How food can control blood clots

Aware that he was late for a business appointment, Mr Shah was sprinting towards his car when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had trouble breathing and couldn’t draw in enough air. He collapsed on the ground. Later, an ECG report revealed that a part of his heart was dead. This part was cut off from its blood supply. Mr Shah had suffered a myocardial infarction, in other words, a heart attack.

Although high cholesterol levels can lead to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), it is the way your blood clots that determines if you will have a heart attack. Formation of blood clots depends on what you eat and it can be genetic too. Excessive fat and sugar intake can make your blood sticky and make clot formation likelier.

Excessive consumption of cheese and nonvegetarian food can also make your blood sluggish and make you prone to clots. Eating the right foods can help thin your blood, and the right diet can be your greatest weapon against such cardiovascular tragedies.

■ Black mushrooms

Also known as tree-ear, black mushrooms have blood thinning compounds such as adenosine. They have anticoagulant properties and keep blood platelets from sticking to each other. They also exhibit cancer-fighting properties.

■ Garlic and ginger

The compound, ajoene, in garlic has aspirin-like properties. Having two to three cloves of chopped raw garlic in the morning with warm water helps dissolve blood clots and keep the blood thin. Some of you may find garlic too warm for your body may and develop some boils on your back and chest. In that case, begin with one clove and graduate to two to three cloves per day.

■ Mint and coriander juice with ginger

Drink a glass of this juice every day to counteract the warm effects of garlic. Ginger has a beneficial effect on blood clots. Drink ginger tea every day or use ginger in your vegetables to make use of its anti-clotting properties.

■ Onions

To keep your blood free of clots, eat half a raw onion with every meal. The compounds in onions prevent the platelets from clumping together.

■ Flaxseeds

These seeds are rich in alpha-Linolenic acids, which have a thinning effect on your blood. Just as fish oils contain Omega-3 fats, flaxseeds are the vegetarian’s source of Omega-3. These fats regulate cholesterol metabolism, improve immunity, increase energy levels and they also help with lowering the impact of allergic conditions. You can dry grind the seeds and consume two tablespoons daily as a measure against heart diseases. If you are already on bloodthinning medications, you should eat foods that thin the blood in moderation, exercise, sleep adequately, manage stress, and stop smoking and alcohol intake.

Making juice out of coriander and mint with garlic can help avoid unnecessary blood clots