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When you endure an injury – small or big, you have this thought at the back of your mind that your body’s platelet and clotting system will eventually help recover from it. But, what if the main component in the system is not found in regulated quantities in the blood? If you have been suffering from low platelet count, there are foods to increase platelets in the blood stream.
It is very beneficial to ensure that you get the very best deals when it comes to maintaining your platelet count.
In this article, we are going to discuss about the foods to increase platelets in the blood. Hold tight and make sure to swipe up for more information.
What Causes Low Platelets?
Also known as Thrombocytopenia, the low platelet count in our body can be induced or triggered because of varying reasons. While the normal range of blood platelets is between 150,000 and 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood, anything less than that of 150,000 is harmful for the body.
People who suffer from thrombocytopenia tend to have difficulty in coagulating their blood in case of injuries or other body risks.
When it comes to the causes of low platelets in the blood, the most common ones include:
- Viral infections
- Aplastic anaemia
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Possible cancer in the bone marrow and lymph nodes
- Long term alcohol toxicity
- Deficiency of Vitamin B12 and folic acid
It is very important to ensure that people suffering from the condition reach out to medical professionals immediately to get the problem treated.
Apart from the medical treatment, there are actually quite a few types of foods to boost platelets that we going to be discussing in the next section of the article.
Foods That Increase Platelets in Blood
Diet plays a very crucial role in the overall production and regulation of the platelets in our blood. If you are here wondering what kind of foods can increase platelets naturally, we have curated a list for you.
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Check Out these Foods To Enrich Your Platelet Count
1. Papaya for Increase Platelets
When it comes to discussing about the foods to increase platelets in your bloodstream, the possibility can never do better than that of Papaya. People suffering from dengue (R) are often advised to consume this fruit to bring themselves back to health.
Not just the fruit, but even the consumption of the carica papaya leaf (R) in the form of a concoction is quite beneficial in getting rid of the problems associated with lower platelet count.
The papaya leaves are actually very effective in boosting the overall platelet count in the body.
What to do?
- Crush the leaves into a mortar and pestle
- Extract the juice
- Consume 2 tablespoons of this every day
How often?
- Once daily
2. Pumpkin
Yet another one of the amazing foods to eat to increase platelet count is Pumpkin (R). Apart from being an amazing boost with its amazing nutrition, it is also loaded with Vitamin A which is a crucial factor in boosting the overall platelet count in the body.
Apart from that, it also helps in the regulation of the proteins and their activities in our body which further aid to increase blood platelets naturally.
3. Pomegranate to Boost Platelet count
Pomegranate is a storehouse of nutrients and health boosting properties. If you are here wondering about the what and whys, it is mainly because of the antioxidant (R), anti-inflammatory (R) and the nutritious benefits of this fruit that helps in getting your platelet count back to normal.
What to do?
- Drink freshly extracted pomegranate juice
- Alternatively, you can even add them to your food as a garnish
4. Green Leafy Vegetables to Increase Platelet count
Vitamin K is a very beneficial factor that plays a key role during the process of thromogenesis. The activation and formation of platelets is often linked with the activity of Vitamin K.
Green leafy vegetables like that of spinach and kale etc., are loaded with vitamin K which ensures to help boost the platelet count in the body.
What to do?
- Consume green leafy vegetables on a daily basis, either in your daily diet or as snacks and salads
5. Wheatgrass for Platelet Generation
The consumption of wheatgrass has been found very beneficial for the overall process of platelet generation if the conducted study (R) in 2011 is anything to go by.
Owing to the fact that wheatgrass has chlorophyll which has a similar structure to that of the haemoglobin, it is often believed to a potent factor that helps in the proper production of the red blood cells, hemoglobin and in turn, platelets too.
What to do?
- Extract the juice of a bunch of wheatgrasses
- To half a glass of the juice, add a few drops of lemon juice
- Drink this once every day
6. Vitamin C for Platelet Count
Vitamin C and its beneficial antioxidant (R) property is quite beneficial to increase platelets naturally. Often times, the powerful antioxidant properties of the lemons and other sources of Vitamin C help to prevent the unnecessary free radical damage of the platelets.
What to do?
- Consume more sources of vitamin C in your diet like lemon, oranges, berries etc.
7. Carrots for Platelet Count
Yet another one of the amazing foods to increase platelets in the blood is by consuming carrots. Given the fact that carrots and even beetroots are loaded with iron and essential nutrients (R), it is often an amazing treatment for patients suffering from anemia which is often a common reason behind the lowered platelet count in the body.
Eating carrots help in supplementing the needs and in turn, helps regulate the platelet count in the body.
What to do?
- Munch and snack on a bowl of carrot instead of something unhealthy
8. Fresh Milk for Platelet Count
Milk is the one source that contains all the major components that are necessary for the healthy production of the platelets in our body.
It is loaded with calcium, iron, folate, Vitamin D and Vitamin K too which helps in supplementing the needs of the body to produce healthy platelets in the body.
What to do?
- Consume a glass of milk in the morning or a glass of warm milk with turmeric before going to bed at night
9. Foods rich in Folate
Consuming foods to increase platelets in blood is not that easy as it sounds. There are several factors that could be deficient in the body which could be contributing to the lower levels of platelets. If the condition is because of the lack of folate (R) in the body, it is believed that enriching the body with folate rich foods can effectively persuade the body.
What to do?
- Consume folate rich foods like kidney beans, peanuts etc.
10. Brussels Sprout
These small vegetables are often not everyone’s favourite but the nutritious value of it is quite high. It is also considered as an amazing food to increase blood platelets (R) naturally.
Much like fresh milk and green leafy vegetables, even this is rich in Vitamin K which is beneficial in the production of the platelets in the body.
What to do?
- Boil the Brussels sprouts and eat them as an accompaniment with a dish
- You can also grill or bake them in the oven and consume them like that
11. Vitamin B12 rich foods for Platelet Count increase
If you thought that the list of foods to increase platelets in blood was just that, we have some few more to share.
Vitamin B12 is a potent remedy for boosting the platelet in the blood. The lack or deficiency of the Vitamin B12 in our body is often characterized by the altered immune system which predominantly affects our overall immunity.
It is thus quite important to ensure that you consume foods to boost platelets and vitamin b12 is definitely something that sits atop the list.
What to do?
- Increase the consumption of Vitamin B12 in your daily diet like boiled eggs, steak, cheese etc.
12. Coconut Oil for Platelet Count
Next on the list of the foods to increase platelets is coconut oil. It was found in a conducted study that the administration of coconut oil could successfully help in activation of the platelet production in the body of the rhesus monkey.
It is believed that the presence of the healthy medium chain fatty acids and nutrients are what help coconut oil boost the overall platelets in our body.
What to do?
- Consume coconut oil in your day to day cooking
- If possible, you can even add 1 tablespoon to your daily morning smoothie and drink that
13. Lean proteins for Platelet count
Lean meats like that of chicken and even turkey are an amazing source of vitamin B12 and zinc which has beneficial impacts in boosting the overall platelet count in the body. Even crabs and oysters are believed to be an amazing source of zinc which further helps boost the overall rate of platelet production in the body.
That being said, you will often find people recommending the consumption of fish oil for treating the condition of lowered platelet count in the body. The omega-3 fatty acids in the platelet tend to have negative impacts on the body, restricting the production of the same, so avoid fish oil.
What to do?
- Consume lean proteins like chicken, turkey etc.
- Alternatively, even the consumption of crabs and oysters work just as fine
14. Raisins for Platelet Count
If you are here wondering how dried grapes can even be helpful in boosting the platelet count, think again. The high content of iron in the raisins are believed to be a natural boost of health for people who are suffering from lack of proper levels of platelet in the body.
Patients suffering from anemia can actually benefit quite a lot from the consumption of raisins.
What to do?
- Instead of something unhealthy, snack on raisins in between meals for boosting the platelet count.
15. Garlic for Platelet Count
Garlic is known for its beneficial blood purifying properties which is believed to play a very crucial role in amplifying the rate of platelet production in the blood. It is believed to also have antimicrobial properties which are quite crucial when it comes to fighting off any form of infection inside the body.
What to do?
- Consume 1-2 cloves of raw garlic in the morning
16. Bovine Colostrum for Platelet Count
While we did mention milk in the prior section, the Bovine Colostrum is a special variant of the cow’s milk. It is the special milk that is collected from the cows that they produce for a few days following birthing. Colostrum is the milk that the newborn gets from their mother, it is found in human as well.
But, when it comes to foods to increase platelets, the bovine colostrums is actually topping the list. While the research surrounding this is quite limited and not that profound, the Platelet Disorder Support Dissociation found sudden growth in the levels of the platelet count following the consumption of that.
Even a study (R) conducted back in 2017, it was found that the colostrum did contain certain proteins which have been associated with platelet activation along with immune responses too.
17. Melatonin for Platelet Production
The correlation of melatonin with sleep is quite common but what many people don’t know is the fact that melatonin is actually effective in boosting the overall levels of platelets in the blood as well.
Even with the approach to the same, the researches and the findings are still non-conclusive which is why it does require more studies to be put into it.
How Will You Detect If Your Platelet Count Is Low?
The one thing about lower levels of platelet count is the fact that not many people tend to sense or understand it till it’s too late to suffice. It is mainly because not many of us are well aware of the kind of symptoms we should look out for.
Lower platelet count can actually impose extensive side effects on the body which can be easily averted if we pay close attention to it.
Some of the common symptoms one can look out for include:
- Petechiae which is nothing but the appearance of the dark red spots all over the skin
- Persistent headaches even after a minor and trivial injury
- Bruising quite easily
- Excessive bleeding with extended time for clotting of the blood
- Spots of blood after you are done brushing your teeth
If you have been experiencing any of these above mentioned signs and symptoms, it is quite important to consult a doctor without fail.
When it comes to discussing the foods to increase platelets, the possibilities do skirt around the realms of the foods one should eat and the ones you should avoid. It is quite important to ensure that you don’t go overboard with the consumption because even the overdrive of the supplements and nutrients can end up inflicting negative impacts on the body. Maintain a balanced diet, prioritizing the foods to boost platelets before anything else.
