Its no secret, with today’s soil, air and water as well as the sprays used on our food, we cant get EVERYTHING we need from our diets alone. If you look around you will see young children are experiencing allergies, adult onset of allergies, auto-immune system disease, toxic body systems and the big 4 (cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke - all of which have no known cure) add in some obesity, premature aging and stress and its easy to see why we are sick!

There are many many many ways you can supplement your diet and improve your health, many I have tried and many I will try!

So to simplify your approach and to take the years of self experimentation that I have undergone (!!) here are a few of my favourites:-

1. Probiotics - I cannot speak more highly of gut health, in terms of balancing out your entire body and your immune system, increasing nutrient uptake, assisting with the break down of sugars and combating the global problem of candida, its a must have for everyone!

2. Reishi Mushroom - The photo at the top of this post is the exquisite reishi mushroom - isn’t it beautiful! Reishi is highly detoxifying, its an adaptogenic medicinal mushroom working on every body system and balancing out the body. Its gentle, it stimulates the immune system, it increases the bioavailability of Vitamin D, its anti-bacterial, anti-viral and has even been called anti-cancer - yes please!

3. Green drinks - barley grass has done huge things for my health; with reduced sickness and illnesses and increased with clarity of mind and memory. I feel different on the days that I haven’t taken it. If I forget to have it I am hungrier and get more sugar cravings - this is because it nourishes the body on a cellular level.

4. Vitamin C - for me personally this has been one of the most important supplements in terms that I used to experience re-ocurring tonsillitis and dermatitis, by using vitamin C I am free of both these now! Its used up quickly in the body and is important for immune function and in times of stress.

5. Regular detoxification - this is vital to holistic health. Juicing, smoothies, lightly steamed plain vegetables, massage, salt baths, body brushing and hydration… 2-4 times a year for 5-10 days at a time. Personalise your approach!

Love, J x

Photo www.freedigitalphotos.net - anankkml

This morning I had some fruit that I needed to use up, so I decided to send it all through the juicer and the combination was so good I had to share!

Ingredients (makes enough for breakfast and morning tea!)

• 2 kiwis
• 5 oranges
• 4 pears

Juice all ingredients and enjoy!

Love, J x

Photo - www.freedigitalphotos.net - africa

How did you go yesterday with conscious breathing? Did you find a calmness that wasn’t there previously? It is quite remarkable how much this little trick can instil real change into your day!

To take the practise of daily meditiation one step further here is some useful information from zenhabits…

1. Commit to just 2 minutes a day. Start simply if you want the habit to stick. You can do it for 5 minutes if you feel good about it, but all you’re committing to is 2 minutes each day.

2. Pick a time and trigger. Not an exact time of day, but a general time, like morning when you wake up, or during your lunch hour. The trigger should be something you already do regularly, like drink your first cup of coffee, brush your teeth, have lunch, or arrive home from work.

3. Find a quiet spot. Sometimes early morning is best, before others in your house might be awake and making lots of noise. Others might find a spot in a park or on the beach or some other soothing setting. It really doesn’t matter where — as long as you can sit without being bothered for a few minutes. A few people walking by your park bench is fine.

4. Sit comfortably. Don’t fuss too much about how you sit, what you wear, what you sit on, etc. I personally like to sit on a pillow on the floor, with my back leaning against a wall, because I’m very inflexible. Others who can sit cross-legged comfortably might do that instead. Still others can sit on a chair or couch if sitting on the floor is uncomfortable. Zen practitioners often use a zafu, a round cushion filled with kapok or buckwheat. Don’t go out and buy one if you don’t already have one. Any cushion or pillow will do, and some people can sit on a bare floor comfortably.

5. Start with just 2 minutes. This is really important. Most people will think they can meditate for 15-30 minutes, and they can. But this is not a test of how strong you are at staying in meditation — we are trying to form a longer-lasting habit. And to do that, we want to start with just a two minutes. You’ll find it much easier to start this way, and forming a habit with a small start like this is a method much more likely to succeed. You can expand to 5-7 minutes if you can do it for 7 straight days, then 10 minutes if you can do it for 14 straight days, then 15 minutes if you can stick to it for 21 straight days, and 20 if you can do a full month.

6. Focus on your breath. As you breathe in, follow your breath in through your nostrils, then into your throat, then into your lungs and belly. Sit straight, keep your eyes open but looking at the ground and with a soft focus. If you want to close your eyes, that’s fine. As you breathe out, follow your breath out back into the world. If it helps, count … one breath in, two breath out, three breath in, four breath out … when you get to 10, start over. If you lose track, start over. If you find your mind wandering (and you will), just pay attention to your mind wandering, then bring it gently back to your breath. Repeat this process for the few minutes you meditate. You won’t be very good at it at first, most likely, but you’ll get better with practice.

And that’s it. It’s a very simple practice, but you want to do it for 2 minutes, every day, after the same trigger each day. Do this for a month and you’ll have a daily meditation habit.

Love, J x

Photo - www.freedigitalphotos.net - federico stevanin

Something has shifted within me, I used to love to meditate but I am finding that sitting still is becoming harder, stillness in general is becoming harder… could it be mamahood, the excitement of writing this blog, the possibilities of Nourish Your Soul whizzing around endlessly in my mind, daydreaming about building our new home in the mountains or happily sitting and chatting for hours with friends in lieu of solitude and reflection… Hmmm me thinks a bit of everything.

While all the change and shifting and movement in life right now is super exciting, its definitely time to re-visit the stillness and composure of meditation…

So why meditate?

• It relieves stress and helps you to relax.
• When you practice mindfulness, you can carry it out to everyday life.
• Mindfulness helps you to savor life, change habits, live simply and slowly, be present in everything you do.
• Meditation has been shown to have mental benefits, such as improved focus, happiness, memory, self-control, academic performance and more.
• Some research on meditation has indicated that it may have other health benefits, including improved metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and more.

Now meditation doesnt have to be hours of sitting still, not only is this impossible with a 2 year old mini monkey its counterproductive to all things I want to get done! So lets start small… building up awareness of breath. Simply by slowing and controlling our breath we can drop into a calm and serene state at any time. Grocery shopping - no problem! At the coffee shop - no problem! In the car, at the gym, in a meeting, on the toilet - No Problem!!!

So this is what I do, take in a deep breath, not as far as you can go, just enough to expand your chest and open your lungs, slightly slow the breath from your normal rate, holding briefly in the in and pausing briefly on the out.

Repeat this deep breathing for a while, notice the coolness of the air rushing up your nostrils and hitting the back of your throat, notice how your shoulders drop and head finds perfect alignment. Notice that your brain seems to clear and mind focus.

Keep doing this for as long as you can naturally without forcing yourself to continue or stop. And that’s it! Repeat this exercise when ever you think of it; once a day or 10 times a day.

This is the first step, ill leave it here and expand our practice in tomorrows post. Happy breathing!

Love, J x

Photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net - foto76

This post is for all my Mama friends, business owners, busy bees and stressed out folk. Stress, unfortunately, is common place and an easy trap to fall into, its so prolific in fact that its unusual NOT to be stressed. Some even look upon those who are not stressed and think that they must be lazy or unmotivated, stress has become an indication that we are striving forward and living life. And oh how sad this is.

Stress is not an airy fairy term to describe being busy or to describe being a hard worker, stress is a chronic ailment and so today Nourish is putting it in the spot light!

When you stress your body drops into “fight or flight” mode, this means that the heart rate is elevated, the blood pressure increases, pupils focus and hormonally our bodies shift, adrenaline and cortisol is released by the adrenal glands that sit on top of the kidneys and our body prepares itself for a terrible event. In fact these same responses would occur if you were threatened in a darkened alley or in a car accident. Our body has no way of knowing that the stress is relevant to a busy work schedule or missed appointment. If you think of it this way its quite scary what we put our bodies through on a daily basis!

So adrenal exhaustion is the result of excessive, chronic stress. Our adrenals regulate mood, cravings and hunger, and balance out the thyroid function (the roll on effect becomes clearer!!!).

There are many symptoms from dizziness and confusion to increased perspiration to exhaustion and even insomnia, physically adrenal exhaustion causes weight gain, wrinkles and puffy eyes, reduces immune function and so we experience repeat sickness and illness… nasty stuff!

There are ways that you can soothe and rejuvenate your adrenals…

Stop - Breath - Listen

This practise can take years to perfect but it is worth while trying… when you feel yourself becoming stressed; chest tight, breathing shallow and fast, perspiration on hands and forehead. STOP. Take in a deep breath, hold for a second and release, do this again, and again. Listen to your mind, its going 100kms an hour. Keep breathing, the oxygen is going to help you think clearer. Now stopping when you are in a panic is the last thing you will feel like doing, but I can assure you that this one little step with help you increase your awareness not only of yourself but of what is going on around you.

Eat right!

You need to fuel your body and you all know the drill, hydration - raw foods - regular meals - healthy snacks e.g. fruits and nuts - kick sugar and stimulants used for energy and seek out whole foods and whole grains. Use herbal teas to wean yourself off caffeine. Superfoods are a great choice for getting lots of nutrition and reducing calorie intake. Alkalize with green drinks and fuel your cells!

Take your business outside.

Its amazing how quickly fresh air and sunlight will soothe even the most stressed out person, even better if you can get to the beach, forest or bush and walk barefoot for even 15 minutes you will calm and balance out your body on an electrical level (our brains generate a current, as does the earth, connecting the two balances out our body when we become too far positively charged - more on that another time!)

There will always be times when we stress or get emotionally out of control, by using the above three strategies hopefully we will minimise the damage these times do to our body and learn to step out of the emotional cycle and into a calmer and gentler state of mind.

Love, J x

Photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net - federico stevanin

An interesting article about Childhood Obesity…

Never before in human history have we seen “adult onset” or type 2 diabetes in children. There has been an over 1,000% increase in type 2 diabetes in children over the last two decades. Fifteen years ago 3% of new cases of diabetes in children were type 2 diabetes. Now it is 50%. Forty percent of children are now overweight and 2 million are morbidly obese, exceeding the 99^th percentile for weight.

Scientists say that we have only 3,600 cases of type 2 diabetes in children. Nonsense. Almost all of those 2 million morbidly obese kids have either pre-diabetes or diabetes or what we should call “diabesity”. In adults 25% of diabetics and 90% of pre-diabetics are not diagnosed. In children most of the cases are missed.

A study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine found that medications don’t work and general lifestyle instruction isn’t much help either to treat type 2 diabetes in children. And the disease is more rapidly progressive and aggressive in children. Kids who haven’t even learned to swallow a pill are now facing giving themselves daily insulin injections. Poor and minority kids are more heavily afflicted.

Do we really think we can medicate our way out of a bad diet? Can we really overcome the 54 gallons of soda consumed every year by the average American, or the 34 teaspoons of sugar consumed DAILY by the average child in America with a medication, or some handouts on eating better? One of the drugs used in the study, Avandia, has been responsible for over 200,000 deaths from heart attacks since it was introduced in 1999. The Food and Drug Administration has restricted its use. Should we be using this in children? This is pharmageddon.

Putting these little children on insulin sooner doesn’t make any sense either. Starting insulin in diabetics is a slippery slope, leading to a cascade of increasing weight gain, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The sugar comes down, but everything else that kills diabetics gets worse.

Adult diseases are now commonplace in children. I recently spoke at an Emory University conference on childhood type 2 diabetes. I met a pediatric gastroenterologist and wondered what he was doing at a conference on diabetes. He told me he now has 5-year-old patients with cirrhosis from fatty liver caused by years of drinking soda. There has been an over 50% increase in strokes in children aged 5 to 14. We are now seeing heart attacks in teenagers, and twenty year olds needing cardiac bypass surgery because obesity and diabetes clogs their arteries.

This is a disease that is nearly 100% preventable and reversible. But it won’t be solved in the doctor’s office, clinic or hospital. It has to be fixed where it begins; in our homes, communities and our society and in our government policies and industry practices. This is a social disease and we need a social cure.

This study should be a national wake up call. A siren blaring the insanity of our current medical approach to obesity and type 2 diabetes for both children and adults.

When a five year old has cirrhosis and an eight year old has a stroke this is not about personal choice or better medication. Now that scientists have proven that fast food and sugar are biologically addictive, we can’t blame the individual or the family. Can a heroin addict just cut down?

We need a massive call to action, a national coordinated multi-pronged campaign. We need President Obama and all the Republican candidates to stand before the nation and declare we will end type 2 diabetes in children by the end of this decade, just like President Kennedy mobilized our nation to get a man on the moon by the end of the 1960’s.

The food industry must be held to account. Simple policy changes could have enormous impact.

The food industry tries to convince us that all calories are the same; that a snack of carrots or Oreos is the same as long as they are 100 calories each. The science proves otherwise. Sugar calories act differently in the body, driving biology toward diabetes. And carrots aren’t addictive but sugar is.

The food industry has hijacked our taste buds, our brain chemistry, our kitchens, our homes, our schools and our communities. When children have nearly unlimited access to sugar and processed food, when we have 600 calories more per day of sugar calories per person than 30 years ago we have to have an honest accounting of the playing field. The food environment is designed for kids and adults to fail.

The SNAP program (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program), or food stamps, was started to provide “good food to hungry people” but now provides bad food to the overweight. While it is true that poverty and obesity go hand in hand because sugar calories and processed food are cheap and because government subsidies lower the prices of corn and wheat products, there is no reason that the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) should put $4 billion of taxpayer money into the coffers of soda manufacturers every year by allowing the use of food stamps to buy soda.

That is more than 29 million a day or 10 billion servings a year of soda that our government feeds the poor in this country. Then the government pays again through Medicare and Medicaid for obesity and diabetes related illness. Maybe we should call it the “Supplemental Nutrition Obesity Program”. You can’t buy alcohol, cigarettes or prepared meals with food stamps, why should kids buy soda with them.

We can’t ignore or accept this any longer.

The food industry blames the victim and tells us we are just lazy, it’s about our sedentary lifestyles. Eat whatever you want, we are told, but just exercise more. You would have to run 4 miles a day for one week to burn off just ONE fast food meal. That strategy won’t work. You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. Moving is important, but changing the food environment is more important.

We now have a nation where 75% of the applicants for military service are unfit to serve because of obesity. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two Surgeon Generals have called this a national security issue. Childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes also affects our global economic competitiveness because health disparities lead to an achievement gap. As our kid’s waist sizes grow, their brain power shrinks.

We need community action and policies to support healthy communities. Since our government, corporations and health care institutions fail to provide solutions, mothers stand arm to arm in front of convenience stores to block kids from entering after school.

But there are things that can be done. We need a grass roots movement and government policies and programs to change the food landscape and the built environment to give our children a chance to have happy, healthy successful lives. Children with obesity and diabetes live harder poorer lives, they often don’t finish school and earn much less than their healthy counterparts.

We may not be able to win the war in Afghanistan, but we can end this. But it will take an approach that works on all the forces that drive obesity and diabetes in children simultaneously – at home, at school, in local neighborhoods and communities, in the media, and in corporate regulation and government policies that foster health rather than disease.

Here are a few initiatives and ideas that may help shift this frightening tide of poverty and disease:

1. Stop government subsidies for junk food. Stop or reduce subsidies of agriculture products that allow for the glut of cheap, high-calorie, nutrient-poor sugars and fats from corn, wheat and soy into the marketplace.
2. Tax sugar. We should tax sugar (and maybe even processed junk food with added sugars.) A one cent per ounce tax would raise $15 billion a year, while a 10 cent per ounce tax could raise $150 billion per year. This could support national food programs and community projects to fight obesity and diabetes and promote health, and help cover the hundreds of billions of dollars of health care costs from increasing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The food industry has blocked initiatives for this tax in 30 states by pouring millions of dollars into lobbying and donations such as the $10 million Coca-Cola gave to a hospital in Philadelphia to swing the vote in the legislature.
3. End junk food marketing to children. We are one of the only countries that allow this. Studies show that the worse the food, the more the marketing. The average 2 year old can recognize and name junk food from their baby carriage in the supermarket.
4. Fund community-based initiatives. Support healthy eating with community kitchens, gardens, and cooking classes that teach how to make good food cheaply. Children need life skills on how to care for and feed their bodies. We are raising the first generation of Americans who don’t know how to cook. If implemented, the new health care bill and the new Council on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health provide avenues to support these programs.
5. Provide incentives for grocery stores and farmer’s markets in food deserts and all communities.
6. Make school lunches healthy by providing only real food and modeling healthy eating. Food can be both fun for you and good for you. Create national standards based on sound 21^st century nutritional science and common sense. Most schools have only a microwave or deep fryer, hardly the tools needed to feed our children real, fresh food. Any government-supported programs should have strict guidelines for what foods may be served. There is no room for junk food or sugar calories in schools.
7. Change zoning around schools to limit access to fast food and convenience stores. We shouldn’t have to rely on parents blockading junk food stores after school, as a group of parents did in Philadelphia. We shouldn’t make it easy to get bad food!
8. The FDA should regulate sugar as a drug, not as a “GRAS” or generally recognized as safe substance. It is a known toxin and is deadly when consumed in large quantities.

What are you doing in your home, your family, in your schools and communities to end the attack on our children and our nation’s future? We have the power to take back our health. It starts with small choices, local action and political advocacy. Now more than ever we have the collective power to change this. Let’s do it for our children’s sake.

Love, J x

Source: Dr Mark Hyman

Winter has arrived! Have you started to notice your aches and pains, poor circulation and has your skin becomes dry and tight…? Have you begun to indulge on heavy foods and swap your daily exercise in favour of cuddly couch time? Don’t worry we all do it!

In fact it is very common to gain weight, feel sluggish and drop the ball on your health during the cooler months, so what can you do to have a healthy winter?

Tip #1. Dry body brushing - There is a reason that I keep bringing this up… because its so darn good, and it works! The brushing stimulates the lymphatic system and research conducted by Bernard Jensen demonstrated that this daily act is also detoxifying removing toxins that are leached out of the skin, that otherwise would be reabsorbed into our systems.

Tip #2. Garlic - Avoid the winter bugs floating around at the first signs of sickness chew on a 1/4 of a raw garlic clove, extreme? Perhaps, but imagine that you can stop yourself getting sick and feeling rubbish for days! Its worth a few hours of garlic breath! Please note that its important to chew the garlic because of the enzyme ‘lipase’ that is spurred into action through chewing. Raw garlic has extraordinary anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties and also works well if you suspect you have intestinal worms!

Tip #3. Fish Oil - A daily intake of fish oil is a great way to keep the moisture locked into your skin, reduce joint and arthritic pain, plus add in the additional heart and brain function benefits and fish oil could be your key to feeling and looking good this winter!

Tip #4. Raw Food - Its hard in winter to consume raw vegetables, and when we miss out on these vital enzymes and antioxidants we leave ourselves open to sickness and illness, feeling flat, loss of energy and a lethargic fogginess of mind. So some tips for getting raw food into your winter menu; add a grated apple or pear or a sliced banana to your cereal, have a soup at lunch and top with raw spinach leaves (adding them at the last moment) with a side of raw green beans to dip into the soup and voila enzyme/antioxidant rich choice! For dinner try choosing vegetables that you can lightly steam, add raw avocado to the top of your fish or meat and some spouts for extra alkalizing benefits!

Tip #5. Hydration - This is another area that is hard to maintain during the cooler months, try drinking room temperature tap water or putting a shot of boiled water into your glass to warm it, cold water is hard to drink when its cold and it is also shocking for your system to take.

Its easy to drop the ball in winter but with these simples tips you will feel good and look great this winter!

Love, J x

Photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net.au - Dan

Reverse or halt aging, detoxify the body, feel energised, gain more nutrition from your food and feel as fresh as a daisy… sounds too good to be true!

Although alpha-lipoic acid has been known for more than four decades, only recently have medical researchers begun to appreciate its powerful effects against aging and disease. Alpha-lipoic acid is not a vitamin. It is made by the body, but because we don’t make enough of it and because the natural production slows aging, we must get more of it from supplements. So its called a ‘conditionally essential’ nutrient.

Alpha-lipoic acid has several key functions in the body, including;

• Chelating (binding up) excess mercury, lead, copper, iron and other dangerous minerals, rendering them harmless so the body can safely excrete them. (Excess iron is deposited in the heart, liver, pancreas and other organs where it can cause damage. That’s why post-menopausal women should not take iron supplements, unless so prescribed by their physician. Excess iron is not a problem for menstruating women, because they can expel excess iron with the menstrual flow).
• Helping the body to extract energy from food
• Acting as a powerful antioxidant

It also has powerful anti-free radical properties, such as preventing the ‘cross-linking’ between DNA and proteins. This cross linking prevents the DNA from manufacturing new working ‘components’ for the body, forcing it to churn out useless ‘waste products.’

Alpha-lipoic acid also helps to prevent free radicals from rupturing cellular lysosome membranes and allowing their poisonous materials to escape into the cells, thus damaging them.

Furthermore, alpha-lipoic acid works with other antioxidants, strengthening their combined results. For more than 20 years, European doctors have been using alpha-lipoic acid to treat certain forms of heart disease, control blood sugar and prevent diabetic damage to the eyes. It prevents glycations, which is the damage that elevated blood sugar does to proteins found in the eyes (causing cataracts, macular and retinal degeneration), kidneys (causing kidney failure), heart (causing heart attacks), brain (causing strokes), arteries (causing gangrene) and other body parts. Alpha-lipoic acid is currently being studied for use against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Although we are yet to establish the optimal ‘anti-aging’ dosage for alpha-lipoic acid, 300mg - 500mg a day has long been used for diabetic nerve damage. Some researchers suggest that 250mg per day is a safe and useful range for a health adult interested in holding aging at bay.

How interesting is that! I love studying this stuff!

Love, J x

Reference: Nutrition 3 - Workbook - Australian Institute of Applied Science

Photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net - bulldogza

We all want to experience abundant health, why not try these simple, easy and inexpensive ways to improve your health today, the skies are your limit!

1. Eat a healthy breakfast - try oats, quinoa or polenta - mmm-mmm!
2. Drink more water - 1-2 litres
3. Eat superfoods - try goji berries, coconut products, bee products or spirulina, there are so many good ones to choose from.
4. Do dry body brushing - stimulate, exfoliate and gain glowing skin
5. Move - get outdoors, get your blood pumping and perhaps get a sweat on!
6. Meditate - take 10 minutes, sit and be still, breath
7. Eat organic - no pesticides, herbicides, or other nasties, jam packed with phytonutrients and taste
8. Read an inspiring and uplifting book.
9. Drink your nutrition - try a juice; kale, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger and celery. Delicious!
10. Celebrate you - take a moment to smile and feel gratitude for your life

Love J x

Photo: www.freedigitalphoto.net - nuttakit

Eating seasonally is not just a sustainable choice, the foods that are available during each season have been carefully choosen by Mother Nature for their health properties protecting us from seasonal ailments. Mother Nature always knows best, and it is no coincidence that the foods available in winter boost and support the immune system as well as warm and nourish the body.

Root vegetables are a fantastic winter choice:-

• Carrot
• Potato
• Sweet Potato
• Onion
• Garlic

Root vegetables are grown in the ground meaning that they absorb high amounts of vitamins and minerals. They are easily stored in winter, lasting for days and even weeks kept in a dark pantry. Root vegetables are low in calories and high in complex carbohydates, meaning they will fill you for longer and provide a slow releasing energy. The goodness commonly present in root vegetables include; vitamin C, beta-carotene and many imune supporting antioxidants. Root vegetables are naturally high in fiber keeping your bowels healthy.

Eating seasonally is a simple and effective way to make sure that your body recieves the nutrition is requires during each season.

Love, J x

Photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net - Dan

The foods you eat bring pleasure to your palate and provide your body with powerful healing substances. Most people probably never consider that their morning grapefruit protects their blood vessels or that eating a handful of raw almonds daily can protect them from cancer. Certain heart-healthy foods have a reputation as natural cures to lower blood pressure, reduce symptoms of plaque and improve cardio fitness.

Olive oil

• Studies of women with high blood pressure who were placed on a diet rich in olive oil for one month showed a marked reduction in their blood pressure levels.

Raw milk cheese

• Research indicates that people who have adequate calcium consumption tend to have more luck controlling their blood pressure levels. Raw milk cheeses are high in calcium and low in sodium, making them an excellent food to help with high blood pressure problems.

Vegetables

• Corn is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamin B, which protect the arteries and reduce artherosclerosis.
• Onions and avocados prevent LDL or bad cholesterol from damaging blood vessel walls.
• Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a potent antioxidant that has produced significant results in lowering blood pressure in patients participating in an Israeli study conducted in 2006.
• Garlic’s natural anti-inflammatory properties may prevent blood clots and improve overall cardio fitness.
• Celery is high in vital nutrients and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, all necessary components in foods that lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack. Eating the entire plant benefits the cardiovascular system.
• Choose only organic vegetables and fruits to avoid pesticides and hidden genetically modified plants that may not benefit your heart or your health.

Fresh Fruits

• Loaded with pectin, a natural fiber that binds to cholesterol and toxins in the blood, apples can clear the blood and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as much as 10 percent over a six-week period, notes Applegate.
• Oranges and lemons are high in potassium and fruit pectin. Both aid the body’s regulation of blood pressure and reduce cholesterol plaque from arteries.
• Grapefruit supplies vitamin C, pectin, folic acid and lycopene, which help prevent symptoms of plaque by flushing LDL cholesterol from arteries and lessen high blood pressure problems.
• Beans, legumes and whole grains
• Both soluble and insoluble fiber are important for maintaining arterial integrity and controlling high blood pressure problems. Most beans provide soluble fiber, which is high in vitamin B and folic acid helping to reduce plaque and lower blood pressure. Whole grains like oats and oat bran flush unhealthy plaque from the system further protecting against the risk of heart attack and improving cardio fitness.

Chocolate

• About 15gms dark chocolate daily protects the heart and maintains blood pressure at normal levels. Rich in phenols, chocolate is now on the heart-smart menu for its nutrient-rich contribution that keeps arteries healthy.

Love, J x

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/035832_blood_pressure_fitness_health_food.html