Diet for varicose veins

People suffering from varicose veins should adhere to certain nutritional principles, which are auxiliary means for alleviating the condition of patients. You can learn more about what a diet for varicose veins is from our article.

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The essence of the diet for varicose veins

The main essence of the diet for varicose veins is to regulate your diet, which will allow you to normalize your weight (which will reduce the load on your blood vessels) and reduce blood viscosity, one of the main dangers of varicose veins.

It has been proven that with varicose veins, the blood can thicken, which is fraught with the development of thrombosis. In addition, viscous blood is harder 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 observing the drinking regime. According to statistics, most of the problems with blood vessels occur in those people who do not drink enough liquid. As a result, the body loses its own liquid, the blood becomes viscous and blood clots form in the capillaries and other vessels.

From this we can conclude that, to replenish fluid loss and ensure normal metabolic processes, you should drink at least 2 liters of clean water every day - this is a natural, affordable way to reduce blood viscosity. It is permissible to replace water with herbal or green tea without sugar, or freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juices. Of the juices, grape, citrus, tomato or berry are the most preferable.

Alcoholic drinks, including beer, will have to be excluded because they do not promote the saturation of the body with moisture.

Before you start creating a diet for varicose veins, you need to remember that the greatest benefit comes from natural products that dilute and renew the blood. Most of the food that contains preservatives, stabilizing, coloring and other chemicals contribute to blood thickening - they need to be removed from the daily diet.

Patients with varicose veins are advised 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 the effect on blood circulation, food should also help to 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, nutritional deficiencies, bad habits, unfavorable environmental conditions, frequent and uncontrolled intake of medications have a negative effect on liver function. Hence the following conclusion: nutrition should be made in such a way as not to overload the liver, but to facilitate its work. That is, it is necessary to limit fatty, smoked, canned, heavy foods - all those products that require additional resources for processing.

In order to alleviate the symptoms of varicose veins and prevent the disease from getting worse, it is recommended to reconsider your attitude to bad habits, pay attention to the medications you take and evaluate the appropriateness of taking them (this is especially true for hormonal drugs and diuretics) - all these factors greatly affect the increase in blood clotting.

What substances are most needed in the treatment of varicose veins?

• Vitamin E (tocopherol) ensures the elasticity of blood vessels. It can be found in sufficient quantities in sprouted grains, in egg yolks, in vegetable oils.
• Ascorbic acid thins the blood and eliminates inflammation in the vessels. Berries, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and kiwi are rich in vitamin.
• Rutin is considered the main vitamin for healthy blood vessels. It can be found in citrus fruits (especially the peel), blackcurrants, nuts and green tea.
• Bioflavonoids are useful substances that facilitate the process of venous blood circulation. The substances are contained mainly in dark varieties of cherries and sweet cherries.
• Copper is required to produce sufficient amounts of elastin in tissues, which serves as a preventative measure against the appearance of venous "nodules". Seafood contains a lot of copper.
• Fiber makes the digestive system work, preventing constipation, which is one of the factors that causes varicose veins. Fiber is found in plant foods, bran, and cereals.
• Water – thins the blood, facilitating blood flow and reducing the load on the vascular walls.

Diet for varicose veins of the lower extremities

The lower extremities are probably the most susceptible to varicose veins. This can be mainly explained by the increased load on the legs: a person walks a lot during the day, stands, sits with their legs crossed, etc. At the same time, the vessels experience quite a lot of pressure. This is especially noticeable if there is excess weight or unfavorable heredity (someone from the relatives suffers from chronic varicose veins).

If your varicose veins are related to a genetic predisposition, then you should direct all efforts to maintaining normal permeability and vascular tone: do not overexert your lower limbs, wear special underwear and stockings, eat right and lead a healthy lifestyle, drink enough water. It is good if your work activity is not associated with prolonged loads on your legs.

If you are overweight, the first task is to lose it – preferably not by starving, but by following a healthy diet, with sufficient amounts of protein foods and limiting simple sugars.

You shouldn't deny yourself seafood: sea fish, shrimp, seaweed, squid are rich in minerals that our blood vessels really need. Thanks to seafood, blood vessels become elastic, their fragility and permeability decrease.

The diet should also provide the body with sufficient vitamins. Rutin (vitamin P) and ascorbic acid are especially 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 a healthy person, the daily norm of rutin is from 25 to 50 mg, and in case of vascular diseases this amount increases to 150 mg per day.

Vitamins C and P have the ability 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 blood flow well. Normally functioning vessels mean no problems with pressure, swelling, or varicose veins.

Changes in nutrition, taking into account the enrichment of the diet with vitamins P and C, should be started already with the following symptoms:

• rapid onset of fatigue in the legs;
• the appearance of unexplained bruises and spider veins;
• pain in the joints of the lower extremities.

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Diet for varicose veins and thrombophlebitis

With thrombophlebitis, as with no other disease, measures to thin the blood are relevant. Nutrition is of no small importance: the food consumed must contain all the necessary substances to prevent the blockage of veins by blood clots and the development of the inflammatory process.

The diet for thrombophlebitis provides for the predominant use of plant foods. Dishes with pineapples, watermelons, melons, ginger, all types of onions, and cinnamon are especially welcome. It is not recommended to eat bananas, legumes, meat products, and soy in large quantities.

It is important to reduce the proportion of foods with a high content of vitamin K in your daily diet, which enhances the process of coagulation – blood clotting. This vitamin is present in all green plant products – these are leafy salads, parsley and cilantro, any type of cabbage. There is also a lot of vitamin in walnuts, eggs, whole milk, meat, liver, fish. If you like to drink herbal teas, then you should exclude such plants as nettle, raspberry leaves, linden, rose hips from your collection.

In addition, it is necessary to limit the consumption of fatty foods. The fact is that fat promotes better absorption of vitamin K, since it is fat-soluble.

What food should you eat with varicose veins and thrombophlebitis? Give preference to colored vegetables, fruits, berries, fermented milk products, cereals. You can cook casseroles, stew, steam, etc. Also, do not overeat and drink alcoholic beverages.

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Diet for varicose veins of the pelvis

Varicose veins of the small pelvis is a disease that occurs mainly in women. It is associated, in most cases, with pregnancy and childbirth, with a sedentary lifestyle, with internal use of contraceptives. The disease especially often affects those who already have varicose veins of the extremities and hemorrhoids.

In addition to drug treatment, a diet can help relieve symptoms of pelvic varicose veins. It involves switching to a healthy diet with a high content of plant foods with fiber. Fiber is needed, 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 foods, which help regenerate vascular walls.

The first thing you should give up is alcohol, smoking, fatty and carbohydrate foods.

What recommendations can be given regarding diet for pelvic varicose veins:

• If possible, eat a couple of pieces of pineapple daily;
• prepare this medicine: chop 200 g of peeled garlic, mix with 300 ml of honey. Leave for a week. Take the prepared mixture 1 tablespoon before each meal;
• Seaweed is considered an excellent remedy for varicose veins. It should be consumed 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 nutmeg powder to food, as well as cinnamon and ginger.

All other recommendations correspond to the general rules of nutrition for varicose veins.

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Diet for esophageal varices

Esophageal varices are quite an insidious disease, as the patient may not suspect its existence for a long time. And only in an advanced state does the disease make itself known.

Dilation of the esophageal veins requires a fairly strict diet that reduces the load on the digestive system and facilitates the passage of food.

1. The number of meals should be divided into 5-6 times, and the portions should be small.
2. Food should be chopped and chewed well, and even better, dishes should be prepared in a semi-liquid state so as not to injure the walls of the esophagus.
3. The last meal of the day should be taken approximately 4 hours before bedtime.
4. It is not recommended to sleep on a low pillow to avoid the contents of the stomach being thrown into the esophagus.
5. It is necessary to greatly limit (or better yet, eliminate) the consumption of fatty, fried, smoked foods, canned foods, as well as dishes with hot spices and a lot of salt.
6. Fasting days have a good effect: watermelon and melon fasting days are especially welcome, as well as days on freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juices.

It is advisable to limit meat in the diet - it is replaced with shrimp, lean fish, squid. You should also "forget" about jellied meat, canned goods (both fish and meat), alcohol and rich broths. Drinking black coffee is also limited.

All dishes are steamed, baked, boiled or baked. Experts advise paying more attention to plant and dairy products, cereals.

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Varicose Vein Diet Menu

In order not to think about what to cook for yourself during the day, without breaking the diet, it is recommended to make a sample menu in advance. Later, using the already compiled diet, you can change it, simply replacing some products with other similar ones.

Let's give an example.

Day one.

• We have oatmeal with raisins for breakfast.
• For a second breakfast, you can make a smoothie of kiwi and orange with honey.
• For lunch – buckwheat soup and vegetable salad with Borodinsky bread.
• Snack – fruit yogurt.
• We have dinner with a piece of boiled fish and a portion of seaweed salad.

Day two.

• For breakfast, we prepare a portion of low-fat cottage cheese with fruit and honey.
• Fruit jelly or mousse is suitable for a second breakfast.
• We have pumpkin porridge and baked eggplant with tomatoes for lunch.
• For a snack – carrot and apple salad with yogurt.
• Dinner: a serving of mashed potatoes with beetroot salad.

Day three.

• For breakfast: rice pudding with prunes.
• For a second breakfast, we'll bake a pear with honey and nuts.
• For lunch you can have onion soup and vegetable casserole.
• For a snack – a glass of tomato juice.
• For dinner – steamed chicken meatball with vegetables.

Day four.

• We have steamed cheesecakes with fruit for breakfast.
• For second breakfast: yogurt and fruit smoothie.
• We have tomato soup and carrot cutlet with sour cream for lunch.
• We snack on a cup of vegetable salad.
• For dinner, you can boil chicken breast with mint sauce.

Day five.

• For breakfast: whole grain crackers with peanut butter.
• Kefir with berries is suitable for a second breakfast.
• We have okroshka and stuffed tomatoes for lunch.
• Snack: freshly squeezed apple juice.
• We dine on a piece of steamed salmon with lemon sauce.

Day six.

• We have buckwheat pancakes with applesauce for breakfast.
• For a second breakfast – a handful of pine nuts or dried fruits.
• We have rice soup and a piece of fish casserole for lunch.
• Snack: apple with cottage cheese.
• We have a portion of vegetarian pilaf for dinner.

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.

Varicose Vein Diet Recipes

• Kiwi and orange smoothie is a healthy sweet and sour drink that is quite easy to prepare. You will only need a blender and the following ingredients: peeled orange, kiwi (you can also add tangerine or other fruits if you wish), one teaspoon of honey. In summer, it is recommended to add a few cubes of edible ice for freshness. Grind all the ingredients in a blender and pour into glasses or goblets.
• Eggplants baked with tomatoes is a healthy dietary dish. Ingredients: two medium eggplants, 4 tomatoes, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, vegetable oil, sour cream, spices. Let's start cooking: wash the eggplants and cut them into circles (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 circles with a little spices and put them on a sheet greased with vegetable oil. Bake in the oven until golden brown, turning them over once. Put the finished eggplants on a plate, put 0.5-1 tsp of sour cream mixed with garlic on each circle, and put a piece of tomato on top of the sauce. The dish can be served in this form. If desired, you can sprinkle with grated cheese or sesame seeds.
• Rice pudding with prunes is a good replacement for the usual boring porridge. The necessary ingredients for the dish: 100 g of round rice, 600 ml of milk, sugar, 2 eggs, lemon zest, cinnamon. Cooking: add sugar to the milk (about 60 g, to taste), lemon zest. Put on the fire, bring to a boil and pour in the rice. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. After that, pour in the chopped and washed dried fruits and put the rice in the oven at t° +120°C for about 40 minutes. Stir the rice several times during cooking. Take out the finished rice and leave to cool. In the meantime, separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks to the rice, mix thoroughly. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the whites and beat until stiff, then carefully stir into the rest of the mixture. Put in the oven for about 15 more minutes – this can be done directly in the pan, or distributed into special molds. Serve the dish in them. When serving, sprinkle with cinnamon. You can also pour honey or fruit sauce on top.
• Mint sauce is 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 Yalta). Mix vinegar, sugar and salt on the tip of a knife. Chop the mint leaves and onion, add to the vinegar and put in the refrigerator for several hours (at least 2-3 hours). Serve with meat.
• Peanut butter can be used for a quick and healthy breakfast, or for making various sauces and main courses. We will need: 200 g of roasted and peeled peanuts (without salt and pepper), ½ tsp. salt, 40 ml of vegetable oil, 5 g of honey. Pour the nuts into a blender, add salt and honey and grind at maximum speed for about 1-2 minutes. Add oil, mix and turn on the blender again for 2 minutes. The paste is ready, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 1.5-2 months.
• Buckwheat pancakes are thin and go well with 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 the eggs, add kefir, a little salt and sugar. Mix everything. Gradually add buckwheat flour, stirring constantly. After that, pour in water little by little, kneading and checking the consistency of the dough. Fry thin pancakes in a small frying pan greased with vegetable oil.

Bon appetit!

If you have symptoms of such an unpleasant disease as varicose veins, then proper nutrition and diet for varicose veins can prevent further aggravation of the disease. Moreover, if varicose veins have just begun to develop, then changing your diet will help to 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 can be useful for varicose veins. It is important to remember the main thing: the food consumed should be fortified with vitamins, varied, should not contain a large amount of animal fats, unnatural additives (chemicals, preservatives), salt, simple sugars, hot spices and substances that thicken the blood.

Recommended for use:

• berry, fruit, vegetable dishes (tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, citrus fruits, kiwi, pears, grapes, watermelons, eggplants, pumpkin, melon);
• nuts (except walnuts);
• berries that reduce the permeability of the vascular wall (cranberries, currants, cherries, blueberries, sea buckthorn);
• various cereals (in the form of porridge, side dishes, casseroles and soups – buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, rice);
• lean fish, seafood, seaweed;
• dried fruits (all kinds);
• tea, fermented milk products, cottage cheese, unsalted cheese;
• vegetable oils.

The proposed set of products will help maintain normal vascular tone, control your weight, and prevent fluid accumulation in tissues. It is good if the diet is supplemented with medication using special creams and drugs prescribed by a doctor.

What should you not eat if you have varicose veins?

Proper nutrition for varicose veins involves limiting or eliminating the following foods:

• Sweets. These include baked goods made from white flour, candies, 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 layers of fat.
• Marinades, pickles.
• Canned fish and meat products.
• Rich broths, jellied meats, aspic.
• Bananas, pomegranates.
• Fatty sour cream, cream, processed cheese, butter.
• Legumes: lentils, beans, peas.
• Walnuts.

It is not recommended to overeat, especially at night. Fasting is also not welcomed. But fasting days, on the contrary, are useful. They can be arranged once a week, consuming, for example, kefir, watermelons, buckwheat, tomato juice or apples.