People suffering from varicose veins must adhere to certain dietary principles, which is an additional way to alleviate the patient's condition. You can learn more about the diet for varicose veins from our article.
The essence of the diet for varicose veins
The main essence of the diet for varicose veins is to control nutrition, which will allow you to bring your body weight back to normal (which will reduce the load on the blood vessels) and reduce blood thickness - one of the main dangers of varicose veins.
It has been proven that with varicose veins the blood can thicken, which can cause thrombosis. In addition, viscous blood is more difficult to pump, so the load on the heart also increases.
How to make blood thinner? This will be helped, first of all, by diet, as well as by maintaining a drinking regime. According to statistics, most problems with blood vessels occur in people who do not drink enough fluids. As a result, the body loses its own fluids, the blood becomes viscous and blood clots form in the capillaries and other vessels.
From this, we can conclude that to increase fluid loss and ensure normal metabolic processes, you should drink at least 2 liters of clean water every day - this is an affordable natural remedy to reduce blood viscosity. It is allowed to replace water with unsweetened herbal or green tea, or freshly squeezed juice from fruits or vegetables. The most preferred juices are grape, citrus, tomato or berry.
Alcoholic drinks, including beer, should be excluded, as they do not contribute to the saturation of the body with moisture.
Before you start creating a nutritional menu for varicose veins, you need to remember that the greatest benefits come from natural products that dilute and renew the blood. Most foods containing preservatives, stabilizers, dyes and other chemicals contribute to blood clotting - they need to be removed from the daily diet.
Patients with varicose veins are recommended to always have two lists of food products on hand - those that are allowed and those that are not recommended and can harm the body. We will talk about such products a little later.
In addition to affecting blood circulation, food should also help facilitate liver function. The fact is that the liver is responsible for many reactions and metabolic processes that occur in our tissues. In particular, this organ produces special components that prevent increased blood viscosity. Needless to say, lack of diet, bad habits, poor environmental conditions, frequent and uncontrolled use of medicines have a negative effect on liver function. Therefore the following conclusion: nutrition should be made in such a way as not to burden the heart, but to facilitate its work. That is, it is necessary to limit fatty, smoked, canned, heavy foods - all products that require additional resources for processing.
To reduce the manifestation of varicose veins and prevent the disease from getting worse, it is recommended to reconsider your attitude to bad habits, pay attention to the drugs you take and evaluate the appropriateness of taking them (especially for hormonal and diuretic drugs). - all these factors greatly influence the increase in blood clotting.
What is the most necessary ingredient in the treatment of varicose veins?
- Vitamin E (tocopherol) ensures elasticity of blood vessels. It can be found in sufficient quantities in sprouted grains, in egg yolks, and in vegetable oils.
- Ascorbic acid thins the blood and removes inflammation in the blood vessels. Berries, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and kiwi are rich in vitamins.
- Rutin is considered an important vitamin for healthy blood vessels. It can be found in citrus fruits (especially the peel), black currants, nuts and green tea.
- Bioflavonoids are beneficial substances that facilitate venous circulation. Those ingredients are found mainly in dark cherry varieties.
- Copper is needed to produce a sufficient amount of elastin in the tissue, which serves to prevent the appearance of venous "nodules". A lot of copper is found in seafood.
- Fiber forces the digestive system to work, preventing constipation - one of the factors that cause varicose veins. Fiber is found in plant foods, bran, and grains.
- Water thins the blood, facilitates blood flow and reduces the load on the vascular walls.
Diet for varicose veins on the lower legs
The bottom is probably the most susceptible to varicose veins. Basically, this can be explained by the increased load on the legs: a person walks quite a lot during the day, stands, sits cross-legged, etc. At the same time, the ship experienced quite a lot of pressure. This is especially noticeable if you are overweight or have a bad heredity (one of your relatives has chronic varicose veins).
If your varicose veins are associated with a genetic predisposition, then you should focus all your efforts on maintaining normal permeability and vascular tone: do not overextend your lower limbs, wear special underwear and stockings, eat right and lead a healthy lifestyle, drink waterenough . It is good if your work activities do not involve prolonged stress on your feet.
If you are overweight, then the first task is to reduce it - preferably not by fasting, but by following a proper diet, with sufficient protein foods and limiting simple sugars.
You should not deny yourself seafood: sea fish, shrimp, algae, squid are rich in minerals, which our ships really need. Thanks to seafood, blood vessels become elastic, their fragility and permeability are reduced.
Also, food should provide the body with sufficient vitamins. Rutin (vitamin P) and ascorbic acid are very useful for the vascular system.
Such vitamins are found in large quantities in tea leaves, rose hips, citrus fruits, rowan berries, etc. By the way, for healthy people, the daily routine norm is from 25 to 50 mg, and in the case of vascular disease, this amount increases to 150 mg per day.
Vitamins C and P tend to stimulate the production of collagen, which is considered one of the main components of the skin and vascular walls. If there is no deficiency of the listed vitamins, then the capillary walls are usually strong, elastic, durable, and allow good blood flow. A normally functioning vein means no problems with pressure, swelling and varicose veins.
Dietary changes, taking into account the enrichment of the diet with vitamins P and C, should be started with the following symptoms:
- rapid fatigue in the legs;
- the appearance of bruises for no reason and spider veins;
- pain in the lower leg joints.
Diet for varicose veins and thrombophlebitis
With thrombophlebitis, like no other disease, blood thinning measures are relevant. Nutrition is not important: the food eaten must contain all the necessary substances to prevent blockage of the veins with blood clots and the development of the inflammatory process.
Diet for thrombophlebitis involves the primary use of plant foods. Dishes with pineapple, watermelon, melon, ginger, all kinds of onions, as well as cinnamon are very welcome. It is not recommended to eat bananas, beans, meat products, and soy in large quantities.
It is important to reduce the portion of foods high in vitamin K in your daily diet, which increases the coagulation process - blood clotting. This vitamin is found in all green plant foods - lettuce, parsley and cilantro, any type of cabbage. There are also many vitamins in walnuts, eggs, whole milk, meat, liver, fish. If you like to drink herbal tea, then you should exclude plants such as nettle, raspberry leaf, linden, and rose hip from the tea.
In addition, it is necessary to limit the consumption of fatty foods. The fact is that fat promotes better absorption of vitamin K, because it is fat soluble.
What foods should you take for varicose veins and thrombophlebitis? Give preference to colorful vegetables, fruits, berries, dairy products and grains. You can cook casseroles, stews, steam, etc. Also, do not overeat or drink alcoholic beverages.
Diet for pelvic varicose veins
Pelvic varicose veins are a disease that occurs mainly in women. It is associated, in most cases, with pregnancy and childbirth, with an inactive lifestyle, and with the internal use of contraceptives. This disease often affects those who already have varicose veins on the legs and hemorrhoids.
In addition to drug treatment, diet will help relieve the symptoms of pelvic veins. It represents a transition to a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods with fiber. Fiber is necessary, first of all, to prevent constipation, which aggravates varicose veins, increasing the load on the vascular system of the abdominal cavity.
The body also needs protein food, which helps regenerate vascular walls.
What you need to give up first is alcohol, smoking, fatty and carbohydrate foods.
What recommendations can be given regarding diet for pelvic varicose veins:
- If possible, eat a few slices of pineapple every day;
- prepare this medicine: chop 200 g of peeled garlic, mix with 300 ml of honey. Leave a week. Take the finished mixture 1 tablespoon. spoon before each meal;
- Sea kale is considered an excellent remedy for varicose veins. It should be eaten several times a day every day for 3 months;
- It is recommended to eat a handful of pine nuts every day;
- It is useful to add a little ground nutmeg to your food, as well as cinnamon and ginger.
All other recommendations correspond to the general rules of nutrition for varicose veins.
Diet for varicose veins of the esophagus
Esophageal varicose veins are a rather dangerous disease, because for a long time the patient may not be aware of their existence. And only in an advanced state does the disease make itself felt.
Esophageal vein dilation requires a relatively strict diet, which reduces the burden on the digestive system and facilitates the passage of food.
- The number of meals should be divided into 5-6 times, and the portions should be small.
- Food should be crushed and chewed well, or even better, cook food in a semi-liquid state so as not to injure the wall of the esophageal tube.
- The last meal of the day should be taken about 4 hours before bedtime.
- It is not recommended to sleep on a low pillow to avoid reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus.
- It is necessary to limit (or even better eliminate) the consumption of fatty, fried, smoked, canned food, as well as dishes with hot spices and a lot of salt.
- Fasting days have a good effect: watermelon, watermelon fasting, as well as days on freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice are very welcome.
It is advisable to limit meat in the diet - it is replaced with shrimp, lean fish, and squid. You should also "forget" about aspic, canned food (both fish and meat), alcohol and rich soups. Consumption of black coffee is also limited.
All dishes are steamed, baked in the oven, boiled or baked. Experts advise to pay more attention to plant-based products and cereals and fermented milk.
Diet menu for varicose veins
In order not to think about what to cook for yourself all day, without violating your diet, it is recommended to make a sample menu in advance. In the future, using a pre-arranged diet, it is possible to change it, just replacing some products with other similar products.
Let's give an example.
First day:
- We have oatmeal with raisins for breakfast.
- For the second breakfast, you can make a kiwi and orange smoothie with honey.
- For lunch - buckwheat soup and vegetable salad with Borodino bread.
- Snack – fruit yogurt.
- We had dinner with a piece of boiled fish and a portion of seaweed salad.
Second day:
- For breakfast, prepare a portion of low-fat cottage cheese with fruit and honey.
- For the second breakfast, fruit jelly or mousse is suitable.
- We had lunch with pumpkin porridge and baked eggplant with tomatoes.
- As a snack - carrot and apple salad with yogurt.
- Dinner: a dish of mashed potatoes with beet salad.
Third day:
- For breakfast: rice pudding with prunes.
- For the second breakfast, bake a pear with honey and nuts.
- You can have lunch with onion soup and vegetable casserole.
- For a snack - a glass of tomato juice.
- For dinner – steamed chicken meatballs with vegetables.
Forth day:
- We had steamed cheesecake with fruit for breakfast.
- For the second breakfast: yogurt and fruit smoothie.
- We had lunch with tomato soup and carrot slices with sour cream.
- Snack on a cup of vegetable salad.
- For dinner, you can boil chicken breast with mint sauce.
Day five:
- For breakfast: whole grain bread with peanut butter.
- Kefir with berries is perfect for the second breakfast.
- We had lunch with okroshka and stuffed tomatoes.
- Snack: freshly squeezed apple juice.
- We ate it with a piece of steamed salmon with lemon sauce.
Sixth day:
- We had buckwheat pancakes and applesauce for breakfast.
- For the second breakfast - a handful of pine nuts or dried fruits.
- We had lunch with rice soup and a piece of fish casserole.
- Snack – apple with cottage cheese.
- We had dinner with a portion of vegetarian pilaf.
We make the seventh day a fasting day.
Before going to bed, half a glass of low-fat kefir or yogurt without additives is allowed.
Diet recipes for varicose veins
- Kiwi and orange smoothie- a healthy sweet and sour drink that is relatively easy to prepare. All you need is a blender and ingredients: peeled orange, kiwi (if desired, you can also add tangerines or other fruits), a teaspoon. dearIn summer, it is also recommended to add some edible ice cubes for freshness. Grind all the products in a blender and pour into a glass or glass.
- Baked eggplant with tomatoes- healthy eating meals. Ingredients: two medium eggplants, 4 tomatoes, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, vegetable oil, sour cream, spices. Let's start cooking: cut the washed eggplant into slices (about 5 mm), do the same with the tomatoes. Peel the garlic and squeeze it through a press, or just chop it. Sprinkle the eggplant slices lightly with spices and place them on a sheet that has been greased with vegetable oil. Bake in the oven until golden brown, turning once on the other side. Put the finished eggplant on a plate, put 0. 5-1 teaspoon on each circle. sour cream mixed with garlic, and put a slice of tomato on top of the sauce. Already in this form the dish can be served to the table. If desired, you can sprinkle with grated cheese or sesame seeds.
- Rice pudding with prunes- a good substitute for the usual boring porridge. Ingredients needed for the dish: 100 g round rice, 600 ml milk, sugar, 2 eggs, lemon peel, cinnamon. Cooking: add sugar (about 60 g, to taste) and lemon peel to the milk. Put it on the fire, let it boil and add the rice. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. After this, add the dried fruits cut into pieces and washed and put the rice in the oven at t° +120 °C for about 40 minutes. Stir the rice several times while cooking. Remove the cooked rice and let it cool. Meanwhile, separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolk to the rice and mix well. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the whites and beat until stiff, then carefully fold into the rest of the mixture. Place in the oven for about 15 more minutes - this can be done directly in the pan, or distributed into a special mold. We serve meals in it. When serving, sprinkle with cinnamon. You can also add it with honey or fruit sauce.
- Mint sauce- A delicious addition to chicken breast. Ingredients: red wine vinegar 75 ml, sugar 25 g, fresh mint leaves (about 10 g), one small onion (preferably sweet variety). Mix vinegar, sugar and salt on the tip of a knife. Grind mint leaves and onions, add vinegar and put in the fridge for a few hours (minimum 2-3 hours). Serve with meat.
- Peanut pastecan be used for a quick and healthy breakfast, or to prepare various sauces and main dishes. We need: 200 g roasted and peeled nuts (without salt and pepper), ½ tsp. salt, 40 ml vegetable oil, 5 g honey. Pour the nuts into a blender, add salt and honey and blend at maximum speed for about 1-2 minutes. Add the oil, mix and turn the blender back on for 2 minutes. The paste is ready, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 1. 5-2 months.
- Buckwheat pancakes– thin, suitable for any filling, or just with sour cream. Ingredients: 1 cup buckwheat flour, 1 cup kefir, salt and sugar to taste, 1 cup water, 2 eggs, vegetable oil. Beat eggs, add kefir, a little salt and sugar. Mix all. Add buckwheat flour gradually, stirring constantly. After this add water little by little, knead and control the consistency of the dough. Fry thin pancakes in a small pan greased with vegetable oil.
Enjoy your meal!
If you have unpleasant symptoms of a disease such as varicose veins, then proper nutrition and diet for varicose veins can prevent the disease from worsening. Moreover, if varicose veins have just started to develop, then changing your diet will help avoid complications and negative consequences of the pathology.
What can you eat if you have varicose veins?
It is not difficult to choose products that may be useful for varicose veins. It is important to remember the main point: the food taken should be enriched, varied, and should not contain a large amount of animal fat, unnatural additives (chemicals, preservatives), salt, simple sugar, hot spices and blood thickeners.
Recommended for use:
- berries, fruits, vegetable dishes (tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, citrus fruits, kiwi, pears, grapes, melons, eggplants, pumpkins, melons);
- nuts (except walnuts);
- berries that reduce the permeability of vascular walls (cranberry, currant, cherry, blueberry, sea buckthorn);
- various grains (in the form of porridge, side dishes, casseroles and soups - buckwheat, oats, millet, rice);
- lean fish, seafood, seaweed;
- dried fruits (all kinds);
- tea, fermented milk products, cottage cheese, unsalted cheese;
- vegetable oil.
The proposed set of products will help maintain normal vascular tone, control your body weight and prevent fluid accumulation in tissues. It is good if the diet is supplemented with drug treatment using special creams and medicines prescribed by the doctor.
What can you not eat if you have varicose veins?
Proper nutrition for varicose veins involves limiting or eliminating the following foods:
- sweets. This includes baked goods made from white flour, sweets, cakes, jam, chocolate, condensed milk, cakes, ice cream.
- Hot spices: black pepper, chili, mustard, horseradish, as well as adjika, wasabi, etc.
- Carbonated drinks, alcohol, coffee, cocoa, store-bought juices.
- Salt and sugar.
- Fatty meat products: pork, lard, meat with a layer of fat.
- Pickles, pickles.
- Canned fish and meat products.
- A rich, jelly-like, aspic gravy.
- Banana, pomegranate.
- Full fat sour cream, cream, processed cheese, butter.
- Legumes: lentils, beans, peas.
- walnut
It is not recommended to overeat, especially at night. Fasting is also not recommended. But fasting days, on the other hand, are useful. They can be arranged once a week, using, for example, kefir, watermelon, buckwheat, tomato or apple juice.