10 Foods to Increase Blood Platelets
Blood platelets play a very important role in human body. It helps to stop bleeding by forming clots. It’s a type of blood cell which binds together to the site where there is any type of cut or blood vessel damage resulting in the formation of blood clot. In a healthy body, blood platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Symptoms of low blood platelet count may include bleeding from nose, gums or GI tract. Getting easy bruising may be one of its symptoms too. There are too many factors affecting blood platelet count. Drinking too much alcohol or being on some kind of medications may lead to low platelet count. Sometimes it’s inherited. Certain types of cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma, and chemotherapy treatment for cancer may cause low platelet count. Here, we are going to tell you how to increase platelet count naturally apart from the medications you are prescribed. Here are ten common foods to increase blood platelets, naturally.
Foods to Increase Blood Platelets
Papaya
Papaya is one of the best food when it comes to helping you increase your blood platelet count. You can have ripe papaya fruit as well as can drink the concoction prepared from the leaves of papaya. It is easy to prepare the concoction and is equally effective in increasing your blood platelet as ripe fruit.
You just have to put water and papaya leaves in a kettle and put it on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. After boiling it, all you have to do is to strain and drink the extract twice a day.
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is very effective in increasing blood platelet count. Wheatgrass also contributes in increasing the red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and differential white blood cell counts. Wheatgrass juice comprises over 70% of chlorophyll. This high presence of chlorophyll and having a molecular structure almost the same to human blood hemoglobin molecule is considered for the above contribution.
Drinking 1/2 cup of wheatgrass juice mixed with a few drops of lemon every day helps to enhance the platelet count.
Pomegranate
Like all other red foods, Pomegranate is rich in iron. When it comes to the natural way to increase blood platelets count, Pomegranate acquires a top position. In addition to helping increase platelet counts, pomegranate is rich in vitamins, aids you to gain strength and resistance. It also helps you to fight low platelet linked diseases like dengue fever.
Spinach
Spinach is full of fiber and contains vitamin K as well. Vitamin K is a necessary ingredient that keeps cell growth at optimum levels in the body. Vitamin K works as the protein activator which stimulates the formation of blood clots and stops the bleeding.
You need to boil 4-5 leaves of spinach in two cups of water for several minutes. Then let it cool and mix in half cup of tomato juice. Consume this concoction thrice for good results.
Pumpkin
For increasing blood platelets count naturally, pumpkin can be a very good choice. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin A. Vitamin A assists to support the platelet development. It also regulates the proteins which are produced by your body cells. This regulation of protein cells is really important for raising a number of platelets in your blood.
Fish and Lean Proteins
To increase blood platelet you need to have high protein diet. A high protein food, that comes in this category, enhances platelet production and it is also a powerful source of vitamin B-12 and zinc, which helps boost the body’s immune system that gets slowed down due to deficiency of platelets and results in slow healing of your wound.
Omega 3 Fatty Acid Rich Foods
One of the common foods to increase blood platelets is to increase intake of foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acid. Flax seeds, walnuts, fish, and spinach are few foods rich in omega-3 fatty acid. They help boost the immune system and can increase the blood platelet level count considerably. Thus, taking them in your diet can help deal with the low blood platelet levels that too naturally!
Beetroots
Beetroots are reddish purple colored taproots that are edible. It goes by different names like table beet, red beet or garden beet. It’s rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B6, A, C, nitrate, etc. One bowl of beets and carrot if taken two times per week can do miracles. These are common foods to increase blood platelets count. It can be eaten in many ways.
You can eat it raw as a salad or can cook it without peeling its skin to retain all the nutrients in it. You can also prepare its juice and drink it on regular basis to increase blood platelets.
Sesame oil
Sesame is considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humanity. Sesame oil is highly nutritious and lubricating in nature. It is enriched with essential vitamins like E, B complex, D and minerals like calcium and phosphorus. It is considered as one of the best foods to increase blood platelets production. It decreases damage from free radicals, inflammation, and also improves blood circulation.
You can consume 1 to 2 tablespoons of good quality of sesame oil twice a day. You can rub this externally on your lymph node three or four times per day as well.
It can be used as cooking oil too for better results. Apart from increasing blood platelets, it does miracles to your skin.
Indian Gooseberries
Indian gooseberries can be found easily in the market. It is popularly known as amla. It is considered as one of the effective foods to increase blood platelets count.
Taking 3-4 gooseberries daily is enough for increasing blood platelet. It works best when taken on an empty stomach every morning.
Homemade jam or pickle of amla can be very tasty and it’s no less effective than former.