I am one of those people who eats a meal (even a healthy meal) out at a restaurant, or maybe has some pre-packaged meal, and ends up about 5 pounds heavier the next day with swollen fingers. FROM ONE MEAL.  And usually, it takes awhile to get rid of that 5 pounds.

The culprit, friends? Sodium + a tendency to retain water.

Restaurants and pre-made foods are loaded with sodium, a fact which sucks tremendously, because I really like Chinese takeout, and sometimes you just want to have something easy, like a can of soup, daggummit.

Not everyone is plagued by this. My husband is descended from Vikings, so maybe sodium is imprinted as bread-and-butter on his DNA.  Sodium doesn’t change a thing for him, one way or the other.  I don’t know how much ancestry actually plays into it, but I know that genetics do.  My dad retains fluid very easily, like I do. So do my Aunt and  my Granny (all on the same side)

As silly as it sounds, when I found out I was pregnant, this fluid retention thing haunted me tremendously. Because even if you didn’t before, you are going to retain fluid while you are pregnant. A certain amount is healthy, part of the weight you are supposed to gain while carrying a baby. But I saw foresaw myself as the super-retainer.  I knew I’d be SUPER pregnant AND SUPER water-logged in June and July….in Mississippi. I pictured my future as the scene where Harry Potter blows up Aunt Marge in Prisoner of Azkaban.

I told my doctor back in January about my fluid retention issue, and that I was worried about becoming Aunt Marge with pregnancy.  She was like, “Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah, unfortunately it’s just going to be bad. There’s not much you can do. Drink lots of water with lemon” (I already do that, FYI).

So, things went along for awhile, me being paranoid about any trace amount of salt and the occasional indulgence in Chinese food resulting in sudden jumps in the number on the scale, which I’d been trying so hard through exercise and healthy eating to keep to growing in steady, healthy amounts.  THEN, I remembered something.

Shaklee’s Alfalfa Complex!

I’m a Shaklee Distributor, so I should have thought of it before, but if I’m being honest, I’ve never been that great about taking my Alfalfa.  I never really thought I needed it, and it tastes like a plant (in all fairness, that’s kind of because it is). Alfalfa is a detoxifying super-food, a taproot whose leaves absorb tremendous amounts of chlorophyll while its roots reach way down into the ground and collect vitamins and minerals.  The Shaklee labs take the plant and make sure only the good stuff goes into the Complex, which was one of the first natural nutrition products developed by Dr. Shaklee in the 1950s.

Here’s what alfalfa is supposed to be good for: allergies, detoxification, a digestive aid (8 digestive enzymes), a highly concentrated source of protein and nutrition.

Also, apparently, it’s AWESOME in combating fluid retention. Since I remembered about Alfalfa, I’ve been taking it with a big glass of water in the mornings. I know that I don’t have to be super scared of salt. If I eat something with sodium, then those 5 pounds still might show up the next day, but if I drink my water and take my Alfalfa, it won’t hang around to accumulate.

And, may I add…It’s  now June. I am SUPER pregnant (35 weeks) in Mississippi. However, I don’t feel like Aunt Marge. Everytime the Dr. has asked me if I’ve had swollen feet or ankles or fingers, I get to say “NOPE!”  No cankles as of yet, and actually….my wedding/engagement rings are even kind of loose.

(Excuse the bed-head and face, I took these pics first thing this morning. See my rings though?)

So I’m sharing my secret with you guys. Alfalfa’s great for all kinds of stuff, but right now, it’s my “Anti-Aunt-Marge” weapon. Let me know if you have questions about it or are interested in trying some. It’s all-natural and not expensive!

Here’s my website where you can buy your very own bottle of Alfalfa:

Katie’s Shaklee Store