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Posts Tagged ‘diet’

Expected Levels of Systolic And Diastolic Blood Pressure

July 5th, 2011

The real order that the numbers involved in a blood pressure reading are given is systolic over diastolic. The systolic pressure is higher, because it is the reading taken when the heart actually pumps or beats and the diastolic pressure is lower because it is taken whilst the heart sucks in a fresh quantity of blood to pump around.

There are approximate figures that people quote as 'standard', yet there is no clear, authoritative consensus what these numbers are. In the west, most authorities will say that any reading under 120/80 is good. However, there are numerous medical professionals who will say that 140/80 does not need treatment, other than to lose a couple of pounds, if you are over weight.

This makes it very difficult for the unqualified person to ascertain for him or herself, whether his or her blood pressure is satisfactory or not. Blood pressure monitors are very reassuring, very accurate yet not expensive these days, but how can you interpret the data they give you, if not every medical professional has the same opinion?

Perhaps the only way to get the most sense of this data is to go along to your general practitioner with your blood pressure monitor and talk about its findings with your doctor. Your doctor can use his or her sophisticated device and check it with yours then your doctor can give you a few figures that can be expected for someone like you.

I say this because there are a number of things that can affect blood pressure. In fact, actual blood pressure changes with every beat of the heart, so your blood pressure can be different every time you take it, which is why a BP monitor takes the average (or the maximum) over, say, a two minute period.

Factors that can (and often do) have an effect on blood pressure are:

The 'White Coat Effect': some individuals' BP soars by as much as 25-50 points if they go into a doctor's surgery. This could be anxiety or it could be fear of doctors, and it is a documented difficulty.

Mood: fear, anger, depression and anxiety can unsettle your blood pressure.

Age: your age has some sway on your BP.

Weather: the temperature and the humidity has an effect on BP

Stress: stress, restlessness, lack of sleep and tiredness can affect the levels of your blood pressure.

Diet: which foodstuffs and beverages you have recently consumed have an impact as do whether you are constipated or merely 'full'.

Smoking: smoking and drinking alcohol have an impact on blood pressure.

Exercise: your physical condition, your metabolism and the amount of exercise you take are also factors.

Time of the Day: for all the above reasons and more, the time of the day that you take the reading has an impact, which is why it is a good thing to have your own blood pressure monitor at home. Then you can measure your BP at definite times of the day and compare the results with the hoped for levels of diastolic and systolic blood pressure given you by your GP.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on a number of subjects, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at High Blood Pressure Recipes.

What It Takes To Be A Vegetarian

June 30th, 2011

While you choose to become a vegetarian, it is a personal commitment yet just a personal commitment. No one will ever give you a rule book, a set of principles to sign up to or a set of guidelines to follow. It is entirely up to you what you mean by being a 'vegetarian'. There are no rules for being a vegetarian.

There are, however, different levels of vegetarianism yet some vegetarians may well debate but even argue that their personal point of view is correct. The strictest kind of vegetarianism that you are to be expected to come across is the macrobiotic diet; then there are the vegans, who do not consume any animal products including fish, eggs and dairy products.

Then there is the majority of vegetarians who will eat fish, dairy and eggs yet there are those who do not eat fish, some who will drink milk but eat cheese and will not eat eggs but some who do. I even knew a vegetarian who allowed himself one bacon sandwich a month yet turkey on Christmas Day (my father), and he considered himself a vegetarian.

You could adopt a mild form or vegetarianism at first but then gradually quit eating fish and dairy products later as your craving for animal protein assuages. Or you could jump in at the deep end by going vegan and add fish back in if you find it too hard. You can do whatever your conscience allows you to do.

Let us suppose that you take the mild approach to vegetarianism for a year or two but then decide to stop eating dairy products and eggs. You have now become a lacto-vegetarian. It displays a sympathy for the animals in the dairy and egg industries. Numerous hens live in appalling battery conditions. In general, cows fare somewhat better, yet they still live an abnormal life.

Ovo-vegetarianism is the name give to the diet by which you can still eat eggs after you have given up meat, fish and dairy products. Ovo-vegetarianism is convenient if you find it hard to get enough protein into your diet, because you can have an egg for breakfast yet eat vegetarian for the remainder of the day.

Veganism is just about as strict as most people would like to go. Strict vegans do not consume any animal products including honey. Most individuals find that this is going too far and that it puts unnecessary stress on the vegetarian following it. After all, a vegan has to know what is in everything he or she eats: every dish, loaf of bread, cake, biscuit and even slushie, in case someone has used honey as a sweetener or animal fat instead or margarine.

Most vegetarians would recommend the slow but steady approach to becoming a vegetarian, because it can become difficult at first and you do not want to put yourself off before you have even given it a chance to benefit you. Keep in mind that lifestyle alterations are always difficult, so go easy on yourself and take your conversion into a vegetarian slowly.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, and is now concerned with low carb vegetarian recipes. If you want to know more, please go to our site at http://vegetariancasserolerecipes.com

Tips For Dealing With High Blood Pressure

June 23rd, 2011

Gaining weight and doing less exercise is a characteristic pattern of life for middle-aged people of both sexes. When we are young, our metabolisms can handle most things we throw at it but we begin our jobs on the bottom rung and maybe even have a young family to take care of. This all burns up our calories fairly unsurprisingly.

However, as we get older our metabolism slows down; we may have a manager's position and our children leave home. This all has the result of calories being stockpiled on our waists and thighs. However, there are a couple of things that can be done about it, and it in essence boils down to taking more exercise and taking care of what we eat.

This normally has the effect of giving us hypertension, which is what most people call high blood pressure. The purpose of this article is to present some tips for dealing with high blood pressure. The fact is that if you do nothing about the condition, you will be taking medication for the remainder of your life.

That is OK, if you do not mind taking medication, but most people would rather avoid taking medicine each day.

So the first thing to do is moderate your weight to what it should be. If you do not know what this is, you will have to enquire of a dietitian or your GP. The handy thing about the majority of of the things you ought to do is that they are all connected with decent health.

For example, if you are flabby, you need more exercise and more exercise will also help lower your blood pressure. Two birds with one stone!

It does not take a great deal to make a big difference, if you do nothing at all now. Walking for thirty minutes twice a day will make a huge difference to your body if you do not walk anywhere now. Walking will have a knock-on effect. It will make you lose weight, it will lower your blood pressure and it will massage your internal organs naturally. Swimming works in a comparable way.

Reducing your consumption of salt is a useful manner of losing weight, yet you do have to seek professional advice on this point because salt is a key part of the human diet. However, if you eat too much salt (normally by consuming too much processed food), you can change the situation by using herbs and spices instead of salt to augment the flavour of your food.

Other facets of life that increase blood pressure which do you no use at all anyway are smoking, drinking to excess regularly and permitting yourself to become stressed out. Curing these three habits will have the impact of decreasing your blood pressure.

Taking any of these pointers for dealing with high blood pressure on board will enhance your life and decrease your blood pressure, but you may have to do all of them to get it down if you have a serious problem.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on several of topics, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at High Blood Pressure Recipes.

Recipes For Lowering Your High Blood Pressure

June 20th, 2011

A lot of individuals in the West suffer from high blood pressure brought on by being obese or/ |and the high degrees of stress that contemporary life provokes. Most people are told to lose weight, take up yoga or walking or take tablets for life. This means that most individuals end up taking tablets for life, because lifestyle changes are so difficult to accomplish.

However, there is one enjoyable way of decreasing your blood pressure and that is eating tasty food that does not need additional salt, because it is flavoured by other spices. Here are three such recipes.

Recipe One: France

Leeks Vinaigrette (Poireaux En Salade)

Serves 4

12 leeks 1/4 cup olive oil 4 tspn vinegar of your preference black pepper, fresh ground 1 tbls fresh parsley, chopped mustard to taste

PREPARATION: Clean the leeks; cut off most of the green parts and wash thoroughly, split if necessary, under cold running water. If they are substantial, cut them lengthwise; each bit ought to be around the size of a big stalk of asparagus.

Tie them into bundles in two places, put them in boiling salted water just enough to cover, and cook slowly for 25 minutes, or until they are tender but not limp. Drain them well (and be certain to save the broth to add to a soup).

The leeks may be served in a serving dish or put on individual plates. Create your vinaigrette in a bowl, adding mustard to taste, and whisk the dressing well until it is almost opaque, or emulsified; pour it on top of the leeks.

Recipe Two: Germany

Birnensuppe (Pear Soup)

Serves 2

2 tbspn raisins 1 tbspn dry sherry 2 small pears, cored, pared and sliced 1 1/2 cup water 1 inch cinnamon stick 1 pinch crushed aniseed 2 tspns granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

In small bowl combine raisins and sherry; set aside.

In 1-quart saucepan combine pears, water, cinnamon stick, and aniseed; bring to a boil and cook until pears are very soft, about 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and allow to cool. Transfer to liquidizer and process until smooth; pour into bowl or container and stir in raisin mixture, sugar, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Recipe Three: Greece

Fried Swordfish With Mediterranean Spices

Serves 4

1/2 cups white wine vinegar 1/2 tspn paprika 1/2 tspn red pepper flakes, dried 1/2 tspn oregano 1/2 tspn cumin, ground 1/2 tspn thyme 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 lb swordfish, cut in 1" pieces olive oil for frying 1/2 cup white flour

PREPARATION: Mix first 8 ingredients in a medium non-reactive bowl. Add swordfish pieces; toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour. (Can be marinated for up to 3 hours.)

TO COOK: Heat oven to 200F. Heat oil in a frying pan or an electric deep fryer to 365F. Move swordfish from marinade to a strainer. Drain swordfish; discard marinade. Pat swordfish pieces dry with paper towels, then dredge in flour.

Working in batches to prevent overcrowding, fry swordfish until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain swordfish pieces on paper towel; transfer to a heatproof dish but keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve. (Can be kept warm in the oven up to 1/2 hour.)

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on a number of topics, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, just go to our website at High Blood Pressure Recipes.

The Top 10 Reasons For High Blood Pressure

June 18th, 2011

The percentage of the populace in the countries of the West that is suffering from hypertension (aka high blood pressure) is rising all the time. High blood pressure is also called the 'silent killer', because there is no real notification that you have it, but it can kill you stone dead all the same.

Whenever people say that they can feel their blood pressure rising, it is normally merely an idiom meaning that they are getting angry or excited. You cannot know that your blood pressure is high without measuring it.

So, how can you reduce your blood pressure or stop it from going up without resorting to the daily ingestion of tablets? Here are the top 10 causes of high blood pressure.

1] The first thing to do is lose weight if you are too fat. Just losing ten pounds can have quite a significant impact on your BP.

2] Smoking is a cause of high blood pressure, so you could cut that out.

3] Drinking alcohol to excess frequently also raises BP

4] A desk bound lifestyle or plain lack of exercise will not help either. If you cannot bring yourself to go to the gym, only walk more. A walk of thirty minutes in the morning and in the evening will instigate a lot of difference.

5] Diet. It is important to eat a healthy diet, which will also help you lose weight. Cut out most junk foods; cut down on meats and greasy foods and eat more fruits and vegetables. Salt plays a big part in weight gain (through water retention) and is a major factor in hypertension. Reduce your sodium intake. (Junk foods have a high salt content).

6] Attempt to be happy. Easier said than done in most cases, but strive to develop a positive attitude. Stress plays a big part in developing hypertension. Exercise is said to alleviate stress as is meditation and yoga. Endeavor a few items and see what works for you.

7] Some illness and sleep disorders raise blood pressure as do some medications. Sleep disorders like sleep apnoea disrupt your sleep, preventing you from getting proper sleep, which increases BP as well. Sleep apnoea can be the result of being overweight, so you know how to deal with that, and if you think that medication is causing high BP, speak to your GP.

8] Age can be a factor and whilst there is nothing you can do about your age, you can attempt to be a 'young' whatever you are. People more than the age of 55 generally start developing hypertension rather than younger people. You could try to keep fit and optimistic. See exercise above.

9] Race is another aspect about which you have no control, and Africans and their descendants are more prone to hypertension. If you fit this profile, become aware that you are at risk so check your BP regularly.

10] Fear, worry and depression can all have negative influences on BP, so if any of these incapacitating conditions applies to you, seek help.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on a number of subjects, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at High Blood Pressure Recipes.

Examples Of Low Cholesterol Diets

May 15th, 2011

Although more and more people are becoming aware that they ought to follow a low (er) cholesterol diet as they become older, they might not be aware of how to do this. People eat out a great deal more now than ever before or they have food delivered.

Unfortunately most of the food consumed at or from these places has a poor record when it comes to regulating cholesterol. You will find it difficult to impossible to follow a low cholesterol diet and eat junk food at the same time.

There are plenty of examples of low cholesterol diets on the Internet and it would be a useful thing for you to look at some of these until you find a chef's recipes that match your tastes.

For instance, one cook might have a penchant for vegetarian cooking and so would create a collection of low cholesterol recipes containing vegetarian food, while another cook might favour fish and so would create lots of low cholesterol recipes involving fish.

Obviously, if you have more varied tastes then the world is your oyster and you can mix and match recipes from all over the world. There are several cultures that do not eat meat at all, for instance, the Hindus. There are thousands of Hindu recipes which are obviously low in cholesterol or which could be easily adapted by substituting olive oil for ghee as the oil in which to cook.

Or you might like the Japanese style of cooking, which involves a higher proportion of fish than we eat in the West. Fish is a very useful source for example of HDL, or decent, cholesterol. Japanese meals can be of a number of different styles. an unusual one of which is sushi, which has become popular with the trend-setters.

Chinese and Thai food also uses far less meat that traditional Western recipes. They also tend to cook using soya oil, which is a product known to lower the level of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol. If, when you look at traditional recipes from these countries, you notice something you could improve on then go ahead and modify it.

For example, when you go to a Chinese restaurant, you always get white rice. Why not substitute brown rice? The same goes for Thai food. Brown rice is fed to convicts in Thai jails, so it is coupled with low class, hence Thais eat white rice. But you do not have to.

If you like barbecues, you may have to lay off the steaks, chops, sausages and burgers, but you can still barbecue all types of fish, crabs, prawns and lobster. Eels are good for a barbecue too and so is unleaven bread and some vegetables such as sweet corn.

There are so many examples of low cholesterol diets that eating in this way does not have to become monotonous. In fact, it might just open your eyes to some of the other ways of cooking going on in the world. You may just end up realizing that most of the meals in your life up to now have been fairly similar.

When you are searching for examples of low cholesterol diets, bear in mind that adaptation and substitution are the best tactics - be adaptable and enjoy your new, healthier diet.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with lowering cholesterol without medication. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?

High Blood Pressure In Adolescents

May 9th, 2011

High blood pressure, which is also known professionally as hypertension, is a condition where the pressure of the blood coursing through your arteries is considerably higher than normal. Most medical professionals will state that the beginning point for individuals over eighteen years of age is 120/80. However, there are causes that could make those numbers not normal. Age is one of them.

The first figure is the systolic arterial blood pressure, which means that it is the pressure read when your heart contracts, beats or pumps out blood. The second number is while the heart sucks in blood, ready to pump it out again.

These figures are given in millimetres of mercury and are stated in mmHg. Higher readings of either of these numbers can indicate a problem. One thing to make clear here is that it is impossible to deduce or estimate the pressure of your blood without using either a sphygmomanometer ( the one your doctor uses in the surgery), which is the gold standard of blood pressure monitoring devices or a home blood monitoring machine.

Blood pressure can become affected by many things such as: time of the day, age, weight, height, mood, fitness, diet, degree of activity and stress, which may or may not be part of 'white coat syndrome' amongst others. 'White coat syndrome' is the worry felt by some people whilst they have to get examined by a physician. This applies to children more than to any other age grouping.

Blood pressure also varies during the day, so in order to get an accurate reading, it is necessary to take several all at the same time of day. It is also wise to wait 45 minutes after drinking caffeine or ten minutes after arriving before taking a reading.

So, what is standard? The real answer, although it is annoying, is that only a GP can tell you, but for an adult, they say that it is 120/80, for an adolescent it is 110/70 and for an infant it is 80/45.

However, when measuring and evaluating the blood pressure of adolescents, you have to bear in mind that age, sex and height count. Therefore, an adolescent is said to have high blood pressure when the blood pressure is more than that of ninety percent of individuals of his/her age, gender and height.

The causes of hypertension are classified as primary or secondary. Primary means that it is all your body's fault and secondary means that the reason is something else, say, medication. Hypertension can also be the result of race or other hereditary reasons. Males of African ancestry are especially at risk.

One of the items you can buy to keep you knowledgeable about your family's blood pressure concerns is a home blood pressure monitor. These devices are fairly cheap yet are very accurate, so buy an automatic digital monitor and take it to your GP to be sure that it is accurate and get the readings that are pertinent to all the members of your family.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on a number of topics, but is currently involved with work on the cause of high blood pressure. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at High Blood Pressure Recipes.

Eye Care After Lasik Surgery

May 7th, 2011

The patient of Lasik surgery has two main duties regarding his or her eyes: firstly to choose a responsible, skilled surgeon, which should not be too problematic and secondly, to take care of his eyes after the surgical procedure by following the guidance of the surgeon on post-operative care. This second part is very necessary and should not be taken lightly.

The post-operative care process is not a problem, but if you are worried about it, you could enquire of your surgeon what it will entail before the operation. The doctor or a nurse will be able to explain the method of supervision to you in detail or they will give you a brochure.

There may be some peculiar sight aberrations for a couple of days after the operation, some of which are fairly normal. One of the most common aberrations that are standard for a couple of days are halos around lights.

However, you should be certain that you understand the difference between what is standard and so no grounds for concern and what should be reported immediately

There are different Lasik procedures and the procedures are advancing all the time so it is not possible to give precise details in this article. Moreover, the shape of the eyes and the causes for deteriorating eyesight are individual to each patient.

Some of the advice that your Lasik surgeon might give for your post-operative eye care may include the following, although different doctors might have their own advice.

The first thing is to remember that you have just had an operation including anaesthetic. There might not have been any blood but it was surgery all the same.

All patients are required to take it easy after an operation and you will be no exception. If you had had an operation on your knee, you would use it as little as possible for a time and the same is helpful advice for your eye.

Attempt to sleep for a few hours after the surgery or at least close your eyes and rest. Infection is the chief concern, so do not poke or rub your eye and do not strain it by trying out your newly improved eyesight by reading or watching TV.

If you have to entertain yourself in this way wear an eye patch. Your surgeon will almost certainly have given you a stiff plastic eye guard, which you should wear at all times.

Some surgeons will warn against getting water into your eye for a few days, which means washing only from the neck down, no showering, no going out in the rain and definitely no swimming.

Be careful with bright light, it cannot damage your eye but it does hurt. Your world will get much brighter after the operation and looking at a light bulb can be painful. Be careful of watching moving traffic whilst the sun is shining, a car window can catch the sun and reflect it back into your eye all of a sudden.

You will be given eye drops so do not fail to use them. Lasik surgery can dry your eyes out, if this happens they might be able to give you substitute or extra drops.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with wet macular degeneration treatment. If you want to know more, please go to our website at Macular Degenerative Disease

Pregnancy And Acne

April 28th, 2011

The treatment of acne is usually the correct move, if you have it, but not always. There are stages in a person's life when you should not try to cure acne, just because you'd like to and, unfortunately, pregnancy is one of those times. Everyone knows, that this is a delicate stage in a woman's life and that therefore she has to take extra care of herself. If a pregnant woman wants to try to cure her acne, she must make sure that she arms herself with the correct information.

This must also be remembered by those women who may get pregnant. The following are some remedies for acne that are not good for use during pregnancy because they are harmful to the fetus:

Hormonal treatment that may contain estrogen, flutamide, and spirolactone. They are definitely ruled out, because they are harmful and may lead to some issues for both the mother and the child. It is better regard it as a threat.

Isotretinoin treatment is another one that could put a pregnant woman's life at risk. Isotretinoin has negative issues as well, especially for pregnant women and those who are breast-feeding. It may cause serious health issues in both the mother and the unborn baby. Therefore, it is advisable that a woman who is on Isotretinoin must be checked by a doctor. Women who are trying to become pregnant must avoid the use of Isotretinoin, because it may just trigger negative issues not only for mother but most especially for the child.

Oral tetracyclines, which could be made up of doxycycline, tetracycline or minocycline, must not be a choice at all, because it is harmful. It has been shown that pregnant women or those who are breast-feeding should avoid the use of this drug at all costs, because it could produce side effects that are nothing short of a threat to the life of you and your baby. However, the most common side effect is the permanent discoloration of your teeth or / and bone issues.

Topical retinoids, such as tazarotene, adapalene and tretinoin, is the last group that must be completely avoided. Just like the above-mentioned therapies, topical retinoids can be a hazard to you and your baby. Even whether you are pregnant or not, it is not wise to take any of the treatments mentioned above.

For those women, who are pregnant and have acne, it really is best to stay away from the heavy treatments mentioned here. Instead, why not settle for traditional remedies, like keeping your hair off your face, washing your face three-four times a day, changing your pillow cases every day and eating more fruit and avoiding fatty, oily and spicy food.

Are you having trouble treating acne during pregnancy? If you are or you would like to know more about acne, please go to our website called http://treating-acne-scars.com

How To Treat Acne At Home

April 25th, 2011

Acne is a very distressing condition. People are so aware of their looks and acne does not help in the 'good looks department'. What is even worse is that most sufferers of acne are quite young - teenagers, in fact - and are not best prepared emotionally to be different from their peers and are particularly not equipped to be spottier than others.

Not that acne is the same as having a couple of spots every now and again, which can happen to you all through your life. Acne is a precise condition, but it does occur mostly in teenagers during puberty. Normally, acne disappears when adulthood comes along or shortly thereafter.

Many teenagers and their families spend a huge sum of money on acne cures, but is there another manner of lessening the effects of acne? It certainly is very dubious that it can be 'cured' like chicken pox. It is rather an 'illness' like a cold or the flu, it has to run its course.

If you have a difficulty with acne, it is because your body is making more oil than your skin can let escape quickly, so it forms a little 'volcano' and erupts, when the pressure is high enough. Let us take a look at why this happens.

Firstly, you have to wash on a regular basis. Now I am certain that you do that already, but do not be tempted to wash too frequently. Over sanitizing does not help, because the skin needs some oil on it to remain supple. If you keep washing that 'natural moisturizer' off, your body will only make more to replenish it.

Therefore, wash as anyone one else would, but not more frequently and do not use perfumed soap. You might be allergic and you do not want more possibilities to cloud the topic.

Your hair and your hands also bear a certain amount of oil for the same reason, so keep them off your face. Your hair and your hands are oily and dust and pollution stick to them. If they touch your face, you are risking clogging up more pores with oily debris and thus increasing your acne problems.

Tie your hair back if it is long and use a handkerchief if you have to touch your face. Other items that come in everyday contact with your face that could get oily and dirty are pillow cases and towels. Therefore, shower before going to bed and use clean pillowcases every night.

As far as towels go, just use your own. Change it each day and if you require a towel outside your home, either carry your own or far better, use paper towels and do not rub, but dab your face dry.

There are specialist creams you can use to replace soap, but some of them are very harsh, which could trigger an excessive production of oil again. Just remember that you have to let acne run its course, but you do not have to exacerbate it either.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on lots of subjects, but is currently concerned with how to Treating Acne At Home. If you have an interest in acne, please go more than to our web site now at Treating Acne Scars.