Bella Adams
Varicose veins are a fairly common disease that affects both men and women. In addition to medical or surgical treatment, varicose veins require certain dietary rules.
The general recommendations of experts are:
- Limit calorie intake. There is evidence of an increased risk of developing varicose veins with a high-calorie diet. In addition, being overweight puts a direct strain on the veins of the legs. An effective tool in the effort to control weight and calorie intake is a regimen of 5-6 small meals a day throughout the day. It has been shown that a 10% reduction in body weight has a positive effect on the manifestations and course of varicose veins. The diet should be based on vegetables, lean meat, dairy products, fish, healthy fats, berries, and fruits.
- Eat a large number of foods rich in vitamins C and E. Ascorbic acid is involved in the formation of collagen and elastin, the components of connective tissue that determine the strength and plasticity of blood vessels. Consume foods rich in bioflavonoids, which reduce free radical damage to the vascular wall (antioxidants), contributing to its strength.
- Ensure that you have enough dietary fiber in your diet to ensure regular bowel movements. Constipation causes both varicose veins of the rectum (hemorrhoids) and worsens blood flow in the pelvic veins, increasing the risk of developing varicose veins in other parts of the body. The optimal drinking regimen is to drink enough clean water, limit the amount of sugar in coffee and tea, and avoid carbonated beverages.
Thus, the diet for varicose veins should help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, normalize blood viscosity, increase the content of elastin and proteins in the body, and reduce weight.
To do this, patients with varicose veins should limit flour products on the menu – pies, cookies, and white bread. It is advisable to replace flour for your own baking and when choosing ready-made products with whole grain. It is also necessary to limit the consumption of sweets that contain a lot of sugar.
In particular, sweets, cakes, pastries, and creams. They can be replaced with small portions of chocolate, honey, and dried fruits.
In addition, you should reconsider your fat intake. Meat is best replaced with fatty sea fish, which contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which lower blood cholesterol, improve the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and improve blood circulation. Butter is allowed in small quantities. Exclude pork and fatty broths. Olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds, sunflower, and corn oil are also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Seafood is also useful for varicose veins: squid, shrimp, and mussels, which contain a lot of copper. Copper is involved in the synthesis of elastin, the main building block of connective tissue that ensures the elasticity of blood vessels.
Seaweed is very useful for this disease, it improves the state of general metabolism due to iodine.
As a result, the body tone increases and weight decreases.
It is important that varicose veins include foods rich in vitamins P, C, E, and A. Well-known sources of vitamins and bioflavonoids, such as green leafy vegetables, berries, lentils, and cabbage, should make up the lion’s share of food.
Rutin or vitamin P (chestnuts, hazelnuts, chokeberry juice, sea buckthorn) reduces the permeability of the vascular wall, reducing edema. Sea buckthorn, in addition to rutin, contains vitamins C, A, and E and is a real medicine for patients with varicose veins. Lemon is also useful for varicose veins, pulp, juice, and peel. If the pulp contains a large amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), then the peel is routine. The most useful fruits for this disease, in addition to the above, are apples, blueberries, and figs. Juices should be diluted with water or choose unsweetened ones.
Beets, avocados, rosemary, buckwheat – these foods are also considered the most useful for varicose veins, as they contain components that can counteract damage to the vascular wall (beet beta cyanine, rosemary ursolic acid, avocado glutathione), improve blood flow in the veins (figs) and saturate the body with materials for building connective tissue components (rutin and buckwheat amino acids).
In the case of varicose veins, it is necessary to completely exclude alcohol intake in any form, especially beer. Limit all foods and dishes with a large number of spices, smoked meats, rich broths, spicy seasonings, as well as deep-fried foods.
To reduce water retention in the tissues and prevent the development of edema, experts recommend a diet with reduced salt content and avoiding canned foods, and salty cheeses.
