Foods to Lower Blood Pressure

After giving birth recently, I had a pregnancy-induced hypertension. As per doctor's advice, I can only eat vegetables, fish and no fatty foods as much as possible not to eat meat. However, when you are used to eating those prohibited foods, it is very hard to adjust.

Now, eating greens and fish as a substitute for pork is a choice. Since the day I knew that I have high blood pressure, I started to research about foods to lower blood pressure and I just want to share it to you.

WHITE BEANS

A cup of white beans contains 13% calcium, 30% magnesium and 24% potassium.

TILAPIA

In four ounces of tilapia contains 8% magnesium and 8% potassium.

BANANA

A medium banana contains 1% calcium, 8% magnesium and 12% potassium.

RED BELL PEPPER

A cup of raw red bell pepper contains 1% calcium, 4% magnesium, and 9% potassium.

BROCCOLI

A cup of cooked broccoli contains 6% calcium, 8% magnesium, and 14% potassium.

SWEET POTATO

A medium sweet potato with the skin contains 4% calcium, 8% magnesium (7% without the skin), and 15% of the potassium (10% without the skin).

AVOCADO

One-half of an avocado contains1% calcium, 5% magnesium, and 10% potassium.

Leave a comment here if you have additional information in relation to this post.

Top 10 Most Nutritious Fruits

We all know that fruits are rich in vitamins and nutrients that helps our body stay healthy. However, there are fruits which are not available in certain places or country. These top 10 list of nutritious fruits with incredible benefits are mostly available anywhere else specially Philippines.

#10 MANGO: Vitamin A, C, D

#9 CALAMANSI: Vitamin C

#8 AVOCADO: Vitamin E, Carotene

#7 JACKFRUIT: Vitamin A, C, B6, B1, B2, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron 

#6 LANZONES: Vitamin C, E

#5 PAPAYA: Vitamin A, B, C, E, Fiber, Minerals

(c) peepindia.in

#4 GUAVA: Vitamin C, A, B3, Potassium, Magnesium

#3 PINEAPPLE: Vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Ca, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Potassium (and more)

#2 MANGOSTEEN: Vitamin A, C, D, E, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Potassium

(c) vegetafruit.com

#1 BANANA: 100-125 kcal, 4-5 gm fiber, Vit. A, Vit. C, 400mg Potassium, 17mg Ca, 36 mg Phosphorous, Iron, B-vitamins, B1, B6, B1 is known brain tonic, B6 good for premenstrual tension (irritability, headaches) 

Source

Depression: Everyone does!

Majority of Americans are suffering from serious depression sometime in their lives. One out of twenty Americans are suffering from depression. According to some, men and women between the ages of 18 to 74 are currently depressed. As a matter of fact, depression is the leading cause of suicide.

Based on a survey, suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in America and second cause of death of college students. Women are more often suffers depression than men and it may frequently occur in the most stressful periods in life.

Now, who gets depressed? At some point of life, everyone does. Depression can affect our physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of life. To avoid it, we should choose happiness as a way of life. Indeed, happiness is a choice!

9 Things That Would Ruin Your Skin

Photo: lifecellantiagingtips.com

Are you taking care of your skin very much? If so, then you should also be aware of the things that would ruin it. One of my friends is very conscious in taking care of her skin. She uses skin white to maintain the whiteness and smoothness of it.

Now, here are the things that would ruin your skin.

1. Caffeine 
2. Stress 
3. No enough sleep 
4. Eating too much sodium
5. Yoyo Dieting 
6. Too much Sugar 
7. No enough exercise. 
8. Drinking too much alcohol
9. Too much expose on AC

7 Best Android or IOS Apps For Weight Loss

Photo: valleysleepcenter.com

If you are aiming for weight loss, your smartphone should be a great help. There are so many android or IOS applications for it which will help you calculate your calories intake, provide meals suggestions and many more. Why not try these apps that will surely help you in loosing weight.

1. BMI Calculator
2. Noom Weight Loss Coach
3. My Fitness Pal
4. Endomondo Sports Tracker
5. Fitocracy
6. Diet Assistant
7. Ideal Weight

Download these apps on your smartphone using google play store. Hope these helps.

Top 10 Fitness Apps

Photo credit: www.yourallaround.com

Health and body conscious people are determined people while those who are trying-hard needs motivation. When we are motivated, we are more inspired to carry on what we have started. So if you start to exercise and get fit, there are few fitness apps that will help for your motivation.

1. Fitbit
2. Argus
3. Fitocracy
4. GAIN Fitness Cross Trainer
5. Sworkit Pro
6. Lose It!
7. PumpUp
8. Nike+ Running
9. PIT Fitness
10. Pocket Yoga

Some are free to download and some are not. Make use of your smartphones or tablets to achieve your fitness goal.

14 Incredible Myths About Weight Loss

Photo: www.westonmedicalhealth.com

Most of us are struggling to lose weight and we tend to do whatever it takes just to achieve it.Do you know that there are certain weight loss advises that actually hindered your goal. Here are some of the lies and myths about weight loss.

#1 Low-carbohydrate diet is the best way for losing weight

#2 Reduce fat for losing weight

#3 Some foods can burn fat and make you lose weight

#4 People gain more weight from food eaten after 8 pm

#5 Drinking Lots of water is number one weight loser

#6 Green-tea supplements burn fat

#7 Natural weight loss products do not have any side effect

#8 Diet soda helps to lose weight

#9 The more calories people cut, the more weight they lose

#10 You gained it and you can lose it

#11 Removing a food from the diet is the key to successful weight loss

#12 Eating 6 small meals is best for weight loss

#13 Skipping meals is a great way for losing weight

#14 Becoming vegetarian means to lose weight

The 7 Amazing Facts About Watermelon

Photo credit: www.bonnieplants.com

Watermelon is rich in potassium and is also considered as both vegetable and fruit. It is one of the best summer fruits, a very delicious and juicy fruit.

Here are some amazing fact about watermelon which you might have not known yet:

• Watermelon boosts brain power
• It has a high water content
• A yellow watermelon
• It’s good for your eyes
• Its juice can reduce muscle soreness
• It helps with weight loss
• It protects from UV rays

Chew A Gum While Cutting Onions, It Won't Make You Cry!

It is undeniable that whenever we cut onions, we tend to cry. Now, to avoid it, you only need to do is chew a gum while doing so. Have you heard of it?

A question was raised on eHow if chewing a gum really works, but the answer was, it has no effect. However, there are other suggestions to avoid crying while slicing onions such as:

1. Peeling onions right under water
2. Wear goggles
3. Using a sharp knife and many more.

It might help and might not. You can try any of these though... hopefully works for you.

Best Ways To Prevent Migraine Attack

Photo credit: articles.mercola.com

Migraine is a chronic headache which 75% of sufferers are women. I’m one of that 75%. When someone suffers migraine headache, the person tends to be delirious might be because of its horrible pain.

I have started to suffer migraine when I was 20 years old. Whenever I am stressed with my work, the tremendous pain attacked me usually on the left side of my head. According to the study, the migraine headache usually lasts for only 72 hours.



Some of the common factors that trigger migraine are stress, sleep, caffeine and some foods that contain nitrates and MSG and alcohol (red wine).

Yes, stress or of any form that brings tension, will lead you to migraine attack. Lack and oversleeping can both cause migraines too. Have you ever noticed that when you had sleepless nights or if you sleep too much, it would give a headache by the time you wake up? So when you do that for a couple of days that would surely result to migraine.

Caffeine – tea or coffee has caffeine so as much as possible do not drink more than 2 cups a day. Chocolates and cheese are the common food that triggers migraines. I know they taste so good but don’t eat too much.

There are a lot of don’ts but you have to discipline yourself in order for you to avoid the pain. So if you have a migraine, don’t missed a meal, avoid food with so much additives, try to relax yourself and be stress-fee and most importantly – have a nice and enough sleep.

Health Benefits of Atis (Sugar Apple)

Photo credit: candytinguban.wordpress.com

Other Vernacular names:

• Chinese - Lin gin
• Dutch - Kaneelappel
• German - Rahmapfel
• Hindi - Raamaphal
• Japanese - Banreishi
• Laotian - Khieb
• Spanish - Anon
• Thai - Noina

This kind of tree is small and 3 to 5 meters in height. Leaves are oblong and 8 to 15 centimeters long. Flowers occur in the axils of the leaves with a length of 2.5 centimeters. The fruit is large and heart shaped while the outside is knobby polygonal tubercles. It is yellowish – green in color when ripe. The flesh is white, juicy and sweet to taste.



Medicinal Use:

Leaves, fruits and seeds – vermicidal and insecticidal

Unripe fruit – used for diarrhea, dysentery and dyspepsia

Bark – used as astringent & tonic

Leaves – can be used also as insecticide and anti-ovulatory, boiling leaves is good for rheumatic bathes

Crush fresh leaves – for fainting and hysteria (place over nose)

Juice from unripe fruit – for infected insect bites

Crushed seeds – make paste in water by applying to the scalp (can kill lice)

Studies shows:

Leaves – anti-oxidant, hypoglycaemic, anti-diabetic

Stem-Bark – anti-oxidant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory

Seeds – anti-diabetic and anti-cancer

Fruits – anti-microbial

Twigs – anti-ulcer

Citrus - Rich in Vitamin C

Photo credits: www.atlanticavenuegarden.com

The plant is acidic and is rich in vitamin C. It is commonly called as Sour Lime. It is a thorny shrub, while the leaves are small with narrow particles. The flowers are whit in colors and the fruits are round in shape.

Medicinal Use

Citrus juice:

• can give tone to the stomach
• can expel worms
• can stimulate appetite
• can cure abdominal pain
• it is also good for constipation, for foul breath, fatigue and vomiting
• can cure scurvy
• recommended for trembling limbs for aged people
• chewing the leaves is good for bleeding gums.

The Health Benefits of a Chrysanthemum

Photo credit: www.kusuyama.jp

This is an aromatic plant that grows up to 60 cm high. Its flowers have different colors, it has red, white, purple, yellow and other colored heads. Its leaves are ovate in form. Most people use this plant for ornamental purposes.

In boiling the whole plant including its roots is good for:

• headache 
• can relieve colds and inflamed respiratory tract
• can use also for boils, whooping cough and rheumatism. 

By extracting juice from flowers is good for fevers and painful menstrual flow. The flowers can be made as tea and can expel gases and pain in the stomach. It can also give tone and vitality to the body. The oil from the plant is for fungal infection and abdominal pains.

Medicinal Use of Celery

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org

Celery is a garden herb. Its roots are fleshy. Celery seeds are small and ovate. The flowers are grey-white in color while the leaves are dark green and incised.

The juice extracted from celery plant has many uses. It is good for pain in the abdomen, restores the normal function of the body and stimulates appetite. It also relieves gas that is generated in the stomach. It can expel worms from the body and also good for asthma, abnormal stoppage of menstruation, urinary discharges and fever with cough.

Celery is an effective remedy for obesity, chronic pulmonary disease, inflamed joints and rheumatic tendencies.

Health Benefits of Garden Mint

Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org

This kind of plant is an aromatic herb, loves to grow in moist soil and it can reach up to 30 cm in height. Consuming mint leaves is good for spasms. It can strengthen and tone in the stomach and relieves flatulence or gas generated in the intestine.

Eating mint leaves is also good as stimulant. It can also treat vomiting, gallstones, disease in the uterus and throat infections.

Mint tea can get rid intestinal womb and can increase milk for nursing mothers. To boil mint leaves can cure itching skin. Extract from the mint is good for toothaches.

Sunflower as Treatment for Headaches

Photo credit: www.sunfloweroileu.com

The sunflower is a very common plant and, I guess, it doesn’t need a description anymore. There are

so many types of sunflower where it is not only cultivated for beautification, but for medicinal purposes as well.

The crushed leaves and seeds made into a poultice is used for application over bruises, ulcers and wounds. Its flowers and the dried or fresh leaves prepared as tea is for pulmonary diseases, bronchitis, asthma, coughs, dysentery and whooping cough. A drink made from the sunflower seeds can relieve headaches and also a treatment for nervous conditions.

Garlic as a Remedy For Hypertension and Other Illnesses

Garlic is one of the main spices for cooking and it adds an awesome taste in the food. However,

Photo credit: authoritynutrition.com

garlic is not only grown for culinary purposes but for medicinal usage as well. It is actually a well-known herb in the garden.

Some of its medicinal use are to kill worms from the body, prevents spasms, stimulates flow of saliva, helps in digestion and it is also a remedy for hypertension.
It can be used in chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma and other respiratory ailments.

Garlic also acts as a natural antibiotic and prevents cancer. According to scientific studies, the consumption of garlic can reduce cholesterol level in the body.

Health Benefits of Grapes

Photo credit:
www.dgcoseniorservices.org

Grape vine is a crawling plant. It is well-known everywhere and even in tropical countries. The fruit is a racemen with various berries. The seeds are coated with a juicy flesh inside the berry, the ripe fruit are eaten as a delicious fruit and the dried fruit is called as raisins.

It's medicinal use...

• Checks excessive bleeding
• Promotes flow of urine
• Anemia
• Recommended for pain on the facial nerves and sleeplessness
• Believed to be able to cure cancer

The leaves of the vine are used to check excessive bleeding and the ripe fruits promote the flow of urine, checks anemia and for pain on facial nerves and sleeplessness.

Benefits of Soya Beans

Photo Credit: Market-Experts.Blogspot.com

Soya bean is a very popular plant in some parts of the world because of its food value. This plant grows up to 2 meters high and it is also one of the best foods for malnutrition since it is high in proteins.

Soya bean consumption is best recommended in diabetics and rheumatism. It is also a good substitute for meat.

Soya bean oil can be a remedy for skin diseases and if applied to the head, it removes dandruff. The flower is used for eye diseases and if you crushed the seeds, it will also help the growth of your hair.