Excellent video on blood pressureThis video on blood pressure is very educational and worth sharing with your contacts. If you lined up all the blood vessels in your body, they’d be 60 thousand miles long. And every day, they carry the equivalent of over two thousand gallons of blood to the body’s tissues. What effect does this pressure have on the walls of the blood vessels?Wilfred Manzano gives the facts on blood pressure.
A must watch video for all...
Top 5 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
Source: http://www.healthcastle.com/top-5-ways-lower-blood-pressure
1. Eat Lots of Fruit and Vegetables
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is effective in shaving points from your blood pressure reading. I don't want to go into detail preaching why fruit and veggies are good for you; you already know. Colorful, dark-colored produce like berries, grapes, kale, and peppers are also rich in antioxidants, which are beneficial in protecting your blood vessels. In addition, these low-calorie produce items help with managing your weight, which in turn helps control your blood pressure. Think about it: Your stomach can only hold a certain volume of food. If you're eating lots of veggies, you are eating less of other foods. One cup of veggies on your plate has at least five times fewer calories than an equal volume of meat.
2. Limit Salt and Highly Processed Foods
The salt shaker is not the main culprit when referring to salt intake; processed packaged foods are. I call them "highly processed foods" (HPFs) in my book Go UnDiet. These HPFs are manufactured foods beyond necessity. Think of pink wieners, fat-free chips, pre-fried instant noodles, and so on. They are often loaded with sodium.
3. Bump Up Potassium and Calcium
These both help to regulate blood pressure. Eat more potassium-rich foods such as beans, lentils, tofu, and potatoes, and calcium-rich foods from dairy, whole soy, canned fish with bones, or other fortified products.
4. Avoid Certain Supplements
Ephedra, ginseng, licorice, and feverfew may increase blood pressure. Check with your doctor before taking these supplements.
5. Eat Lots of Whole Grains
It is time to eat more than just white rice and pasta. The latest review of 13 epidemiological studies found that each serving of whole grains eaten was associated with a 7% reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for body inflammation and an independent predictor of heart disease and diabetes. So, explore other grains in the bulk bin aisle. Grains like quinoa and millet take the shortest time to cook. I like more chewy grains like farro, wheat berries, brown rice, and wild rice; they often add texture to my dishes.
The Bottom Line
In addition to the above, watching your overall calorie intake and incorporating regular physical activities can help you shed a few pounds, an important way to reduce high blood pressure.
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9 Blood Sugar–Lowering Foods
http://rodalenews.com/how-lower-blood-sugar?cm_mmc=twitter-_-prevention-_-rodale-_-9bloodsugarloweringfoods
Why Lower Your Blood Sugar?
It is no exaggeration—balancing your blood sugar could be a matter of life or death. Chronic high blood sugar levels are toxic to your body, destroying organs and blood vessels and paving the way to a heart attack, type 2 diabetes, stroke, dialysis, nerve damage, erectile dysfunction, or even blindness. The good news? Out-of-control sugar levels can be reigned in and regulated with the right foods.
We turned to The Carb Sensitivity Program, leading naturopathic doctor Natasha Turner's breakthrough book, to find the most potent blood sugar–lowering foods so you know how to lower blood sugar levels naturally…
Blueberries
Blood Sugar Benefit: A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2010 found a daily dose of the bioactive ingredients from blueberries increases sensitivity to insulin and may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in at-risk individuals. That's important because too many carbs produces too much insulin, which could lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Adding blueberries to daily smoothies for six weeks also improves insulin sensitivity, so feel free to eat healthy doses of the superfood fruit, too.
Added Perk: Low in naturally occurring sugars, blueberries are also packed with antioxidants that fight damage from free radicals, accelerated aging, and diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's.
Avocados
Blood Sugar Benefit: Don't let the fat content of avocados fool you—they're still good for you! Avocados are full of monounsaturated fat, the kind that helps slow the release of sugars into the bloodstream, prompting less insulin release.
Added Perk: Avocados contain beta-sitosterol, a compound that could help quell inflammation after an intense workout. Just limit yourself to one-quarter of an avocado at a time to avoid calorie overload.
Chia Seed
Blood Sugar Benefit: This ancient gluten-free grain stabilizes blood sugar, manages the effects of diabetes, improves insulin sensitivity, and aids symptoms related to metabolic syndrome, including imbalances in cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and extreme rises in blood sugar levels after meals.
Added Perk: The tiny seeds are potent anti-inflammatory agents and also tout fiber, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Cinnamon
Blood Sugar Benefit: A 2003 study in the journal Diabetes Care showed that cinnamon may cause muscle and liver cells to respond more readily to insulin, thereby improving weight loss. Better response to insulin means better blood sugar balance and, therefore, less insulin released into your body.
Added Perk: Cinnamon also seems to reduce several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood sugar and levels of triglycerides, LDL ("bad")cholesterol, and total cholesterol. Just ½ teaspoon a day for 20 days is enough to improve your insulin response and lower blood sugar by up to 20 percent!
Spices
Blood Sugar Benefit: According to a 2005 animal study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, a food-seasoning spice mixture containing various spices improved metabolism of both glucose and cholesterol, reducing blood sugar and insulin levels.
Added Perk: Fenugreek seeds and turmeric are particularly antidiabetic, but in some studies cumin seeds, ginger, mustard, curry leaves, and coriander also show diabetes-fighting properties.
Olive Oil
Blood Sugar Benefit: Olive oil, rich in the same monounsaturated fat found in avocados, prevents not only belly fat accumulation, but also insulin resistance.
Added Perk: Olive oil encourages the release of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin.
Eggs
Blood Sugar Benefit: A study published in 2008 in the International Journal of Obesityfound overweight and obese people given two eggs a day for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight than those eating a similar breakfast without eggs. The researchers said eating eggs may control hunger by reducing the post-meal insulin response and control appetite by preventing large fluctuations in both glucose and insulin levels.
Added Perk: Studies show people who eat eggs for breakfast eat fewer calories for the entire day, as well as for the next 36 hours.
Vinegar
Blood Sugar Benefit: Vinegar has been found to blunt blood sugar and insulin increases, as well as heighten the sensation of fullness after a higher-carbohydrate meal. An Arizona State University study found people who started a meal with a vinegar drink enjoyed better blood sugar and insulin profiles following meals.
Added Perk: The blood sugar–balancing effect of vinegar seems to work even better in people with prediabetes compared to people with normal insulin sensitivity. Look for white or apple cider vinegar, but look out for balsamic—it contains more sugar.
Cherries
Blood Sugar Benefit: Cherries contain naturally occurring chemicals called anthocyanins, which could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found anthocyanins could reduce insulin production by 50 percent.
Added Perk: Anthocyanin-loaded cherries may also protect against heart disease and cancer.
The Real Way to Lose Weight
The secret to becoming slimmer and healthier: Pinpoint the right amount and type of carbs for your body. Instead of nixing carbs for good, naturopathic doctor Natasha Turner has developed an individualized plan to help you figure out which carbs will actually help you lose weight.
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