The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes, and organs. It’s the body’s drainage system, and it removes waste, toxins, and excess fluids from the tissues. The lymph fluid that the system moves is a colorless, watery fluid that moves white blood cells to your organs and carries cellular waste away. The lymphatic system is crucial to our immune system. It removes toxins and fights infections, and lymph nodes remove impurities from the lymphatic fluid. It’s one of your body’s “silent heroes”– it’s critical for your health, but it’s not often spoken about or acknowledged unless things go wrong.
Part of having a healthy lymphatic system means having a healthy circulatory system, which includes both the cardiovascular circulatory system and the lymphatic circulatory system. When your blood travels through capillaries, lymph fluid is squeezed from your blood in exchange for nutrients from cells. It’s then used to transport waste to the lymph nodes where it’s filtered and returned to your bloodstream.
A well-balanced diet is crucial for our lymphatic system to function. When your body is inflamed due to poor diet or lifestyle habits, it can strain your lymphatic system and lead to dysfunction over time.
A healthy lymphatic diet is similar to most healthy diets– and includes many of the same foods that are good for your gut and brain as well.
Foods that aid lymphatic function
- Green leafy vegetables
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Berries
- Foods high in Omega-3s like salmon, eggs, edamame, or nuts
- Extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
Foods that impair lymphatic function
- Dairy
- Soy
- Shellfish
- Low quality animal products
- Refined vegetable oils
- Processed foods
There are many nuances to managing a diet for lymphatic health, especially if you are navigating chronic conditions or mystery symptoms as well. If you’re looking to learn more in-depth about what you should eat for your body at the stage of healing you’re in or wondering WHY each food is a yes or no, you’ve come to the right place.
Educating yourself about your lymphatic health could make the difference in treating and feeling better from your chronic condition or mystery symptoms.
To learn more about lymphatic health and things like:
- Connections between your gut, brain and lymphatic system
- How to get your lymph moving and create healthy immunity
- Ways to address chronic pain through the lymph system
- How to do your own lymphatic drainage for instant relief
- Simple approaches to transform your lymphatic health
- How toxic beauty impacts your lymphatic system
- 6 reasons your lymph gets stagnant
…consider joining our Lymphatic SOS & Rescue Summit. It includes eight masterclasses and three interviews with eleven lymphatic health experts to enlighten you about the role your lymphatic system could be playing in your journey towards health.
