What are the dietary taboos for varicose veins?

At present, there are no taboo foods for varicose veins that must not be touched clinically, but high-salt, high-fat foods, heavy drinking, and spicy foods that are complicated by skin lesions are the most important to avoid. There is no food that can directly eliminate varicose veins, and there is no need to be overly taboo, even normal meat, eggs, and milk.

Last week, I met a 28-year-old young man who works as a delivery person in the same city. He was diagnosed with mild varicose veins in the lower limbs at the beginning of the year. He used to wear elastic stockings to control it very well. But after the summer started, he went to work every day until midnight and had braised duck heads with cold beer for supper. He had it for a month and his legs were so swollen that there was a pit when he came in. Originally, it was just The faintly protruding blood vessels are now bulging like small crooked earthworms, and I always feel that my legs are so itchy that I want to scratch them. After a check-up, it was found that high salt, high oil and alcohol were irritated, and the venous pressure suddenly increased. Fortunately, thrombosis has not been induced. After adjusting the diet and changing to suitable secondary compression stockings, most of it has disappeared during the follow-up visit this week.

Many people always ask if they can’t drink spicy food if they have varicose veins? In fact, there is really no need to cut it all off. If you just have a simple bulge in the blood vessel and there is no pain, itching or breakage, it is perfectly fine to add spicy millet to your meals at home to enhance the flavor. You don’t have to be so nervous that you don’t dare to add any seasonings. ； However, if the skin on the legs is already red, eczema, itchy, or even ulcerated, eating spicy food will stimulate the dilation of blood vessels and aggravate the local inflammatory reaction. Not only will the itching become more severe, but the break will also be difficult to heal. In this case, spicy food must be strictly avoided.

Think about it, our superficial veins are like soft plastic water pipes with one-way valves. Under normal circumstances, blood can only flow upwards back to the heart. Varicose veins are caused by a broken valve, and blood easily flows back downwards and accumulates in the legs. If you eat too much salt, your body will store more water, and the pressure in the water pipes will suddenly increase. The reflux will become more severe, but it will cause swelling and pain.； If you eat too much high-fat food, the blood will thicken and the flow rate will slow down. The blood accumulated in the local area will be more likely to coagulate. In severe cases, it can induce thrombophlebitis, which is so painful that you can't walk.

There are also many people who think that varicose veins are caused by "blocked blood vessels", so they take supplements, blood-activating products, or even make medicinal wine and drink it every day. This is really a big mistake. Alcohol itself will dilate blood vessels and increase the pressure on the already weak vein wall. If many blood-activating ingredients and herbs are not taken correctly, they will increase the risk of bleeding. If the varicose area is accidentally punctured, it will be difficult to stop the bleeding.

Don’t overestimate the role of diet. It can at most help you prevent varicose veins from progressing faster. If you really want to improve your condition, you still have to listen to your doctor. You should be conservative about surgery. Don’t stand or sit for long periods of time. Lift your legs when you have nothing to do. This is more effective than any other dietary adjustment.