The BP Monitor » Healthy http://thebpmonitor.com How's Your Blood Pressure? Issues, support, and treatments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:30:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Is It Healthy To Have Low Blood Pressure?http://thebpmonitor.com/is-it-healthy-to-have-low-blood-pressure/ http://thebpmonitor.com/is-it-healthy-to-have-low-blood-pressure/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:33:29 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/is-it-healthy-to-have-low-blood-pressure/ Mine is 80 over 120 (or close enough), which i’m told is low. I am a petite adult and weigh 100 pounds, and was wondering if low blood pressure has any related health risks?

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/is-it-healthy-to-have-low-blood-pressure/feed/ 20 Does Anyone Know Of A Healthy Way To Raise Low Blood Pressure?http://thebpmonitor.com/does-anyone-know-of-a-healthy-way-to-raise-low-blood-pressure/ http://thebpmonitor.com/does-anyone-know-of-a-healthy-way-to-raise-low-blood-pressure/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:19:16 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/does-anyone-know-of-a-healthy-way-to-raise-low-blood-pressure/ My blood pressure is too low and I get head spins when I get up too quickly. Does anyone know of a HEALTHY way to raise blood pressure?

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/does-anyone-know-of-a-healthy-way-to-raise-low-blood-pressure/feed/ 6 Know Any Heart Healthy Diets To Lower Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, And Blood Pressure?http://thebpmonitor.com/know-any-heart-healthy-diets-to-lower-blood-sugar-cholesterol-and-blood-pressure/ http://thebpmonitor.com/know-any-heart-healthy-diets-to-lower-blood-sugar-cholesterol-and-blood-pressure/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:33:51 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/know-any-heart-healthy-diets-to-lower-blood-sugar-cholesterol-and-blood-pressure/ My dad needs to follow a diet that will be more heart healthy. He has very high blood pressure, high cholesterol(around 200), and high blood sugar and almost has diabetes. All of this is making it hard to know what he can eat. Anyone have any tips? Thanks!

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/know-any-heart-healthy-diets-to-lower-blood-sugar-cholesterol-and-blood-pressure/feed/ 4 How To Stay Active And Healthy Despite Having Hypertension And Diabetes?http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-stay-active-and-healthy-despite-having-hypertension-and-diabetes/ http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-stay-active-and-healthy-despite-having-hypertension-and-diabetes/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:47:37 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-stay-active-and-healthy-despite-having-hypertension-and-diabetes/ I am 56 years old, currently on medication for hypertension and diabetes. Still working, but work is rather stressful and thought of resigning. Any advice?

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-stay-active-and-healthy-despite-having-hypertension-and-diabetes/feed/ 4 What Are Good Foods To Eat That Lower Blood Pressure In A Healthy Way?http://thebpmonitor.com/what-are-good-foods-to-eat-that-lower-blood-pressure-in-a-healthy-way/ http://thebpmonitor.com/what-are-good-foods-to-eat-that-lower-blood-pressure-in-a-healthy-way/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:35:30 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/what-are-good-foods-to-eat-that-lower-blood-pressure-in-a-healthy-way/ Foods high in potassium such as bananas.

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/what-are-good-foods-to-eat-that-lower-blood-pressure-in-a-healthy-way/feed/ 1 How To Lower High Blood Pressure In Healthy Teen?http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-lower-high-blood-pressure-in-healthy-teen/ http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-lower-high-blood-pressure-in-healthy-teen/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:33:22 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-lower-high-blood-pressure-in-healthy-teen/ I’m 16 and have inherited high blood pressure from my mom. They have ran numerous tests(kidneys, blood, urine, etc) and have found all to be normal. I am athletic and eat rather healthy compared to most teenagers. I rarely ever drink soda and never add salt to my food. What are some ways to lower my blood pressure? Eat more fruits and vegetables? Drink more water? I REALLY do not want to live the rest of my life taking a pill to keep my blood pressure low.

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/how-to-lower-high-blood-pressure-in-healthy-teen/feed/ 3 The Wonders Of Wheathttp://thebpmonitor.com/the-wonders-of-wheat/ http://thebpmonitor.com/the-wonders-of-wheat/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:05:57 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/the-wonders-of-wheat/ Wheat is one of our oldest harvested grains, first cultivated over five thousand years ago. Wheat germ is the embryo of the wheat berry (a wheat kernel that hasn’t been heated, milled, or polished), and it’s loaded with nutrition. Two tablespoons, at only 52 calories, have 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fibre, 41 micrograms of folate, a third of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of vitamin E, along with high levels of thiamine, manganese, selenium, vitamin B6, and potassium together with reasonable levels of iron and zinc. Wheat germ, like flaxseed, is also one of the few sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids. Just 2 tablespoons-the serving size of wheat germ – of Kretschmer toasted wheat germ have 100 milligrams of beneficial omega-3 fatty acidsWheat germ contains phytosterols that play a role in reducing cholesterol absorption. A recent clinical trial reported that slightly less than 6 tablespoons of wheat germ per day caused a 42.8 percent reduction in cholesterol absorption among the human volunteers in the study.Sprinkle wheat germ on yogurt, cold cereal or hot oatmeal. Add it to pancake and muffin mix and into quick breads. When you think that only 2 tablespoons of wheat germ can significantly boost your day’s nutrition, why not keep a jar of it in the fridge.Few issues in the diet and nutrition wars are more confusing than carbohydrates. Low-carb diets have increased the confusion: they’ve drawn attention to carbohydrates, but unfortunately have oversimplified the issue of protein versus carbs. Many people have come to believe that carbs equal weight gain and are bad. Foods are now being labelled with banners that claim “no-carb” or “carb-free.” Consumers trying to lose weight are being told that eating carbs will destroy any hope of weight loss. What’s been lost in this battle, at least for many consumers, is the fact that, like fats and proteins, not all carbs are created equal.Carbohydrates are found in a large number of foods, from table sugar to vegetables, to beans, and whole grains. A teaspoon of sugar is a carb. So is a slice of whole grain bread. You can guess which is better for you, but you may not know why. A whole grain, whether it’s oats, barley, wheat, bulgur, or a host of others, contains every part of the grain. The three parts include:• The bran: a health-promoting, fibre-rich outer layer that contains B vitamins, minerals, protein, and other phytochemicals.• The endosperm: the middle layer that contains carbohydrates, proteins, and a small amount of B vitamins.• The germ: the nutrient-packed inner layer that contains B vitamins, vitamin E, and other phytochemicals.It’s the synergy of these three components that makes whole grains life enhancing. The refined carbs described earlier have been stripped of their health-promoting parts. When grains are “refined” to make white flour or white rice, for example, the bran and the germ, and all their powerful nutrients, antioxidants, and phytonutrients are stripped away, leaving a starchy substance that is to whole grain what soda is to 100 percent fruit juice. They can make it into bread, but they can’t make it healthy! Whole grains are essential to health. They provide fibre, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other nutrients that are simply not available in any other effectively synergistic package. All healthy diets rely on them. Despite the fact that whole grains form the basis of most food pyramids, indicating that they should be a significant part of our diet, many North Americans fail to eat even one whole grain serving a day! Men and women who eat whole grains have a reduced risk of twenty types of cancer, according to a 1998 review of forty observational studies, published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.Whole grains also benefit the heart, according to an analysis of data from the Iowa Women’s Health Study, a nine-year study of more than 34,000 postmenopausal women. When all other factors were considered, it was found that women who ate a serving or more of whole grain foods each day had a 14 to 19 percent lower overall mortality rate than those who rarely or never ate whole grains. It really is a tragedy that we consume so few whole grains and so much refined grains. If we could shift that balance, we would all be much healthier. We’ve already seen how oats can lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar. The complete list of the health-promoting abilities of whole grains is quite long.Vitamin E intake from food, not supplements, has been inversely related to the risk of stroke. Whole grains and nuts are the two major sources of whole food vitamin E.Whole grain consumption has been linked to a reduction in the risk of strokes. In the Nurses’ Health Study, among the group that never smoked, a median intake of 2.7 servings of whole grains a day was associated with a 50 percent reduction in the risk of ischemic stroke. Given that less than 8 percent of adults in the U.S. consume more than three servings of whole grains a day, it’s clear we are missing a major health opportunity. One study in the Journal of the American Medical Association studied young adults and found those with the highest fibre intake had the lowest diastolic blood pressure readings. Hypertension is consistently the most important risk factor for stroke. Researchers estimated that a 2-millimeter decrease in diastolic blood pressure would result in a 17 percent decrease in the prevalence of hypertension and a 15 percent reduction in risk for stroke. Whole grains form an important part of the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; see website http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/) that has repeatedly been found to lower blood pressure.Whole grains are also helpful in preventing coronary artery disease. In the same Nurses’ Health Study mentioned earlier, women who consumed a median of 2% whole grain servings a day experienced more than a 30 percent lowered risk of coronary artery disease.Whole grains contain folate, which helps to lower serum levels of homocysteine – an independent risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular disease.

]]> http://thebpmonitor.com/the-wonders-of-wheat/feed/ 0 Top 10 Healthy Food Alternativeshttp://thebpmonitor.com/top-10-healthy-food-alternatives/ http://thebpmonitor.com/top-10-healthy-food-alternatives/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:14:44 +0000 htnguy http://thebpmonitor.com/top-10-healthy-food-alternatives/ If you talk to the average person about dieting, they’ll usually assume it’s about deprivation and misery. It may be difficult to reign in some of your nasty habits at first, but it doesn’t have to be a miserable experience in the long run. And you certainly don’t have to deprive yourself of good tasting, satisfying foods. It’s just a matter of a few simple substitutions, and you will be well on your way to weighing less.

The following are 10 food substitutions that will save you thousands of calories over the course of a year, and not be bland or boring in the process.

1. Instead of chocolate, try carob. Chocolate is first on the list because it’s first on most people’s list of guilty pleasures. I’m not here to tell you to do away with anything forever. Moderation is key to lasting health.

In fact, dark chocolate has gotten good press in recent years for having potent antioxidants that fight free radicals, destructive molecules that are connected to heart disease and other ailments. But if you like to do more than dabble in chocolate’s decadent sweetness, try to substitute the little known carob, a Mediterranean tree that produces pea-like pods that produce the sweet concoction.

It’s not that carob is superior nutritiously, but it has a couple things going for it: Carob has 51 calories per ounce to cocoa powders

98. But even more significant is that carob is naturally sweeter than (or, perhaps more accurately, not as bitter as) chocolate, so you don’t have to use as much sugar with it in recipes.

2. Instead of white bread, switch to whole wheat. I grew up on white bread, but have spent most of my adult life exclusively buying whole wheat. Once you go whole wheat, you wonder how Wonder Bread ever tasted like bread to you. Since it’s whole grain it has more nuanced and substantive taste. White bread is bleached flour (does that even sound close to healthy?) and is enriched with things like high fructose corn syrup. Whole wheat bread is unprocessed, so your body has to spend energy (calories) digesting it.

Be a wary shopper, because not all wheat breads are created equal.

Manufactures will try to trick you with fancy word plays on wheat. Make sure that the first ingredient is a “whole” grain.

3. Instead of a salad dressing, try vinegar. Salad dressings are a great way to kill a perfectly healthy salad with hundreds of useless calories. Use a balsamic vinegar and it will add nary a calorie to your salad.

4. Drop the dip and use salsa. Tomatoes, cilantro, onions, maybe garlic… have you heard anything that sounds unhealthy? Then I think you know why salsa is a much better choice than most chip dips. Chips aren’t exactly a healthy snack, but if you’re going to indulge now and again, the least you can do is cut out the fatty processed creamy dips.

5. of those aforementioned chips, you should try more air-popped popcorn. Do you know anyone who doesn’t like popcorn? Either do I. You’ll also like that a cup of popcorn has about 30 calories compared to 140 calories in an ounce of tortilla chips. And we all know an ounce of chips isn’t going to be where you stop.

6. Bacon… any way you slice it, turkey is better than pork. Bacon is probably the single biggest reason many of us can’t be vegetarians.

It’s a fatty vice that’s hard to quit. Purdue turkey bacon has about 50 calories in 2 slices and 1 gram of saturated fat, where some regular pork versions can have 14 times the saturated fat and more than twice the calories.

7. Turkey burger instead of beef. Turkey shows up again on our list, this time in place of your usual beef burgers. Since there’s less fat, some people may miss the flavor it adds. But even the most stubborn of beef backers can grow to love the lower fat turkey version. Once you put on all your favorite toppings (lettuce, pickle, tomato) the difference is really negligible.

Don’t assume that all ground turkey is leaner than beef. Some are packaged with dark meat and even fat-laden skin. As always, be a smart consumer and read the nutrition labels.

8. Instead of a full-fat creamer, go nonfat. It won’t take long for you to get acclimated to the non-fat version, and if you have a couple coffees a day those calories can really add up.

9. Sack the soda and try sparkling water. I know, you’re thinking… water? But if you spike it with a few twists of lemon or lime it becomes a flavorful drink. Besides saving calories, you also avoid some of the other soda ingredients (sugar, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate) that may cause long-term health issues.

10. Instead of salt, spice food with herbs. The preference for salt is a learned behavior. Which means you can unlearn it. If you are adventurous in the kitchen, try using garlic, oregano, pepper, sage, tarragon, turmeric, cinnamon, and other herbs and spices. If you want the easy way out, Mrs. Dash comes in all kinds of no-sodium, no-calorie combinations.

Using these tips you can limit the amount of diets and your time spent on diet reviews. Don’t forget to check out the diets in review diet blog for more healthy tips!

Visit Diets in Review For all your diet review needs! Today’s popular diet reviews are: Ephedrine | Biggest Loser Club | Jillian Michaels | Check out more diet reviews at Diets In Review
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