There are many reasons why varicose veins develop, and malnutrition is one of them. Moreover, food creates two risk factors at once: on the one hand, malnutrition leads to obesity (another reason for the development of varicose veins), on the other hand, some foods can have a negative effect on the body due to their composition. vascular health. Alexey Bezrukavy, a surgeon at the First Professional Orthopedic Network ORTECA, told socialbites.ca.
First of all, you should limit your consumption of fatty and fried foods.
“Fried foods and some spices, when consumed frequently and excessively, affect the viscosity of the blood: they thicken it, which disrupts blood flow and significantly increases the risk of blood clots and the development of varicose veins. Even a healthy person can feel the consequences of excessive consumption of fatty fried foods: due to thickening of the blood in the legs, fatigue appears, swelling and heaviness begin to bother them. As a rule, these are the first “bells” from varicose veins. “Fatty meat and fish should be replaced with leaner meat and fish, and other heat treatment methods (baking, boiling, steaming, stewing) should be chosen for cooking,” he said.
Additionally, foods high in salt affect the development of varicose veins.
“Salt retains fluid in the body, which increases the load on blood vessels. In addition to the high salt content, various canned foods, semi-finished products and fast food contain very few useful nutrients, so not only blood vessels, but the whole body suffers. Finally, these types of foods are often very high in calories, making you more likely to gain extra weight. This doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your favorite restaurant’s burger; you just need to eat it less. Ultimately, severe dietary restrictions lead to eating disorders. Just try to choose foods rich in various vitamins and minerals. “It will also be beneficial to reduce salt consumption and replace processed foods with homemade foods,” he added.
In third place in the ranking are foods and drinks with high sugar content.
“Excessive sugar consumption can lead to metabolic disorders, uncontrolled expansion and narrowing of blood vessels, the development of hypertension and therefore the appearance of varicose veins. It is better to replace sweet soda with plain water or freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. And today, many of our favorite desserts have less sweet but equally delicious alternatives. It’s even better to develop the habit of satisfying your sweet tooth with regular fruits. Excessive use of sauces is also not recommended. “For example, there is a teaspoon of sugar in a tablespoon of ketchup,” he said.
You should also give up strong tea and coffee.
“Strong tea and coffee can overstimulate the nervous system and increase blood pressure. And combined with sugar, these drinks can negatively affect the condition of blood vessels in the legs (and not only). Coffee lovers should try to switch to decaffeinated coffee, while tea lovers should control the strength of the drink,” he emphasized.
It is worth paying attention to foods rich in vitamin K.
“Vitamin K is good for our body, but for people who are prone to varicose veins, it is better to reduce the amount of foods containing it. Vitamin K is found in spinach, cauliflower, celery and beef liver. The fact is that vitamin K thickens the blood, which increases the risk of developing varicose veins in people with problematic blood vessels,” warned Bezrukavy.
The doctor also noted that alcohol is one of the main “enemies” of blood vessels.
“Since alcohol dilates blood vessels, a small prophylactic dose is believed to help combat hypertension. And this is true, but after a while the veins narrow sharply again. If these cycles are repeated frequently, the vessel walls begin to weaken and lose their elasticity. “This leads not only to varicose veins, but also to some other diseases of the cardiovascular system,” he concluded.
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