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Archive for the ‘Good Food’ Category

3 Vegetables That Lower High Blood Pressure

26 Jan

When your doctor tells you that you have a high blood pressure or hypertension, it signals that your health is at risk. Hypertension exposes you to heart diseases and stroke. These two belong to the top three conditions that kill many Americans annually.

How Do You Know That You Have High Blood Pressure?

A simple blood pressure test done by a doctor or nurse will determine if you have high blood pressure or not. Or if you have a device to check it at home, you can do that too. A reading below 120/80 is considered the normal blood pressure.

Once your blood pressure hovers over the 120/80-139/89 level, then you have what is called prehypertension. You don’t have high blood pressure yet, but unless you take steps to lower it, then your chances of having it will increase in the future.

Finally, if you reach the 140/90 level and above, then you already have high blood pressure. You should now take serious steps to normalize it. Otherwise, you run the risk of suffering from heart diseases and stroke, as we mentioned earlier.

How Can You Lower Your Blood Pressure?

Changing your diet is one of the first steps you should take to lower your blood pressure. This is especially the case if you are accustomed to eating foods that are high in fat and cholesterol since these two things contribute a lot to having hypertension.

There’s a diet plan called DASH which stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”. This diet plan involves eating foods that are low in saturated and total fat, and cholesterol. Also, people under this plan are required to eat whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables, among other healthy foods.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables to Combat Hypertension

Eating fruits and vegetables is one of the most effective ways of dealing with high blood pressure. Why? Because these foods are effective in flushing cholesterol out of your system. Aside from that, they do not contain cholesterol. Thus, you don’t add more cholesterol to your body when you eat fruits and vegetables.

Vegetables that are Effective Vs. Hypertension

If you’re looking for vegetables that should be a part of your diet, then refer to the list below.

  1. Spinach – this green leafy vegetable is a rich source of fiber which helps flush out cholesterol from your blood stream. High cholesterol levels contribute to hypertension because it clogs your arteries, making your heart work harder to pump more blood through these narrow arteries.
  2. Sweet potatoes – are also a good source of fiber so always have them on your menu to counter hypertension.
  3. Tomatoes – are rich in potassium. Although the relation between potassium and lower blood pressure is only suggested and not completely established, potassium-rich foods such as tomatoes are still widely considered to prevent hypertension and stroke.

How You can Fight Hypertension Effectively

Of course, it isn’t enough that you just eat healthy in the hopes that it will lower your blood pressure. You should also combine it with regular exercise and healthy living to maximize your chances of putting up a better fight against hypertension.

Eat plenty and different variety of vegetables. Find out how to ensure their freshness and wholesomeness, and how to use them to enhance the quality of food at your table at http://www.thevege.com

 
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Posted in Good Food, Health Concerns

 

The Wonders of Omega-3 Fish Oil

15 Oct

By John Roland

Omega-3 fish oil, is fish oil that contains Omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Three of these fatty acids are of important nutritional value and are beneficial to our health. Who among us does not want to be healthy? Among other things Omega 3 is said to improve circulation, help with diabetes, arthritis and depression. Aid the immune system, help with learning and behavioural problems and improve memory in old age. Fish oil has recently also been shown to be beneficial during pregnancy. It is also now thought to be so beneficial to the development of unborn babies that it is being re-recommended that pregnant women eat a small amount of fish each week to assure a small minimum intake. It is believed the benefits outweigh the dangers of the presence of trace amounts of heavy metals such as mercury which until now have stopped most pregnant women from eating fish or seafood. Fish oil tablets offer a safe alternative as manufacturers of tablets and gel, process the oil to remove any base metals (not all manufacturers remove base metals be sure to check before buying). These are just a few of the potential health benefits being looked into. Perhaps one of the most interesting areas of research regarding Omega-3 fatty acids is the possibility that they are actually necessary to our mental health, and can help reduce the incidence of depression.

The supplements are processed from fish oils which are found naturally in some fatty fish. The fish do not make the omega-3, they collect it from algae they eat in the water. The most common source of omega-3 rich fish oils are from salmon, herring, anchovies, mackerel and sardines. Tuna also contains it but only in small amounts. By far the easiest way to include it in your diet is to take tablets or gel capsules.

It sounds great but is any of this hype true? As with all medical claims it can take some time to verify each individual claim and research into these areas of medicine and psychology can take years to release conclusive results. However, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) in 2006 recognized two types of Omega-3 fatty acids as having valid health merit, those were eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. In short they admitted that Omega-3 fatty acids were shown to be beneficial in the treatment of coronary artery disease. More recently, as mentioned above, the FDA have reversed an older recommendation for pregnant women not to eat seafood for fear of heavy metals, claiming that the benefits outweigh the risk of harm from a small intake of fish.

Contrary to popular belief fish oil capsules and tablets do not taste like fish, they taste like any other natural vitamin supplement, so for those of you out there that don’t like the taste of fish you need not worry. There are several different sources of omega-3 fatty acids, the most common and readily available is in capsules and tablets, but you can also get it from regular dietary intake of fish, flax seeds or walnuts.

Omega-3 fatty acids can be easily damaged essentially voiding their nutritional value. They can go rancid on contact with air, heat or oxygen. That is why you should never cook with fish oil, flax seed oil or walnut oil. They are in-fact best consumed raw. Because of the sensitive nature of omega-3 fatty acids they need to be stored carefully in cool, dry and dark places such as the fridge or freezer. Purchasing omega-3 oil with added vitamin E is recommended if possible as vitamin E protects the omega-3 as it is an antioxidant.

Omega-3 Fish oils are easy to obtain and cheap, why not try some and see if they do infact make you feel a little better! For more information on Omega-3 fish oil please visit http://www.omega-3-fish-oil.info

 
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Posted in Good Food

 

Nutritious and Disgusting!

05 Jul

The SparkPeople Staff taste-test some fairly common, nutritionally-sound yet disgusting supplements. Enjoy!

Nutrition doesn’t have to be this hard!

 
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Posted in Distractions, Good Food

 

Are Eggs Making a Comeback?

07 Jun

A recent study at Louisiana State University found that women who had two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight than women who ate a bagel instead and lost a significant number of inches as well. Does that mean that eggs are going to become the new “it” diet food?

About three weeks ago, I had a consultation with a weight loss specialist. They told me something rather interesting: That eating an egg (yolk and all) for breakfast within 30 minutes of waking actually speeds up weight loss.

The reason? Eggs release slow-acting insulin, which means that you’re burning calories and fat for a full 3 hours. Since eggs are fairly low calorie on their own (65-80 per egg), that means quite a fat burn over the course of 3 hours. Eggs also contain small amounts of cholesterol and fat, which help control junk-food cravings. Eating a hard-boiled egg when you get out of the shower and then eating a modest meal 3 hours later is a good fat-burning plan for the morning hours (and can help prevent you from eating a lot at your desk).

This works best when you’re eating 5-6 modest meals a day, as it boosts the metabolism a great deal and in turn helps you burn fat better. But really you could incorporate this with any diet type as a first-thing-in-the-morning snack. :)

So a hard-boiled egg for breakfast, a nice mid-day snack, a healthy lunch, an afternoon snack and a reasonable, healthy dinner will make for improved weight loss.

Eggs get a bad rep for having cholesterol and fat in them, but in combination with a healthy diet and a little exercise, they can be a blessing in disguise. And at about 80 calories per large egg, they have half the calories of 1oz. of peanuts and just as much protein. Combine them with a salad, a slice of bread or piece of fruit, and you have the perfect afternoon snack.

–Griffin Boyce

 
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Posted in Diets, Good Food, On Losing Weight

 

Nutrition Fact Sheet: Dietary Fiber

23 Apr

Nutrition Fact Sheet: Dietary Fiber

This is a long article, but it’s a great read — and it includes a list of common food and how they stack up in terms of fiber content. –Griffin

Dietary fiber is the class of compounds consisting of nondigestible polysaccharides found in plant cell walls. Different types of dietary fiber can be distinguished by viscosity, fermentability, and fecal-bulking or water-binding properties. Insoluble and soluble fibers are differentiated primarily by viscosity. Although dietary sources of fiber typically consist of both types of fiber, soluble or viscous fiber is more concentrated in oats, barley, soybeans, dried beans and peas, and citrus fruit while insoluble or nonviscous fiber is concentrated in whole wheat and most vegetables. Viscosity is important physiologically because it slows transit in the small intestines allowing nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently. This property is beneficial for regulation of blood glucose and of appetite, and may also reduce the quantity of bile acids reabsorbed. The primary health benefits of insoluble fiber relate to its water-binding capacity which reduces transit time in the large bowel. Reduced transit time promotes regularity and minimizes risk of colon cancer by decreasing the time that coloncytes are exposed to potentially carcinogenic wastes.

Both types of fiber may be fermentable by intestinal microflora, but soluble fiber usually has a higher fermentability. Fermentation benefits the intestines because it provides fuel for microbial proliferation. Rapidly proliferating microorganisms will utilize nitrogenous wastes that are potentially carcinogenic when allowed to accumulate in the colon. These increased numbers of microbes are added to fecal bulk and excreted with nonfermentable insoluble fiber. Fermentation also yields short chain fatty acids, propionate, butyrate, and acetate, which are absorbed by the coloncytes. Absorption of these polar acids facilitates the absorption of sodium and water thus improving fluid balance. Butyrate is utilized as a fuel source by the coloncytes, while propionate is transported to skeletal muscle and acetate is transported to liver where it participates in feedback inhibition of hepatic cholesterol synthesis.

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Posted in Diets, Good Food, Weight Loss Tips

 
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