Products that prevent and thin blood clots
Thick blood is often the result of many diseases. To get rid of them, it is necessary to achieve blood thinning. You can do this by eating certain foods or taking medications.
Content:
- Why are blood thinners needed?
- Indications for Eating Blood Thinning Products
- Why does the blood get thick?
- Risk factors leading to increased blood viscosity
- Foods that thin the blood
- What can't you eat?
- What you can eat during pregnancy
- Blood thinning fruits and vegetables
- Traditional medicine recipes for blood thinning
Why are blood thinners needed?
Thick blood is associated with many health problems. First of all, the likelihood of blood clots forming in the vessels increases. They disrupt the body's normal circulation and can also clog the pulmonary and heart arteries and veins, posing a threat to life. To prevent blood clots from forming, doctors prescribe anticoagulant drugs to their patients.
If you take anticoagulants for a long time, the risk of side effects increases, in particular, the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines suffer, the quality composition of the blood is disturbed, and the threat of stomach ulcers increases.
If the doctor considers it possible to refuse taking anticoagulants with a switch to a menu that promotes blood thinning, then this recommendation should be followed. It is better to replace medications altogether with food products to thin the blood, but only on condition that this does not contradict the doctor's prescriptions.
Indications for Eating Blood Thinning Products
Diseases of the cardiovascular system are the leading causes of death among the world's population. Thick blood often becomes a trigger that contributes to the development of these pathologies.
The likelihood of blood clots formation increases if a person has the following diseases:
- Ischemic heart disease.
- Chronic and acute thrombophlebitis.
- Phlebothrombosis.
- Phlebeurysm.
- Venous insufficiency.
- Postponed pulmonary embolism.
- Atherosclerotic changes in the vessels.
- Taking hormonal drugs to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
- High blood pressure.
- Violation of blood microcirculation.
- Metabolic disorders accompanied by obesity and the development of diabetes mellitus.
- High levels of platelets and erythrocytes in the blood.
To reduce the risk of blood clots forming, it is necessary to take preventive measures, which should be aimed at preventing excessive blood density.
Why does the blood get thick?
Prolonged dehydration of the body will negatively affect the density of the blood. Dehydration is the result of nutritional disorders, chronic vitamin deficiency, insufficient fluid intake, bad habits, stress and diseases of the digestive system.
Alcohol intake causes severe dehydration of the body, as well as its poisoning with the decay products of ethyl alcohol. The blood becomes thicker, which is the basis for the development of diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Smoking also contributes to pathological changes in blood vessels, increasing the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
Eating low-quality and unhealthy foods, as well as daily stress, contribute to blood clots and increase the risk of blood clots. Enzymatic deficiency aggravates disturbances in the digestive processes, leads to an increase in blood viscosity.
Risk factors leading to increased blood viscosity
Many drugs contribute to the fact that the blood becomes thick, begins to flow more slowly through the vessels. The more sugar a person consumes, the higher the risk of blood clots forming, as this negatively affects the viscosity of the blood. Other risk factors include hereditary diseases of the hematopoietic system, pathology of the liver and pancreas.
The thicker the blood, the worse the person feels. He gets tired faster, suffers from daytime sleepiness, in parallel, his memory and attention deteriorate. If you find similar symptoms in yourself, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor. Otherwise, you can wait for the development of such serious health problems as: heart attack, stroke, PE, hypertensive crisis, etc.
Foods that thin the blood
Eating blood-thinning foods cannot be a full-fledged alternative to taking medications prescribed by a doctor. However, provided that a person does not suffer from serious illnesses, but only shows concern for his own health, he should pay attention to blood thinning foods. This is especially true for people who have a hereditary predisposition to problems with the heart and blood vessels.
| Product group | The product's name | Mechanism of action |
| Vegetables | Canned and fresh tomatoes. Cabbage, regardless of its type. Beet. Bulgarian pepper. | Regular inclusion of these vegetables in the menu allows you to improve the quality of the blood, will help to thin it and resist the formation of blood clots. |
| Fruit | Pomegranates (you need to eat them with caution, as they contribute to an increase in hemoglobin levels). Grapefruit, lemon, orange. Any apples. Peaches and apricots. Nectarines. | The improvement in the chemical composition of the blood is due to the fact that fruits contain a lot of vitamins and acids. |
| Juices | Any freshly pressed juices. They can be prepared with fruits, berries or vegetables. | The juice must be fresh, not prepared under factory conditions. The juices from packets bought in the store do not have the same set of useful substances that freshly squeezed drinks will contain. |
| Berries | Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, currants, cranberries. | Eating fresh berries can thin the blood. If you use frozen raw materials or jam for this purpose, then you will not be able to achieve the desired effect. Chokeberry will thicken the blood. |
| Beekeeping products | Honey and propolis | They have a positive effect on the qualitative composition of blood, contribute to an increase in the elasticity and strength of the vascular wall. |
| Vegetable oils | Olive oil, linseed oil, sunflower seed oil, sea buckthorn oil. | All vegetable oils can fight atherosclerosis, as they reduce blood cholesterol levels. An exception is corn oil. |
| Condiments and spices | Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, horseradish, hot peppers in pods, apple cider vinegar. | The consumption of these products in food allows you to restore the integrity of damaged red blood cells, enhances blood flow in the body. |
| Beverages | Plain water, mineral water with magnesium, green tea, rooibos, karkade, chicory, herbal teas. | In order for the blood to have normal viscosity, it is imperative to drink a sufficient amount of water. If fluid enters the body in small volumes, the blood will be thick. It should be borne in mind that drinks such as coffee, black tea and industrial juices are not able to normalize the water balance in the body. Therefore, do not count on them as helpers in the fight against high blood viscosity. |
Sour fruits and berries, as well as the juice prepared on their basis, promotes blood thinning. An important condition for achieving the desired effect is the preparation of drinks before direct use. Store juices are not used to thin the blood, as they contain a lot of sugar and chemical components. You can not drink juice for people suffering from gastric ulcer, gastritis and other lesions of the digestive system.
The table shows only the main groups of products that are aimed at thinning the blood. In fact, their list is much more extensive. However, it is the listed product set that allows you to achieve the maximum effect.
What can't you eat?
In the presence of diseases associated with the heart and blood vessels, as well as with increased blood viscosity, you must refuse to eat the following products:
- Bread and any products based on white flour. This is true for muffins, cookies, biscuits, baked goods, etc.
- All sweet foods: candy, chocolate, sugar, jam, caramel.
- All products that are sources of animal fats: butter, margarine, dairy products, hard cheeses.
- Products that have passed the smoking or conservation process.
- Fatty meat and sausage.
- Starchy foods: potatoes, bananas, etc.
- Walnuts.
- Alcoholic drinks. An exception is dry red wine.
Strong tea and coffee should not be drunk in large quantities, as they help to remove fluid from the body and thicken the blood. The same goes for sugary carbonated drinks. Also, you can not get carried away with the consumption of greens, in particular, parsley, dill and spinach.
What you can eat during pregnancy
During pregnancy, an active hormonal change occurs in the female body, which can be the impetus for the formation of blood clots. The viscosity of the blood in women in the position is often increased. Therefore, such a problem as varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, etc. is relevant for them.
Even those diseases that were hidden in a woman can worsen during pregnancy, which is associated with a deterioration in immunity. This is especially true in relation to cardiovascular pathologies.
The legs suffer from thrombophlebitis and varicose veins in the first place. After all, the load on them increases incredibly. If before pregnancy a woman had the prerequisites for varicose veins, then after its onset the disease can develop very quickly. Sometimes such formidable complications as thrombophlebitis join.
Most drugs are prohibited during pregnancy, so doctors recommend that women follow a menu aimed at thinning the blood. The basis of the diet should be vegetables, fruits and vegetable oils. It is imperative to drink enough liquid, but only in the amounts recommended by doctors. Otherwise, the load on the kidneys will increase, which can be no less dangerous than blood clots.
Blood thinning fruits and vegetables
The menu should contain fresh vegetables and fruits. Preference should be given to apples, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes. Meat is best consumed less often and fish more often. During gestation, ginger, bay leaves should be abandoned, as these products can provoke premature placental exfoliation and even lead to miscarriage.
All homeopathic remedies are prohibited during pregnancy.
As for greens, that is, you need it, but in small quantities. You should eat often, but in small portions. Vegetable salads must be seasoned with vegetable oils. Pickled cucumbers, fish, vegetables help to make the menu more varied. If a pregnant woman has any questions about the preparation of the menu, then she needs to ask them either her doctor or a professional nutritionist.
All products that affect the quality composition of blood have an impact on other organs, so they need to be selected correctly. It is important to remember about the compatibility of various components of dishes, about their compatibility.
Traditional medicine recipes for blood thinning
Green tea with raspberry leaves and raspberry juice are drinks that do an excellent job of thinning the blood. This is possible thanks to the aspirin-like substances that are found in raspberries.
In addition, the following recipes can be adopted:
- In the morning on an empty stomach, you can drink 100 ml of celery juice, or eat 100 g of blueberries. These products contain substances that thin the blood, increase blood circulation, and eliminate congestion. Eating them will help get rid of edema.
- Ginger root and garlic are foods that thin the blood and also have a bactericidal effect while stimulating appetite. To better deal with blood viscosity, you can prepare a tincture of garlic. To do this, grind two cloves of garlic, pour a mixture of 150 ml of vodka and infuse for 10 days. Then the tincture is filtered and 10 drops are taken, mixed with a tablespoon of water. They drink the tincture half an hour before the meal.
- To thin the blood, you can drink elderberry broth, dandelion juice, willow bark tincture.
- Leech therapy is a proven method to reduce blood viscosity.
The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist
Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.
