Your average yogurt contains a mix of minerals that help regulate blood pressure: Calcium, magnesium and potassium. As Harvard Health Publishing notes, each one of these three minerals plays an important role in managing blood flow throughout the body.
Greek yogurt has been connected to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol and triglycerides can harden or block your arteries over time, leading to heart disease or atherosclerosis.
Greek yogurt is a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps balance the effects of sodium in the body. Potassium lowers blood pressure because potassium helps to relax blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow and reducing stress on the circulatory system.
Trans fats, saturated fats, excess salt, and added sugars can all negatively impact circulation. Eating a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oily fish, and nuts may help improve circulation. Exercising regularly, staying hydrated, and avoiding smoking also help improve circulation.
But circulation can get worse for a number of reasons, including conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and peripheral artery disease (PAD), or weight gain and age. When your circulation isn't working the way it should, some parts of your body may not get the nutrients they need.
“Yogurt is associated with decreased inflammation, decreased insulin resistance and it may prevent type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Hu says. Nutrition researchers believe yogurt's anti-inflammatory power comes from the probiotics it contains, but that has yet to be confirmed with rigorous trials, he says.
It also improves circulation. Vitamin C deficiency is associated with an increased risk of developing varicose or spider veins. Include citrus and tropical fruits, broccoli, onions, spinach, and red bell peppers into your diet. These foods all contain high levels of vitamin C to keep your veins strong.
Dairy foods protect against cardiovascular disease. Salt is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Natural cheese consumed with a high-salt diet may minimize the adverse effects of dietary salt on microvascular function, despite cheese containing salt.
Drink: Tea
Black and green tea are associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, and short-term studies suggest it's good for your blood vessel health.
Vasodilators are medications that open (dilate) blood vessels. They affect the muscles in the walls of the arteries and veins, preventing the muscles from tightening and the walls from narrowing. As a result, blood flows more easily through the vessels.
Carrots are rich sources of potassium, which is a vasodilator and can relax the tension in your blood vessels and arteries, thereby increasing blood flow and circulation, boosting organ function throughout the body and reducing the stress on the cardiovascular system.
Additionally, ginger tea has been found to improve blood flow as a natural vasodilator, widening blood vessels and enhancing blood flow. So, when selecting tea, opt for green and black varieties or try ginger tea for an extra circulation boost.
Whole grains:Oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and other unrefined grains tend to be high in fiber, and fiber also may help with inflammation.
Its decadent and rich flavor makes it a great addition to any sweet or savory dish, but it's not perfect. Greek yogurt can actually cause some less than ideal side effects. It contains a natural sugar called lactose and a protein known as whey which can cause inflammatory issues.
In addition to its use as a natural sweetener, honey is used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial agent. People commonly use honey orally to treat coughs and topically to treat burns and promote wound healing.
Cold hands and feet can be a result of iron deficiency anemia. People with anemia have poor blood circulation throughout their bodies because they don't have enough red blood cells to provide oxygen to their tissue.
Cardiovascular exercise will naturally promote blood flow. If you are having circulation problems, choose exercises that focus on that part of the body. If circulation is poor in your feet, walking gets blood moving in your toes, feet, ankles and legs.