Varicose Veins and Diet

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Eating a healthy diet can greatly reduce your risk of developing varicose veins, and help you to manage the complications of varicose veins if you have already developed them. Eating a healthy diet does not involve cutting out any tasty foods. It simply means sticking to a balanced diet, which is low in salt, saturated fat, and sugar and high in vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

Fruit and Vegetables

Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day is a great way of increasing the amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet. This can be greatly beneficial to your vascular health reducing your risk of varicose veins and improving their appearance if you have one. Vitamin C is essential to strengthen the walls of your blood vessels, which can prevent them from stretching over time.

Fats

Fat makes up an essential part of our diet, as it is a good source of energy and fatty acids. Therefore, you should not try to cut out all fat; instead, you should try to limit the amount of fat that you eat. You should also try to avoid saturated fats, which increase your cholesterol levels putting more pressure on your circulatory system. By replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats, you can greatly improve the strength of your vascular system.

Salt

Salt should be limited to the guideline daily amount of 6 grams. Eating more than this can increase your blood pressure. This makes it much more difficult for your veins to circulate blood towards your heart, increasing the pressure on your valves and causing them to malfunction.

Fibre

Fibre is essential to healthy circulation, and digestion. Wholegrain foods such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholegrain cereals, and wholegrain pasta are an excellent source of fibre, vitamins, and minerals. This means that they are beneficial not only to your vascular system but to your general health. Fibre is also important in the prevention of haemorrhoids, which are believed to be caused by straining to pass stools.

Food Supplements

Food supplements such as fibre, vitamins, and minerals can be brought over the counter in most supermarkets, pharmacies, and health stores. They can be extremely helpful in increasing your intake of essential products. However, they should not be used as an alternative to a healthy diet. You should always combine food supplements with a healthy diet.

Weight Loss and Varicose Veins

Being overweight can greatly increase your chance of developing varicose veins. If you develop varicose veins or are worried about developing them reaching and maintaining a healthy BMI of between twenty and twenty- five can both improve their appearance, make treatment more effective, and prevent or delay the onset of varicose veins. If you have an underlying condition such as high blood pressure you should speak to your GP about dieting to ensure that you remain healthy whilst dieting.

Dieting rarely means making drastic changes to the way that you eat but involves making healthier choices and limiting foods that are bad for you. This can be achieved by replacing fatty meats with lean cuts, limiting treats to once a week, and replacing high fit snacks such as crisps and chocolate with healthier options such as yoghurt and fruit. Dieting should provide you with all of the vitamins and minerals that you need rather than cutting out certain essentials for short- term weight loss. If you are unable to do this on your own, joining a diet plan group can provide you with the motivation that you need to stay on track.

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