Foods That Reduce High Blood Pressure

Protein is one of the foods that reduce high blood pressure. A diet with greater protein lowers blood pressure more than a diet high in carbohydrates.

Replacing Some Carbohydrates with Protein and Unsaturated Fat May Enhance Heart Health Benefits: The types of food eaten in an effort to cut down on saturated fat may make a difference in reducing heart disease risk, according to a study of people with either high blood pressure or prehypertension.

The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes of Health.

Investigators evaluated three diets that follow the principles of NHLBI’s DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan with some modifications. One diet emphasized carbohydrates, another diet emphasized protein, and the third emphasized monounsaturated fat.

They reported that while all three diets reduced high blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels, and reduced ten-year risk of heart disease by as much as 16 to 21 percent, two of these modified diets were even more effective in reducing some risk factors and estimated risk for heart disease than the diet richer in carbohydrates.

The Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial to Prevent Heart Disease (OmniHeart) study will be presented today in Dallas at the American Heart Association annual conference, and also published in the November 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

These new OmniHeart study results do not represent new guidelines for healthy eating and the proportions of carbohydrate, protein, and fat for all three diets are all within the ranges recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other national public health organizations. Earlier in 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services incorporated NHLBI’s DASH eating plan as one option within the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

All of the studied diets are a vast improvement over the typical American diet which can be high in saturated fat and low in essential nutrients, according to NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. “This study builds on an established body of evidence that shows following a dietary pattern lower in saturated fat, such as the DASH eating plan, can go a long way toward improving overall heart health.

With these new data, we have been able to incorporate even more flexibility into the DASH eating plan by providing additional options for people seeking to improve their heart health through healthier eating,” said Nabel. The study results reinforce the health benefits of following a DASH-type eating plan and suggests that tweaking certain components within that plan—protein and unsaturated fat—may yield benefits for specific risk factors.

Compared with the study diet containing more carbohydrates, the diet with greater protein:

• lowered blood pressure, LDL “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides, and

• lowered HDL “good” cholesterol. The diet with more unsaturated fat, primarily monounsaturated fat:

• lowered blood pressure and triglycerides,

• raised HDL, and

• did not lower LDL.

By providing all daily meals to 164 men and women for 41 days for each diet, researchers evaluated the three diets to determine whether replacing calories from saturated fat with calories from protein or unsaturated fat was better than replacing those calories with carbohydrate. Saturated fat is known to raise blood cholesterol, and public health officials recommend that it make up less than 10 percent of daily calories for healthy individuals and less than 7 percent of daily calories for individuals with heart disease risk factors.

Participants were age 30 or older and had either high blood pressure or prehypertension at the time of enrollment. “These new findings open the door to further research on the diets’ long-term effects and the ability of people to follow these diets,” said Eva Obarzanek, Ph.D., NHLBI research nutritionist and study co-author.

The OmniHeart study diets differed from each other in several ways:

• The diet emphasizing carbohydrates contained 58 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 15 percent of calories from protein. In addition, it contained 21 percent of calories from unsaturated fat. The other two diets reduced carbohydrate to 48 percent of calories.

• The diet emphasizing protein increased the protein to 25 percent of calories. To increase protein, mostly plant sources, such as beans and nuts, were used, although poultry, egg substitutes, and fat-free or low-fat milk products were also used. Like the carbohydrate diet, it contained 21 percent of calories from unsaturated fat.

• The diet emphasizing unsaturated fat used primarily fats and oils rich in monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, to increase unsaturated fat to 31 percent of calories.Like the carbohydrate diet, it contained 15 percent of calories from protein.

“Our results emphasize the impact that diet can have on blood pressure and cholesterol levels, two of the major heart disease risk factors,” said Lawrence Appel, M.D., M.P.H., of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and lead investigator of the OmniHeart study. The OmniHeart study did not address other types of diets such as the Atkins or Mediterranean diet. The OmniHeart study was conducted at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The first participants started the protocol in 2003, and the last participants ended the study in June 2005. NHLBI has long recommended changes in lifestyle, including following a heart healthy eating plan to reduce risk factors for heart disease. The DASH eating plan was developed through a series of clinical studies that showed that a dietary pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, and whole grains substantially reduced blood pressure and had other beneficial effects.

The eating plan also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, legumes, and nuts and is low in saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium, and sweets and added sugars. The new DASH Eating Plan menus are included in the book A Healthier You published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This newly released book is based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Sources: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Natural Cures and Natural Remedies

Disclaimer: The information and opinions on this website is for information purposes only and is believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the author. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries.

Unique Ways to Get Significant Savings on Your Next Getaway

The more you plan for your next vacation, the more likely your are to find Grand Bahamas island travel deals! Some vacationers don’t pay attention to

critical timing factors, an oversight that could be costly. Consider these strategies, to save a fortune on your vacation.

Plan fares may skyrocket a bunch as the departure date approaches, so make reservations early. Although sometimes killer last minute deals are viable, that is not a very consistent or trustworthy strategy to get a great savings. And finally, unless you are your own boss, you will need to be extremely time flexible to capitalize on last minute fares.

Why travel with the herd? Get in touch with your wild side and save big bucks by traveling during less popular months! Travel, just like all other industries, is reliant on the classic economic cycles. During busy times where tourism is high, travel costs increase due to high demand, and during slower months, travel costs decrease to bring in tourists.

Often popular seasons are around summer time in where you are going, but you should also find similar climates, with fewer travelers, and save as much as 40 or 50% by traveling not quite in the high season, before or after.

The smartest travelers are educated. Recognizing great Caribbean vacation deals when you encounter them is just as important as taking action when you find one. One of my favorite methods to discover good bargains is to let them find you. How can that be? Well, you can dither along on the internet for hours on end and still not see all the discount vacation packages offered. And who has time for that anyway? Several companies offer alerts that send you regular emails with hard to find vacation values. It’s easy, convenient, and can even be modified to appeal to your preferences.

Not only do travel notifications help you find all the best travel good deals, but they help you get and stay abreast on what is happening in the travel industry, package prices, and vacation locales. In a short time, you will start to know a bargain fare for a Bahamas all inclusive resort, or first class flight from Los Angeles to Cancun, Mexico, or a night at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Las Vegas.

How to Easily Maintain a Healthy Diet

The biggest word in the food world these days is “healthy”. Most of us are becoming more aware of the food we eat and the impact it has on our bodies and our state of health. There are many ways to manage weight and eating healthy is one of the most important. Exercise and managing stress are other important elements.

The food we consume play a major role in maintaining a healthy body. In fact, some foods are so good for us, so packed with healthy giving nutrients that health specialists refer to them as super foods, or the 10 healthiest foods we can eat. These are foods that have been proven to contain a high level of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can actually prevent disease - from various forms of cancer, to heart disease, arthritis, and many, many more.

In order to maintain a healthy diet, we really should incorporate these 10 super foods, plus a wide array of other healthy food choices. The best advice is to eat a rainbow - that is, eat a wide variety of healthy foods in every color of the rainbow. Fruits and vegetables of different colors contain different nutrients, so a variety of colors in the foods you eat means you are consuming a large number of nutrients. Add nuts, healthy proteins from fish and other sources and a little healthy fat for a diet designed for longevity.
 
Eating healthy doesn’t mean spending a lot on food. You can make healthy food choices and still stay on a budget. Watch your flyers and buy what is on sale that week. Buying local produce when it is available helps too. 

Frugal living is the norm for more and more people these days. In fact you can find many budgeting and frugal living tips here.