Millions of people around the world live happy, healthy, and contented lives while managing their diabetes on a daily basis.
While it is a chronic health condition, a diabetes diagnosis doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stop eating your favorite foods or lead a mundane life by any means.
It does need to be taken seriously, however, and this means keeping a close eye on your levels and getting to know your body’s habits and requirements in the meantime. Continue reading
A resurgent interest in treating hypertension and high blood pressure with natural methods has shown an inverse correlation between dietary potassium intake and arterial blood pressure. In short, if enough potassium is included in the diet, the arteries are less clogged, and blood can pass through them with ease and efficiency to be recirculated to the heart. In short again, research shows that eating more potassium-rich foods can lower blood pressure and boost heart health.
Other evidence also proves that there may be a link between potassium and the modification of the central or peripheral neural mechanism that regulates blood pressure. Eating more potassium may even be more effective than lowering sodium intake (which isn’t accurate anyway) to control high blood pressure. The recommended daily allowance is at least 4700 mg for both women and men.
Potassium is a mineral which supports the liver, the heart, kidneys and other organs to work properly, so it is important for more than just controlling hypertension. Here are 11 foods rich in potassium which you should incorporate into your diet regularly:
1. Sweet Potatoes – Just one medium sweet potato contains about 550 mg of potassium. They also happen to be full of beta carotene and vitamin A. Continue reading
Magnesium allows the body to absorb calcium, but it also carries out over 300 other functions in the body. This essential mineral makes sure that our nerves can communicate properly, our body maintains a regulated temperature (homeostasis) and can carry out important tasks like detoxification, supplying us with energy, and yes, making healthy teeth and bones. Everyone should know of foods high in magnesium as well as magnesium deficiency symptoms given the importance of this mineral,
Magnesium is not only helpful in maintaining bone strength as we age, it can also improve the symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) as well as menopause for women. Magnesium even helps the body utilize vitamin B6 and reduces migraines, lowers high blood pressure, gets rid of constipation and can even help to remove gallstones.
What’s more, magnesium has been shown to reduce an abnormal heart beat and keep the cardiovascular system in top shape. It can also help with the treatment of diabetes type 2 as well as insomnia and depression.
With all these benefits, you might already be wondering – how do I get enough magnesium? There are many foods that will supply magnesium to your body in its most natural form. After checking to see if you have these magnesium deficiency symptoms, come back here to view this list of 8 foods high in magnesium.
While most doctors prescribe powerful hypertension drugs that cause numerous side effects, there is a simple way to reduce blood pressure and balance cholesterol levels, and it doesn’t come in a bottle. Celery has been used for centuries to treat everything from urinary tract infections to skin conditions, but it is most profoundly useful as a treatment for hypertension. This is due to its high concentrations of a substance called 3-butylphthalide, described by researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center as a chemical that both reduces blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscle lining of blood vessels, and purifying the blood of toxins.
The study abstract concluded with:
“Conclusions: The results from this pilot study suggest that celery seed extract may have clinically relevant blood pressure–lowering effects, indicating that additional clinical research is warranted.”
Did you know that there are natural ways to lower your blood pressure safely and effectively? Scientific studies have shown that both ordinary tomatoes and the naturally occurring substance CoQ10 can provide benefits to people with high blood pressure.
One study on the blood pressure benefits of tomatoes was conducted by researchers from the Iran University of Medical Sciences and published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition in 2010. The researchers found that 32 people suffering from type 2 diabetes were able to decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after just eight weeks of eating 200 g of raw tomatoes per day. The researchers concluded that tomato consumption might “be beneficial for reducing cardiovascular risk associated with type 2 diabetes.”
Indeed, numerous studies have pointed to blood pressure benefits from the regular consumption of tomatoes and tomato extract. Researchers are not sure exactly how tomatoes help regulate blood pressure, but part of the answer may lie in their high concentration of the antioxidant lycopene. A systemic review of four separate studies into lycopene’s effect on blood pressure found that lycopene consumption consistently reduced systolic blood pressure, and also improved cholesterol levels when doses exceeded 25 mg per day.