Archive for the 'Grapefruit' Category
Skip the High Blood Pressure Scene by Making Grapefruit Part of Your Daily Routine
The older we get, the more our chances of getting high blood pressure. The best way to stave off high BP is to exercise. Exercise and proper diet cuts the cholesterol levels, allowing oxygen rich blood to circulate more freely through your body and brain. The better our circulation, the healthier we become. Aerobic exercise also keeps our brains flexible, so that our memories stay in tact and makes it harder for us to develop senility and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Cutting down on salt won’t make much of a difference in most people’s blood pressure levels; it also won’t protect against heart attacks, a new British long-term study reveals. The reason is becuase lowering salt intake really only helps if you’re salt-sensitive; and, fewer than half of women are, explain UCLA researchers. Instead, physicians are now advising:
- Relax your artereies with red sauce. Each single cup serving of spaghetti sauce contains 50 mg. of lycopene, a plant compound that opens arteries, lowering blood pressure by 10 points in two months, sudies show. Another top source of lycopene is pink grapefruit (14 mg. each). Of course, white grapefruit helps to lower anxiety and squelch symptoms of PMS in women. Grapefruit oil also reduces cellulite and promotes lymphatic drainage, getting rid of toxins.
- Taking a few nibbles of an appetizer (food) before drinking any kind of alcoholic beverage cuts your risk of pressure surges in half. Sudden upticks in blood levels of alcohol make arteries tighten; eating slows alcohol absorption, preventing those risky surges.
- Dancing for 30 minutes, four times per week, could slash your risk of hypertension by 52%. Kicking up your heels to dance helps soothe your nervous system, which relaxes the muscles around your blood vessels, explain researchers at connecticut’s Manchester Memorial Hospital.
- Last of all, taking your blood pressure medication at bedtime, instead of in the morning, can send your heart-attack risk down by as much as 50%! Your blood pressure is supposed to dip about 10% while you sleep, which helps blood vessels repair as you snooze. Taking meds at night helps ensure thatthe drop occurs, says lead researcher Ramon Hermida, Ph.D.
I did not get a flu shot this year. That was my choice. There are so many strains of flu floating around, that I figured if I eat healthy and maintain a wholesome lifestyle, I would not get the flu. I did not get a flu; I did get a head cold, however, but it was more of a sinus infection. Anyway, this winter I chose to eat a large and consistent amount of red grapefruit, oranges and kiwi. All three ingredients are full of Vitamin C, which serves to keep our immune system strong and resistant to viruses and harmful bacteria.
The fruit salad I make is more of a fruit compote, actually. It is juicy and delicious. I take it to dinner parties with me and, everyone loves it. Just peel and cut ruby red grapefruit, sweet, fresh oranges and kiwi and/or bananas. Use more fruit if desired, depending on how many people you are going to serve. I add a dozen or so cherries, to add an extra, added spark to this delectable and healthy dish. It is very messy and time-consuming to make, but the health benefits are well worth your time and energy.
When researchers pitted grapefruit seed extract against 72 common viruses and bacteria, the natural bug-buster destroyed everyone of them! It is packed with anti-oxidants called flavonoids, which blast germs by punching holes in their cell walls. Of course, the actual fruit is always your best bet. Instead of popping Vitamin C supplements, take advantage of the winter season when citrus fruit is fresh and in season!