in Feet

The following foods are more likely to cause swelling and lead to different complicated health conditions. It would help if you noticed that after eating which food you develop swelling, you can get rid of your feet swelling by avoiding the food. Swelling due to certain foods is the condition called "Angioedema."

The common foods that cause allergies include cow milk, fish, peanuts, eggs, soy, shellfish, tree nuts, and wheat. Here is the list of foods that cause swelling in your feet.

 Inflammation takes place due to an inflammatory marker known as CRP or C-reactive protein. It leads to heavy weight gain. Our body has insulin, a hormone that stores the excessive amount of sugar within fat cells that leads them to swell and inflame. When you consume sugar, your blood level rises and creates cytokines in a more significant amount. 

Here is the list of foods that have a high amount of sugar. 

• Soda
• Sweetened beverages
• Pastries
• White bread
• Cookies
• Cereals

The above-listed foods have high sugar content; besides, sugary drinks are also harmful to your body. As an alternative, you can use natural sugar drinks like banana shakes, milk, and fruit juice. 

Artificial Trans develops when hydrogen mixes with liquid vegetable oil to make it solid. It is common in fried food. It can elevate the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Conversely, they contain a lower level of HDL (good) cholesterol. So it can lead to swollen feet, heart diseases, and stroke by creating fluid in your arteries. These fats encourage vascular inflammation that leads to swollen feet.

Foods that have high artificial Trans fats include:

• Fried food
• Margarine
• Food Containing Excessive Salt

Salt is one of the major components that increase swelling in the feet. Excessive salt in food causes your body to hold on to too much water that causes swelling in the feet. Many individuals face swelling in their feet after taking food that is high in salt. Experts recommend avoiding fast food, packaged sweets, and potato chips. Besides, certain sauces, including sodium-like condiments, are also harmful. 

There are numerous vegetable seed or hydrogenated oils that have Trans fat and can lead to inflammation. However, some studies suggest that consumption of moderate levels of Trans fat may be helpful to your body. At the same time, most researchers claim that Trans fat is not beneficial for the human body and affects the cell membrane.

Similar to sugar, refined carbs also lead to a rise in blood sugar and elevate the inflammatory response. Following is the list of foods that contain refined Carbohydrates.

• Rolls
• Bread
• French fries
• Sugary cereals
• Crackers
• White rice

Alcohol consumption means your body holds more water. Excessive eater retention leads to foot swelling. While in most cases, the condition may be temporary, it can become chronic and trigger long-term problems. Overconsumption of alcohol leads to persistent systemic inflammation that can damage any organ. 

Red meat and processed meat have a high amount of saturated fat that triggers inflammation in your feet. It can, however, be a part of a healthy diet, but consuming it in excessive amounts can be harmful. Red meat can lead to painful swelling, redness, and sensation in your ankle and feet, leading to constant inflammation. 

Processed meat may include:

• Steaks
• Sausages
• Burgers
• Hot dogs

Fried food is unhealthy for your body and clogs your arteries. They contain AGEs in a high amount that causes inflammation in your feet. It also affects your body's immune system, making it challenging to defend your body against certain diseases. 

Food that can Fight Inflammation

On the other hand, some foods can minimize inflammation. These include several fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants and polyphenols.

Foods that can help to reduce swelling may include:

Vegetables

• Kale
• Tomatoes
• Collards
• Spinach

Nuts

• Walnuts
• Almonds

Fatty fish

• Tuna
• Mackerel
• Salmon
• Sardines

Fruits

• Cherries
• Strawberries
• Oranges
• Blueberries

Coffee

Coffee consists of organic and anti-inflammatory compounds like polyphenols. This beverage is helpful in reducing swelling in the feet. 

How to Prevent Feet Swelling?

• You may experience swelling in your feet after you eat food high in carbs; sodium can lead to foot inflammation. You need to include a diet that can prevent fluid collection in your feet. Proper diet, a healthy lifestyle, and exercise can help you prevent swelling. 
• Moreover, a low-sodium diet is helpful to prevent Edema. So, pick the food that has low sodium. Also, avoid excessive fluid intake because it can increase water retention and increase your feet' swelling. 
• Make sure to reduce sugar and refined carbohydrates in your diet. You can prefer taking food that has carbs and a high amount of fiber. Overall, a proper diet can help to minimize swelling to a great extent. 
• In addition, regular movement is also helpful to prevent swelling. After eating a particular food, if you experience swelling in your feet, you can increase your activity level and exercise to combat the effects. 
• Besides, you can drink plenty of water, exercise by regularly raising your feet above the heart and staying active. Moreover, you can keep your weight in control by eating a balanced diet. Daily massaging your feet can also help to minimize swelling.

Carbs and Feet Swelling

Overconsumption of food containing carbs can cause swelling. You may experience swelling with redness or without redness. The sugar present in carbs can give rise to inflammation. In addition, carbohydrates and simple sugars also consist of sugar like fructose and glucose. Fructose is common in different processed foods and some vegetables and fruits in limited amounts.

The most common reason your feet swell after sugar intake is the generation of the inflammatory compound uric acid. It incorporates systemic inflammation and enhances the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, constant consumption of high sugar food can lead to cellular inflammation and may cause swollen feet.

Healthy Diet Intake Plan

Certain foods cause your feet to swell. In that case, you can take professional help from an immunologist or allergist to manage your diet to prevent the occurring condition. 

• Your health care provider can better suggest to you which food to eat to avoid swollen feet. However, you can avoid the intake of common foods that cause inflammation. 
• You can focus on eating food with a higher level of vitamin B and iron, like dark leafy vegetables, asparagus, pumpkin, pineapple, beets, and garlic. These all foods can help to minimize swelling. 
• Besides, you can eat food rich in antioxidants, including cherries, blueberries, and tomatoes. 
• Minimize intake of refined and processed foods like white bread, sugar, crackers, and sweet cookies. 
• You can pick lean meats like cold-water fish. Also, if you want to include protein in your diet, chicken breast is a good choice instead of red meat.
• Make sure to use healthy cooking oils like olive oil.
• Consume less alcohol and tobacco
• Consume less salt in your food.

Taking care of all these aspects can reduce swelling. In case of excessive swelling, you can consult your health practitioner. They will suggest a good combination of diet plans, lifestyle changes, and medication in more severe cases. 

Samples of a good breakfast for people with diabetes

For diabetic patients, it is important that they take care of their health and to know how many calories they are taking. They also need to watch out for what kind of food they will eat to maintain a healthy blood sugar level so what is a good breakfast that diabetic patients should eat? Here are some foods that are good to keep your blood sugar healthy and give the nutrients that your body needs.

• Oatmeal or Savory Oatmeal- Oatmeal that is high in fiber can keep blood sugar levels at a healthy level. Choose rolled or steel-cut oats because they are less processed and healthier than the instant kind of oatmeal. Add fruits and nuts for extra sweetness and protein in your oatmeal. Your morning oats don't have to be always sweet, try to incorporate vegetables and lean proteins instead of nuts and fruits for a risotto-like dish that is easy and can be cooked fast. You can also add leftover meat and spinach with a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil and top it off with a low-sodium soy sauce and sesame seeds.

• Chia seed pudding or Greek Yogurt Parfait - Chia seeds are great for diabetic patients because they are high in fiber and also contain Omega-3 fatty acids. The soluble fiber in chia seed can also help lower blood sugar levels by slowing down how fast food moves through the gut and is absorbed by your bloodstream. Creamy greek yogurt has less sugar and contains fewer carbs than the regular ones and is also high in protein. Layer non-or low-fat plain yogurt with fiber-rich berries and nuts, such as walnuts and almonds.

• Egg sandwich or Vegetable omelet - Scrambled, boiled or poached eggs contain protein. Proteins take longer to digest  which can help blood sugar levels stay at a healthy level. If you are going to work and need fast and healthy on the go food, try creating an egg sandwich with tomatoes and low fat cheese, you can also add lean meat for extra protein. Create a vegetable oatmeal by incorporating non-starchy vegetables on your omelet such as spinach,kale,broccoli or tomatoes. They are low in carbs and also good sources of vitamin C.

• Multigrain avocado toast - Multigrain avocado toast is a simple and popular dish for diabetic patients. Avocados are packed with fiber and monounsaturated fatty acids that can help prevent your blood sugar from striking up after a meal.  When creating a toast make sure that you use whole-grain bread or 100 percent whole wheat bread instead of white bread because white bread is made from highly processed white flour and added sugar.

• Breakfast Tacos - Scrambled eggs with spinach mixed with black beans which add 8 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein per half-cup. Serve in a whole-grain corn or whole-wheat tortilla. For extra flavor add salsa and chili sauce. Chili sauce can help with diabetes and is healthy. Eating or incorporating them in foods can lower the spike in insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar after meals.

• Cottage Cheese with Fruit or Cottage cheese, fruit, and nut bowl - Cottage cheese contains a lot of protein! One cup of the low-fat kind packs in 28 grams of protein for only 6 grams of carbs. For your quick and easy breakfast serve low-fat cottage cheese and incorporate fruits and nuts. Research also said that consuming dairy products may help reduce insulin resistance, which is a typical issue for people with diabetes.

Bottom Line

Swelling in feet is easy to manage through a proper diet plan. The only need is to find out the specific foods that cause foot swelling. It will be helpful for you to manage your diet plan easily.

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