Close to two-thirds of women today experience uterine fibroids. They are benign tumors in the uterus that are not usually dangerous. Often, they may be present without causing any discomfort or health problems.
Women experience fibroids differently. Some women may have just a single fibroid, while others may have multiple fibroids in the uterus. The size and location of the fibroids may also vary. Women also report having different experiences – ranging from no symptoms to heavy bleeding, spotting between periods, trouble with conception, and pain in the back or pelvis.
Medication, surgery, and lifestyle modifications are ideal recommendations for addressing fibroids and aiding treatment. It has been found that nutrition plays an important role in maintaining optimal body weight, reducing the risk of fibroids, and promoting its treatment.
Women often ask how to treat fibroids at home. We bring you an insight into foods that trigger and help curb fibroids effectively. This should help you make informed food choices, keep you in better shape, and promote better uterine health.
Fibroid Treatment Without Surgery
Fibroids usually occur in women of childbearing age. While fibroids are not necessarily harmful, they can interfere with women's lives. Fibroids can be treated without surgical procedures. Lifestyle improvements, foods to avoid during fibroids and ayurvedic remedies for fibroids are non surgical ways to treat fibroids.
Foods for Fibroids: Fibroid Treatment Diet
Believe it or not, some foods can help you maintain better uterine health and help with fibroids. A fibroid treatment diet is not just great for those with fibroids but is also considered an ideal diet for women to prevent its onset. Including these foods into your diet will help you ascertain how to reduce fibroid through diet.
Cranberries: Can cranberry juice shrink fibroid?
If you are among those with this recurring question, this one’s for you. Cranberries are believed to be the greatest superfoods for uterine health. Cranberries are loaded with vitamin B and C, magnesium, potassium, and other antioxidants. Cranberries help absorb iron, improve immunity, and promote healing. They can help fight bacterial infections and prevent bacteria from attaching to the uterine walls. Cranberries can be added to salads, had as pills, or consumed as a juice.
Bananas
Banana is a food that is easy to find and is inexpensive as well. Bananas and fibroids have been extensively researched. They are loaded with calcium and phosphorus. Bananas can help retard the growth of fibroids and help manage its symptoms.
Dairy
Dairy products are rich in calcium and Vitamin D, both of which are essential nutrients for women’s health. It is ideal to opt for low-fat variants of dairy, including milk, cottage cheese, cheese, and yogurt.
Beans and white meat
Beans, legumes, and peas are extremely high in protein and help in keeping the body healthy. Increasing the quantity of proteins and lowering carbohydrate intake can help maintain body weight and lower the risk of fibroids. Lean white meats like chicken and turkey can also give you high amounts of protein without the unnecessary fat.
Fibrous foods
Lightly cooked and raw vegetables can help in a multitude of ways. Greens like broccoli, spinach, and kale are high in iron and help with the production of red blood cells in women. Including a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables can regulate sugar and hormone levels in the body. This has a direct impact on the formation of fibroids.
Green tea
Green tea is known to be high in antioxidants and can prove beneficial, reducing inflammation, lowering and regulating estrogen levels, and slowing the growth of fibroids.
Vitamin D
This is a known nutrient that is vital for women’s health. Substantive amounts of Vitamin D can be found in fatty fish like mackerel, tuna, and salmon. Cod liver oil is another form of supplementing Vitamin D.
Potassium
This helps balance and maintains the levels of salt and blood pressure in the body. Potassium is easy to supplement through most dry fruits and nuts, avocado, oats, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and potatoes.
Folic acid
This is among the most crucial nutrients for women’s gynaecological health. Folic acid can be found in greens, peas, cereal, and raisins.
Foods to Avoid For Fibroids
There are certain foods that you should look to eliminate from your diet if you have fibroids or are at risk for them. Some of these include:
Sugar
In its original form, consumed as sodas, sugary juices, and drinks, or even in highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates and sugar are lethal foods that can worsen fibroids.
Red meats, high fats, soy
These foods cause an increase in estrogen, which can aggravate the growth of fibroids. Limit these foods, or replace them with healthier variants for better health.
Salt
Excess salt can cause a spike in blood pressure and worsen a condition of fibroids. Limit your intake of salt and replace it with other forms of seasoning.
Alcohol and smoking
Smoking can increase blood pressure, while alcohol promotes the growth of fibroids by increasing the hormone levels that trigger them.
Can Fasting Cure Fibroids?
Several experiments and studies have indicated the benefits of fasting in treating fibroids. It is believed that a well-conducted fast that includes only pure water and plenty of rest can help shrink the size of fibroids and help address issues arising from them.
Difference between cysts and fibroids
Fibroids are dense tissues while cysts are filled with fluid. Fibroids occur on the uterus while cysts occur on ovaries. Fibroids are not cancerous, while cysts can sometimes be cancerous. Fibroids do not impede your health and go away on their own.
Conclusion
Several courses of medicinal and natural therapies have been propounded to help cure and curb fibroids. Dietary modifications are the easiest to incorporate and are highly effective since they also help address several other accompanying issues simultaneously. Try and work around these modifications to help reduce the risk of fibroids, minimize their growth, and obtain relief from their symptoms.
