How To Make Your Blood Healthy

What to eat to keep this important substance in tip-top condition

- Ali Horsfall

The blood that flows around our body plays a vital role in keeping us well – it is the hard-working transport system for oxygen, nutrients and immune cells and it also helps to remove waste. Without effective blood function we are unable to fight infections, repair damage, or even regulate body temperature. Let’s take a look at how a healthy diet can help.

Why we need healthy blood

‘Our diet and lifestyle can influence the thickness of our blood, known as its viscosity,’ says Kim Plaza, nutritional advisor at Bio-Kult (bio-kult.com). ‘A higher viscosity of blood is a risk for health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.’ While heart and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK, some of these are preventable with exercise and the right diet. ‘Anaemia is also related to the health of our red blood cells,’ says Kim. The most common cause is iron deficiency. ‘A poor diet and deficiencies in vitamins A, C, D, E, B vitamins, folate and copper can also lead to anaemia and the impact of this is greater for anyone already at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,’ says Kim.

TWEAK YOUR DIET

By eating well we absorb the nutrients found in whole foods, and can effectively improve the overall health of our blood, says Kim. Try to include these in your diet.

FIBRE