Salt Swap-out
Most of us enjoy the extra flavour salt adds to our food. But for many of us, too much salt leads to high blood pressure. Over half of people with high blood pressure are salt-sensitive, meaning salt causes their blood pressure to rise.
This happens because salt causes the body to hold onto extra water, which puts more pressure on the circulatory system. While it’s possible to get too little salt, most of us aren’t at risk for that.
Embracing a healthier lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple way to add flavour without the harmful effects of salt is to use a salt substitute. This potassium-based alternative tastes similar to regular salt but helps lower sodium intake and boosts levels of potassium, something many of us need more of. It’s a small change that can make a difference in our health.
Recent research with over 1,500 people aged 55 and older found that switching to a salt substitute lowered blood pressure by 7 points, similar to many blood pressure medications.
If you’re over 50, consider switching to a salt substitute to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Black Pepper
There’s more to black pepper than just spicing up your meals. Recent research shows that in addition to adding flavour, it does your body a favour. Adding black pepper to your food could help keep your blood sugar levels in check. This is particularly good news for anyone concerned about diabetes, offering a simple and tasty way to manage health.
But there’s more to it. This everyday spice might also help you feel fuller for longer and curb your appetite a bit. If you’re watching your weight, that could be a handy trick. Take it easy with the pepper when you first start adding it. Too much at once can cause stomach upset.
A little sprinkle on your meals could go a long way for your health. It’s a simple change that might pay off in the long run. After all, taking care of yourself doesn’t mean big changes. Big health improvements come from many small changes, like what’s in your shaker.
Food Labels
When it comes to making informed food choices, reading labels is key. These labels tell us the ingredients and provide crucial nutrition facts. By understanding what’s in our food, we can make healthier decisions.
Food labels also tell us that an item has been processed. Completely unprocessed foods, like fruits, vegetables, and fresh meats, don’t have labels listing the ingredients and the nutrition facts. The fact that a food has a label is itself a warning.
When you see a label, read the ingredients. If there are a lot of ingredients, or if many of the ingredients are things you’ve never heard of, there may be a better option.
If it has a label, ask yourself if there is a food you can buy instead that doesn’t have a label because ALL food labels are warning labels.
Eating at Night
When we eat is important. We need to eat healthy, whole foods, but when we eat them also matters. A study with over 40,000 people found that eating late in the evening increases the risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The study looked at people’s nighttime eating habits and checked on their health 9 years later.
The risk of diabetes went up by almost half for those who ate very late at night. Late-night eating also greatly increased the risk of cancer and led to earlier death.
So, don’t think only about what you eat, think about when you eat. Limit or eliminate late-night eating. If you break the after-supper snack habit, after a few weeks, you won’t get the nighttime cravings.
Hydro-Water
You may have heard of hydrogen water. It is a new water product with extra hydrogen. We all know that water is H2O, meaning there are 2 hydrogens for each oxygen, but because hydrogen is so light, water is almost 90% oxygen by weight.
Hydrogen water is regular water with extra dissolved hydrogen, just like how carbonated water is water with dissolved carbon dioxide. Hydrogen easily dissolves because it, being the smallest atom, is so tiny. Because it is so small, it is easy for the body to absorb. When absorbed, hydrogen is good at finding and neutralizing damaging free radicals. Free radicals are those electrically charged compounds that damage cells.
Hydrogen water reduces inflammation by cleaning up the damaging free radical cells. Some early research suggests that hydrogen water improves endurance and reduces fatigue.
You can buy bottled hydrogen water or a device that adds hydrogen to water, similar to how a carbonation machine adds carbon dioxide to water to make carbonated water.
The best news is that hydrogen water is a zero-calorie drink. The downside is that it is expensive, but if you are taking all the big steps to live healthier, you may want to add some Hydrogen Water to your day. When you’re thirsty, reach for hydrogen water. It might give you more energy and help you feel better.
Look Ma, No Hands
Given that standing from a seated position is one of the most important things we do, keeping our leg muscles strong is key to our future mobility. One small tip to keep the leg muscles working is to not use your hands when standing up.
Instead of pushing yourself up with your hands, if you can, use only your leg muscles to stand up. This move works your legs every time you stand up.
If you have balance issues, you can hover your hands above the armrest as you get up. but don’t use your arm muscles to push your body upward. The legs should take all the weight. Our legs are the strongest muscles in our body, so we need to let them do their work.
Stand for Lower BP
Now that you’ve stood up with no hands, take a stand for your blood pressure (BP). Standing up more reduces your blood pressure.
A study of older adults found that standing up for 30 more minutes a day and reducing your sitting time can reduce your blood pressure by over 3 points. This new habit of sitting less and standing more is all it takes.
So, when you’re sitting, take a break and stand up. If you work at a desk, do part of the day at a standing desk or another higher surface. A tall dresser can work as a standing desk in a pinch.
You can set a reminder for yourself to stand up after you’ve been sitting for more than 30 minutes. Talk to your voice assistant on your smartphone and ask Siri (or Google) to set an alarm for 30 minutes. When that alarm goes off, stand up, walk around for 10 minutes, and sit back down. Even when you’re watching TV, most of us have a way to pause the program and restart it later.
Do you want to reduce your blood pressure the easy way? Take a stand!