 |  |
|
Posts tagged ‘fruits’
Every March we celebrate National Nutrition Month. This year the focus is on making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
‘Eat Right with Color’ is the theme this year. What does this mean for you?
Continue reading ‘Will you ‘Eat with Color’ this National Nutrition Month?’ »
The effectiveness of potassium to lower blood pressure is directly related to sodium. Potassium works to balance out the sodium in your diet. An adequate potassium intake can lower systolic pressure ~4.4 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ~2.5 mm Hg.
If you want to prevent or lower blood pressure it’s very important you balance your intake of sodium and potassium. The more potassium in your diet and the lower the sodium, the better your blood pressure will be.
Sodium Recommendations
The typical American diet contains 3.6 grams of sodium daily. It’s recommended that sodium intake be limited to 2.3 grams or less daily (~1 teaspoon). If you already have high blood pressure you’ll want to restrict your sodium intake even further – less than 1500 mg/day.
How Much Potassium?
Current recommendations are to consume 25-35 grams of dietary fiber everyday. Here are 4 benefits you’ll receive from achieving the recommended intake.
1. Lower cholesterol and stabilized blood sugar/insulin levels.
2. Regularity to prevent constipation and diverticulosis (small out-pouchings from the large intestine).
3. Reduced risk of colon cancer.
4. Increased satiety – you’ll feel full when eating less calories and fat to promote weight loss.
Some of the best fiber sources include fruits and vegetables!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps
http://www.lowercholesterolwithlisa.com
When you peel fruits and vegetables you throw away a large chunk of its nutritional value. Such as a large dietary fiber loss when you throw out an apple skin, along with vitamin C, and various other minerals.
You may be tempted to throw out produce skins due to pesticides. Instead opt to thoroughly wash your produce to remove potential contaminants. If you are especially concerned, consider buying organic produce.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD
eNutritionServices
