We are told that there is no specific diet for lymphoedema, and taking vitamins and minerals will not help. However, I passionately believe in personal choices and encourage you to make your own healthy choices.

Every popular diet has sparked debates among our support group members at some point.

Personally, I detest the word "diet," and many of our members share this sentiment. Instead, we prefer to focus on healthy living and the small changes that can make a big impact. This approach involves ensuring we include the right food groups and nutrients that support the functioning of our lymphatic system.

Protein is vital for building, repairing, and maintaining body tissues and cells, making it essential for overall tissue health. This important nutrient also aids in the production of hormones and enzymes.

Antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains support immune function and help reduce inflammation. It is important to understand that inflammation exacerbates lymphoedema by causing a buildup of fluid, which, in turn, puts additional strain on the lymphatic vessels.

While I detest the term "diet," it is crucial for those of us with lymphoedema to maintain a stable weight and practice weight management. Being overweight can exacerbate lymphoedema by adding extra pressure to your lymphatic system. Therefore, it's important to find and maintain a healthy weight, avoiding fluctuations. If you are overweight, consider ways to start making positive changes, or at least aim to keep your weight steady. Your therapist understands the challenges of maintaining a healthy weight and can provide support to help you achieve this.

There is no specific diet for Lymphoedema

Your Choice

Nobody likes being told that they can't or shouldn't do something. Even though lymphoedema is a lifelong condition, living with it requires us to take responsibility for our total health, which includes our lymphatic health.

It is important to eat a healthy balanced diet and drink plenty of fluid, especially water.

There is no proof that salt directly affects your lymphoedema, contrary to previous recommendations that stated salt may cause swelling to increase. However, it is crucial to keep salt consumption within the daily recommended amount for good overall health.

Weight Control

Since many of us eat too much, controlling our weight will be beneficial, but we cannot constantly be on a diet roller coaster.

Why is weight management crucial? Controlling one’s weight is crucial because it has been suggested that the extra fatty tissue affects the lymphatic channels, by reducing the flow of fluid through them.

The Eatwell guide explains the different food groups and shows you how to maintain a balanced, healthy diet.

Even though lymph is a protein-rich fluid, there is no advice for dietary protein limitation for lymphoedema.

Keep a Food Diary

When we have lymphoedema, we frequently have spontaneous flare-ups of inflammation. Sometimes, pain gets worse, and we don't know why.

It may be possible to identify why one day is worse than another by keeping track of what you consume since salt, fat, and sugar may increase swelling.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Use a food diary or notebook
Or use an online app to track your intake
Track your water intake

Portion Control

This will not suit everyone, it worked for me, after years without success. It is not a quick fix, but the weight I lost stayed off.

eat off a tea plate or small bowl
try a Mediterranean diet, in my case this made a real difference
six days a week eat healthy and then have what I call my "rubbish day", on this day I can eat what I want

Using a smaller plate helps the stomach get use to smaller portions without counting calories or weighing food.

It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it is full

Vitamin D

It is utilised to absorb calcium and other minerals and to deposit those elements in our bones and teeth, keeping those structures strong and healthy. Additionally, there is mounting evidence that adequate vitamin D intake can reduce the risk of falling. Together, these two advantages show that vitamin D can lessen the risk of bone fractures.

Sugar plays a part in increasing inflammation.

Inflammation leads to an increase in lymphoedema swelling causing damage to the tissue and possibly infection. Check out the list of hidden sugars you will find in packaged foods.

Three columns 1st column list of hidden sugars. 2nd column the effect of sugar on lymphoedema. 3rd column how to cut down on sugar.

Alcohol

Does drinking alcohol affect lymphoedema in any way? Advice previously has always suggested that alcohol may increase swelling. There isn't any concrete proof that drinking causes lymphoedema to worsen.

However, restricting consumption is generally considered to be excellent health advice because alcohol consumption has several health hazards. Additionally, alcohol has a lot of calories, which may make it harder to keep a healthy weight, which is known to be crucial for managing lymphoedema effectively.

(Source: BLS News and Views, Issue 129).

Five A Day

Following NHS Guidelines five portions of fruit and vegetables a day

more chicken and fish, especially oily fish
more high-fibre foods (whole grain cereals, seeded or granary bread)
less red and processed meat
less saturated fat (pastries, samosas, cheese)
less salt

In many European countries it is recommended you eat seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Al Fresco

Not always easy in the UK but when you can eat outside in your garden or favourite open space.
Get that much needed vitamin D from the sun. Just make sure you don't get sunburnt.
If there are insects around light a citronella candle to keep them away.
Invite friends around, make it a social occasion.

Plant-based diet

Helps to support your immune system, keep your cells healthy, your body in balance and fight off infection. Read more...

Please Note: All the research for this Healthy Eating page was taken from NHS websites on Lymphoedema, Live Well Eat Well, and the British Heart Foundation, links will take you directly to those websites.

Ultra-Processed Food

We hear a lot about the dangers of ultra-processed foods and how they are bad for our health and well-being. Do you become confused? I know I do. This is my simplistic interpretation of how I believe foods are classified. Please keep in mind that I am not an expert, and the visuals I've selected are only a few examples from each of the four categories.

Unprocessed or minimally processed
Processed Ingredients
Processed Foods
Ultra-Processed Foods

Produce such as eggs, fish, fruit, nuts, pulses, seeds, and vegetables will have no added ingredients and therefore are not processed.

Eggs, fruit and vegetables, fish, milk, steak, nuts and seeds on white background.

Oils, salt, sugar and vinegars are the processed ingredients we add to food when cooking at home.

Oils and vinegars, salt, honey, sugar and butter on white background.

Foods such as white bread, tinned fruit and vegetables, jams, and pickles are processed foods.

Bacon, bread, cheese, ham, salted peanuts, canned food fruit and vegetables plus jar of jam. on white background.

Ultra-processed food is defined as any food that is not cooked or created from scratch at home. Chemicals, colourings, and sweeteners are added to foods purchased to improve their look, flavour, or texture.

Cake, breakfast cereals, crisps, white sliced bread, ready-meals and fizzy drinks on white background.

When shopping, check the food labels; on average, ultra-processed foods include five extra substances. Artificial colours and flavours, emulsifiers, preservatives, and sweeteners extend the shelf life of ultra-processed meals. As a result, we're unlikely to use these additions to home cooking. This means that the foods are ultra-processed, which is why cooking from scratch at home is always the healthier option.

What are the health risks of eating ultra-processed foods?

Higher risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or a stroke
Anxiety and depression
Obesity
Sleep problems
Type 2 diabetes

The question we must ask ourselves is whether the foods we eat exacerbate our symptoms. Healthy eating is about personal choice. Each of us who lives with lymphoedema wants to improve our overall health and our immune systems. Look for triggers that increase swelling, are there days when you are more tired than usual? Is the food you're eating making you unwell? Only you can tell.