From this article you will learn: what should be the diet for varicose veins. Why do some products help to cope with the disease, and others lead to a deterioration of well-being.
Contents of the article:
- The objectives of dietary nutrition for varicose
- Useful vitamins and trace elements
- Recommended products
- Useful drinks
- List of prohibited foods and drinks
- Sample menu
- Forecast
Therapeutic diet with varicose increases the effectiveness of medicines. Drugs will be useless if a person continues to consume foods and drinks that adversely affect the condition of the vessels.
The diet for all types of varicose veins( legs, pelvic organs, esophagus and stomach) is the same. At the visit to the doctor-phlebologist - a specialist in vein diseases - the patient, along with recommendations for taking medications, receives a memo with a list of permitted and prohibited products.
With the help of diet alone, getting rid of varicose is impossible, but proper nutrition is necessary to prevent the progression of the disease.
The goals of dietary nutrition for varicose veins
The food for varicose veins( for all its types) has the following objectives:
- Strengthening the vascular walls - vitamins and trace elements reduce vascular permeability, increase the elasticity of the veins, and have an anti-inflammatory effect. The use of foods rich in useful ingredients improves the condition of the vessels in varicose veins.
- Reducing blood viscosity - with varicose veins, blood flow slows down, and the risk of blood clots increases. Therefore, with any localization of the changes, it is necessary to comply with the drinking regime and avoid dehydration.
- Reducing swelling of tissues - fluid retention in the body leads to the development of edema - one of the main symptoms of varicose veins of the lower extremities.
- Fighting obesity - the overweight of the patient leads to an increase in pressure in the vessels of the legs and is considered one of the main provoking factors in the development of varicose veins.
- Normalization of the intestine - regular constipation leads to the accumulation of toxic substances in the body, which have a negative effect on the state of the vessels;the pressure in the veins of the small pelvis and lower limbs increases, the load on the venous walls increases.
Useful vitamins and minerals
| Substance name | What effects has | In some products contain |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin E | powerful antioxidant( protects the cell membranes from damage) | All vegetable oils Eggs Embryos wheat Lettuce nuts( almonds, and hazelnuts) |
| Vitamin C | Anti-inflammatory effect Strengthens vein walls Reduces blood viscosity | Citrus Apples Gooseberries Kiwi Currants Cranberries Greens( parsley, sorrel, spinach) |
| Bioflavonoids | improve elasticity capillaries Stabilize cell membrane participate in collagen synthesis | Citrus All berries Buckwheat Green tea |
| Copper | needed for synthesis elastin strengthens vein walls prevents their thinning and expansion | Laminaria Seafood |
| Zinc | Participates in hematopoiesis process Normalizes blood viscosity | Beef liver Yolk of eggs Soybeans Pine nuts |
| Silicon | engaged in the synthesis of collagen and elastin strengthens the vascular wall | Fig Oats Wheat Buckwheat Soybeans Beans Grape |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | reduces cholesterol prevents damage to vessels | Vegetable oils Fish Seafood Cod Liver Spinach |
| Vegetable Fiber | Stimulates intestinal function Prevent constipation | Cereals( buckwheat) Vegetables Fruits Bran |
Click on photo to enlarge Recommended products
Varicose diet includes:
- Vegetables should form the basis of a patient's diet with varicose veins. Especially useful: cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, sweet peppers, beets. Daily on the table should be salads of fresh vegetables, seasoned with vegetable oil, vegetable side dishes.
- Fruits: citrus, apples, pears, cherries, cherries, apricots.
- Berries: cranberries, blueberries and cranberries, raspberries.
- Fish and seafood serve as a good alternative to meat dishes: shrimps, mussels, squid.
- Low-fat meats: beef, pork, chicken and rabbit. A useful product for varicose is beef liver.
- Nuts: almonds and hazelnuts are added to the cereals;Chopped nutmeg is used as a seasoning for dishes.
- Cereals contain carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy. With varicose preference given to brown long-grain rice and buckwheat, rich in plant fiber and trace elements.
- Pulses: peas, soybeans.
- Greenery: parsley spinach, sorrel.
- Honey is recommended to take as an additive to tea, cereal 2-3 table spoons a day. Chestnut honey is especially useful for varicose veins. Chestnut extract is a part of the preparation "Escuzan", which is often prescribed to patients with varicose veins.
- Eggs.
Click on the picture to enlarge Useful drinks
Varicose diet means taking a lot of fluids. The most useful drinks:
- green tea;
- natural fruit and vegetable juices;
- fruit berries;
- compotes;
- ginger tea;
- herbal teas( currant leaf, mint, lemon balm);
- ordinary still water;
- drink with apple cider vinegar.
Drink recipe with apple cider vinegar
Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the glass of warm water, honey to taste, stir well. Take during the day after a meal.
Recipe for ginger tea
Four tablespoons of ground ginger and a peel of one lemon pour a liter of steep boiling water, cover, let it sit for half an hour, cool to a comfortable temperature, add honey to taste.
List of Prohibited Foods and Drinks
When varicose veins come under the ban products and beverages that contribute to fluid retention in the body, weight gain and negatively affect the veins.
- Alcohol - alcohol dilates blood vessels, the liquid from the cells goes into the intercellular space, the metabolism is broken, the patient's state of health worsens: the heaviness and pains in the legs become worse.
- Smoked meat, marinades - lead to fluid retention.
- Sturdy broth, cold - contain a large number of extractives, increase the viscosity of the blood.
- Fatty meats - refractory fats increase the cholesterol content, increase the viscosity of the blood.
- All types of canned food - dyes and preservatives, which are part of their composition have a toxic effect on the vessels
- Buns, tori, chocolate - contains a large number of easily assimilated carbohydrates, so they are forbidden for overweight patients. In the absence of obesity, these products can be consumed in limited quantities.
- Sharp seasonings - negatively affect the vessels.
- Salty products - salt promotes fluid retention and the appearance of edema on the legs. Food is prepared without salt, a small amount of it is added immediately before meals.
- Coffee, black tea - drinks, contraindicated for all diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including in varicose veins.
- Chicory - this drink is often used as a replacement for coffee patients with hypertension, but since it dilates the blood vessels, with varicose veins it can not be used.
The stronger the patient's symptoms of the disease, the stricter the diet should be with varicose veins.
Sample menu
Breakfast: milk rice porridge with nuts or fruits, a glass of ginger tea.
Second breakfast: salad of fresh vegetables, seasoned with sunflower oil.
Lunch: low-fat chicken soup, potatoes in uniform, steam chicken cutlet, green tea.
Snack: a glass of yogurt with fruit, biscuit biscuits.
Dinner: boiled buckwheat, baked fish. Fruit juice.
Forecast
Patients with varicose veins should be constantly observed with a phlebologist. Drug treatment is carried out by courses. The diet should always be observed. With the implementation of the doctor's recommendations, about 80% of patients with early stages of the disease completely restore their ability to work. Rough eating disorders( drinking alcohol, a large number of animal fats and other prohibited foods) often lead to relapses. With complicated varicose veins, it is possible to achieve improvement only in 50% of patients, the rest are directed to surgical treatment.
