Every heartbeat sends oxygen and nutrient-rich blood flowing through every inch of your body. This nourishes your organs, muscles, and tissues, while carrying away waste products. In a nutshell, you could say that your circulation is quite literally life-giving.
When circulation is working efficiently, you’ll notice that you have better energy levels, healthier skin, improved physical and athletic performance, and overall just a better sense of vitality. Of course, there are lots of things you can do to maintain a healthy circulation, like exercising, getting proper sleep, staying hydrated, and eating a balanced diet built on whole foods.
But if you want to take it to the next level and really max out your circulatory health, you might want to consider these natural, plant-based foods that have been proven to support healthy circulation.
Beetroot
Beetroot is a popular plant-based ingredient for circulation that contains a high level of nitrate. During the digestive process, dietary nitrates enter the body and get converted into nitric oxide which is essentially a signalling molecule that relaxes and widens the blood vessels. This process (called vasodilation) allows blood to flow more freely throughout the body, unimpeded by narrow vessels.
With improved blood vessel function naturally comes a more efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients. This is one of the reasons why so many people struggling with low energy levels have turned to beetroot juice and supplements. Moreover, even the athletes have followed suit, adding plant-based beetroot energy support to their diet for better performance on the track or in the gym.
Because beetroots do have growing seasons, it’s not always easy to find them fresh in stores. Fortunately, beetroots’ nutritional content is relatively stable, which means that turning them into supplements maintains most of their nutritional value. Gummies, capsules, tablets, powders, and many others make beetroots an easily accessible energy-giving option for people looking to improve their circulation.
Hawthorn Berry
Hawthorn berries, leaves, and flowers have been used in traditional European herbal medicine for centuries. These natural ingredients are rich in flavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins which are plant compounds that have been studied extensively for their antioxidant properties.
According to research, these compounds may help support circulation by encouraging healthy blood vessel function and improving the ability of arteries to expand and contract as needed. Hawthorn may also help maintain efficient blood flow by supporting the health of the heart muscles and improving circulation of the cardiovascular system itself.
This natural ingredient can be purchased in stores as whole dried berries, teas, gummies, powders, liquid extracts, and tablets. Keep in mind though that capsules prove to be the top choice for hawthorn berry supplements because they tend to have a more standardized amount of the plant’s active compounds versus the dried leaves and berries.
Turmeric
A cousin of ginger, turmeric is known as a bright, golden root with a strong, spicy herbal flair. What gives this ingredient its power is an active compound called curcumin. While it’s widely recognized as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, researchers also claim that it has a strong role in supporting circulatory health.
Studies suggest that one of its mechanisms is that it supports endothelial function, with the endothelium being a layer of cells lining the blood vessel walls, controlling how they expand and contract. By making sure that the endothelium is healthy and properly functioning, curcumin indirectly supports efficient circulation.
Turmeric is widely available as a powder, but there are lots of brands that sell it as a supplement as well. Most people enjoy their turmeric intake in the form of a spicy, minty tea, that may also help clear the sinuses when suffering from a cold or flu.
Cocoa
If you needed another reason to make that hot cup of cocoa every morning, here it is. Aside from being a favorite breakfast table staple for its familiar, heartwarming flavor, cocoa has proven cardiovascular benefits. Rich in flavanols, it helps stimulate the body’s production of nitric oxide to promote blood vessel relaxation and improved circulation.
Studies find that people who routinely consume flavonol-rich cocoa may help support blood vessel elasticity, maintaining healthy circulation even as they age.
Here’s an important caveat, though – all of these benefits are associated with high-flavonol cocoa and not just any random, highly processed cocoa drink. You’ll find high-flavonol cocoa in specialty food stores, some supermarkets, and online retailers. While the taste may be slightly more bitter, richer, darker, and earthier, finding the right mix of sugar-free sweeteners and healthy milk options may help you achieve the same, hot cocoa flavor you know and love, just with the added benefits of flavonols.
Grape Seed Extract
Produced from the seeds left behind during grape processing, grape seed extract contains particularly high levels of oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs) which are potent polyphenol antioxidants that help protect blood vessels from oxidative damage.
Because of the changing pressure inside our blood vessels, every vein and artery needs to maintain a level of elasticity, resiliency, and flexibility. As we age, our vessels may become stiffer and less responsive, which is why circulation tends to slow down and lose efficiency as the years wear on.
According to studies, grape seed extract may help maintain the elastic nature of our blood vessels while supporting the body’s production of nitric oxide. On top of that, some studies suggest that grape seed extract may also support endothelial function, just like the curcumin in turmeric, adding a layer to its benefits for vascular health.
Are You Supporting Your Circulatory Health?
If you really think about it, our entire health relies on just how well our circulation works. With good circulation, you can be sure that every part of your body receives the oxygen and nutrition it needs in order to function properly and efficiently.
While circulatory health relies on a holistic, lifestyle effort, you can include a few healthy superfoods into your diet to specifically target your vascular wellness. Consider adding these natural, plant-based ingredients to your diet today to support healthy circulatory function. And if you’re looking for a trusted source of some of the best plant-based supplements, Nutravea offers carefully crafted, all-natural options that bring you the whole goodness of plant-based superfoods in a bottle.
