It’s the summer. That means days by the pool, enjoying barbeques and sun. It can be more difficult to enjoy yourself when you are worried about the appearance of your veins. Varicose and spider veins can cause serious self-esteem issues for even the most confident people. The good news is that you can edit your diet in simple, healthy, and delicious ways to help prevent varicose and spider veins.
This post explores foods that help with varicose veins and spider veins. Specifically, ones that you can enjoy during the summer and some of the vitamins and compounds you should look for in your foods in general.
Foods that can prevent vein health issues
Leafy greens
Magnesium helps to manage blood circulation and flow. You can find significant quantities of magnesium in leafy green veggies like kale and collard greens.
Citrus Fruits
Vitamin C deficiency is one of the conditions linked to the development of varicose veins and spider veins. Citrus and tropical fruits are rich in vitamin C, helping you maintain healthy levels and prevent these vein issues. You can also mix in veggies like tomatoes, broccoli, onions, and spinach, which contain healthy Vitamin C.
Berries
Blueberries are commonly referred to as superfoods, with good reason! Blueberries promote overall vein health due to high anthocyanin levels, which can repair damaged vessel walls. Those suffering from varicose veins are often told to increase their blueberry intake. They help reduce the effect of varicose veins as well as prevent them. They’re easy to mix into a green salad or to eat as a healthy snack during the day.
Ginger
Patients with varicose veins tend to have naturally more difficult times dissolving something called fibrin. Ginger assists blood circulation by dissolving fibrin that pools in the blood vessels.
Avocados
Avocados are another superfood. They contain vitamins like C and E as well as Glutathione. This combination of healthy compounds makes avocados an excellent choice for the health of your blood vessels, aiding in protection against the development of varicose veins.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate comes from the Cocoa plant. It contains healthy levels of something called flavonols. Much like Bioflavonoids, flavonols are plant-based compounds that enhance blood flow. So, next time you’re looking for a piece of rich dark chocolate for a mid-day snack, you can feel less guilty!
What you should look for in general from your foods
When you’re out shopping, there are vitamins and other natural components to foods that you should look for and center your vein-healthy diet around as much as possible.
Vitamins
Foods rich in vitamins like C and E are essential to good vein health. Vitamin C keeps vein walls solid and flexible, two things they need to be to ward off issues like varicose veins and spider veins. There are many supplements you can take to get both of these vitamins. If you want to look for foods rich in these vitamins, you can find Vitamin C in significant quantities in citrus fruits and Vitamin E in foods like eggs, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens.
Bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids are one of the things that make food look vibrant and flesh. Bioflavonoid-rich foods also help to prevent the development of varicose veins. It’s a good rule of thumb to intake many different colors in your veggie diet. Greens, purples, orange and yellow are colors to keep an eye out for. The more color you pack into your diet, the healthier and more well-balanced it generally is.
Fiber
Fiber is good for the body at healthy levels for several processes, including weight loss and vein health. Certain types of fiber, known as soluble fibers, help relieve constipation, which can increase the pressure on your interior vein walls and cause issues over time with your vein health.
Glutathione
Glutathione is found in foods like avocados. You can also take care of getting more when you eat foods rich in vitamin C and sulfur-rich foods like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and watercress.
Side note: Keep yourself hydrated, regardless of your diet
We tend to mention this in all of our diet-related vein health blogs. All your proper eating can go to waste if you don’t keep yourself sufficiently hydrated during the summer. When we sweat, the body naturally depletes itself of more fluids than usual, making hot weather the most critical time to keep track of water intake. For most people, it’s recommended to drink 64 oz. of water per day. This goes by your height and weight, but 64 oz. is a healthy average that is a good hydration goal for most people. An easy way to do it is to get a water bottle that holds this much and keeps the water cool all day. There are tons of options.
Vein health and treatment experts in Columbus
You don’t have to live with lousy vein health. Aside from living a healthy lifestyle, many non-invasive treatments can quickly treat varicose veins, spider veins, and many other vein health issues, reducing their appearance and sometimes removing them altogether.
If you’re ready to get started, get in touch with us today to schedule your first consultation with a vein health pro, and you’ll be well on your way to fun in the summer sun!
