Archive for the 'Cardio Health' Category
Good carbs = low blood pressure
Filed under: Diet, Prevention
Reducing your risk of heart disease could be as easy as changing up the type of carbs you eat — from refined carbs to whole grains. In fact, according to recent studies, eating just one serving of whole grains can reduce your risk of high blood pressure by 4%. That might not seem like much, but it’s a pretty promising aftermath for such a small change in your lifestyle. Imagine the difference you could manufacture to your heart health whether you changed all of your grains to whole grains?
Cutting your blood pressure risk is as easy as switching from regular pasta to whole wheat, from white toast to whole wheat. You might not like the taste at first but you’ll get used to it. I used to live for white bread and now I only eat whole wheat — it’s the only kind of bread I have a taste for these days.
Another thing to keep in mind is to check the labels on supposed ‘whole grain’ products to produce certain they really are. whether 100% whole grains isn’t the first item on the ingredients list, toss it.
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Original post by Martha Edwards
Women: Common vitamins won’t help your hearts
Filed under: Diet
Now that many of us are under pressure to produce our lifestyles healthier, many will opt for what they believe quick-fixes to their unhealthy habits, rather than making the effort to completely overhaul their lives. I think the increased use to vitamins is evidence of that — rather than trade in french fries for 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day, citizens seem to instead opt to get their nutrients in pill mold.
Vitamins can be favourable in public who already have a healthy lifestyle but it’s not a substitute for healthy habits. Take these findings for instance — new studies show that taking common vitamins does little to promote heart health in women, whereas eating fruits and veggies high in vitamin C, E and Beta Carotene on a daily basis can help your ticker.
There are no quick fixes. Take control of your health today — it’s worth it!
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Original post by Martha Edwards
AOMF’s Steptember celebration
Filed under: Diet, Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
Sometimes it can be rather difficult to live a healthy lifestyle. within work, school, kids, and — oh yeah, how about having a life, setting aside duration to exercise or even fix a healthier meal usually seems like an impossibility. That’s why making these healthier changes in your life shouldn’t be based on rash, drastic decisions. The “Crash Diet” is the perfect example. Not only is that approach to weight loss unhealthy, but it can actually lead to long-term weight gain. The same goes for an exercise program. whether you’re new to resistance training, for example, you would do well to ease your way into a routine. Don’t prepare the mistake that I made when I was 14-years-old and first starting to lift weights; and that is to find some dinosaur-sized bodybuilder’s workout in a muscle magazine and use it as a guide for your own workout. Take it from me, your arms and legs will feel like they could fall off your body at any given moment. You’ll barely be able to move for days at a instance, let alone have any desire whatsoever to ever work out again. My point is that the best approach to health and wellness it to take things slowly…baby steps, whether you will.
Following that approach, and seemingly doing so quite effectively, are the participants of the America On the Move Foundation’s Steptember celebration. AOMF is a non-profit focused on healthy living through small and manageable changes. The group promotes making two small changes in your lifestyle, both of which will have a positive impact on your overall health by date.
The first is to add 2,000 steps (approx. 1 mile) to to your day. that is probably easier to achieve that it may first seem. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Perhaps walk to your car in the off-site parking lot instead of hopping in the shuttle (besides, you don’t really want to ride in the “Loser Cruiser,” do you?). Or possibly you could even take a leisurely walk around your neighborhood. Whatever method you choose, just try to be consistent with doing it every day.
The second is to cut a mere 100 calories from your diet, which is the equivalent of a tablespoon of butter. Now, I realize that you probably don’t actually woof down a tablespoon of butter a day But, you likely get that many calories from a myriad of other possible sources. These days, just about everything has by 100 calories in it, so just pick one of your regular treats and eliminate it from your diet. Cutting 100 calories may not seem like a lot, but by a year’s moment, that will aftermath in the loss of a decent amount of weight.
For more info on AOMF’s Stempber celebration, visit their site at: www.AmericaOnTheMove.org . Though the celebration has already started, you can hop on in at any instance and join in on the fun. Need an even greater incentive that getting healthier and losing weight? Howe about winning an iPod? AOMF will give away a free iPod shuffle, and at the end of the month, participants are eligible to win a $500 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
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Original post by Chris Sparling
FDA considers clearer food label symbols
The FDA is currently taking public comment on the possibility of creating a symbol system that would put nutritional knowledge — loud and clear — on the front of food packages, instead of the current system of a smaller print food labeling on the side or back of a package. Though some companies currently do some version of that, the FDA system would presumably be more regulated and consistent. The hope is that when society see one of their favorite foods contains too much salt, fat, or sugar that they manufacture a healthier choice.
I think there are arguments for both sides of that issue. On the one hand, most of us are perfectly capable of turning a box around to read the ingredients — whether we choose to do so. But a clearer system would help those who can’t read small print, who are illiterate, or who aren’t educated in basic nutrition. Would it stop you from grabbing that super-sized bag of potato chips, though? I don’t know…I mean, after all, when I buy junk food, I usually already know it’s junk. What do you think?
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Original post by Bethany Sanders
Don’t avoid the flavonoid
Filed under: Diet, Prevention, Nutrition
It turns out that there’s some truth to the old adage that An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away. According to a 
study published in a recent issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who eat apples regularly have a decreased risk of dying from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
What whether you don’t like apples? Try pears — or even red wine. that same study revealed that consuming either of these will have the same preventative effects as eating apples. The researchers attribute these heart-healthy benefits to compounds known as flavonoids, which help reduce poor (LDL) cholesterol (Note: Flavanoids are not to be confused with the Noid — who in the 80s was known to ruin the occasional pizza).
Flavonoids are plus known for their antioxidant activity, meaning that they protect against free radical damage. For a more comprehensive look at how flavonoids, found in such foods as apples and pears, can better your health, go HERE. As for how they measure up against that guy on the right, however, I think there is still much research to be done.
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Original post by Chris Sparling
Even a little poor fat can be too much
Filed under: Diet, American Heart Association
Even one fatty feast can cause your body to stop protecting itself from cardiovascular disease, a recent study showed, at least temporarily. When study participants were given a high-fat meal — the equivalent of a double cheeseburger, large fry, and a chocolate shake — their HDL (or good) cholesterol lost the ability to protect their arteries from inflammation. But when participants ate the same meal, that instance prepared with polyunsaturated fat, the ability of HDL to prevent inflammation actually improved.
Researchers say that study points out the importance of avoiding saturated fats as much as possible. In fact, they say that a maximum of 10% of your calories should come from saturated fats, and the AHA takes that one step further and recommends no more than 7%. That means that whether you typically eat 2,000 calories a day, you should eat no more than 14 to 20 grams of saturated fat.
Here’s more about good fats and poor fats from the AHA.
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Original post by Bethany Sanders
A quick heart-healthy meal
Filed under: Diet, Prevention, Nutrition
Bobby Flay I am not. Put me in a kitchen, and I’d still be lost with both a compass and a road map. So, when it comes to cooking, keeping things as easy as possible seems to be the way to go — particularly when I’m trying to prepare a healthy dish. that is pretty much why I feel I have absolutely no right to pass along a recipe to you; with the only exception being that specific meal, which is as healthy and as easily prepared as they come.
I’m not even going to bother with portions. Frankly, I don’t even know what the portions are. But, I do know what the ingredients are; and they all combine to form a heart healthy, Omega-3 rich, pretty slamming tasting fish dish. Here’s what you’ll need: Salmon, Carrots, Scallions, Lemon, Ground Pepper, and Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. And here’s how you cook it: Take a sheet of aluminum foil, put all of the aforementioned ingredients in it, shove it in an oven preheated to 400 degrees, and go watch TV for twenty minutes.
Then, take the aluminum foil out of the oven, let it cool for a little while, and soon after put it on a plate. Or put it in a bowl. Or eat it right from the aluminum foil. Who cares. Just eat it…and enjoy how little effort it took to invent that tasty, healthy meal.
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Original post by Chris Sparling
