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The Best Foods To Prevent Cardiovascular Problems
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There are so many health benefits to eating the fresh fruits and vegetables that we have available to us today. More and more grocery stores are offering organic products so it is getting easier to get and stay healthy.
There are two main areas that require your attention in order to avoid having a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular issues and they are your blood pressure and your cholesterol. These vital statistics must be under control or they can quickly lead to more serious issues and possibly death. If you are already on medication, make sure you continue to take your pills as prescribed without skipping them. Take them exactly as your doctor has spelled it out on your instructions from the pharmacy.
In addition, there are foods you can add to your diet that can help you see better results with some of these health conditions. You may even be able to reduce the dosage that has been prescribed and eventually you might even be able to come off of your prescription altogether. Here are some suggestions as to foods that will help you become healthier.
1. Blood pressure
- Apples and Onions. Fresh vegetables and fruits have a good deal of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) in them. These OPCs are free radicals that are able to be absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream and have been found to qualify as a natural supplement in reducing blood pressure levels. They help promote good circulation and healthy veins. Two foods that have high levels of OPCs are apples and onions. Onions should be eaten raw in order to reap the blood pressure benefits.
- Flax seeds. Freshly crushed flax seeds will give you the most effective use in lowering your blood pressure because they include two major kinds of essential fatty acids. The flax seeds contain 19 percent omega-6s and 48 percent of alpha-linolenic acids which are a precursor to omega-3. You can easily include crushed flaxseed into your diet by adding them to your morning smoothie, your favorite cereal, or your afternoon yogurt.
- Dark Chocolate. This is one supplement that won’t be too hard to add to your daily diet. Before you start searching for a dark form of your favorite gooey candy bar, know that it is the darkest, most pure chocolate that is the most beneficial in reducing your blood pressure and providing you with true health benefits. A chocolate bar that is at least 70 percent cocoa is your best bet as some of these dark bars become a little bitter the higher their cocoa content is. Eating one ounce a day will provide you with benefits without ruining your diet plan.
- Seaweed. There is a seaweed that comes from Japan called Wakame. Even if you do not like seaweed, you may want to check out what Wakame can do for you so that you may be able to avoid taking blood pressure medications. If you eat 3 grams of this seaweed every day for four weeks, you could see your systolic blood pressure levels drop by 14 points and your diastolic numbers cut by around 5 points. There is Ecklonio cava, a type of red-brown algae from Asia that contributes to dilating the blood vessels and working to reduce high blood pressure naturally.
- Avocados, Coldwater Fish, and Olive Oil. What do these three foods have in common? They all have omega-3 fats in them and they increase the production of nitric oxide, or NO. NO makes sure that your arteries are dilated correctly and redirects the stress effects that causes high blood pressure in the first place. You can incorporate salmon as your cold-water fish choice – make it wild caught Alaskan – a couple of times a week, along with sardines a couple of time a week as well.
- Celery. Don’t underestimate the power of celery to reduce your blood pressure. It contains apigenin and eases the blood vessels lowering the pressure. Try adding four stalks of celery plus eight teaspoons of celery juice up to three times a day and you will see immediate results in your blood pressure numbers. You can also take a supplement of 1,000 mg two times a day.
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