Here’s to Your Health!
Did you know that there are certain foods you can eat to help lower your blood pressure, naturally? It’s True!
Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
The following 10 foods are just a handful of healthy, nutritious fruits, herbs, spices and vegetables that will get you started in helping to lower your high blood pressure, naturally. In addition, you should combine these foods with a healthy life-style, which includes: walking at least 30 - 45 minutes each day, getting between 7-8 hours of sleep per night, reducing stress and relaxing, monitoring your portion sizes during each meal, and of course, not smoking or doing any type of recreation drugs, etc.
Fresh Ginger - A study in more than 4,000 people found that those who consumed the most ginger — 2–4 grams per day — had the lowest risk of developing high blood pressure.
Celery - Eat 2 - 4 short stalks - chopped, per day.
Purple Potatoes - One medium purple potato a day.
Fresh Garlic - Use it to flavor many foods. It has powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.
Green Apples such as Granny Smith - The pectin found in these tart green apples helps lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and promotes healthy blood pressures.
Onions- Cook with them to flavor many foods.
Bananas - This fruit is packed full of potassium — an important blood pressure-lowering mineral. Potassium helps balance sodium in the body.
Watermelon - Research has found that the nutrients in watermelon reduce blood pressure and improve circulation to support heart health.
Dark Chocolate - Researchers found that participants who ate 25 g of dark chocolate daily for 8 weeks had significantly lower blood pressure than those who ate the same quantity of white chocolate.
Raisins - Raisins are packed with potassium, which is known to lower blood pressure. Eat a handful a day!
Avocados - The monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados may be beneficial in preventing chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.
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April is Stress Awareness Month
Stress is a condition that we all struggle with from time to time. Whether we are stressing as a student about successfully completing tests and final exams, waiting for the lab results from our doctor, dealing with a no-nonsense supervisor at work, complaining co-workers, aging parents, or confused adolescents, life happens! And, there will come a time in a person’s life when they come to a stressful crossroads when they’ll need answers to calm their nerves and frustrations.
Symptoms of Stress
Most of us know what can cause stress, but many may not recognize the symptoms of stress which can vary from person to person.
For some, stress will appear as a headache or migraine. For others, stress shows up as:
Exhaustion
Insomnia
Impatience
Irritability
Restlessness
Anger
Mood Swings
Memory Loss
Obsessive Working,
Compulsions such as over eating, drug abuse, depression, and even isolation and loneliness.
Stress affects us both emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
But the problem with chronic stress is that it is not only bothersome, but even minor or moderate levels of stress can weaken the immune system. Stress results in a series of biochemical events in the body that ultimately suppress the activity of white blood cells, depleting the body of needed nutrients, and leading to persistent colds, flu, rashes, gastrointestinal upsets, aches and pains, just to name a few.
Chronic, daily, hard-core, persistent stress can eventually led to heart attacks, strokes, the onset of diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety and depression.
The following are stress busters that have proven to reduce and erase stress.
Take time out to de-stress with:
Prayer and Meditation
Yoga
Walking outdoors in nature
Swimming
Taking a warm bath
Aromatherapy
Dancing
Reading a good book
Listening to soothing, relaxing music
Getting a body or foot massage
Drinking a cup of chamomile tea
Singing
Talking to a good friend
Deep breathing
Stretching
Laughing
So take time out today to self-evaluate yourself for symptoms which indicate that you are stressed, then try some of the above methods to de-stress. Also, make sure you are getting your yearly physical exams. Slow down and relax!
Remember, Rome wasn’t build in a day! It’s not that serious!
April’s Health Tip
