If you have high blood pressure, one of the most important nutrients to increase in your diet is potassium.

If you’ve looked into the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) you’ll see that it is extremely high in fruits and vegetables. This is partly due to fruits and vegetables being rich sources of potassium . . . among other beneficial nutrients.

It’s recommended by the Institute of Medicine that adults consume 4700 milligrams (mg) of potassium daily. However, the average adult intake is typically around 2300 mg.

Here are the fruits and vegetables that are the best sources potassium:

Continue reading ‘Are You Eating Enough Potassium?’ »

At one time did you make a switch from regular soda to diet as a “positive” change for your health?

I know I made the switch back in about 1993. Fortunately, I don’t drink soda daily and even cut it completely out of my diet for months at a time, but based on the more research that comes out I need to just eliminate it permanently.

According to Hannah Gardener and fellow researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, regular soft drink consumption and moderate intake of diet soft drinks are potentially linked to a higher risk of vascular events.

Gardener and fellow researchers analyzed 2,564 patients in the Northern Manhattan Study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study was designed to determine stroke incidence, risk factors, and prognosis in a multi-ethnic urban population.
Continue reading ‘Diet Soda Linked to Vascular Complications’ »

Do we have too many options when it comes to food? According to a study published August 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, too many options may be one reason pounds are packed on.

On the flip side, the study found eating the same food over and over lead to boredom and a decrease in caloric intake.

Food Boredom is a Good Thing

Research indicates that repeat exposure to a particular food leads to disinterest. The response is called habituation and can lead to a decrease in caloric intake in the short term.

In the U.S. we are blessed with a wide variety of choices and all we have to do is enter a grocery store. The problem with variety doesn’t necessarily apply to having access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – not too many people can say they are overweight because they ate too many greens! – the problem comes from the overwhelming abundance of low-fat, low-nutrient options.

There is a ‘food addiction hypothesis’ that proposes some people overeat because they are not sensitive to normal habituation and require even more of a food to trigger disinterest.

There has not been a lot of research in this area to determine if the habituation process is different between individuals of a healthy weight versus those who are overweight.

The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition aimed to study the long-term habituation in obese and non-obese women.

Habituation Equals Fewer Calories

Continue reading ‘Eating the Same Foods Can Help You Lose Weight’ »

Earlier this month (February 2012), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report showing that nine out of ten adults eat too much salt daily.

This excess salt is not the salt you are adding with the salt shaker. The high salt diet comes from processed foods and restaurant meals.

A diet high in sodium (salt) leads to high blood pressure. This equals an increased risk for developing heart disease and having a stroke.

According to CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden, heart disease and strokes are responsible for the deaths of more than 800,000 Americans annually and add approximately $273 BILLION dollars to health care costs.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend salt be limited to no more than 2300 milligrams per day. This recommendation may be even lower (no more than 1500 milligrams per day) depending on your ethnicity, age, and medical history.
The average adult in the U.S. consumes more than 3300 milligrams of salt each day.

10 Foods Contributing the Most Sodium
Continue reading ‘High Dietary Salt Equals High Blood Pressure’ »

With the Valentine holiday just behind us, here’s an interesting bit of information on love and health.

Monitoring weight gain after marriage and divorce

Did you know Ohio researchers followed 10,071 individuals from 1986 to 2008 to evaluate weight gain during the two year period following marriage and divorce.

A variety of factors that impact weight gain were taken into account, such as pregnancy, education, and socioeconomic status.

Do men or women gain weight after marriage?

The study determined women are more likely to gain weight after their wedding day than men. This may be due to the larger role women play around the home leaving less time to devote to physical activity.

The study found men experience positive health benefits linked to married life and it’s divorce that leads to weight gain.

Interestingly, the study also found those who marry after the age of 30 years-old are more likely to experience weight shifts. . .up.

What do you think?

Continue reading ‘Marriage – Is it Making You Fat?’ »

Heart disease is a lifestyle disease. Yes, there are genetic or hereditary factors that play a role, but how you choose to live has a major impact. By lifestyle this makes me automatically think diet choices and activity level, but there are other factors that fall under “lifestyle”.

Some of these factors would include:

Do you smoke?
Do you live under high levels of stress?

Have you ever thought about wifi or cell phone radiation as contributing?

You are probably familiar with the concerns about living too close to high voltage power lines. Power lines emit electromagnetic radiation. Did you know many other things you probably bring into your home emit this same radiation? Microwave ovens, cell phones, wireless routers, game stations, cordless phones, etc.

Granted at lower levels, but still you are living in an environment receiving constant exposure to low dose radiation.

Before I go further, let me clarify that there are researchers on both “sides of the fence” on this issue. Some studies show no connection between the constant low dose radiation exposure and health (many of which are funded by wireless companies) and other studies that show a direct correlation.

In this article I’m not able to share with you everything you need to know to explain why you need to be concerned and the steps you can take, but my goal is to make you aware of this so you can look further and learn more about what you need to do to protect yourself and your family.

Continue reading ‘Heart Disease: Is constant wifi exposure impacting your heart?’ »

There are several different varieties of rice. Most people were raised eating white rice and continue to do so. However, the different types of rice provide different nutritional benefits. Let’s look specifically at white rice, brown rice, and wild rice.

White Rice

White rice has been milled so that the husk, bran, and germ are removed leaving you with a refined product. During this process, the rice is polished giving it the bright, white, shiny appearance we expect.

By removing these layers the flavor, texture, and appearance of the rice is changed and the shelf life is extended as it is now less likely to spoil.

Nutrients are removed during the processing, such as the B vitamin thiamine. Due to this depletion of nutrients, white rice is usually enriched. This means some the nutrients removed during processing are added back in, such as thiamine, niacin, and iron.

Brown Rice
Continue reading ‘Which is better for your health? Wild, Brown, or White Rice?’ »

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where there are abnormal stops (interruptions) in breathing or abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each stop (or pause) in breathing is called an apnea. This apnea can last anywhere from a few seconds to minutes and can occur repeatedly throughout the night.

Sleep apnea results in excessive daytime tiredness, impaired alertness, slower reaction time, vision problems, and behavioral effects (i.e. moodiness, belligerence, decreased attentiveness).

Increased Risk for Sleep Apnea

Here are a few characteristics that put you at increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea:

Excess weight – Excess fat deposits around the upper airway can obstruct breathing.

Large neck circumference – A neck circumference above 17 inches is linked to increased risk because the thicker neck may narrow the airway.
Continue reading ‘Treat Sleep Apnea to Reduce Heart Disease Risk’ »

We are three weeks into the new year, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolution?

If you are working to improve your health, physical activity must be a part of your plan. There are numerous benefits associated with physical activity, such as weight loss, lower blood pressure, improved arthritis, pain management, and improved cardiorespiratory fitness.

Research indicates that you need at least 150 minutes of moderate level activity each week in order to see the benefits of exercise. This can be broken down into 20 minutes each day or 30 minutes 5 days a week and should include both aerobic and strength training.

This isn’t a lot of time, but if your days are already packed scheduling time for a workout can be a challenge. Here are five tips to keep in mind as you plan your workout routine.

1. Workout in the morning if possible.

   Research has shown those who exercise in the morning tend to see more success. This is partly due to getting exercise out of the way first thing before obstacles can get in the way.

Continue reading ‘5 Tips for Planning Your Workout Routine’ »

Resveratrol is a plant substance – polyphenol – that fights certain diseases. In the plant world, plants must withstand fungus, extreme temperatures and insects. Plants produce antibiotics called phytoalexins. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin plants use to fight off disease and repair damage.

What are the functions of Resveratrol?

Many of the functions of resveratrol have a direct impact on heart disease and/or your risk of developing heart disease. Resveratrol functions include:

• Decreased platelet stickiness (means decreased platelet aggregation & clotting)
• Reduced LDL cholesterol oxidation
• Promotes phase II detoxification enzymes (increase removal of toxins from the body)
• Inhibition of COX-2 enzyme induction (can result in decreased inflammation)
• Anti-inflammatory
• Phytoestrogen (can reduce risk of some cancers)
• Antioxidant
• Role in Alzheimer’s disease prevention

Antioxidants are especially important as we strive to prevent heart disease. Antioxidants slow and prevent the oxidation of cells. For example, it is the oxidation of LDL cholesterol that begins the formation of plaque within artery walls. Oxidation causes stress and cell damage that reduces a cells ability to function properly, eventually leading to cell death. By consuming a diet high in antioxidants, such as resveratrol, you promote decreased oxidation and cell health.

What are sources of Resveratrol?

Continue reading ‘Reduce Heart Disease Risk with Resveratrol’ »