Blood circulation is a vital process for the function of human body. Blood maintains life. It delivers oxygen, nutrients and other indispensable substances to different cells and tissues and removes harmful wastes from our body. The quality and composition of blood influences how we feel, our mood, life span, appearance and so on. Therefore it is important to take care of your blood by eating foods that contribute to its health. The following are the six products that you should eat on a regular basis to have ideal blood circulation.

1. Greasy types of fish such as salmon, tuna, eel, halibut, and herring are a must have items on the Japanese menu, which is why they are ranked as the longest living nation in the world. And that is due to the unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids contained in seafood. Just eat the yummy fish regularly and you don’t have to worry about the increased cholesterol or sugar levels in your blood or blood clots. Also the above mentioned types of fish contain taurine, which is a very useful amino acid that regulates the blood pressure, produces insulin and prevents high blood pressure.

2. Having very pale complexion is out of style. Nowadays if you have a face white as chalk, the doctor will diagnose you with anemia or low hemoglobin right away. One of the reasons for these conditions is the lack of iron. Eating beef, pork or chicken liver will help replenish your body’s supplies of it. Besides liver contains copper and zinc, which help digest iron and play an important role in creating new blood cells. Another useful element contained in liver is heparin, the substance which inhibits fast blood coagulability. Its role is huge – blood clots and heart attacks fear this substance like a plague!

3. We’ve all heard that an apple a day will keep the doctor away. Apples are a tasty, inexpensive, and low in calories snack. Apples are a source of pectin, which prevents cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessels walls, thus reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis and heart disease. It also keeps the sugar level in the blood constant and removes cholesterol out of your body. One more valuable quality of apples is the ability to cleanse blood and prevent blood clot formation. Eating two apples a day will reduce the possibility of having a heart attack by 32%. Just recently the inquisitive British scientists discovered that apples contain epikatehin polyphenols, the element that sustains the elasticity of the blood vessels and improves blood circulation.

4. Green cabbage is the food rich in folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, necessary for blood cells formation. Unfortunately heat treatment destroys this element, and that is why it is recommended to eat fresh uncooked cabbage if you have any blood diseases. Cabbage is also rich in vitamin K, the lack of which leads to bad blood coagulation, and vitamin P, which strengthens the blood vessels walls. Broccoli, the close relative of green cabbage, also deserves a mention due to its high content of selenium, the element essential for heart health. In order for broccoli not to lose its useful properties, it is recommended to cook it in the steamer.

5. Add nuts to your daily diet. Walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, and peanuts not only stimulate your mental activity but are also extremely healthy for blood. Vitamins A, B, PP, C, E, cellulose, iron, calcium, magnesium and other important components of nuts contribute greatly to heart’s health, active blood circulation and absence of any harmful elements in the blood. There is one downside to nuts however. Although a great source of useful elements, nuts are also high in calories, therefore you should be careful not to eat handfuls of them.

6. Oranges are absolute leaders in vitamin C content. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, helps your body digest iron, thanks to which hemoglobin can actively fulfill its functions, which include delivering oxygen from lungs to tissues and removing carbon dioxide from them. Recent research only added more benefits to citruses. As it turns out the soluble fiber, which is part of the oranges, lowers the level of harmful cholesterol, and vitamin A and organic acids help prevent diabetes and liver illnesses as well as deter failures of the blood system.

Good blood circulation is the key to being healthy. So next time you are considering what to eat for a snack, include one or more of the above mentioned foods for a long and healthy life.