The Silent Killer - High Blood Pressure

Millions worldwide suffer from hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure. Unfortunately, many more may have undiagnosed high blood pressure, since it often presents without symptoms.

Why should you be concerned?

If your blood pressure is not controlled, it can result in damage to your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other organs. Since many individuals experience no symptoms, this damage can be occurring at this very moment, without you knowing it. For this reason, hypertension is often called the "silent killer." Therefore, you should go for frequent screenings of your blood pressure. Home blood pressure cuffs are also available, which are easy to use and allow for monitoring of your blood pressure from the comfort of your own home.

What is a "normal" blood pressure:

Blood pressure is given as a series of two numbers. Traditionally, a blood pressure of 120/80 has been used as the standard cutoff for determining elevated blood pressure. However, "normal" blood pressure is when the top number (systolic blood pressure) is LESS THAN 120, and the bottom number (diastolic blood pressure) is LESS THAN 80. Systolic blood pressure represents the force of the blood on the walls of the arteries when the heart beats, while the diastolic blood pressure represents the force between beats.

Ways to Improve Blood Pressure:

• stay active




• achieve a healthy weight




• limit salt/sodium intake




• eat healthy




• limit alcohol




• take prescription medication if prescribed by physician
  

For more information, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Wednesday Wellness Tip

“Most people over age 30 can help prevent bone loss with regular weight-bearing exercise like stair-climbing, skiing, skipping rope, playing tennis - even dancing! This kind of exercise has a positive effect on the bones in your legs, hips, and lower spine.”

Dancing your way to health

At some point in life, we all have danced to our favorite song at a party, club or in front of the TV in the living room. What you probably didn’t know is that besides being fun, dancing is a great aerobic activity which provides the body with many health benefits.

Top Health Benefits of Dancing
1. Increase energy and improve strength
2. Dancing is a completely natural and intuitive way to get your body in good shape and increase your energy levels.
3. Increase muscle tone and coordination
4. Lower your risk of heart disease
Some studies even show that it improves cardiovascular health more than cycling or walking.
5. Help you manage your weightDancing is an exceptional way to lose weight. It can burn as many calories as walking, swimming or riding a bike. With 1/2 hour of sustained dancing you can burn between 200 and 400 calories.
6. Strengthen the bonesDance is considered a weight-bearing exercise which can prevent osteoporosis and strengthen bones.
7. Increase your stamina and flexibilityDance is a physical exercise. Exercise increases stamina and flexibility.
8. Build confidence and self-esteem. Dance gives you a sense of success and achievement when you master it.
9. Provide opportunities to meet people.
10. Improved well-being Exercise elevates your mood by raising the endorphins or feel good chemicals. That gives you a sense of general well-being. Even a little dancing can improve your mood.

Eat your COLORS!

Have you ever noticed the wonderful array of colors found in fruits and vegetables? Yellow peppers, orange carrots, red tomatoes, blue blueberries, black blackberries, purple eggplants?

When I was younger I heard that having a plate of colors for dinner is healthy. I never really knew what that meant or considered it when eating, but after doing a bit of reading, I found that having colors on your plate isn’t just pretty to look at: it’s hugely beneficial to your body.

The colors in the fruits and vegetables come from chemicals called antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables go through a complex process to receive their energy from the sun. The health of these plants can sometimes be threatened by many electrons whizzing around in the plant. If the electrons were to not follow the correct process, they would create free floating radicals that would severely damage the plant. Luckily, the plants are full of antioxidants that intercept the free floating radicals. As humans, we produce free radicals and are exposed to free radicals throughout our lifetime. However, we do not produce antioxidants so it’s important for us to eat many plants to get the antioxidant benefits.

So next time you’re in the store, go to the produce section and see how many colors you can get!

Here are some of my favorites:
Raspberries
Eggplants
Blackberries
Plums
Cherries
Grapes

Friday's Fun Recipe: Oatmeal Burger & Grilled Vegetables

Recipe provided by Alicia Lacovara

Ingredients:
Chile Vinaigrette Grilled Vegetables:
1 tbsp chopped Serrano chile
· ¾ tsp salt
· 6 garlic cloves, crushed
· 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
· 2 tbsp water
· 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
· 1 ½ tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
· 1 ½ tbsp anchovy paste
· 1 small eggplant
· 1 yellow summer squash
· 1 Zucchini
· 2 small red onions
· 2 bell peppers (red & green)
Burger Patties:
1 lb of ground turkey or lean beef (or combine half and half)
1 egg
½ cup rolled oats (oatmeal)
dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder
ground pepper
1 tbsp worshire sauce

Burger Toppings:
Whole wheat burger buns
Low-fat cheddar cheese
Lettuce, Tomato, onion, etc.

Directions:
1. Mix all vinaigrette ingredients in bowl. Dice eggplant, squash, zucchini and
peppers. Quarter the red onions. Toss vinaigrette and vegetables into large
ziplock bag and shake around. Let marinate for 1-hour minimum.
2. Meanwhile, thoroughly mix burger patty ingredients. Portion off desired amount, and form burger patties.
3. Pre-heat grill. Place burger patties on grill. Cook until no longer pink, but
without charring the outside of the patty. Using vegetable screen, cook vegetables until soft and tender, slightly blackened.
4. Dress burgers with desired toppings. Serve with grilled vegetables.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
4 servings total; each includes 1 pattie, 1 roll, 1 slice of cheese
Calories: 362
Protein: 30g
Total Fat: 14g
Total Carbohydrates: 30g

Wednesday Wellness Tip

“Everybody likes something sweet from time to time. The problem is that sweet tooth satisfaction can cause us more harm than good. As a way to have a healthier sweet fix, eat a spoonful of peanut butter. It's full of protein and fiber as well as minerals like potassium and magnesium.”

The many sources of protein

In today’s society, when we think of meat, we think of strength and power! To get those muscles you need to pump iron at the gym and eat beef or chicken because it’s packed with protein. GRRRR…. Meat = protein and protein = power! Every since the 1800s we have associated meat with protein, so much so that when we hear "protein" more often than not a burger comes to mind. It seems we’ve forgotten about the famous cartoon character Popeye the sailor main with super strong muscles. Last time I checked he was holding a can of spinach, not meat.
Newsflash!


There are MANY other forms of food that will provide you with more than enough protein for your daily requirement. Men aged 19 and up should consume around 56 grams of protein a day. Women aged 19 and up should consume around 46 grams a day. We often eat more than necessary throughout the day.
Here are a few examples of non-meat foods with significant amounts of protein.
Tempeh(a hearty meat substitute). 1 cup = 30g
Quinoa. 1 cup = 24g
Whole wheat pasta. 1 cup = 15g
White beans. 1 cup = 15g
Greek yogurt. 1 serving = 14g
Almonds. 24 almonds = 6g
Whole Wheat English Muffin – 1 muffin = 6g
Brown rice. 1 cup = 5g
Soy products. Depending on the type of product, soymilk, soybeans, tofu, the amount of protein can range from 14-40g.