Does drinking water cause bloating?

Drinking a lot of water does not directly cause bloating, but it can exacerbate bloating if you are eating too much salt, or not eating enough potassium. Dietician Ashley Koff, RD, explains exactly how water is related to bloating.

Transcript

00:00

Water is never going to be what's to blame. What's going to be to blame is the nutrient balance that you're not getting or is out of balance

00:07

in terms of what you're consuming. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:15

This may sound a little bit weird, but I do get asked the question a lot, so I want to bring it up. A lot of people tell me that they stop drinking water

00:23

or reduce their water because they've heard that drinking a lot of water can actually cause bloating. Now I need to remind you that your body is, like,

00:31

upwards of 75% water. Or it should be. So it seems like if we're adding water, giving the body

00:38

something that it wants, it shouldn't be causing us bloating. However, if we put water into the body and we are eating a lot of sodium--

00:45

so let's say we're having a lot of processed foods or we're adding a lot of salt to our food. Or let's say that we put water into the body

00:51

and we're not getting enough potassium, which works in opposition to sodium. So let's say we never have avocado or banana or coconut water or other rich sources

01:00

of potassium. Then the water may end up staying outside of the cells and not going into the cells.

01:06

And in that instance, you can certainly feel bloated. But let's remember the water isn't what's to blame there.

01:12

Water is never going to be what's to blame. What's going to be to blame is the nutrient balance that you're not getting or is out of balance

01:20

in terms of what you're consuming. So a great way to think about it is, before you run out and take a whole bunch of supplements, start with your diet.

01:26

Is your diet getting too much salt? Well, then we need to reduce it. If you're having a little bit of salt and you could be salt-sensitive, then maybe

01:33

we even need to incorporate spices and reduce that more. But equally important if not more important is, if you're having salt, you need

01:40

to make sure that you're getting in the potassium. So remember those potassium-rich foods, which even include potato. What's more delicious than that?