Earthly Eating

First of all, are you at risk?

An estimated one out of every three American adults have high blood pressure. Medical problems are sometimes the culprit such as kidney disease or narrowing of the arteries. But, most of the times it is unclear as to what is the blame and certain foods have always been the prime suspect. Here are some other cases that could put you at risk for high blood pressure.

1. Age: As we get older, we are more likely to develop high blood pressure and it’s happening at an alarming rate.

2. Excess Weight: This all leads back to foods. If we eat the right foods and at moderation we should be fine. But, in this day and age of convince, it is very difficult to stay the course, but we all must in order to remain healthy in more ways then one.

3. Ethnicity: Unfortunately high blood pressure is particularly common in African Americans. And the sad things is, it is not known as to why. This could be linked to eating fatter foods or blood or even something to do with skin pigment.

4. Family History: If you family has had history of high blood pressure you should be on your guard even more.

Now you are wondering what can be done if I meet one or all of the cases above.

• Exercise is above all important in anyone’s life, and it is especially important to adults who are at risk for high blood pressure. You want to do exercises the make you sweat and raise your heart rate so that your blood pumps for efficiently. It is recommended by many to have a half hour of moderate-to -intensive activity at least 5 days a week.

• Lay off the fat, cholesterol, red meat, and even sweets. In the same way have more on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or even fat-free dairy products. Always opt for lower-calorie foods than for high-calorie foods.

• Leave the salt behind as much as you can. Even if you have normal blood pressure, excessive amounts of salt is never a good idea. If you are seeking flavor, try sodium free alternatives that can be found in any grocery store.

• Eat bananas. Potassium has been shown to reduce blood pressure risks. You can get potassium through supplements and you can reap the benefits even more. Some other sources include baked potatoes with the skin, cooked corn squash, dried apricots, dried peaches, low-fat yogurt, orange juice, prune juice, spinach, Swiss chard, and even tomato juice. These foods may even reduce your risk for stroke as well.

• Get a lot of fiber. Fiber is not only a blood pressure key tool it is also a great way to help in weight loss. Fiber is one of the foods on this earth that are a plus not matter what. Be sure and get the recommended 24 grams for women and 30 grams for men daily.

• Always drink in moderation. Many of us have over indulged and some on a regular basis, but you could be “pushing the envelope” when it comes to your blood pressure. So always practice “safe moderation” indulgence, no matter what the case is.

• Cut down on your caffeine consumption. Caffeine can raise your blood pressure by tightening the blood vessels and by magnifying the effects of stress.

• Cut your stress levels as well. There is no better time then today to reduce your stress level. If you have to get away for awhile to reduce your levels of stressful triggers.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Homemade Bread
Makes: 3 dozen rolls or 6 loaves

4 cups warm water
3 packages yeast
3 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
12 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast, salt and sugar in water; add the oil. Mix in the flour.

Knead the dough in a bowl and then sit aside to let rise for about 30 to 45 minutes, or double in size. Punch down and make into rolls or loaves, and let rise again.

After rising, bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F.

Happy Eating!

The glycemic index (GI) assigns carbohydrate-containing foods a number based on how they affect your blood sugar, or blood glucose, after you eats them. Foods with a GI less than 55 case only a little hiccup in your blood sugar, those in the 55 to 70 or higher range, raise it a little higher; and carbs with GIS more than 70 send your blood sugar soaring over the top. Low GIs are carbs that are healthy7; high GI carbs in excess, are not good for your body or your blood sugar.

The problem with eating lots of high GI foods, is when you blood sugar soars, so does the hormone insulin. Insulin’s main duty is to scoop up excess blood sugar and store it safely in the muscle tissue. In moderation, insulin is a good thing. But, it can be a killer when the levels spike repeatedly, trigger diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and possibly even cancers.

The Glycemic index experts say that the acid in vinegar or lemon juice can substantially blunt the effect of a food on your blood sugar. That means that adding vinegar to your French fries or making potato salad with a vinaigrette dressing are two ways to lower the GI of potatoes.

Here are six ways to make your own bodies glycemic index work in your favor:

1. One low GI per meal: Try to choose one-third to one-half of your daily starches from the low-GI list. Get the list here.

2. Go with the whole grains: There are exceptions, but in general whole grain foods such as barley and bulgur have a how GI, mainly because their high fiber content serves to slow digestion.

3. Roughing it up: The least processed and rougher the grain of flour, the lower the GI.

4. Bring it all on: Just ass some beans to rice. Throwing in a low GI food brings down the GI rating of the entire meal.

5. Be snack savvy: If you are having a high GI bagel or doughnut with hundreds of calories, the glucose won’t get blunted by other foods. So avoid starchy high GI foods as snacks.

6. Load up on frits, veggies and even legumes: Most have a low GI, and you would have to eat pounds and pounds of the ones that don’t affect the blood sugar in your body.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Sweet and Sour Vegetable Salad
Serves: 8

1 pkg. organic vegetable spirals
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

Dressing:
1/3 cup organic brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup barley malt syrup or maple syrup
2 tbs. soy sauce, or to taste
1 1/2 tbs. dried basil

Cook the pasta, rinse and drain and combine with al salad vegetable. Mix dressing ingredients, pour over salad, toss and serve.

Happy Eating!

• Get your blood pressure checked by your doctor or healthcare provider.

• Have a home monitor for blood pressure. Once you have been diagnosed as borderline or high, buy a home monitor and think of it in the same way you think of a bathroom scale.

• Dietary supplemenst are on of the easiest and most effective non drug appraoches. Try tomato extract to lower your blood pressure.

• Balance your minerals with the Mediterranean diet. It includes a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables. The secret weapon to this is the abundance of potassium founf in these fruits and vegetables. So, if you’re not following the Mediterranean diet or consuming 8-9 servings a day to obtain the sodium blunting effect, use a salt substitute when preparing foods like pasta, etc. to increase the potassium levels in your diet.

• Alcohol in moderation. Consuming one or two alcohol beverages daily and the good news is that it’s scientifically backed up.

• Reduce your stress with mini-vacations. Take three two-minute mini vacations daily where you spend those two minutes taking slow deep breaths you can lower your blood pressure by 10 points.

• Wrap up your day with hot cocoa! Everyone loves cocoa, and if you don’t then read this and you may. The active cocoa compounds which complement this relaxing time at the end of the day are polyphenols.
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Earthly Eating Recipe-Count Down To Christmas Recipe Of Sweets

Chewy Chocolate Drops With Glaze Topping
Serves: 30 (or makes 5-dozen)

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tub (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping

Prehat oven to 350°F. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake 8 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake.) Let stand on baking sheet 1 minute; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

Glaze Topping: Place frozen whipped topping and semi-sweet chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds or until chocolate is metled and mixture is shiny and smooth. Let stand 15 minutes to thicken. Spread over cookies. Let stand until glaze is set.

Happy Eating!