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When you eat foods, all of those important nutrients like vitamins and minerals make their way into your blood. When you breathe, the oxygen also makes its way into your blood.
But in order for all of this important “stuff” to get to your brain and other organs, your blood has got to circulate. When you have poor circulation, different parts of your body fail to receive adequate blood flow, and so your body isn’t being fed all of the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
This lack of proper blood flow can lead to health complications and, in some instances, even life-threatening illnesses.
Poor blood flow can also significantly impact your quality of life. While some people feel a constant numbness or tingling in parts of their body, other people experience muscle cramps, swelling of lower extremities, cold hands and feet, and erectile dysfunction.
Causes of Poor Circulation
Poor circulation is most often caused by an interference in the way your blood vessels work. Poor lifestyle choices can lead to a development of plaque build-up in your arteries, as an example, causing a narrowing and stiffening, reducing blood flow.
Type 2 diabetes can also negatively impact your circulation, which is why if not managed properly, diabetes can lead to loss of circulation in fingers and toes and the need for amputation.
The good news is, just as poor diet and lifestyle choices can lead to poor circulation, making better lifestyle choices can improve your circulation. In addition to exercise, which is a great way to increase your heartrate and circulation, there are certain foods that can increase your circulation as well.
If you suffer from poor circulation, here are 7 foods that can help:
- Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper gets its heat from a phytochemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin increases circulation by lowering your blood pressure and then releasing the release of nitric oxide, which helps your blood vessels to expand. And this expansion helps your blood to flow more easily.
If you’re someone that can tolerate spicy foods, consider adding more cayenne pepper, and other spicy peppers that also contain capsaicin to your diet.
- Fatty Fish
You may have heard that omega-3 fatty acids are very beneficial to your health, and they certainly are! Fatty acids also help your body to release nitric oxide, allowing your blood vessels to relax and open and your blood to flow more freely. Try to incorporate fatty fish into your diet including salmon, halibut and mackerel. And if you don’t like the taste of fish, try taking an omega-3 supplement.
- Pomegranates
Pomegranates are very sweet and delicious, and definitely worth the effort breaking into them. They also happen to be an excellent source of polyphenol antioxidants and nitrates, which again, open up those blood vessels. So try eating more of these fruits this summer.
If you suffer from cold hands and feet, tingling extremities or erectile dysfunction, then there’s a very good chance your circulation isn’t that great. It’s important to get that blood flowing, so try eating more of these foods.
- Walnuts
Walnuts are a rich source of a few beneficial compounds such as l-arginine, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) and vitamin E. All of these help to stimulate the production of nitric oxide, which gets those blood vessels open.
- Cinnamon
Cinnamon has been used around the world for thousands of years as a treatment for many different ailments. Studies have shown cinnamon has the ability to relax blood vessels, which, in turn, reduces blood pressure and increases circulation.
- Leafy Greens
Your mother told you to eat your greens and she was right! That’s because leafy greens are a rich source of nitric oxide, and you’ve learned that nitric oxide is a key nutrient for opening up your blood vessels.
- Beets
I will end this list now with another food that contains a whopping amount of nitrates and that is the purple beet. Beets and beet juice have been shown to help older individuals lower their blood pressure and increase circulation.
If you want to improve your blood circulation, it really can be a simple as improving your diet and adding more of these 7 foods.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, poor circulation is often a result of developing type 2 diabetes. That’s because this condition can cause a restriction in your blood vessels.
If left untreated, type 2 diabetes can lead to necessary amputation of fingers, toes and more. While the foods on this list can help, your best bet is to completely reverse your disease.
Yes, reversing type 2 diabetes is TOTALLY possible. Type 2 diabetes is called a lifestyle disease because it is lifestyle choices that cause the disease to develop in the first place.
Similarly, you can make lifestyle choices that are very good for your health that will reverse your disease.
Want to meet a doctor that has helped countless patients reverse their type 2 diabetes and get off their insulin for good? Then watch the following video to learn how you can do the same.
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