Do you have a feeling of heavy legs? Do you see unsightly varicose veins appear? A sign of a blood circulation problem, one in four French people would be affected. If we know which venotonic foods to favor to thin the blood, we do not always know, on the other hand, which ones to avoid? To help you, here are the top 5 worst foods for blood circulation. How Food Could Prevent Mental Health Issues?
1.Cooked and processed fats to banish
When you suffer from inconveniences such as heavy legs, cold feet or varicose veins, it is often a sign of poor blood circulation. In addition to practicing physical activity on a daily basis, diet is also important, because let’s not forget, health depends on the plate! Cooked fats are among our top 5 worst foods for blood circulation. Once cooked at high temperature, they represent real waste in our blood vessels and for our body. These are mainly refined oils, polyunsaturated vegetable oils that break down into lipid peroxides and aldehydes, which are considered carcinogens. In addition to being bad for the circulation, these cooked fats are an aggression for your digestive tract and vectors of inflammatory diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, etc.). Avoid corn or sunflower oil and prefer extra virgin olive oil, which, due to its richness in antioxidants, releases fewer aldehydes in cooking mode. As a general rule, for your health, it is advisable to vary the fats as much as possible by using them cold or at the end of cooking.
As for trans fatty acids, they are also harmful to our health and our blood circulation. Produced industrially, they are found in hardened vegetable fats, such as butter or margarine, but also in snacking and fried products. Considered a toxic chemical, the WHO recommends limiting their consumption to less than 1% of total energy intake.
2.Foods high in sodium, harmful to blood circulation
Our minimum sodium needs are one to two grams per day. The majority of the sodium in our body is found in our blood and interstitial fluid. It is an essential mineral for the good health of our organism since it:
helps maintain normal fluid balance
plays a fundamental role in the normal functioning of nerves and our muscles
It is also found in the composition of salt, which is why eating too much salt can cause major health problems and impair blood circulation. According to several studies, an excess of sodium causes a significant risk of water retention in our body. As a result, blood pressure increases since the heart has to work harder to deal with this water overload, which can cause real damage to blood vessels.
For your health, take the time to know the sodium content in the foods you eat. Avoid industrial products or other prepared meals, because 75% of the salt we ingest comes mainly from processed foods. Instead, favor raw products, cooked at home with controlled seasoning.
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3. Cold cuts, a bad food for blood circulation
To the great regret of lovers of sausages, bacon or hams, charcuterie is one of those industrial foods to avoid if you suffer from poor blood circulation. In addition to nitrites and nitrates which are particularly harmful to health due to their high carcinogenic potential, cold cuts should be banned for their excessive salt content. These are therefore foods considered bad for blood circulation. In excessive consumption, cold cuts promote the appearance of plaques that stick to arterial walls and slow blood circulation. Following several analyzes by researchers concerning the lifestyle habits of approximately 450,000 people aged 35 to 69, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer has been demonstrated among consumers of deli meats. It should also be noted that there is a 45% higher risk of mortality in people who eat 160 grams or more of deli meats.
4. Cheese to be consumed in moderation for healthy arteries
Cheese contains a lot of cholesterol, including the bad (LDL) and increases hypertension. Considered a saturated fat, it is one of the top 5 bad foods for blood circulation, especially for its high concentration of salt. Cheese tends to promote the deposition of plaques that narrow the arteries, which is why it is not recommended for people at cardiovascular risk. Nevertheless, cheese also has many benefits based on its multiple varieties. In particular, it provides a significant amount of folic acid and essential amino acids. Considered one of the main sources of calcium, consume it in moderation.
5.To protect your blood flow, avoid added sugars
Added sugars are bad foods for blood circulation because they weaken blood vessels. On the label, it is difficult to distinguish these added sugars since they are confused with the naturally present sugars, called natural. They are notified as “carbohydrates of which sugars”.
So you wonder how to identify them? As a general rule, these are mainly industrial products, such as pastries or sauces prepared for pasta. Let’s say it’s all the sugars added during the industrial process by the manufacturer. They can therefore be added in the form of powdered sugar (sucrose), glucose syrup or fruit juice in drinks or in foods of a salty or sweet nature.
Apart from the fact that these added sugars are bad for thinning the blood, they are also harmful to your health. According to several scientific studies, their consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and high blood pressure. They are also responsible for weight gain and obesity.
In summary, if you suffer from edema or varicose veins in the legs, know that excessive consumption of salt, cooked fats or added sugars is not recommended. These are indeed bad foods for blood circulation, but not only! To reduce the feeling of heavy legs, consider integrating our sugar-free Circulation gummies into a healthy diet! Delicious vegan food supplements specifically formulated with red vine and blackcurrant to say goodbye to tingling and have miraculously lighter legs!
