How To Reduce Swelling in Legs and Ankles

I’ve had two pregnancies and found that near the end I’ve struggled with swelling in my legs and ankles. I especially struggled after a traumatic 23 hour labor followed by a c-section… ending in tree stumps for legs!

Propping up legs after a week of reducing fluid retention

Why Do Legs Swell?

I learned there are a few different reasons we may experience swelling in the body:

Sodium levels are out of wack
Too much inflammation (often caused by sugar)
Poor blood circulation
Combination of all three!

Testing Out Remedies

At the end of my pregnancies, it didn’t seem to matter if I sat or stood. Either way, they would swell. My doctor suggested there was nothing I could do but accept that it was part of the pregnancy process; however, I decided not to accept this and tried a few things until I had some relief.

I found three main things to alleviate my swelling:

Propping up legs
Wearing compression socks
Being mindful of food consumption

Propping Legs

That means, while at work, I snuck a step stool under my desk to rest my legs and take breaks to walk to the bathroom often to refill my water bottle.

While at home, I worked while legs were elevated as much as possible.

Compression Socks

While you shouldn’t wear them 24/7, wearing compression socks regularly helped reduce swelling and I also learned it is a great preventive measure for developing varicose veins later in life.

Food Comsumption

In terms of food consumption, what worked for me was to restrict high sodium foods and instead, eat foods high in potassium. Also, I tried to drink plenty of water.

Asian Pear: The Magic Bullet

Out of all the foods I tried, the one that seemed to work like a charm: the Asian pear! Everyday I ate one, my legs either didn’t swell or it was minimal.

I stumbled upon this particular remedy by accident. It’s a coveted delicacy in our midwestern family as we tend to only find them at Asian grocery stores. But in this instance, my husband came across them at Cosco at the end of my second pregnancy, right at the perfect time. We were able to splurge and get a large batch in the middle of December and January!

Rather than an “apple a day keeps the doctor away,” it was a pear for me!

Asian pears, also known as Shingo, Korean or Japanese pears, are larger than the ones you find grown in America. They come specifically wrapped in a padded sleeve to prevent bruising. But rather than waiting for the pears to soften up and become sweet, you eat them crunchy, similar to the texture of an apple.

As I munched on a pear a day, I miraculously stopped craving banana bread and had better mobility. Curious, I looked up the nutritional value of the pear to see what might be making this miracle occur. Here’s what I learned from a quick Google search:

Asian pears are rich in water content, potassium, and antioxidants, which help reduce swelling and improve circulation. They seem to check all the boxes linked to reducing my ankle swelling:

Diuretic Properties: Asian pears have a high water content, which reduces water retention and alleviates fluid buildup.
Potassium Content: They are a good source of the mineral potassium, helping balance sodium levels in the body, thus counteracting fluid retention. (This must be why I was craving banana bread! I needed the potassium!)
Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Asian pears contain flavonoids and antioxidants, such as quercetin, which have anti-inflammatory properties.
Hydration and Blood Flow: The high water content helps with hydration, improving blood circulation and preventing pooling in lower extremities.

I was so excited by the results, in preparation for meal planning after labor, I made up a big batch of smoothies to help with healing after giving birth to my second kiddo.

Other Foods To Try

While the pears worked for me, other foods can also help reduce swelling due to their anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and or circulation-boosting properties.

So depending on the cause of your inflammation, another food or combination of foods might do the trick for you. It probably comes as no surprise that many of the items on the list are also found in Mediterranean food diets.

Natural Diuretics To Remove Fluid From Body:

Cucumbers
Celery
Watermelon
Pineapple
Asparagus
Parsley

High-Potassium Foods to Balance Sodium:

Bananas
Avocados
Sweet potatoes
Spinach
Beans (e.g., kidney, black, or lima beans)
Oranges

Magnesium-Rich Foods To Balance Fluid:

Nuts and seeds (almonds, pumpkin seeds)
Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice)
Dark leafy greens
Dark chocolate

Foods Rich in Antioxidants To Reduce Inflammation:

Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
Grapes
Cherries
Tomatoes
Leafy greens (kale, Swiss chard)
Dark chocolate (70%+ cacao)

Foods With Healthy Fats (Like Omega-3) To Fight Inflammation:

Salmon
Mackerel
Sardines
Walnuts
Chia seeds
Flaxseeds
Homemade Mayo or Aioli

Foods with Bromelain or Papain enzymes to reduce inflammation:

Pineapple (bromelain)
Papaya (papain)

Foods High in Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids to Improve Blood Circulation:

Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons)
Broccoli
Bell peppers
Kiwi

Herbal Teas and Spices To Improve Circulation:

Ginger, lemon and honey (also a good remedy for heartburn!)
Turmeric
Dandelion tea

Certain herbs and spices are not recommended during pregnancy due to high caffeine (chai tea) or the prevention of folate absorption (green tea), so the list is much more extensive if you’re not pregnant!

Water Rich Foods

Cucumber
Lettuce
Zucchini
Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew)

Final Remedy: Reduce Salt Intake

While sea salt or pink Himalayan salt in modest quantities is good for getting healthy electrolytes, you definitely want to stay away from white iodized baking salt. This salt is stripped of all its nutrients other than iodine. It’s pure sodium. And unfortunately that’s what you tend to find in processed foods. (Anyone else love the peanut butter pretzels from Trader Joe’s?! Welp, it’s a bad idea in the last trimester of pregnancy…!)

There are other things that seem healthy but are culprits for high sodium to look out for. When I was in the hospital, I struggled to find healthy options at eat off the menu. I thought eating a salad covered in cottage cheese would be better than fried chicken tenders. Wrong! Cottage cheese is chocked full of sodium!

Other Foods to Avoid

Processed foods (high in sodium)
Sugary snacks (inflammation-promoting)
Fried foods (trans fats can worsen inflammation)

It’s good to keep in mind that everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. If your ankle swelling persists or worsens, it might be worth consulting a healthcare professional to rule out underlying causes like injury or circulation issues.

Please tell me, what remedies work for you?

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