| Don't miss any of Bottom Line's Daily Health News. Add our address, dailyhealthnews@edhn.bottomlinesecrets.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. January 27, 2011  In This Issue...
 The Most Overlooked Health Practice of All You’re eating right, watching your weight, taking your vitamins, and getting enough sleep. But are you overlooking the single most important health practice of them all? Yes, it’s even more important than those other factors. Doctors now realize that blood sugar is the #1 factor for good health and long life. In fact, out-of-control blood sugar has been linked to nearly every serious degenerative disease on the Top 10 Killers list. Learn More... Foods That Lower Blood Pressure (Part 1) One-third of adults in this country have high blood pressure, and the worst part of it is that about one-quarter of them don’t know it. Though high blood pressure (or hypertension) has no symptoms, it kills more than 56,000 men and women a year in the US alone and is a huge risk factor for heart disease. While many people are well-aware that taking in excess sodium in foods and beverages contributes to the problem, fewer know that there is a long list of foods that actually help reduce blood pressure... and that eating these foods regularly really can help keep your blood pressure under control! It’s All About Balance Being attuned to the ratio of sodium to potassium in your diet is as important as restricting sodium, I was told by Mark Houston, MD, director of the Hypertension Institute in Nashville. Research dating back more than 30 years has demonstrated the symbiotic relationship between these two minerals and that balancing them is critical to good health, he explained. That message hasn’t been received by most Americans, however -- our average American diet is woefully high in sodium and low in potassium, along with magnesium, another mineral important for regulating blood pressure. That’s a shame, said Dr. Houston, "Even if you had a very high sodium intake, you could negate some of the negative impact by having a high intake of potassium and magnesium." What we need: The Institute of Medicine now recommends that adults consume at least 4,700 mg of potassium (from foods, not supplements) a day to reduce blood pressure and blunt the effects of salt. The key word is "consume," notes Dr. Houston, adding that supplementing with potassium can be deadly and therefore should be done only under the close monitoring of a physician. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium is 420 mg/day for women and 320 mg/day for men. Plentiful Potassium What foods are highest in potassium and magnesium? Certain fruits and vegetables, the very kinds of foods most Americans don’t get enough of. Though the current dietary guidelines recommend eight to 10 servings of fruits and veggies a day for adults (which comes to about 3½ to 6½ cups), average consumption among Americans is a paltry three servings daily. Several studies, most notably the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study, have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly lower blood pressure -- and many experts believe that this is due to the increased amount of potassium such diets provide. But not all fruits and vegetables are created equal when it comes to potassium. The following foods are potassium heavyweights... Swiss chard. An unsung nutritional hero, Swiss chard packs an impressive potassium punch -- 966 mg per cup... and it gets bonus points for also providing 150 mg of magnesium! Bananas. One medium banana contains 422 mg of potassium, 32 mg of magnesium and more than three grams of fiber. Spinach. One cup of this nutrient-rich super food contains 839 mg of potassium, not to mention 157 mg of magnesium. Tomato juice. You’ll get 556 mg of potassium in one cup of tomato juice -- but check the label, because many brands contain lots of sodium. Orange and grapefruit juice. One cup of orange juice contains 472 mg of potassium (more than a banana!) and, with 378 mg per cup, grapefruit juice is close behind. Dried apricots. A plentiful source of potassium, dried apricots contain 407 mg per half cup. But don’t overdo -- they’re high in sugar and calories. Yams and sweet potatoes. One cup of cubed cooked yams has 911 mg of potassium and provides 5.3 grams of fiber. The easier-to-find sweet potato is also a great source, with one medium baked sweet potato (with skin) providing 508 mg of potassium. Avocados. Don’t hate these fruits (yup, they’re fruits) because they’re high in fat -- it’s the same heart-healthy fat found in olive oil. They’re great sources of potassium, too -- a single Florida avocado contains 1,067 mg of potassium, while its California cousin contains 690 mg. Worth knowing: Florida avocados are a bit lower in calories than their California brethren (227 calories vs. 365 per ounce). Cantaloupe. One cup of cubed cantaloupe contains 494 mg of potassium, plus a significant amount of vitamin A and beta-carotene. Figs. One-half cup of dried figs delivers 506 mg of potassium. Bonus: They’re also very high in fiber (more than 7.5 g per half cup)... but be aware that figs are also high in sugar. Peaches. One large peach contains 322 mg of potassium. Dates. The two most widely available varieties of dates are both good sources of potassium. Medjool dates contain 167 mg of potassium, and Deglet noor dates have about 150 mg of potassium. Beans. Beans are quite high in potassium, and it almost doesn’t matter which kind you get. Per cup, kidney beans contain 713 mg (and 80 mg of magnesium)... black beans, 611 mg potassium (and 120 mg of magnesium)... chickpeas (garbanzo beans) have 477 mg potassium (79 mg of magnesium)... and the superstar is the obscure adzuki bean, delivering 1,224 mg of potassium (and 120 mg of magnesium) per cup. Kale. One cup of chopped, raw kale contains only 39 calories yet delivers 417 mg of potassium as well as 53 mg of vitamin C! Serving suggestion: Try tossing with some olive oil, pine nuts and dried cranberries, suggests nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of The Healthiest Meals on Earth. A Bit Here and a Bit There... While the above list represents an all-star group of blood pressure-lowering foods, there are plenty of others that can help get you to your goal of 4,700 mg of potassium per day. Three pitted prunes, one kiwi or a cup of broccoli each deliver around 250 mg of potassium... a medium apple provides 195 mg... and a small 1.5-ounce box of raisins contains 322 mg. "A high intake of potassium -- as well as the magnesium and calcium often contained in the same foods -- may improve blood pressure levels and reduce coronary artery disease and stroke," Dr. Houston concluded. Read on to learn about other foods and supplements that help keep your blood pressure at a healthy level... Source(s):  The Absurdly Simple Secret to Boundless Energy Imagine: the weight slides off, your brain is sharp as a tack, you’re naturally happy, you sleep through the night and feel refreshed in the morning, your hair and skin glow like a teenager’s... and your aches and pains just seem to have disappeared. Sound too good to be true? It’s the reality for those who understand that there is more to good health than being symptom-free. Instead, the patients of Dr. Mark Stengler enjoy high energy, great sleep, clear thinking and strong bodies. Read on... Foods That Lower Blood Pressure (Part 2) You may be surprised to learn about the blood pressure benefits available from some of the other good-for-you foods that you are likely already eating... Celery. Celery is a centuries-old traditional Chinese medicine treatment for high blood pressure, and various contemporary research studies affirm its benefit. Besides being rich in potassium, celery also contains 3-n-butyl phthalide, a compound that allows better blood flow by relaxing muscles in the walls of blood vessels. Garlic. A review article in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension called garlic "an agent with some evidence of benefit" in reducing high blood pressure, with some estimates saying that it can reduce blood pressure by 2%. Garlic contains the vasodilator and muscle-relaxing compound adenosine. Beet juice. Beets contain abundant nitrates, helpful in controlling blood pressure. Research from the Queen Mary University of London found that high blood pressure returned to normal levels when subjects were given two cups of beet juice per day. Brown rice. Recent research has shown that compounds in brown rice protect against hypertension by blocking an enzyme (angiotensin II) that increases blood pressure. And Don’t Forget D! Dr. Houston very much wanted Daily Health News readers to know that there is one supplement that is particularly important for blood pressure: Vitamin D, because it helps regulate a hormone called renin. "If Vitamin D is low, renin is increased," Dr. Houston explained, adding "this, in turn, causes the arteries to constrict and increase blood pressure." For more on renin and its affect on blood pressure, see Daily Health News, "Blood Pressure Medication Breakthrough," January 4, 2011... and for additional information on how to get the right amount of D for your optimal health, see Daily Health News, "Is Vitamin D Dangerous?," January 20, 2011. Source(s): Mark Houston, MD, MS, associate clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and director of the Hypertension Institute, Vascular Biology and the Life Extension Institute at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville. He is author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension (Grand Central) and the upcoming book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Heart Disease (Grand Central). Be well,
New INSTANT Cure for Extra High Cholesterol -- Cholesterol Drops 100 Points or More Do you have stubborn high cholesterol? Would you love to get your count under control without having to depend on expensive prescription drugs? Changing your diet can help, of course. But here’s something better. This breakthrough new therapy instantly filters excess cholesterol from your body. And it’s completely safe. This new therapy takes only a matter of minutes and lowers unhealthy cholesterol like no drug known to science. At the same time, it triggers a reduction in C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, substances that can increase the risk for blood clots. Patients who receive the therapy report a rapid reduction in cardiovascular symptoms such as angina. Read more... You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe by clicking here. To change your e-mail address click here To update your e-mail preferences click here Important: Help your friends live more healthfully -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Need to contact us? Boardroom Inc. Privacy Policy: Required Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright (c) 2011 by Boardroom Inc. |
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