Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Like the title says, can spicy foods such as peppers and horseradish cause water retention? Ever since starting paleo the weight was coming off easy. But one thing I've noticed is that any day I seem to use mustard or horseradish, the scale stays the same and even goes up by .1 or .2. I know the whole deal with not checking the scale and gaining muscle, etc etc. I just check it since it's a morning habit. Anyways, any time I use even a slight bit of mustard or horseradish on my meat, my weight stays the same or goes up a bit. However, whenever I don't use it at all the weight seems to resume coming off. Could them both being on the spicy side cause water retention? I think I saw this before when I was eating hot peppers a while ago too.

flag	asked Sep 20 2011 at 14:40 dudesknight 25●4

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Excess sodium is more likely to cause water retention than spices. – Nemesis Sep 20 2011 at 15:21

It may be the foods you are consuming the horseradish/mustard on, to be they both go with the saltier meats. – sherpamelissa Sep 20 2011 at 16:29

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inflammation? maybe – Mallory Sep 20 2011 at 17:03

Jason · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-20 15:11:00Z UTC

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I believe horseradish is a mild diuretic. Perhaps you're not drinking enough on the days you consume these items and as a result your body is holding on to more water? (Apologies, that's not very scientific!) It could also be coincidence...so many factors are at play when it comes to weight, especially from one day to the next.

answered Sep 20 2011 at 15:11

Jason
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Thanks for the insight. Now that I think of it, the past few days I haven't consumed as much water as I usually do. I also bought fattier ground beef this week but I don't think that would cause water retention. – dudesknight Sep 20 2011 at 15:16

Travis Isaacs · Answer 2 · 2011-09-20 15:45:00Z UTC

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Relax, drink more water, and stop torturing yourself with the scale every morning.

answered Sep 20 2011 at 15:45

Travis Isaacs
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thhq · Answer 3 · 2011-09-20 16:56:05Z UTC

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Do dried red peppers or black pepper do the same thing? Also, look at oil-based condiments like giardiniera or hot pepper oil.

answered Sep 20 2011 at 16:56

thhq
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Do spicy foods cause water retention?

3 Answers