Over 1 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year and over 200,000 deaths are attributed to the disease. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, or if you simply want to take better care of how you eat, it is to your benefit to follow the American Diabetic Diet in order to keep your diabetes under control.

Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics must learn to follow a diabetic diet plan in order to stay healthy. When following the right meal plan, such as the American Diabetic Diet, diabetic patients are able to effectively control their blood sugar without the need for medications.

The reason the American Diabetic Diet is so highly effective is because it comprises all food groups. The American Diabetic Diet plan recommends food high in mono unsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats and low in saturated fats. Most of the calories recommended in the American Diabetic Diet come primarily from carbohydrates, second from fats, then from proteins.

The American Diabetic Diet is to be followed daily and carries the following recommendations:

-5 portions fresh fruit and vegetables (spinach, broccoli and carrots)

-6 portions whole grains (cereals, bread and pasta)

-2 portions (meat, fish or chicken)

-Dairy products (eggs, skim milk, non-fat cheese, yogurt even low-fat ice cream)

Everyone’s make-up is different, so too are their bodily requirements. Some require high calorie consumption. The American Diabetic Diet accommodates this group of people.

The American Diabetic Diet plan for the people requiring 1200-1600 calorie consumption includes:

-Three portions fruits and vegetables

-Two portions milk, yogurt and meat

-Three portions of fats

-Six portions of starches

The American Diabetic Diet plan for people requiring 1600-2000 calorie consumption includes:

-Three portions fruits

-Four portions vegetables

-Two portions milk, yogurt and meat

-Four portions of fats

-Eight portions of starches

The American Diabetic Diet plan for diabetic people requiring 2000-2400 calorie consumption include:

-Three portions fruits

-Four portions vegetables

-Two portions milk, yogurt and meat

-Five portions of fats

-Eleven portions of starches

Popular belief is that diabetic people are not to eat sweets. This is not always the case. The American Diabetic Diet recommends eating sweets but in limited amounts. It is important to eat low-calorie sweets or artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar.

The American Diabetic Diet plan is helpful not only for people suffering from diabetes, but for everyone. People who have diabetes have the same nutritional needs as everyone else. The need for regular exercise is also the same for those with diabetes as it is for those without.

Incorporating exercise and the American Diabetic Diet, along with individually prescribed medications, are essential for managing diabetes. By having a well-balanced diet and choosing the right types of foods, the diabetic can move their blood sugar back towards regular levels. Controlling blood glucose levels is the primary goal of the American Diabetic Diet.

Be healthy and live a longer, happier life through the American Diabetic Diet. Prior to implementing the American Diabetic Diet, please consult your health care physician.

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This article will furnish you comprehensive Dietary Advice For Prehypertensive and Hypertensive Blood Pressure Levels. Here you will find Diet Tips To Reduce Blood Pressure

Diet For High Blood Pressure and Hypertension, Relation Between Diet and Blood Pressure

If you have Bad eating habits then it contributes significantly to unhealthily high blood pressure levels, even in middle age, when blood pressure levels typically rise as part of the aging process. Whether or not you are taking antihypertensive drugs, the need to make dietary improvements (eg. follow a healthy low-fat diet) is frequently at the top of a doctor’s list of recommendations to reduce or prevent the onset of high blood pressure. Before outlining the best type of diet for hypertension, let’s take a brief look at health consequences of raised blood pressure.

Hazards of Hypertension & High Blood Pressure

In under developed as well as developed countries, an estimated 20-40 percent of all adults suffer from persistent high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts a strain on the heart causing atherosclerosis(Thickenning of vessels). Result is damage to heart, Coronary artery disease, Kidney failure, Strok, Eye damage. Choice is yours, try to save these vital organs by controlling your BP. Remember Hypertension is a silent Killer, it shows its effects silently and when you come to know that you have BP, by that time hypertension often affects your vital organs.

Normal Blood Pressure Levels vs. Prehypertensive and Hypertensive

Normal blood pressure of an healthy adult at rest, is 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic) or less. Blood pressure levels greater than 120/80 and below 140/90 are at prehypertensive stage, while levels above 140/90 are considered hypertensive stage. Both prehypertensive and hypertensive subjects should make diet, exercise and lifestyle changes to reduce or prevent the onset of hypertension and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Weight increases blood Pressure

Over weight persons will be having high blood pressure. Weight reduction significantly decreases blood pressure.People with obesity double their risk of developing the disorder. In addition, roughly 7 out of 10 obese adults suffer from high blood pressure. If you lose even 10 pounds can produce noticeable improvements.

Dietary Advice and Tips For High Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure and not overweight, here are few tips to control your BP.

Choose A Healthy Balanced Diet

If you want to reduce your blood pressure, your diet should be rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods, while low in saturated and trans-fats. It should also be low in cholesterol, high in fiber, calcium,potassium and magnesium, and moderately high in protein. The American Heart Association and U.S. government recommend the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet as a good diet guide to reduce blood pressure.

First thing is to Reduce Your Intake of Sodium (Salt)

How salt intake increases blood pressure. Eating too much salt or sodium-rich foods leads to a greater uptake of fluid and causes greater retension of water inside body, leads to volume overloard and High blood presure. It also places extra strain on the arterioles (blood vessels that dilate/constrict to regulate blood pressure and blood flow). Both these effects lead to higher blood pressure. The Recoomended daily dose for sodium for most people is 2,400 mg.

You can Reduce Sodium Intake

How can you decrease sodium intake? Eat less pre-cooked or processed food, and eat more fresh food. Sodium is found naturally in fresh foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and dairy products, but in much lower quantities than in processed foods (eg. packet, bottled or canned food).

High Sodium Foods

These foods typically have a high sodium content. In order not to exceed the RDA, either avoid them altogether, or choose low-sodium varieties.

Sauces: baking soda, barbecue sauce, catsup, garlic salt, mustard, onion salt,Soy sauce, steak sauce, salad dressing, baking powder, mustard, onion salt, seasoned salts like lemon pepper, bouillon cubes, meat tenderizer, and monosodium glutamate.

Salted Snacks: peanuts, pretzels, pork rinds. Tortilla chips, corn chips

Soup: instant soups, Regular canned soups.

Pickled Food: Olives, or sauerkraut, Herring, pickles, relish,

Meats: smoked or cured meats (containing sodium-nitrite) such as bacon, bologna, hot dogs, ham, corned beef, luncheon meats, and sausage, Hogmaws, ribs, and chitterlings,.

Dairy: Most cheese spreads and cheeses.

Drinks: club soda, saccharin-flavored soda,

Cereals: Instant hot cereals, Regular ready to eat cold cereals,

Ready-to-Eat: boxed mixes like rice, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese and some frozen dinners, pot pies and pizza. Quick cook rice, instant noodles,

Fats: Butter, fatback, and salt pork.

Check Labels of Food Containers:

Choose those foods which labeled as low-sodium, very low sodium, or salt-free. Check food labels for words that indicate a high sodium content, including: sodium nitrite, sodium proprionate, disodium phosphate, and sodium sulfate., monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide,

Lower Sodium Eating Habits

Do not add extra salt when cooking or preparing meals. Cook with more herbs and spices.

Do not have salt on the table while eating do not add salt on salad.

If you cook with salt, switch to chili, ginger and lemon juice for flavoring.

If you eat cured/smoked meats, switch to fresh cold meats.

If you eat ready-to-serve breakfast cereal, choose low-sodium types of cereal.

Rinse before eating, If you eat tuna, salmon, sardines, or mackerel canned in water.

If you eat soup, switch to low-sodium or fresh soups.

If you cook with whole milk or fat diet, switch to 1 percent or skimmed buttermilk.

Remember taking less salt diet, Your BP will be in normal Limits.

If you want to know more about High Blood Pressure Diet Visit our website.

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Since most of the causes that trigger high blood pressure stems from improper dietary intakes, we should give concern as to how our body eliminates the resulting wastes. These wastes are either eliminated through the kidney or through the large intestines.

Fiber as waste binder plays a pivotal role in preventing high blood pressure through proper waste elimination. Thus, we can improve our health conditions, by adding dietary fibers to our daily meal plans.

In as much as our body produces a lot of waste materials, some known excesses such as sodium and glucose tend to overwork the kidneys. High-fiber diets can help the digestive system by its inherent ability to bind other food, which then allows proper digestion to take place.

As the normal digestive processes occur, other organs such as the kidneys and the large intestines without cause for stress or hormonal imbalance, will also perform proper waste disposal.

As a form of standard dietary guide, persons weighing about 120 pounds are required to partake at least 25 grams of dietary fiber, while a person who weighs as much as 200 pounds should have at least 35 grams of dietary fiber.

Insoluble or Hard fiber – often found in wheat bran is also known medically as the “water carrier”. As a water carrier, this fiber can produce stool consistently and regularly. As this fiber passes through the intestinal tract, the water it carries help to dissolve unwanted and sometimes toxic wastes. Thus, it aids greatly in preventing disorders such as appendicitis, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids as well as reduce cancer risks.

Pectin – a mixture of polysaccharides found in plant cell walls useful in reducing cholesterol and has the ability to bind even the bile acids produced by the liver. Other dietary fibers ideal for selective waste absorption are saponins and guar gums.

High fiber is present in almost all fruits and vegetables but is particularly high in cereals and grains.

Effects of Fiber and Water in your Diet

However, in order for fiber to work effectively, fiber needs water. Unless there is sufficient water the stool that fiber produces cannot be expelled with ease out of the digestive system. Without the water the stool will be dry and hard. For people experiencing high blood pressure, they will have to drink more than four glasses daily, as this will help eliminate sodium.

Ways to Increase your Dietary Fiber

The best way for fiber to work effectively is to start your day with high-fiber cereals. Make your meals complete by eating fruits, vegetables, grains, and tubers. If you want to snack on something, make it fruits or high-fiber snacks and always make it a point to drink plenty of water.

Inadequate fiber, will lead to accumulation of wastes in the body and wastes as we all know can lead to complications and other bodily disorders. Hence, improving our diet by adding dietary fibers, can help eliminate the factors that trigger high blood pressure.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and high blood pressure treatment. Discover how you can get rid of your high blood pressure for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusbloodpressure.com

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High blood pressure is a health issue that causes innumerable fatalities in the United States each year. Further, if it doesn’t kill you, it can still lead to major problems, including heart attack and stroke. And sodium is an ingredient of a high blood pressure diet as it is one of the major high blood pressure causes. Consequently, this article will help you learn about the role of sodium in the development of high blood pressure.

Read the Ingredients

Unfortunately, given its prevalence, a good amount of the sodium you digest comes from processed foods. A good habit to develop, before buying such food, is to read the ingredients label. Unfortunately, those labels, with their multisyllabic words, seem like they aren’t written in English. You feel as if you need a chemistry degree to understand them. Well, to help, remember that foods that contain ingredients with the word “sodium” in them can be bad news. For example, take disodium phosphate and monosodium glutamate (MSG). The word “sodium” is visible. Miminize your use of such ingredients and foods.

Also, the US FDA , to aid people’s dietary choices, developed sodium guidelines. For example, “low sodium” equates to 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving. Or, as another example, 5 milligrams or less of sodium per serving is “salt free” food. Google FDA sodium for the entire guide. If necessary, bring it with you to the grocery store to allow for quick and easy interpretation when you shop.

Further, highly processed foods often contain high levels of sodium, making them contributory to a high blood pressure diet. I can only imagine the thoughts going through your head now. You’re busy and have no time to cook. You rely on frozen dinners and canned goods to quickly whip something up for you and your family. Unfortunately, a good amount of these foods are laced with sodium.

The Infamous Salt Shaker – One of the More Prominent High Blood Pressure Causes

Finally, like most people, you probably grab for the salt shaker at the center of your dining room table to add some quick flavor to your sometimes bland food. And, to compound the matter, you may be adding salt to processed food that already contains high levels of sodium. So resist the “salt shaker” temptation. Perhaps you might even empty your salt shaker. Further, use natural herbs to add flavor to your food. Consider onions or thyme, for example. This may be hard to do, but it’s in your body’s best interest.

As you can see, sodium not only presents a high blood pressure health issue, but also is hard to avoid given our busy lives. If you look at your food labels, especially those of processed foods, you’ll start to see sodium everywhere. So remember to avoid ingredients with the word “sodium” in them as sodium can play a huge role in a high blood pressure diet. Also, use the Food and Drug Administration guidelines to monitor your sodium use. And put down that salt shaker!

Take these small, proactive steps and you are on your way to eliminating some high blood pressure causes and earning better health.

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