10 WAYS TO AVOID DIABETES.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Uncontrolled cases can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and other serious conditions. Before diabetes is diagnosed, there is a period where blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This is known as prediabetes.
1. Cut on sugar and Refined carbs.
Eating sugary foods and refined carbs can put at-risk individuals on the fast track to developing diabetes. Your body rapidly breaks these foods down into small sugar molecules, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. The resulting rise in blood sugar stimulates your pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps sugar get out of the bloodstream and into your body’s cells.
In people with prediabetes, the body’s cells are resistant to insulin’s action, so sugar remains high in the blood. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, attempting to bring blood sugar down to a healthy level. Over time, this can lead to progressively higher blood sugar and insulin levels, until the condition eventually turns into type 2 diabetes.
2. workout everyday
Performing physical activity on a regular basis may help prevent diabetes. Exercise increases the insulin sensitivity of your cells. So when you exercise, less insulin is required to keep your blood sugar levels under control. Working out more frequently seems to lead to improvements in insulin response and function. One study in people at risk of diabetes found that burning more than 2,000 calories weekly via exercise was required to achieve these benefits.
3. Drink water
What’s more, sticking with water most of the time helps you avoid beverages that are high in sugar, preservatives and other questionable ingredients. Sugary beverages like soda and punch have been linked to an increased risk of both type 2 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). Drinking water instead of other beverages may help control blood sugar and insulin levels, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes.
LADA is a form of type 1 diabetes that occurs in people over 18 years of age. Unlike the acute symptoms seen with type 1 diabetes in childhood, LADA develops slowly, requiring more treatment as the disease progresses.
4. Lose weight if you are over weight
Although not everyone who develops type 2 diabetes is overweight or obese, the majority are.What’s more, those with prediabetes tend to carry excess weight in their midsection and around abdominal organs like the liver. This is known as visceral fat. Excess visceral fat promotes inflammation and insulin resistance, which significantly increase the risk of diabetes
Carrying excess weight, particularly in the abdominal area, increases the likelihood of developing diabetes. Losing weight may significantly reduce the risk of diabetes.
5. Quit Smoking
Smoking has been shown to cause or contribute to many serious health conditions, including heart disease, emphysema and cancers of the lung, breast, prostate and digestive tract. There’s also research linking smoking and second-hand smoke exposure to type 2 diabetes
6. Eat high-fiber Diet
Studies in obese, elderly and prediabetic individuals have shown that it helps keep blood sugar and insulin levels low. Consuming a good fiber source at each meal can help prevent spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, which may help reduce your risk of developing diabetes.
7. Optimize Vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D is important for blood sugar control. Indeed, studies have found that people who don’t get enough vitamin D, or whose blood levels are too low, have a greater risk of all types of diabetes. Good food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish and cod liver oil. In addition, sun exposure can increase vitamin D levels in the blood.
8. Minimum your intake of processed food
One clear step you can take to improve your health is to minimize your consumption of processed food. They’re linked to all sorts of health problems, including heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Studies suggest that cutting back on packaged foods that are high in vegetable oils, refined grains and additives may help reduce the risk of diabetes. Minimizing processed foods and focusing on whole foods with protective effects on health may help decrease the risk of diabetes.
9. Drink coffee or Tea
Although water should be your primary beverage, research suggests that including coffee or tea in your diet may help you avoid diabetes.
Studies have reported that drinking coffee on a daily basis reduced risk of diabetes type 2 by 8–54%, with the greatest effect generally seen in people with the highest consumption. Coffee and tea have antioxidants known as polyphenols that may help protect against diabetes In addition, green tea contains a unique antioxidant compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that has been shown to reduce blood sugar release from the liver and increase insulin sensitivity.
10. Life style change
Rather than viewing prediabetes as a stepping stone to diabetes, it may be helpful to see it as a motivator for making changes that can help reduce your risk. Eating the right foods and adopting other lifestyle behaviors that promote healthy blood sugar and insulin levels will give you the best chance at avoiding diabetes
source: : https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/prevent-diabetes#section14
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Home Remedies for Ear Infections [mostly for kids]
Ear infections are caused by bacteria or viruses in the middle ear. Ear infections occur more often in children than adults. Some causes and contributing factors that lead to ear infections are wax buildup, upper respiratory infections, food allergies, environmental allergies, fetal alcohol syndrome, genetics, nutritional deficiencies and internal injuries. Some common signs that someone is suffering from an ear infection are pain in the ear, tugging at the ear, difficulty sleeping, headache, poor response to sounds, high fever, fluid draining from the ear, vomiting, diarrhea and so on.
Each part has specific functions that help a person hear. You can see in the diagram that the outer ear which shape like a leaf captures the traveling sound waves. In the outer part of our ear, there is a section called as pinna and through this section the sound waves enter into the ear canal. Through the ear canal the sound waves reach the eardrum which is located in the middle part. In addition, the middle section of the ear also has other important ear organs like hammer, anvil, stir up, semicircular, and middle canal. Through the canal, sound waves travel to the inner section of our ear. In the inner part of the ear, there are important ear parts like cochlea, Eustachian tube, and nerves. Sound waves from the canal are sent to the nerves so that the brain can process the sound. After that we are able to recognize the sound and understand it.
An ear infection can occur in any of the three parts. Inner ear infections are the most serious. It is important to treat an ear infection to prevent complications, including damaging or rupturing the ear drum. Untreated ear infections can also lead to chronic recurrence and can even cause deafness! It is important to consult a doctor, but for immediate relief you can try some natural treatments.There are many time-honored, simple and easy home remedies that can help to get rid of the pain and other symptoms of an ear infection.
1. Salt
Heat up one cup of salt on a pan over low heat for a few minutes. You can also heat it in a microwave or double-boiler.Place the hot salt on a cloth and seal the open end with rubber band (or tie a knot).When it is bearably hot, lay down and put the cloth on the affected ear for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat this remedy daily as many times as needed. The heat generated from the sock will help draw out fluid from the ear and relieve swelling and pain.
[Rice can be used instead of salt]
2. Holy Basil or Tulasi
Crush four to five fresh holy basil leaves gently to extract the juice. Apply the basil juice on or around the infected ear. Avoid getting the juice in the ear canal.You can also mix a few drops of holy basil oil with an equal amount of carrier oil like coconut oil. Soak a cotton ball in the mixture and gently wipe just inside the ear, around the outer edge and behind the ear. Repeat the process twice daily.
3. Olive Oil
One of the main causes of an ear infection is wax in the ear catching some fungal or bacterial growth leading to a blockage in the Eustachian tubes. You can easily clear the obstruction with the help of olive oil.
Warm some olive oil slightly. Put a few drops of the warm oil into the infected ear. The oil will cause the wax to soften. Remove the infected wax with cotton-tipped swabs. Be careful not to put the swab too far in the ear or you might damage the eardrum.
4. Onion Juice
Onion is a very common ingredient used in cooking. It has medicinal uses too, including for the treatment of an ear infection.
Chop one small onion, put it in a bowl and microwave it for one to two minutes. Allow it to cool and then strain out the onion juice. Put two to three drops of the juice in the infected ear, leave it for sometime and then turn your head to let it drain out of your ear. Place the cloth on the infected ear for five minutes. Wait for 10 minutes and then repeat the process.
5. Mango leaf extract
Mango leaf extract is a quick and effective treatment.Crush or grind two to three soft mango leaves to extract the juice. Slightly warm the juice. Using a dropper, put three to four drops of the juice into the infected ear. Within a few minutes, you will feel relief from the pain.
Follow this remedy two to three times a day for full relief from ear infection.
6. Breast Milk
Breast milk has natural antibodies that can help speed up the healing process of any kind of ear infection. It will alleviate swelling and discomfort and can get rid of an ear infection within one or two days. This remedy works for both children and adults
Using a dropper, put a few drops of breast milk into the affected ear
Repeat the process every few hours as needed.
Breast milk also can be used to treat eye infections, minor cuts and minor burns.
Source: https://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-ear-infection.html
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What Is Parkinson’s Disease? What Causes Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects how the person moves, including how they speak and write. Symptoms develop gradually, and may start off with ever-so-slight tremors in one hand. People with Parkinson’s disease also experience stiffness and find they cannot carry out movements as rapidly as before – this is called bradykinesia. The muscles of a person with Parkinson’s become weaker and the individual may assume an unusual posture.
Parkinson’s disease belongs to a group of conditions called movement disorders. Movement disorders describe a variety of abnormal body movements that have a neurological basis, and include such conditions as cerebral palsy, ataxia, and Tourette syndrome.
A male has a 50% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than a female.
In the majority of cases, symptoms start to appear after the age of 50. However, in about 4% to 5% of cases the sufferer is younger than 40 years. When signs and symptoms develop in an individual aged between 21 and 40 years, it is known as Young-onset Parkinson’s disease.
Apart from tremor and slow movements, the patient may also have a fixed, inexpressive face – this is because of poorer control over facial muscle coordination and movement.
As a significant number of elderly patients with early Parkinson’s disease symptoms assume that their traits may form part of normal aging and do not seek medical help, obtaining accurate statistics is probably impossible. There are also several different conditions which sometimes have comparable signs and symptoms to Parkinson’s, such as drug-induced Parkinsonism, head trauma, encephalitis, stroke, Lewy body dementia, corticobasal degeneration, multiple system atrophy, and progressive supranuclear pasly.
Some factors may raise or lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s
- Circumin – an ingredient found in the spice turmeric, is apparently effective in preventing the clumping of a protein involved in Parkinson’s disease, according to scientists from Michigan State University. (Link to article)
- Flavonoids – adult males who regularly eat foods rich in flavonoids appear to have a considerably lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, compared to others who do not, researchers in the USA and UK reported in the journal Neurology. Examples of foods include berries, apples, some vegetables, tea and red wine. In this study, the protective effects come from anthocyanins, a subclass of flavonoids.
- REM sleep disorder – people with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep behavior disorder may have twice the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease or mild cognitive impairment, compared to others without the disorder, researchers at the Mayo Clinic reported in Annals of Neurology.
- Neurologist and co-author, Brad Boeve, M.D., said:”Understanding that certain patients are at greater risk for MCI or Parkinson’s disease will allow for early intervention, which is vital in the case of such disorders that destroy brain cells. Although we are still searching for effective treatments, our best chance of success is to identify and treat these disorders early, before cell death.”Some reheated cooking oils – aldehydes, which have been linked to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well as some cancers, can be found in some oils, such as sunflower oil, when heated to a certain temperature, and then used again. Scientists from the University of the Basque Country found that aldehydes remain in cooking oils after they are heated.
- Parkinson’s disease is primarily caused by low and falling dopamine levelsA person with Parkinson’s has abnormally low dopamine levels. Dopamine-generating cells, known as dopaminergic neurons (types of nerve cells) in the substantia nigra part of the brain have died. Experts do not know why these cells die.When dopamine levels are too low, people find it harder to get things done, to control their movements.Dopamine levels progressively drop in patients with the disease, so their symptoms gradually become more severe. Dopamine is involved in the sending of messages to the part of the brain that controls coordination and movement.
- Although Parkinson’s disease is not a direct cause of death, it is a progressive disease, and symptoms get worse over time. Parkinson’s is:
- A chronic disease – a long-term disease. It is incurable.
- A progressive disease – a disease that gradually gets worse.
source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/parkinsons-disease
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Kidney Pain vs. Back Pain: How to Tell the Difference
Because your kidneys are located toward your back and underneath your ribcage, it may be hard to tell if pain you may be experiencing in that area is coming from your back or your kidney.
The symptoms you’re having can help you figure out which is the source of the pain. The location, type, and severity of the pain are some of the things that will be different depending on whether the pain is from a problem in your kidneys or your back.
How to identify kidney pain
Kidney pain is most often caused by a kidney infection or a stone in the tubes coming out of your kidney. If the pain is coming from your kidney, it will have these features:
Where the pain is located
Kidney pain is felt in your flank, which is the area on either side of your spine between the bottom of your ribcage and your hips. It usually occurs in one side of your body, but it can occur in both sides.
Type of pain
Kidney pain is usually sharp if you have a kidney stone and a dull ache if you have an infection. Most often it will be constant. It won’t get worse with movement or go away by itself without treatment.If you’re passing a kidney stone, the pain may fluctuate as the stone moves.
Radiation of the pain
Sometimes the pain spreads (radiates) to your inner thigh or lower abdomen.
Severity of the pain
Kidney pain is classified according to how bad it is — severe or mild. A kidney stone usually causes severe pain, and the pain from an infection is usually mild.Things that make it better or worse
Typically, nothing makes the pain better until the problem is corrected, such as by passing the stone. Unlike back pain, it usually won’t change with movement.
Accompanying symptoms
If you have a kidney infection or a kidney stone, you may also experience:
- fever and chills
- nausea and vomiting
- cloudy or dark urine
- an urgent need to urinate
- pain when you urinate
- a recent infection in your bladder
- blood in your urine (this can happen with an infection or kidney stones)
- small kidney stones that look like gravel in your urine
How to identify back pain
Back pain is more common than kidney pain and is usually caused by a problem in the muscles, bones, or nerves in your back. Back pain has the following features:
Where the pain is located
Back pain can occur anywhere on your back, but it’s most commonly located in your lower back or one of your buttocks.
Type of pain
Muscle pain feels like a dull ache. If a nerve has been injured or irritated, the pain is a sharp burning sensation that may travel down your buttock to your lower leg or even your foot.
Muscle pain may affect one or both sides, but nerve pain usually only affects one side.
Radiation of the pain
Nerve pain may spread to your lower leg. Pain from a muscle usually stays in the back.Severity of the pain
Back pain is described as acute or chronic based on how long you’ve had it. Acute pain lasts days to weeks, subacute pain lasts six weeks to three months, and chronic pain lasts longer than three months.
Things that make it better or worse
Back pain may get worse with movement or if you sit or stand for a long time. It may get better if you switch positions or walk around.
Accompanying symptoms
Other symptoms you may experience with back pain include:
- the painful spot looking swollen and feeling tender to the touch
- a muscle spasm in the painful area
- numbness or weakness in one or both of your legs (if the pain is due to a nerve issue)
If you find you have back pain and can’t hold your urine or bowel movements, something is pressing on your spinal nerves, and you should be evaluated immediately. This condition, called cauda equina syndrome, can cause severe long-term damage to your spinal nerves if not treated right away.
When to see a doctor
Once you’ve determined whether your pain is coming from your back or your kidneys, consider seeing your doctor for evaluation and treatment. You should always be seen if you think you have a kidney infection or kidney stone.
You might be able to treat acute back pain that is mild without seeing your doctor, but if it doesn’t get better, is more than mild pain, or spreads, you should see your doctor.
source:https://www.healthline.com/health/kidney-pain-vs-back-pain#1
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How Not to Wreck Your Liver
It’s not something you probably think much about, but your liver is a key player in your body’s digestive system. Everything you eat or drink, including medicine, passes through it. You need to treat it right so it can stay healthy and do its job.
“It’s an organ you could easily trash if you don’t take good care of it,” says Rohit Satoskar, MD, of the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute. “And once you trash it, it’s gone.”
Our Liver is about the size of a football and sits under our lower ribcage on the right side. It has several important things to do. It helps clean your blood by getting rid of harmful chemicals that our body makes. It makes a liquid called bile, which helps you break down fat from food. And it also stores sugar called glucose, which gives you a quick energy boost when you need it.
There’s nothing tricky about keeping your in good shape. It’s all about a healthy lifestyle, says Ray Chung, MD, medical director of the Liver Transplant program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Taking care of your liver is far more about avoiding what’s bad than it is about eating or drinking things that are particularly nourishing to the liver,” he says.
Care for Your Liver
Here are some ways to keep your liver healthy:
Don’t drink a lot of alcohol. It can damage liver cells and lead to the swelling or scarring that becomes cirrhosis which can be deadly.
How much alcohol is too much? U.S. government guidelines say men should drink no more than two drinks a day and women only one.
Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise. Your liver will thank you. You’ll keep your weight under control, which helps prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that leads to cirrhosis.
Watch out for certain medicines. Some cholesterol drugs can occasionally have a side effect that causes liver problems. The painkiller acetaminophen (Tylenol) can hurt your liver if you take too much.
You may be taking more acetaminophen than you realize. It’s found in hundreds of drugs like cold medicines and prescription pain medicines. Some medicines can hurt your liver if you drink alcohol when you take them. And some are harmful when combined with other drugs. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the safest way to take your medicines.
Learn how to prevent viral hepatitis: It’s a serious disease that harms your liver. There are several types. You catch hepatitis A from eating or drinking water that’s got the virus that causes the disease. You can get a vaccine if you’re traveling to a part of the world where there are outbreaks.
Hepatitis B and C are spread through blood and body fluids. To cut your risk, don’t share items like toothbrush razors, or needles. Limit the number of sex partners you have, and always use latex condoms.
There’s no vaccine yet for hepatitis C but there is one for hepatitis B.
Don’t touch or breathe in toxins: Some cleaning products, aerosol products, and insecticides have chemicals that can damage your liver. Avoid direct contact with them. Additives in cigarettes can also damage your liver, so don’t smoke.
Be careful with herbs and Dietary supplements: Some can harm your liver. A few that have caused problems are cascara, chaparral, comfrey, kava and ephedra.
In recent years, some herbs and supplements have hit the market that say they restore the liver, including milkthisle seed, borotutu bark, and chanca piedra. Be wary of those claims. “There’s never been any high-quality evidence that any of these promotes liver health,” Chung says. Some may even cause harm.
Drink coffee: Research shows that it can lower your risk of getting liver disease. No one knows why this is so, but it’s worth keeping an eye on as more research is done.
Source: https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/features/healthy-liver#2
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Everything you need to know about hypertension
Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure. It can lead to severe complications and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and death. Blood Pressure is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. The pressure depends on the work being done by the heart and the resistance of the blood vessels.
Medical guidelines define hypertension as a blood pressure higher than 130 over 80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), according to guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) in November 2017.
Around 85 million people in the United States have High Blood Pressure.
Hypertension and Heart Deseases are global health concerns. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that the growth of the processed food industry has impacted the amount of salt in diets worldwide, and that this plays a role in hypertension.
Fast facts on hypertension:
Here are some key points about hypertension. More detail is in the main article.
- Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80 mm of mercury (mmHg), but hypertension is higher than 130 over 80 mmHg.
- Acute causes of high blood pressure include stress, but it can happen on its own, or it can result from an underlying condition, such as kidney disease.
- Unmanaged hypertension can lead to a heart attack, stroke and other problems.
- Lifestyle factors are the best way to address high blood pressure.
Stress reduction
Avoiding stress, or developing strategies for managing unavoidable stress, can help with blood pressure control. Using alcohol, drugs, smoking, and unhealthy eating to cope with stress will add to hypertensive problems. These should be avoided. Smoking can raise blood pressure. Giving up smoking reduces the risk of hypertension, heart conditions, and other health issues.
Medications
People with blood pressure higher than 130 over 80 may use medication to treat hypertension. Drugs are usually started one at a time at a low dose. Side effects associated with antihypertensive drugs are usually minor. Eventually, a combination of at least two antihypertensive drugs is usually required.
A range of drug types are available to help lower blood pressure, including:
- diuretics, including thiazides, chlorthalidone, and indapamide
- brta-blockers and alpha-blockers
- calcium-channel blockers
- central agonists
- peripheral adrenergic inhibitor
- vasodilators
- angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- angiotensin receptor blockers
The choice of drug depends on the individual and any other conditions they may have. Anyone taking antihypertensive medications should be sure to carefully read labels, especially before taking any over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as decongestants. These may interact with medications used to lower blood pressure.
Causes
The cause of hypertension is often not known. Around 1 in every 20 cases of hypertension is the effect of an underlying condition or medication. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a common cause of high blood pressure because the kidneys do not filter out fluid. This fluid excess leads to hypertension.
Risk factors
A number of risk factors increase the chances of having hypertension.
- Age: Hypertension is more common in people aged over 60 years. With age, blood pressure can increase steadily as the arteries become stiffer and narrower due to plaque build-up.
- Ethnicity: Some ethnic groups are more prone to hypertension.
- Size and weight: Being overweight or obese is a key risk factor.
- Alcohol and tobacco use: Consuming large amounts of alcohol regularly can increase a person’s blood pressure, as can smoking tobacco.
- Sex: The lifetime risk is the same for males and females, but men are more prone to hypertension at a younger age. The prevalence tends to be higher in older women.
- Existing health conditions: Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and high cholesterol levels can lead to hypertension, especially as people get older.
Other contributing factors include:
- physical inactivity
- a salt-rich diet associated with processed and fatty foods
- low potassium in the diet
- Alcohol and tobacco usecertain diseases and medications
- A family history of high blood pressure and poorly managed stress can also contribute.
Signs
Blood pressure can be measured by a sphygmomanometer, or blood pressure monitor. Having high blood pressure for a short time can be a normal response to many situations. Acute stress and intense exercise, for example, can briefly elevate blood pressure in a healthy person.
For this reason, a diagnosis of hypertension normally requires several readings that show high blood pressure over time.
The systolic reading of 130 mmHg refers to the pressure as the heart pumps blood around the body. The diastolic reading of 80 mmHg refers to the pressure as the heart relaxes and refills with blood.
Symptoms
A person with hypertension may not notice any symptoms, and it is often called the “silent killer.” While undetected, it can casue damage to the cardiovascular system and internal organs, such as the kidneys.
Regularly checking your blood pressure is vital, as there will usually be no symptoms to make you aware of the condition.
It is maintained that high blood pressure causes sweating, anxiety, sleeping problems, and blushing. However, in most cases, there will be no symptoms at all.
If blood pressure reaches the level of a hypertensive crisis, a person may experience headache and nosebleeds.
Complications
Long-term hypertension can cause complications through atherosclerosis, where the formation of plaque results in the narrowing of blood vessels. This makes hypertension worse, as the heart must pump harder to deliver blood to the body.
Hypertension-related atherosclerosis can lead to:
- Heart failure and heart attacks
- an aneurysm or an abnormal bulge in the wall of an artery that can burst, causing severe bleeding and, in some cases, death
- kidney failure
- stroke
- amputation
- hypertensive retinopathies in the eye, which can lead to blindness
Regular blood pressure testing can help people avoid the more severe complications.
Diet
Some types of hypertension can be managed through lifestyle and dietary choices, such as engaging in physical activity, reducing alcohol and tobacco use, and avoiding a high-sodium diet.
Reducing the amount of salt
Average salt intake is between 9 grams (g) and 12 g per day in most countries around the world.
Reducing the amount of salt : Average salt intake is between 9 grams (g) and 12 g per day in most countries around the world. The WHO recommends reducing intake to less than 5gm a day, to help decrease the risk of hypertension and related health problems.
Moderating alcohol consumption
Moderate to excessive alcohol consumption is linked to raised blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke.The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend a maximum of two drinks a day for men, and one for women.
The following would count as one drink:
- 12 ounce (oz.) bottle of beer
- 4 oz. of wine
- 5 oz. of 80-proof spirits
- 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits
A healthcare provider can help people who find it difficult to cut back.
Eating more fruit and vegetables and less fat
People who have or who are at risk of high blood pressure are advised to eat as little saturated and total fat as possible.
Recommended instead are:
- whole-grain, high-fiber foods
- a variety of fruit and vegetables
- beans, pulses, and nuts
- omega-3-rich fish twice a week
- non-tropical vegetable oils, for example, olive oil
- skinless poultry and fish
- low-fat dairy products
It is important to avoid trans-fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and animal fats, and to eat portions of moderate size.
Managing body weight
Hypertension is closely related to excess body weight, and weight reduction is normally followed by a fall in blood pressure. A healthy, balanced diet with a calorie intake that matches the individual’s size, sex, and activity level will help.
The DASH diet
The U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommends the DASH diet for people with high blood pressure. DASH, or “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension,” has been specially designed to help people lower their blood pressure.
It is a flexible and balanced eating plan based on research studies sponsored by the Institute, which says that the diet:
- lowers high blood pressure
- improves levels of fats in the bloodstream
- reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease
Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150109.php
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