Salt and carbohydrates both cause water retention, driving your scale weight up temporarily. And when you pair them together, it’s a double whammy. This is especially likely to happen after a meal out, since restaurant foods tend to contain more salt and carbohydrates than foods we might cook at home — even when we try to make healthy choices. “Sodium without adequate hydration causes the body to hold on to water,” explains Kylie Ivanir, RD. “And when carbs are stored in the body, they are stored with water. So, when you combine these two together, you get a large amount of water being retained in the cells.”
