Every bite of food you place in your mouth has implications for your health, depending on its properties. Some foods can efficiently thin your blood and help to prevent dangerous clots, especially if you consume them in increased quantities for that purpose. Before you start stocking up on any of them, however, check with your physician, especially if you're already on medication to thin your blood.
Fish
Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids include halibut, albacore, sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon and lake trout. The acids work by loosening the connection between blood platelets, making them less likely to clump together. The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of such fish weekly. Flaxseed and canola oils, soybeans, pumpkin seeds and walnuts are also high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Onions
Flavonoids, which are antioxidants, abound in onions, particularly an antioxidant called quercetin. Quercetin not only destroys free radicals in your body, but also inhibits platelet production. Platelets are your body's clotting mechanisms. According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the stronger the onion, the better it is for anti-clotting purposes.
Garlic
Garlic is a wonder food. It decreases bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol, combats high blood pressure, and helps keep platelets from sticking together and clotting. However, you'd have to eat a great deal of garlic -- up to 10 cloves a day -- to get all these results.
Ginger
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the jury is still out on the benefits of ginger for thinning blood and preventing clotting, but early studies indicate that it helps. Although ginger is more of a spice than a food, you can get helpful quantities of it in ginger ale and ginger snap cookies.
Kiwifruit
The University of Maryland Medical Center also indicates that kiwifruit both thins blood and hampers dangerous clotting. It also helps eliminate excess fat in your blood.
Warning
Even in small quantities, garlic can be dangerous if you're already taking an anticoagulant medication such as warfarin. Working in tandem with such medications, it can cause excessive bleeding. Speak with your physician before changing your diet to include a lot of garlic-rich foods. You should also consult your doctor before taking any supplements of blood-thinning agents because the dosage might be more than you would get through your diet alone and might be dangerous to your condition, depending on what other medications you're taking.
References
- University of Michigan Health System: Functional Foods
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Ginger
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Garlic
- National Onion Association: About Onions
- American Heart Association: Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
