Pregnancy is tough. Aside from the constant pain and irritation that we feel, swelling and varicose veins also start to develop around our legs.

That is why many moms out there are finding natural ways to prevent varicose veins and all these other problems from getting worse.

Since natural methods are always the right way to go, one of the best ways to start is to make some lifestyle changes during pregnancy and even after childbirth. This way, it would not affect your pregnancy and it would be much more sustainable in the long run.     

With that said, here are a few tips to help you get started.

Avoid Too Much Sodium

Any hormone specialist and vein expert would tell you that consuming too much sodium would exacerbate a number of side effects of pregnancy.

 For instance, if you experience leg swelling and have varicose veins around your legs, then consuming too much sodium would only cause your body to retain too much water. This, in turn, would increase pressure in your veins and make varicose veins even more prominent.

But, as much as we want you to decrease your sodium intake, we still do not want you to forego salt altogether. So to help you minimize sodium in your recipes, we have listed a few alternatives for salt.

• Garlic

You can use it in soups, stews, salads, vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood, and sauces.

• Rosemary

This herb is perfect for salads, vegetables, fish, and meats. 

• Saffron

Great alternative for baking and cooking snacks, soups, stews, poultry, seafood, sauces, and rice.

• Tamarind

There are many Asian dishes that use this as an alternative to salts, especially in soups, poultry, sauces, and rice.

•  Chili Powder / Chile Pequeño

Rather than rely on too much salt for flavor, you can add this to make your meats, poultry, vegetable, fish, and stews tastier. 

The National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute have created a handy list of salt alternatives. You can check it out here.

Eat Filling but Healthy Meals

Since obesity and weight gain is a big risk factor, one of the best ways to prevent the worsening of your varicose veins post-childbirth is to avoid sudden weight gain.

Based on an expert from vein clinic Orlando, maintaining a healthy weight helps combat varicose veins. Doing this is not only great for varicose veins but it is also great for your overall health after giving birth.

To get started on this journey, you can switch up your meals a bit and try a more filling but still healthy recipe.

For instance, if white rice is a big part of your diet, you can find other carbs and alternate them each day (carb cycling). This way, you would not get used to one carb and it would be much easier to control your meal portions. So rather than use white rice in all your recipes, you can instead opt for an alternative such as barley, quinoa, or even brown rice.

Here are a few hacks on how to cook barley with a rice cooker (it is just like making rice).

1. Remove excess starch and dirt by washing your barley.

2. Pre-soaked the barley for an hour or overnight (pre-soaking reduce the cooking time)

3. The ratio should be 1 cup of barley and 2 cups of water. (just like rice)

As much as possible, use a rice cooker every time you are cooking grains.

Exercise Regularly

This just goes without saying but regular exercise is the cherry on top that completes your overall lifestyle. Without them, then all your meal preps and diet would not be as beneficial and effective to your health.

For someone who wants to prevent varicose veins from getting worse, simple and low-impact exercises are your best options. Because while being immobile for too long worsens varicose veins, overstraining your body and doing intense exercise can lead to further varicose vein development as well.

So the key thing to remember here is to not overdo it and just make sure that you are consistent.

We have seen many new moms consistent with their workout routine within 2 to 3 months after childbirth. Afterward, they just fell off the fitness wagon.

That is why simple and low-impact exercise is much better than high-intensity workouts. Besides the fact that it prevents your varicose veins from worsening, it is also easy to maintain in the long run. You just need less than an hour or so to complete your workout and then you are good to go.