Blog - Page 42 of 121 - Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure with Lisa Nelson RD

Three Spices to Boost Antioxidants in Your Diet

Published August 1, 2012 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Generally when you think about where to get antioxidants in your diet, it’s likely you picture fruit and vegetables. For example, berries are rich in antioxidants as well as dark green leafy vegetables. Red wine and dark chocolate may even come to mind as antioxidant sources.

Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by free radicals leading to oxidative stress. It’s believed a diet rich in antioxidants may provide protective benefits to fight against chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

Some examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and resveratrol.

Often overlooked antioxidant sources include several herbs and spices.
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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged antioxidants, cinnamon, clove, Heart Disease, oregano, oxidation, oxidative stress, prevent heart disease, reservatrol

How to Stock a Heart Healthy Kitchen

Published July 18, 2012 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

If you keep heart healthy foods on hand and easily accessible you will be much more likely to see success in your efforts to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. If you keep unhealthy foods within reach you will make it much harder to achieve your heart health goals. Don’t rely on will power! Stock you kitchen for success. Here are some essentials to keep on hand:

Whole grains

Whole grains, such as barley, oats, rice, buckwheat, and quinoa, are rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrient dense grains promote a healthy heart.

Olive oil
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Posted in Heart Health, Lower Blood Pressure, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged fiber, fish, flax, flaxseed, heart health, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, olive oil, omega 3, omega 3 fatty acids, walnuts, whole grains

Lower Blood Pressure by Trimming Your Waistline

Published July 10, 2012 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Waist circumference has a direct relationship to high blood pressure and lipid (cholesterol) levels.

A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found the greater the Waist-to-Height Ratio the worse the lipid profile and hypertension in adolescents.

This particular study evaluated 4,104 ninth-grade students between the ages of 14 and 15 years-old during the 2009 – 2012 school year. Body mass index was used to classify waist measurements.

The greater the waist-to-height ratio, the greater the risk for poor lipid profiles and high blood pressure compared to those with normal body mass indexes and waist-to-height ratios.
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Posted in Lower Blood Pressure | Tagged abdominal fat, belly fat, body mass index, cholesterol, Heart Disease, high blood pressure, lipid profile, visceral fat, waist circumference, waist to height ratio

Heart Health: Are you selecting whole grains?

Published July 4, 2012 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

By selecting whole grains you consume more nutrient dense foods that provide higher fiber content . . . all of which equals a heart healthy choice. Whole grain products contain all layers of the whole grain – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. When it comes to selecting whole grains, you have many more options than just being sure to grab 100% whole wheat bread when grocery shopping. There are many whole grain varieties available to you.

Oats

Oats almost never having the bran or germ removed during processing. This means when you read a food label and see oats or oat flour listed as an ingredient, it’s safe to know this is a whole grain ingredient. Oatmeal has been linked to lower cholesterol levels.
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Posted in Heart Health, Lower Blood Pressure, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged diet to lower cholesterol, fiber, gluten-free, heart health, heart healthy, high fiber, oats, quinoa, whole grain, whole grains

Better than Takeout: Frugal Asian Feasts for Vegans to Cook

Published June 27, 2012 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

This is a guest post provided by Elizabeth Baker. Elizabeth is on FrugalDad team, providing insights on frugality and savings. Her area of focus and interest deals with the intersection of food and frugality. She’s always asking the question, “how do I make healthy eating decisions without spending an arm and a leg?”

In this particular article Elizabeth discusses Asian foods and recipes. A word of caution if you deal with high blood pressure. . . Asian dishes can be high in sodium. For example, soy sauce contains 1006 mg of sodium per Tbsp. You may have to do some recipe modifications.

The following is the article provided by Elizabeth.

It’s always tough finding new meals to try as a vegan. Even worse, if you’re looking for food to cook that is both ethnic and vegan-friendly, you may just think you’re out of luck. Before you head to the nearest restaurant, however, remember that there are plenty of meals you can cook in the comfort of your own house for a fraction of the price. If you plan ahead, and look ahead for some online grocery discounts, you can enjoy some of these cheap and delicious Asian feasts to try making yourself.

Vegetable Fried Rice

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Posted in Heart Health | Tagged asian, eating on a budget, high blood pressure, sodium, soy sauce

5 Steps to Achieve a Healthy Heart

Published June 20, 2012 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

You don’t have to begin a drastic diet in order to achieve your heart health goals. Big results can be achieved by improving your daily habits one step at a time.

Here are 5 steps you can implement now for a healthy heart:

Step 1 – Add fruits and vegetables to your daily diet

That’s right, I’m not telling you to eliminate a food, but to add foods. Fruits and vegetables are essential. Add fruit and/or vegetable to every meal or snack to boost your intake of this necessary food group. It’s estimated that our intake of vegetables is usually only 59% of what it should be and fruit only 42%.

Step 2 – Switch processed grains for whole grains
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Posted in Heart Health, Lower Blood Pressure, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged added sugars, blood pressure, cholesterol, fruits and vegetables, Heart Disease, heart health, portion control, salt, serving size, sodium, sugar, whole grains

Three Spices to Boost Antioxidants in Your Diet

How to Stock a Heart Healthy Kitchen

Lower Blood Pressure by Trimming Your Waistline

Heart Health: Are you selecting whole grains?

Better than Takeout: Frugal Asian Feasts for Vegans to Cook

5 Steps to Achieve a Healthy Heart

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