Sugar Hurts Blood Pressure

Although, I don’t have high blood pressure, it runs in my family medical history. So, whenever I see any helpful tips to deal with or control high blood pressure, I take note. With the unhealthy lifestyles that so many of us live today, along with the stress of everyday living, high blood pressure is becoming ever more prevalent, even among the very young. I found Jean Carper’s article on high blood pressure, in USA Weekend of February 15-17, 2008, extremely interesting. Ms. Carper noted that Dr. Harry Preuss, of Georgetown University, says that if you have high blood pressure, you should cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrates. We are not just talking about the white, sweet, crystallized stuff you put in your coffee and on your cereal. We are also talking about the sugar found in everyday foods, your favorite refined carbohydrate foods (the doughnuts that taste so good with your coffee, those crunchy BBQ potato chips you can’t seem to get enough of, that delicious double scoop of ice cream), and drinks (the high-fructose corn syrup found in regular soft drinks). Animal studies have found that sugary diets induce hypertension (high blood pressure).

Let’s face it! Sugar is in everything, at least almost everything that tastes good! And there are so many different types of sugars, like: brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, barley malt, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, molasses, and, of course, the regular white sugar. It’s hard to keep track, and if you don’t read the label, you would never believe that some of your favorite foods usually have more than one type of sugar in them. (Check out the label on your favorite so-called healthy granola bar. It may shock you!)

Dr. Preuss did offer a helpful tip for high-blood pressure. His recent study found that taking chromium supplements (200 micrograms daily) will help to counter the effect of sugar on blood-pressure.

I discovered the article to be very informative. High blood pressure can lead to stokes, diabetes, kidney failure, and even death. It should be taken very seriously. Therefore, I appreciate finding any tips that will help to maintain a normal blood pressure. I knew that chromium supplements were good for people that have diabetes, because it helps to maintain the blood sugar level. And I knew that chromium will help to control your desire for sweet, sugary foods. But now I have found out that chromium will help control blood-pressure. That chromium does a lot of good stuff!!

Take Multivitamins to Fight Depression

Recently, in USA Weekend, there was an article titled Multivitamins fight depression in elderly, by Jean Carper. She discussed a new international study reporting that "a multivitamin/mineral pill has the power to relieve depression in elderly patients." Regardless of their initial level of depression, "symptoms of depression - like sleep problems, loss of appetite, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness - improved" after taking a multivitamin/mineral pill daily for six weeks. She reports that these "findings are consistent with studies linking folate and vitamin B12 deficiency with depression."

Although, this study was done using elderly patients, being realistic it is reasonable to conclude that anyone, young or old, could enjoy the same benefits from a daily multivitamin/mineral pill. With the hectic, fast-pace lifestyle so many of us live today, it gets consistently harder to eat a balanced diet that meets all of your daily nutritional needs. And even when we try to put forth the effort to eat nutritious and balanced meals, we can not be certain that the food is not lacking in some way. So, often we are consuming food that has come half way around the world. It has gotten to the point, that I am almost shocked when I found something in the local grocery store that is actually from the United States, or is locally grown. How much nutrition are we receiving from food that may have been in transport for days, under various environmental conditions? What food value to our bodies has been lost, by the time we finally get the product to our homes? With so many factors to consider, it can be a little extra insurance for our bodies, to take a daily multivitamin/mineral pill, just to make sure that we are not missing nutrients that will make us feel and look our best!

Cinnamon helps Blood Sugar

Even if you don't have diabetes, it is a good ideal to maintain a steady blood sugar rate for better health. One food seasoning that has been found to be very effective in steadying blood sugar is cinnamon. As Jean Carper puts it, in the August 3-5, 2007 issue of USA Weekend, "cinnamon is sensational." She reports that "rapidly digested foods are more likely to spike blood sugar and insulin, factors that promote diabetes and overeating." In a study conducted in Sweden, even healthy people who added a teaspoon of cinnamon to foods, were able to have lower blood glucose levels.

So, how about adding a little cinnamon to your favorite dishes, like: sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, pudding, cooked fruit, breads and muffins. If you start to think about it, you can discover various dishes that you enjoy daily, that you can add a little cinnamon to.

Eating Whole Grains May Save Your Life and Your Health

I was recently reading a very interesting article in the USA Weekend, dated August 10-12, 2007. It was talking about how popcorn can help save your life. Popcorn, yes, popcorn. You see, popcorn is a whole grain. It pointed out that a study has found that "women over age 55 who eat the most whole grains are 35% less apt to die of an array of inflammatory diseases." The diseases included such things as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Crohn's disease, emphysema, gout, infections, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis.

The study revealed that a person would need to eat "at least 11 servings of whole grains a week" to receive the most protection against such inflammatory diseases. Whole grains can cover a wide variety of foods like popcorn, oats and oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, whole-wheat kernels, brown rice, wild rice, bulgur wheat, kasha, cracked wheat, quinoa, and various whole-grain cereals.

The article was written by Jean Carper in the EatSmart section of USA Weekend. She always seems to have very interesting articles on health and nutrition. Check her out.