blood pressure
Eat Grapes to Protect Your Heart
You've been told to cut back on your sodium to reduce your blood pressure. How about potassium? Increasing the amount of potassium you consume speeds up your body’s ability to flush sodium out. In addition to bananas, try other potassium rich foods, such as baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, orange juice, winter squash, tomato puree, lima beans, cantelope, and yogurt.
Flush Out Sodium with Potassium-rich Bananas
You've been told to cut back on your sodium to reduce your blood pressure. How about potassium? Increasing the amount of potassium you consume speeds up your body’s ability to flush sodium out. In addition to bananas, try other potassium rich foods, such as baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, orange juice, winter squash, tomato puree, lima beans, cantelope, and yogurt.
Say "Ohm!"
Did you ever wonder what really goes on when people meditate? Thai researchers have studied the effects of meditation and found that after meditation, serum cortisol levels were significantly reduced, serum total protein level significantly increased, and systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and pulse rate significantly reduced.
Practice Downward Dog
Break out that exercise mat: Regular yoga and meditation have been found to lower blood pressure. Researchers in a Yale University study found that a six-week yoga and meditation program improved blood vessel function by 17 percent in those who are healthy and an amazing 70 percent in those who already have heart disease. Yoga also helps reduce stress and improve flexibility.
Monitor Your Blood Pressure While Taking Birth Control Pills
Taking birth control pills? Have your blood pressure checked at least twice a year. The risk of high blood pressure while on the pill goes up if you are overweight, smoke, have a family history of hypertension or had high blood pressure during pregnancy. If you fall into one of those categories, you may want to consider an alternate birth control method.
Roundtable: High Blood Pressure
Did you know that one in three American women have high blood pressure, which is another name for hypertension? It is a leading risk factor for heart disease, but one that can usually be controlled and sometimes even prevented.
Top Cereal or Oatmeal with Flaxseed
Flaxseed contains soluble fiber and alpha linolenic acid (ALA), both of which are thought to improve heart health. Soluble fiber, like the fiber found in oatmeal, can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, while ALA, a heart healthy Omega 3, may improve inflammation, ease arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and lower blood pressure.
Track Your Resting Heart Rate
Post-menopausal women with a resting heart rate of 76 beats per minute or above are much more likely to have a heart attack than those with a resting heart rate of 62 beats per minute or lower, found researchers at George Washington University. A woman’s resting heart rate is theorized to be as an important an indicator as cholesterol or blood pressure.
Pay Attention to Neck Size
A large neck may be linked with an increased risk of heart disease in both men and women, found researchers in a recent Framingham Heart Study. Those who had larger necks were also more likely to have higher levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and higher blood pressure. If you suspect you may be at risk, schedule an appointment with your doctor for a heart health screening.
Shelve the Salt Shaker
A recent study found that if Americans cut just one gram of salt from their diet every day, there would be 250,000 fewer new cases of heart disease each year. Salt has long been known to raise blood pressure rates, which can lead to heart disease. Most of the sodium in American diets comes from canned soups and frozen meals so always read labels.
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