Healthy Blood

1. Every morning, take a brisk 15 minute walk.Amazingly, you dont need a lot of exercise to make a difference to your blood pressure. When Japanese researchers asked 168 inactive volunteers with high blood pressure to exercise at a health club for different amounts of time each week for eight weeks, blood pressure levels dropped almost as much in those who exercised for 30 to 90 minutes a week as in those who exercised for more than 90 minutes a wee .....

Monitor your blood pressure regularly

2. Buy a home blood pressure kit.A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that home blood pressure testing can provide a better overall picture of blood pressure levels than readings in a doctors surgery. In the study, surgery readings failed to identify 13 percent of patients who had high blood pressure only when measured in the surgery (white-coat hypertension), and 9 percent who had high blood pressure at home but not in t .....

Munch on nutritious snacks

3. Dip tortilla chips in guacamole.Why Avocados have more blood-pressure-lowering potassium than any other fruit or vegetable, including bananas. Canadian men and women should get 4,700 mg of potassium every day, but many get just half this amount.Eat a handful of dried apricots every afternoon.Like bananas, apricots are a particularly good source of potassium. Plus they have lots of fibre, iron and beta carotene. The drying process actually increa .....

Add flaxseeds to food

4. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds on your yogurt in the morning and mix 2 tablespoons into your ice cream, soup, spaghetti sauce or other food later in the day. One small study found that adding 4 tablespoons of the seeds significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) in postmenopausal women with a history of heart disease. Flaxseeds are rich in many nutrients and in fibre. .....

Choose a better beverage

5. Drink tea instead of coffee.An Australian study found that each one cup increase in daily tea consumption decreased systolic blood pressure by 2 points and diastolic pressure by 1 point. But the benefits ended after 4 cups. 8. Drink a glass of orange juice every morning and another at night. One U.S. study found that this lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 7 percent and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 4.6 percentthanks to .....

Nibble dark chocolate

6. Turn to dark chocolate when your sweet tooth asserts itself.Unlike milk chocolate, dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids that keep your arteries flexible, preventing the increase in pressure that come with stiffer blood vessels. Thats thought to be one reason for the normal blood pressure of a tribe of indigenous Panamanians who eat a high-salt diet but also consume massive amounts of cocoa. In addition, a study published in the Journal of the Ame .....

Add some spice

7. Flavour food with lots of pepper.Pepper is a strong, dominant flavour that can help you to reduce your taste for salt. Without salt, meals may seem bland for a couple of days, but your taste buds can easily be retrained. Add more pepper and, if that doesnt appeal, try garlic, lemon, ginger, basil or other spicy flavours you enjoy. After a week, old favourite foods will taste extremely oversalted and your blood pressure will be singing your praise .....

Get a better nights sleep

8. Sleep with earplugs in tonight.Studies suggest that being exposed to noise while youre sleeping may increase your blood pressure as well as your heart rate, so block out any noise.Think about your sleep.Are you waking up tired? Is your partner complaining that you snore a lot? Talk to your doctor. You may have sleep apnea. Studies find that half the people who have the condition, in which you stop breathing dozens or hundreds of times during th .....

Cut back on salt

9. Find (and eliminate) at least one hidden source of salt a day.For instance, did you know what many breakfast cereals contain salt? Who needs salt in their cereal? Find a brand thats salt-free. Take these supplements daily garlic, fish oil, calcium, CoQ10.All have blood-pressure-lowering properties. Just check with your doctor first. .....

Focus On Including Protein At Breakfast

10. If youre only going to do one thing, then make sure to eat some protein at breakfast every morning. Aim for at least 10 gms. If youre in a rush, then a low-glycemic shake with protein, such as the Superfood Protein Blend is a good start. When you get protein first thing in the morning, it sets you up for normal blood sugar for the rest of the day.Some other ideas for a protein breakfast include eggs (poached, scrambled, fried or in an omelette), .....

Know That Blood Sugar Response Is Quite Individual

11. I learned that we all react so differently to the same foods. For example, some so-called healthy foods, like whole grains, actually spike blood sugar in some individuals, but not in others. Similarly, watch out for fructose (sugar fruit). In many individuals, fructose will spike blood sugar, whereas whole fruit will noteven though whole fruit contains fructose. .....

Eliminate Wheat

12. The book, Wheat Belly, by William Davis, M.D. is a treatise on how the kind of gluten found in the mono-culture wheat we grow in the United States is often metabolized in the body just like sugar! So if you want to really get serious about your blood sugar, I suggest that you stay away from grains completely for a month or so. .....

Check Your Stress Levels

13. If youre eating well, but under a lot of emotional stress, it may cause high blood sugar. You might also notice that youre putting on weight. Since stress releases cortisol, and cortisol spikes blood sugar, you will find that undue emotional stress will spike your blood sugar. This also explains why coffee on an empty stomach can spike blood sugar. The caffeine causes the body to release cortisol. .....

Consider Supplements

14. If your blood sugar is higher than the ideal numbers I mention above, there are supplements you can take that really help control blood sugar while youre upgrading your diet. Green coffee extract and Gymnema sylvestreare are two good options. .....

Make Friends With Stevia

15. Stevia is an herb that is very sweet. I carry Nu-Naturals liquid stevia with me wherever I go. (With the exception of Truvia, the other brands dont hold a candle to Nu-Naturals and are often bitter.) I use stevia in my iced tea, in my coffee, and to add a little extra sweetness to berries and fruit or to plain kefir. .....

Exercise To Burn Off Excess Cortisol

16. When you are stressed, the excess cortisol produced by the body is designed to help you run away from the threat! When there were tigers to run from, the body used the cortisol to flee. The problem is that, today, our stresses are not the kind you can run away from. So instead of running from the tiger, do ten minutes of exercise. In an office building, you can walk up and down stairs or up and down the halls. You will be amazed at how effectivel .....

Stop Dieting

17. If youre going to eat sugar, just be sure to eat some protein and add lots of salad, green vegetables, beans, and other low glycemic foods to the mix. This will go a long way toward keeping blood sugar even. As an added bonus, over time, those with the stable blood sugar are the ones who lose their excess belly fat, too. .....

Eat healthily

18. Eating the right type of diet can lower your risk for high blood pressure or help you return to normal blood pressure. Clinical studies show that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts really works. You also need to avoid fats, red meat, and excess sugar. .....

Shake the salt habit

19. Your body only needs about 500 milligrams of salt a day, but if you are like the average American you may be consuming up to 9,000 mg a day. Studies show that high salt leads to high blood pressure. Current recommendations are to limit salt intake to 2,400 mg per day, the equivalent of about one teaspoon. .....

Put the brakes on smoking and drinking

20. These are two other bad habits to avoid if you want to keep a normal blood pressure. Alcohol raises blood pressure and adds empty calories. A safe amount of alcohol is only one drink a day for women and two for men. Smoking is not safe in any amount. Nicotine causes blood vessels to constrict and that raises blood pressure. Quitting will also lower your risk of cancer and heart disease. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure or norm .....

Lose excess weight

21. Theres no getting around the fact that blood pressure goes up as the pounds pile on. Being overweight increases your risk for heart disease and diabetes, too. Losing even 10 pounds can start to make your blood pressure go back down. .....

Spice It Up

22. To prevent hypertension and boost flavor, cut back on sodium by using more herbs, spices and salt-free seasoning blends when cooking. Not sure where to start? Add lemon juice or vinegar to homemade tomato sauce; the acidity will impart a sensation similar to salt. Or, experiment with herbes de Provence or fines herbestwo sodium-free French spice blendswhen cooking meat, poultry or your tomato sauce. .....

Live a healthy lifestyle

23. Keeping a healthy blood pressure is key to keeping your kidneys healthy. You can also help protect your kidneys by following other healthy habits. .....

Avoid tobacco

24. Using tobacco (smoking or chewing) puts you more at risk for high blood pressure, kidney disease and many other health problems. If you already have kidney disease, using tobacco can make it get worse faster. If you use tobacco, quitting can help lower your chances of getting kidney disease or help slow the disease down if you already have it. .....

Limit alcohol

25. Drinking alcohol in large amounts can cause your blood pressure to rise. Limiting how much alcohol you drink can help you keep a healthy blood pressure. Have no more than two drinks per day if youre a man and no more than one drink per day if youre a woman. .....

Take medicines as directed

26. To help protect your kidneys, take medicines as directed.Some medicines may help you manage conditions that can damage your kidneys, like diabetes or high blood pressure. Ask your doctor how to take any medicines he or she prescribes. Make sure to take the medicines just how your doctor tells you. This may mean taking some medicines, like blood pressure medicines, even when you feel fine.Other medicines can harm your kidneys if you take them t .....

Control your cholesterol

27. Having high cholesterol, especially if you have diabetes, puts you more at risk for kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. It can also cause diabetic kidney disease to get worse faster.Your triglycerides are also important. People with high triglycerides are more at risk for kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. For most people, a healthy triglyceride level is less than 150. If your total cholesterol, LDL or triglycerides are high, or i .....

Be physically active

28. Exercise can help you stay healthy. To get the most benefit, exercise for at least 30 minutes, 5 days of the week. If that seems like too much, start out slow and work your way up. Look for fun activities that you enjoy. Try walking with a friend, dancing, swimming or playing a sport. Adding just a little more activity to your routine can help. Exercise can also help relieve stress, another common cause of high blood pressure. .....

Curb Added Sugars with No Calorie Drinks

29. Iced tea, fruit punch, sports drinks, energy drinks they might sound like healthy, thirst-quenching choices, but most are far from it. Research shows that American adults consume an average of 22 teaspoons of added sugars a day (about 15 percent of daily calories!). Thats no surprise; a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda contains 15 teaspoons of added sugars. These teaspoons arent just coming from regular soda loads of added sugars lurk inside man .....

Portion Control Please

30. One surefire way to cut calories and be able to tighten your belt is to control your portions. In translation, this means to continue to eat most of the foods you enjoy just a bit less of some, such as meats (protein), fats and oils, and desserts and sweets. Fill your plate with more fruits and vegetables. The Science Research shows that people dont follow rigid diets or meal plans for long. Deprivation doesnt work! Plus, as shown in the Nationa .....

Snack Smart and Healthy

31. To snack or not to snack with diabetes The once widely given advice that people with diabetes need to eat three small meals and three snacks each day is no longer true. That advice dates back to older medications and the potential for hypoglycemia. The Science Research shows that some people can control their calories better with between-meal snacks, yet other studies find that frequent snacking can lead to excess calories. If your glucose is ru .....

Stress Less

32. Stress can be a surprisingly powerful driver of your blood glucose levels. Most people see stress raise their blood sugar while others can see stress lower it.Why it works Of the components of the food you eat, fiber is the only one that doesnt break down and get absorbed into your system. There are two types of fiber insoluble, which whisks material through your digestive system, and soluble, which slows the absorption of glucose. Experts reco .....

Sleep Well

33. The Science Numerous studies suggest that not getting enough sleep and/or having interrupted sleep may worsen control of diabetes and increase overeating, says Carol Touma, M.D., an endocrinologist who focuses on sleep research and metabolism at the University of Chicago. In recent years, a connection has been drawn between people who are overweight and have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. Three-quarters of people with type 2 dia .....

Explore and Learn from Past Actions

34. Ate too much, missed your walk, or didnt check your blood sugar? With countless diabetes to-dos, its easy to slip up. Rather than beating yourself up for yesterdays mishaps, misadventures, or didnt-dos, take the opportunity to learn from your past actions as you seek to change your ways for the future.The Science Animals learn quickly. A rat presses a button with its nose and gets a shock. The rats solution? Dont press the button again. Humans d .....