Tips to keep your blood pressure under control

High blood pressure contributes to an alarming number of deaths each year. Although it may not have apparent symptoms, high blood pressure leads to heart attacks and strokes aside from also causing kidney failure. You can reduce your blood pressure by reducing your weight (if you’re obese) and making a few small changes in your life, say doctors. More after the break...

1. Walk it out — Walking at a brisk pace can help lower your pressure. A good workout will ensure the heart uses oxygen more efficiently. Getting a rigorous cardio workout 4 to 5 times a week can make a huge difference. Start by incorporating about 15 minutes of exercise in your daily routine and slowly increase the time and difficulty level.

2. Deep Breathing — Learning some slow breathing and meditation techniques can do you wonders. It will help reduce stress drastically and keep your blood pressure in check. Try taking out 10 minutes every morning and at night. Inhale and exhale deeply. If you can, join a yoga class for some time so that you can learn the proper method.

3. Go for potassium-rich foods — You have probably heard of the negative effects of sodium on the body and potassium is an essential mineral to counter the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. Try adding sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, peas, and prunes and raisins to your regular diet.

4. Go slow on the salt — Whether you have a family history of high blood pressure or not, reducing your intake of salt can make a huge difference to your health. Before adding that extra pinch of salt to your food, think if you really need it. Try substituting salt with lime, garlic, pepper or other herbs and spices. Go slow on processed and packaged foods. Potato chips, frozen chicken nuggets, bacon etc are high in sodium. Try calculating your daily sodium consumption. Keep a food diary and you may be surprised at how much you're taking in.

5. Dark chocolate benefits — The darker variety of chocolate has flavones that make blood vessels more elastic. Choose one that has at least 70 per cent cocoa to really reap the benefits.

6. Alcohol alert — While it does provide some health benefits, alcohol can also be bad for your health. If consumed in small amounts, it can help prevent heart attacks and coronary artery disease. But, more than one or two drinks and the benefits are gone. Keep a check on your drinking patterns and if you're a heavy drinker, start reducing slowly. Never indulge in binge drinking. Consuming four or five drinks in a row can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure.

7. Tea benefits — Herbal teas are the way to go. In a study conducted, those who sipped on hibiscus tea daily lowered their blood pressure. Many herbal teas contain hibiscus or you can always opt for green tea. The effects of caffeine are still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily increase pressure. The solution is to check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee to determine if it works for your body.

8. Reduce work and relax — Reducing the number of hours you spend in office can help lower hypertension. Working overtime makes it hard to exercise and eat healthy. Ensure that you get out of office at a decent hour. Learning to relax by listening to soothing music (Classical, Oriental or Indian instrumental) can help.

Diet for a healthy brain

Necessary vitamins for the brain:

Vitamin B -1: It is necessary for the brain. The main sources are-sprouted cereals, green-leafy vegetables and groundnuts.

Vitamin B-2: This is also very important for the brain and is found in milk, cheese, green vegetables, tomato and apricot.

Vitamin B-6: The brain needs this vitamin and is mainly found in whole grains, yeast, dried beans, potato, fruits, and green vegetables.

Vitamin B-12: It is very important for the proper functioning of the brain. Its main sources are milk, curd and cheese.

Vitamin-C: It keeps the brain healthy and the main sources of this vitamin are tomatos, melons, myrobalan, lime, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, strawberry, and turnip.

Vitamin-E: It gives strength to the brain and the main sources of this vitamin are tomato, dried beans, pulses, grains, spinach, and green vegetables.

Vitamins

Vitamins are most necessary for our body and beauty but often peoples do not know what Vitamins and Minerals they have need. There are details of Vitamins and Minerals. You can easily select for yourself as per need.

Vitamin A (Beta-Carotene)
Found in many "orange" colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, apricots and yams. Essential for proper care of the eyes, hair and skin. Deficiency in Vitamin A can lead to blindness, acne, eye sties, itching and irritation.

Vitamin B Complex
A low intake of Vitamin B Complex can lead to high cholesterol, poor circulation, constipation and other digestive problems. Vitamin B Complex is found mainly in high protein sources such as meat, eggs, poultry, fish, cheese and vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and beans.

Vitamin B12
One of few vitamins that is not found in vegetables. If you are on a vegetarian or restricted meat diet, you can get Vitamin B12 from eggs, milk and milk products and tofu. Other sources include beef, clams, crab, and fish. A lack of B12 can lead to fatigue, irritability and digestive problems such as heartburn, diarrhea, and constipation.

Vitamin C
One of the easiest vitamins to find naturally, Vitamin C is available in just about all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits such as oranges, pineapples, mangos and lemons. In addition to helping prevent cold and flu symptoms, Vitamin C also protects against cancer.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is often added to dairy product and can also be found in tuna, salmon and other types of fish. As unusual as it sounds, Vitamin D can also be converted from the action of sunlight on the skin!

Vitamin E
Found mainly in whole grains and dark leafy vegetables. A deficiency in Vitamin E can lead to impotency, sterility and miscarriages.

Vitamin K
Vitamin K is primarily found in dark, leafy vegetables as well as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, wheat and rye. Too little Vitamin K can cause problems with blood clotting, bone growth and metabolism.

Folic Acid
Another vitamin that is easily found in most common foods, especially oranges, carrots, beans, meat and whole grains. It is essential for the maintenance of healthy growth, development and metabolism. Low amounts of folic acid can lead to birth defects in women who are pregnant.

Nutrients in potatoes
Potatoes provide very good nutritional return compared to the calories they contain. Nutrient density is important since our need for calories has decreased as a result of not being as active is we used to.

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How To Start Drinking Of Water

1. Determine how much water you need. You’ve probably heard the “8 by 8″ rule - drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day - but the amount of water a person needs varies depending on his or her weight and activity level. Another way to determine your specific recommended water intake is to divide your weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need each day.

2. Measure your daily intake of water. Do this for a few days. If you find that you’re drinking less than the recommended quantity, try some of the following tips.

3. Carry water with you everywhere you go in a bottle or other container. Before long, you’ll find yourself reaching for it without a second thought.

4. Keep a glass or cup of water next to you whenever you’ll be sitting down for a long time, such as when you’re at your desk at work. Drink from it regularly as you’re working.

5. Try wearing a digital watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour. Use that as a reminder to pour yourself a glass of water. Vow to drink that water before the next beep. If you drink only one small (6 ounce or 180 ml) cup per hour, you’ll have consumed 48 ounces (1.4 l) by the end of an 8-hour workday.

6. Get a water purification system. Purified water tastes very good and may help make drinking water more appealing to you. Be aware, though, that as you grow accustomed to purified water, you may find that tap water leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

7. Add lemons or limes to your water, it makes it taste better and makes you want to drink more of it. Be careful not to make it too sour, just a splash of sourness should do the trick. Some mint leaves can be added to a pitcher of water which should be allowed to sit overnight. These are cheap alternatives to the bottled flavored water.

8. Eat water rich foods, such as fruits like watermelon, which is 92 % water by weight. Blend up some seedless fresh watermelon flesh with some ice and place a few sprigs of mint (optional) - one of the most refreshing drinks, especially for the summertime. Cranberry juice is also another option, and has a bitter taste. It is advised to patients suffering from urinary infection caused by insufficient intake of water to drink cranberry juice and watermelon if not plain water everyday. A tomato is 95 % water. An egg is about 74 % water. A piece of lean meat is about 70 % water.

9. Try having 8 glasses (1600ml) of water a day - 2 before breakfast, 2 between breakfast and lunch, 2 between lunch and dinner, and 2 after dinner. It may take a while to get used to, but it will be very good for you.

Strawberries

Strawberry milkshakes. Strawberry jam. Strawberry ice cream. Strawberry pie. Who doesn’t love the sweet, tart, and unmistakable taste of strawberries? Strawberries are cultivated worldwide, so the answer is probably not many people. They are beautiful, bright red, and smell heavenly. They are often eaten fresh, or in one of the treats listed above; in fact, their flavor is also reproduced and used in commercial food products.

An accessory fruit, derived from the plant’s receptacle instead of the ovaries, strawberries were first grown in France in the year 1740. They were really a hybrid of two different types of strawberry, a cross between the Fragaria Virginiana of North America (famous for its flavor) and the Fragaria Chiloensis from Chile and Argentine (famous for its size). Now, growers produce the woodland strawberry, first grown in the early seventeenth century.

Strawberries vary across color, size, flavor, ripening season, likelihood of succumbing to disease, and shape. Often the foliage of the plants is different as well. Growing methods vary as well, and cultivators use either the plasticulture method or the method of matted rows. Sometimes, in the off-season, strawberries are grown in greenhouses. Most growers use the plasticulture system to grow their strawberries.

Raised beds are formed and then covered in plastic after being fumigated. The plants are put through holes, and then irrigation tubes are placed under the plastic. The plastic prevents weeds from growing around the plant beds. At harvest time, the plastic is taken away. This system requires a long growing season, and invites high costs due to making and plastic coating the mounds. In colder climates, it is more common for growers to use the method of matted rows. It requires less maintenance and costs less to implement, but yields fewer fruit.

Another method of growing strawberries uses a compost sock, which gives strawberries with higher ORAC, or oxygen radical absorbance capacity, flavonoids, glucose, anthocyanins, fructose, malic acid, sucrose, and citric acid than fruit grown through other methods. Strawberries can also be grown by seed, but it’s not a widely used method in the commercial market. Seeds can be collected from the fruit themselves. Many people grow them at home in pots.

Strawberries are typically harvested and cleaned in the traditional way. Strawberries must be harvested by hand. The fleshy fruit are quite delicate, and machine processing would simply smash them. The packing and grading of the fruit happens in the field. Water streams and bumping, shaking conveyor belts wash the fruit as they move through processing. The United States produces the majority of the world strawberry market, followed by Spain and Turkey.

Many pests attack strawberries, including aphids, strawberry sap beetles, fruit flies, slugs, chafers, moths, strawberry root weevils, strawberry crown moths, strawberry thrips, and mites. Additionally, strawberries are not immune to diseases, and succumb to gray mold, leaf spot, rhizopus rot, leaf blight, verticillium wilt, red stele, black root rot, powdery mildew, nematodes, and slime molds. A windy area can prevent a fungus from growing.

In addition to being easy to cultivate, strawberries are also very nutritious fruit. They are a great source of flavonoids and vitamin C, and have few calories. Strawberries are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and calcium. They also have beauty benefits; it is rumored that rubbing raw strawberries over your teeth will actually whiten them!

Sadly, some people are allergic to strawberries. The most common allergy is through oral consumption, but may also occur in the form of hives or breathing problems. For those with the allergy, white-fruited strawberries may be the answer. They lack the protein necessary for normal ripening, and so do not turn red. They are almost completely allergen-free!

Hopefully, everyone, even those with allergies, enjoy strawberries when they can. They are delicious, nutritious, and employ benefits for the body, both inside and out.

Sources: www.healthtips101.com