Food Medicine for High Blood Pressure

I had a conversation with someone this weekend about how to lower your blood pressure. The American Heart Association says that, “in 90–95 percent of cases, scientists don’t know what causes high blood pressure.” Of course, its important to talk to your doctor about the possible causes but, it can’t hurt to increase your intake of some or all of the following healthy foods and nutrients backed by nutritional research. Please note this is not a complete list-it only represents the foods I’ve found research for in the past year.read more on Health Food

• Soy nuts – isoflavones in soy help relax muscles around your blood vessels so your blood can easily travel through
• Magnesium (found in nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and fish) – improves circulation and blood flow
• Potassium (cruciferous vegetables, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes) – improves circulation and blood flow
• Dark chocolate – flavonoids found in dark chocolate help to balance blood pressure and reduce cholesterol and blood clotting
• Omega-3s (found in fish, flaxseed oil, etc.) – a study found that flaxseed oil supplements significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure in men

Ever heard someone claim that coffee increases your blood pressure or risk of heart disease? read more on Health food

Vitamins C & E May Improve Mental Function

A recent Canadian study published in the Nutrition Research journal found that taking daily supplements of vitamins C and E may help reduce memory loss and improve mental function in people with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers noted that people with Type 2 diabetes are more susceptible to “acute elevations of free radicals” after ingesting a meal than healthy people are. The free radical elevations contribute to “oxidative stress” on the body which causes problems like cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. read more on Health food

The published study noted that a daily dose of 1000 mg of vitamin C and 800 international units (IU) of vitamin E showed promise for protecting against memory loss and improving mental function. Vitamins C and E work together to fight free radical reactions, so it’s important to consume them together. read more on Health Food