Your Diet and Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

High blood pressure can lead to stroke, which is the #2 cause of long-term disability in the US. It can lead to circulatory issues, and erectile dysfunction.

The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke.

• Maintain a desirable weight for your height, build and age.

• Limit daily sodium intake in your diet to 2,400 mg, the equivalent of about 1G teaspoons of table salt (sodium chloride). To achieve a more dramatic reduction in blood pressure, restrict sodium intake to 1,500 mg or less each day, the equivalent of less than half a teaspoon of salt.
Be especially careful with prepared foods, which can be loaded with sodium. Always read the label, and also take into account how many servings are deemed to be in the package, and how much of it you are likely to eat.

• Increase intake of fruits and vegetables to get enough potassium. Aim for eight servings per day. Bananas are a particularly good source which can be incorporated into breakfast, lunch or dinner, as smoothies, as part of a sandwich, or even as dessert, as well as on its own.

• Consume two to four servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy products each day for adequate calcium and protein. Milk can help you feel full at meals so you don’t overeat, or drink soda, and yogurt or cottage can be eaten for breakfast or lunch.

• Include plenty of whole grains, fish, and poultry in your diet.

• Restrict intake of fat, red meat, and sugary foods and drinks. Avoid pre-prepared foods and meals you have not cooked yourself. Avoid hidden salt, such as in soy sauce.

• Limit consumption of alcohol to no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two per day for men. One alcoholic drink equals one 12-oz. beer, one 5-oz. glass of wine, or one shot (1H oz.) of 80-proof spirits. If you don’t drink, then don’t start.

Learn to fight Osteopenia and Osteoporosis in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 6

Heart health guidelines continued

• Opt for fat-free and low-fat dairy products. Also choose lean meats in place of higher-fat cuts. The leanest cuts of meat are loin, flank, and round.

• Get at least 15% of total calories in your diet from monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Choose unsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats.

• Limit cholesterol to 300 mg per day. If you have high blood cholesterol levels, limit your intake to less than 200 mg per day. Try to choose heart healthy fats like olive oil, that can boost your HDL cholesterol to combat your LDL cholesterol.

• Get 20 to 30 g of fiber per day (for adults over age 50); include plenty of soluble fiber. Try to get it from a variety of sources such as wholemeal bread, cereal and fresh fruit.

• Consume at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate (folic acid) per day from fruits, vegetables, fortified grains, and/or a supplement.

• Limit intake of refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar.

• Maintain a desirable weight to prevent metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for heart disease. Metabolic Syndrome is a condition characterized by a group of diagnostic test findings, including elevated blood glucose levels, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke, so watching what you eat is about more than just apperance and heart health.

Learn to prevent High Blood Pressure in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 5

Your Diet and Coronary Heart Disease

Heart disease is the #1 killer of BOTH men and women in the US.  In women, a first heart attack is likely to be fatal, or result in death within the first year, in up to 50% of all cases. Yes, that is up to HALF of all women dying.

Just think of the number of bereaved men and motherless children represented by that statistic, and start taking steps today for maximum heart health.

The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent heart attack.

• Limit saturated fat and trans fatty acids in your diet to less than 10% of calories (or less than 7% if you have high blood cholesterol levels). You can accomplish this by restricting your intake of the major sources of saturated fat (fatty meats, poultry skin, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils) and by restricting your intake of hydrogenated fat (found in commercially prepared baked and fried foods and margarines), the major source of trans fatty acids.

• Center your diet around fish, skinless poultry, and plant-based, unprocessed, whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as beans), and nuts.

• Eat at least two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, and albacore tuna. Fatty fish provide a type of fat, called omega-3 fatty acids, that is believed to be heart healthy.

• Include soy foods in your diet—replace foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol with 25 g of soy protein per day. This diet recommendation is particularly important for those with high levels of total and LDL cholesterol.

Learn more about preventing heart disease through nutrition in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 4

How to change your diet to fight disease

The steps for changing your diet outlined in this series of articles are simple and direct. And the best news of all is that many of these recommendations overlap. Following even one or two nutrition recommendations in this series of articles can actually help protect you against several disorders, not just one.

The diet recommendations for preventing coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and osteoporosis are based on solid, consistent scientific findings.

These diet recommendations also take into account recently revised guidelines for sodium and potassium intake.

Although many of the diet recommendations for cancer prevention are less certain, a growing body of evidence suggests that they are protective.

Experts estimate that about 35% of all cancers are related to your diet, and that a high intake of fruits and vegetables can cut cancer risk by as much as half.

For those of you who already have a genetic pre-disposition to these serious health conditions, the good news is you can take active steps now to prevent heart disease or cancer from striking in the future by being proactive about your heart health today.

Continued in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 3