Is There A Good Diet For Uterine Fibroids?

While the cause of uterine fibroids is unknown, it’s common knowledge that fibroid growth is largely fueled by estrogen. One of the best ways to control the estrogen count in your body is by eating a certain diet, which means this diet can also increase or decrease the risk of fibroid development.

Adding certain foods and making simple changes to your diet are great ways to balance your hormones, therefore helping to manage fibroid symptoms on top of improving overall health. If you’re wondering what kind of diet you should follow if you have uterine fibroids, we’re outlining the best foods to eat plenty of and the ones to avoid.

Fill Your Plate with Fruits and Vegetables

Regularly eating fruits which are high in antioxidants, such as apples and tomatoes, may help decrease the risk of fibroids. In addition, consuming green, leafy vegetables that contain the substance indole-3-carbinol can have a positive effect on the way your body metabolizes estrogen. Great examples of these are kale, cabbage, and broccoli.

Fill up on these veggies and fruits, and you’ll lower the risk of developing estrogen-driven fibroid tumors.

Eat More Vitamin D Rich Foods

Research suggests that incorporating Vitamin D into your diet is a great way to reduce the risk of fibroid development, as the vitamin has been known to shrink the volume and size of fibroids. If you have a job that requires you to sit at a desk all day or live in a cooler climate that doesn’t get a lot of sunshine, chances are you already have a Vitamin D deficiency.

The good news is that you can easily incorporate more Vitamin D into your diet through supplements and eating vitamin-rich foods like salmon, tuna, fortified cereals, egg yolks, and cheese. Drinking more milk and fortified orange juice can greatly reduce your symptoms and risk of fibroids, as well.

Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine

Your body’s ability to effectively metabolize estrogen is greatly influenced by the health of your liver. Both alcohol and caffeine add unnecessary stress on your liver, and alcohol triggers inflammation and raises certain hormone levels that contribute to the development of fibroids. Women seeking to alleviate fibroid symptoms should consider limiting or avoiding the intake of alcohol and caffeine.

Avoid Salt

According to research, high blood pressure is linked to the development of severe fibroids. Avoiding salt and limiting packaged and processed foods with high sodium are ways to balance your blood pressure. Instead of salt, which is also hard on your liver, choose spices and herbs for food flavoring.

Managing fibroids with diet and lifestyle can only do so much. The fibroid treatment center at Georgia Vascular Institute provides the most comprehensive care available and offers a wide range of treatment options. Give us a call at 770-506-4007 to learn more or click here to schedule an appointment.