Have you ever found one of those big, nasty bruise somewhere on your body that looks like you must have taken a beating or been in a wreck, yet you have absolutely no idea when or how it happened? That used to happen to me several years ago, and I thought it was just a part of getting older.

A bruise, or contusion, occurs when a blunt impact causes the capillaries (small blood vessels) near the surface of your skin to break, and the blood leaks into surrounding tissue, which turns your skin a dark bluish- to blackish-purple color. The blood is eventually reabsorbed within a few days and the color fades back to normal.

Two things that contribute to how easily you bruise include the strength of your capillaries and how well your blood clots. Weaker capillaries rupture more easily upon impact to the skin; stronger capillaries can take more impact before rupturing. And the better your blood can clot, the quicker it will block fresh blood from leaking into surrounding tissue, reducing the amount of bruising. In the case of bruising, think of clotting as a shut-off valve for blood flowing out of the broken capillaries.

So what does this have to do with diet? As you can probably guess, there are foods that strengthen your capillaries and foods that help your blood clot normally.

Your body needs vitamin C to produce collagen, a protein that strengthens tissues, including blood vessels and capillaries. Lack of vitamin C in your diet leads to increased bruising. Guavas, sweet bell peppers, dark green leafy vegetables, and kiwi fruit are exceptionally high in vitamin C. Other foods that are rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits (oranges, limes), broccoli, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Your body needs vitamin K for normal blood clotting. Lack of vitamin K in your diet results in increased bruising and bleeding. Dark green leafy green vegetables are exceptionally high in vitamin K. other foods that are rich in vitamin K include herbs, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and many other vegetables.

Some foods are rich in both vitamins C and K, and the clear winner is kale, with 120 milligrams vitamin C and 705 micrograms vitamin K per 100 grams. Other foods that are rich in both include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, watercress, kiwi fruit, and the spices cayenne pepper and chile powder.

Consuming plenty of these and other vegetables and fruits will assure that you are getting plenty of vitamins C & K in your diet and will help reduce bruising.

A few weeks ago I slammed my arm into the handle of the deadbolt lock on my front door. Ouch! It was painful and I fully expected that I would have a nice, big, dark bruise on my arm. The next day I noticed my arm when I brushed it against something, which reminded me to look for the bruise. But there was no bruise! And no bruise ever did appear.

My whole food plant-based diet is rich in all the foods mentioned above plus many more fruits and vegetables. It must be working because I no longer experience random, unexplained bruising.

Resources

• http://www.healwithfood.org/bruises/
  
• http://www.livestrong.com/article/457940-can-poor-diet-cause-easy-bruising/
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruise 
  
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods 
  
• http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vitamin-C.php
  
• http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php
  

No, I’m not referring to vegan hot dogs. Yes, my dogs are vegan. Or to put it a better way, my dogs are plant-based.

Last weekend as Kona (right) raced around our campsite, running circles around and tiring out one of her younger playmates, a friend walked up and commented as she watched Kona run full speed, lap after lap:

     “Now there’s a great testimonial for a vegan diet for dogs!”

Last October I switched both of my dogs over to V-Dog, a plant-based dry dog food. In addition, I continue to add chopped up fresh veggies and brown rice to their meals, and I always share my green smoothie with Sena (Kona hasn’t taken to the green smoothies). I also sometimes slip a little tofu into their meals as well. And they are both thriving!

The main reason I switched my dogs away from animal-based dog food is the same reason that I stopped eating animal-based food myself. Namely that the science shows over and over again in thousands of peer-reviewed publications that plant-based foods promote excellent health and prevent diseases, while animal-based foods promote poor health.

I know from working in the pharmaceutical industry that efficacy in dogs is tested after efficacy in mice or rats is achieved and often indicates likely efficacy in humans, meaning that if an intended result is achieved in mice or rats, and then in dogs, it will also likely be achieved in humans.

Numerous results indicating efficacy of a plant-based diet for promoting excellent health and preventing chronic degenerative diseases in both mice and humans have been published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. So I hypothesized that dogs should experience similar healthful benefits on a plant-based diet. And while my study population is only two dogs (N=2), I’m happy to report that both of my dogs are full of life and energy for their ages (Sena is 12 and Kona is 5), their coats look like they were just bathed, and so far, two veterinarians have commented on how healthy they both are.

V-Dog derives its protein from peas, lentils, and potato protein, and is loaded with whole plant-based ingredients, including grains (oats, sorghum, quinoa, millet, alfalfa), nuts and seeds (peanuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds), veggies (carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, spinach), and fruit (dried cranberries and blueberries, both powerful antioxidants), along with supplements formulated for pets (V-Dog is available in some pet stores or at www.v-dog.com).

I couldn’t be happier with my decision to feed my fur-babies exclusively plant-based foods, just as I do for myself, so that I can have them around and healthy for as long as possible!