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Statistics may show a decline, but heart disease is still thenumber one killer in America. Paradoxically, heart disease can beprevented through diet, exercise and stress/sleep management. Is itharder than popping in a pill? Maybe, however no drug can truly fixthe root of the problem. A lot have been written about avoiding saturated fat, trans fat,cholesterol and sodium. Increasing the intake of fiber throughvegetables and fruits, and omega-3 fatty acids have been advised. Nevertheless, many people are still confused on what works and whatdoes not to keep the vascular system to function at its best. When it comes to preventing or decreasing hypertension andhigh-cholesterol levels, diet-wise this is what some of the mostsolid research points out: a) Sodium red flag Reducing sodium may prevent hypertension by 20 percent with orwithout weight changes. When over 77 percent of the sodium intakecomes from processed food, it s probably not the salt shaker thatkeeps Americans over the maximum daily amount suggested for healthyadults 2,300 mg sodium the maximum vs. over 3,400 mg average perday. From cereals, TV dinners, breads, can soups to dressings you llfind some with over 800 mg of sodium per serving one packet ofonion soup, dry mix has 3,132 mg of sodium. ommon sense: read thelabels, buy low-sodium versions, hold the table salt and use morespices for flavor enhancement. b) Potassium green light: The sodium counterbalance mineral, potassium, on the other hand,is way too low compared to the Tolerable Upper Intake level (UL) around 3,200 mg/day for men and 2.400 mg/day for women vs. thesuggested 4,700 mg/day. Studies show that the more sodium intake in your diet, the greaterthe benefits of potassium to reduce blood pressure. Experts adviseto increase the intake of raisins (1 cup has 1,086 mg ofpotassium), potato with the skin (1081 mg of potassium) as well asbeans, spinach, yogurt, oranges, avocados and tomatoes. The power of tomatoes is on the rise to improve total cholesteroland a better ration total cholesterol-HDL, good cholesterol. In astudy published in The Journal of Nutrition, women who consumedover 10 servings of tomatoes based products a week (juice, sauce,raw, and other forms) compared to those who consumed less that 1.5servings a week, showed the greater improvements. c) Bulk up the vegetable protein: If the quest is to reduce blood pressure, plant protein has beenassociated with lowering blood pressure, particularly when soy, hich provides all essential amino acids, replaces carbohydrateintake. Even though plant protein usually comes with the added plus offiber, fiber has not been consistently proven to affect bloodpressure. However, the evidence is different when decreasingcholesterol. According to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, legumeconsumption including lentils, peas, chickpeas and other kinds ofbeans was inversely associated with lipid peroxidation and otherinflammatory biomarkers. d) Vitamin C , not just for the flu: Epidemiological studies suggest thatincreased vitamin C intake is associated with lower blood pressure.C goes beyond the heart muscle to affect overall muscle-to-fatratio. ne study shows that higher vitamin C consumption wasrelated with leaner body mass. ikewise, the powerful C has beenshown to decrease the stress hormone cortisol, which affects theheart health. Add strawberries, broccoli, kale, bell peppers, spinach,watermelon, cantaloupe among other sources of natural vitamin C toyour daily meals. e) Flavonoids a proven cardio-protector: Flavonoids are plant-based phytochemicals , primarily found infruit, vegetables, nuts, cocoa, tea and wine. As reported by an article published in Advances in Nutrition andInternational Review Journal indicates that major dietary sourcesof flavonols may lower cardiovascular risks factors such as highblood pressure and LDL cholesterol, bad cholesterol. In particular, a study where over 38,000 men and 60,000 women wereexamined to evaluate the relationship between flavonoid intake andcardiovascular disease, the higher the food intake of thesephytochemicals the lower the risk of cardiovascular death, Flavonoids intake and Cardiovascular disease mortality in aprospective cohort of US adults, reports the American Society forNutrition. There are many type of flavonoids, so if it s tough for you to getyour five a day, at least make sure that you include the ones thatgive you more heart protection such as blueberries, strawberries,kale, broccoli, spinach, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, celery, garlic,onions, tea, red wine, chocolate, oranges and pears. Low Fat Dairy makes the mark: In a study, low fat dairy foodsources such as milk, yogurt and cheese showed an antihypertensiveeffect. It seems that calcium may positively affect the bloodpressure response to salt. The jury is still out Surprisingly, the evidence on these nutrients to affect the bloodpressure response for good or bad has proven to be inconsistent. a) Fats: Saturated fats and Omega 6 fatty acids have been heavily blamed inthe incidence of blood pressure response. The blood pressurerelation has not been confirmed, but diets high in these fats havebeen linked to high cholesterol. b) Mono-saturated fats: Studies have shown the benefits of this type of fat to increasegood cholesterol (HDL); however, its connection with blood pressureresponse is not supported. c) Carbohydrates: Certainly a rush of sugar does not do any good for a diet, but thelink with blood pressure response has not been fully established. evertheless, some studies show an increase in the blood pressureafter eating sugary carbohydrates while whole grain hasdemonstrated the opposite effect. Triglycerides, the most common body fat, are affected in a diethigh in sugar and alcohol. This is particularly important sinceusually, people who have high triglycerides may have low HDL orgood cholesterol, increasing the overall risk of having highcholesterol and diabetes. d) Coffee: Studies show that people who suffer from heart disease mayexperience an elevated blood pressure response to caffeine intake.Nevertheless, a recent study found that the increment may last justthree hours regardless, always consult with your physician. onversely, caffeine does not affect blood pressure on healthypeople. Marta Montenegro is an exercise physiologist, certified strengthand conditioning coach and master trainer, who teaches as anadjunct professor at Florida International University. Marta hasdeveloped her own system of exercises used by professionalathletes. Her personal website, martamontenegro.com , combines fitness, nutrition and health tips, exercise routines,recipes and the latest news to help you change your life but notyour lifestyle. She was the founder of nationally awarded SOBeFiTmagazine and the fitness DVD series Montenegro Method. Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Maryland Dental Bridge Manufacturer , China Valplast Flexible Partial for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Crowns And Bridges.
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