Research: Switching to a vegetarian diet could cut blood pressure (and has the same effect on readings as losing nearly a stone)

Eating a vegetarian diet is likely to keep your blood pressure low - and switching to it could cut your readings, claim researchers.

A new study shows a vegetarian diet can lead to reductions in blood pressure similar to losing three-quarters of a stone in weight.

The diet achieves around half the drop expected from prescription drugs, according to the study from Japan.

The latest study follows previous research suggesting a vegetarian diet may reduce heart disease risk, and even lead to longer life compared with non-vegetarians.

It is thought the benefits come from lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels in people eating low-fat diets based on vegetables, whole grains and fruit.

An estimated three million Britons, around five per cent, are vegetarian and never eat meat or fish, including superstar musician Paul McCartney and his fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney.
Blood pressure is measured by checking two readings. Systolic is the pressure inside arteries when the heart is forcing blood through them and diastolic is the pressure when the heart relaxes.
Using a reading given in millimetres of mercury - written as mmHg - doctors can determine if it is high or low.

The latest study analysed seven clinical trials and 32 studies from 1900 to 2013, which involved people eating a vegetarian diet.

In the trials, participants eating a vegetarian diet had systolic blood pressure almost 5mmHg lower than those eating meat and fish.

The fall was almost 7mmHg lower in the studies, says a report in JAMA Internal Medicine.
For diastolic blood pressure, the differences were 2.2 mmHg in trials and almost 5mmHg in studies.
The researcher from the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, said this was equivalent to dropping 5kg (11lbs) in weight or pursuing a low-sodium diet, and half the benefit found with modern medication.

'A reduction in systolic blood pressure of 5mmHg would be expected to result in a seven per cent, nine per cent and 14 per cent reduction in mortality due to all causes, coronary heart disease, and stroke, respectively,' says the report.

The main reason for the difference is thought to be the effect of a low-fat vegetarian diet on cholesterol and blood pressure, partly through avoidance of red meat and also from higher consumption of vegetables.

Eating more vegetables and fruit may also help through their antioxidant effects, combating harmful naturally occurring chemicals in the body.

Official advice from the Department of Health in 2010 said cutting down on red meat could reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Findings from the largest British study of 45,000 Britons last year found vegetarians have healthier hearts than people who eat meat or fish.

They were one-third less likely to need hospital treatment for heart disease or die from it.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2566816/Switching-vegetarian-diet-cut-blood-pressure.html#ixzz2uHnKq1YT 

Processed food NOT fat is the real cause of heart disease, claims heart surgeon

He admits prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications, and a low-fat, high-simple carbohydrate diet for two-and-a-half decades was misguided

An Arizona heart surgeon's claim that a diet of unprocessed foods - not necessarily low-fat foods - can prevent and even reverse heart disease has ignited the Internet.

Dr. Dwight Lundell has dished the dirt on 'what really causes heart disease' and he admits prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications, and a low-fat, high-simple carbohydrate diet for two-and-a-half decades was misguided.

'These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible,' he writes in the essay, that has been posted on some 250,000 Facebook pages since it appeared on a website called Tuned Body in December.

He explains that this once 'healthy' diet actively destroys the walls of our blood vessels by causing chronic inflammation. This inflammation makes cholesterol stick to the walls, forming the plaques that eventually block them, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.

'When you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels,' he writes.

The former cardiac surgeon, who says he's 'peered inside thousands upon thousands of arteries' slams refined carbohydrates as well as the proportion of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the Western diet.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2548066/Heart-surgeon-confesses-processed-food-slowly-killing-natural-food-answer.html#ixzz2rnssHD2r

Eating 30 almonds a day reduces hunger pangs and doesn't cause weight gain and 97% of Americans do snack every day

Snacking has become something of a national pastime, with an estimated 97 per cent of people munching their way through at least one snack a day.

While this habit may keep hunger at bay, it's fuelling an obesity epidemic.

Now new American research may hold the answer -  munching on almonds can reduce hunger without increasing weight.

Researchers at Purdue University, in Indiana, found that eating 1.5oz of dry-roasted, lightly salted almonds every day reduced volunteers’ hunger, improved their Vitamin E levels and ‘good’ fat intake, and did not cause them to pile on the pounds.

1.50z of almonds is equivalent to 43g or around 30 individual nuts.

The researchers conducted a four-week trial to investigate the effects of eating almonds on weight and appetite.

The study included 137 adults at increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

The participants were divided into five groups - a control group that avoided all nuts and seeds, a group that ate 1.5oz of almonds at breakfast and one that ate the nuts at lunch.

There was also a group that snacked on them in the morning, and one that ate them in the afternoon.

The volunteers were not given any other rules other than to follow their usual eating patterns and physical activity.

The results showed that even though they were eating approximately 250 calories a day in the form of the almonds, they did not eat any more calories overall.

‘This research suggests that almonds may be a good snack option, especially for those concerned about weight,’ said Dr Richard Mattes, professor of nutrition science at Purdue University and the study's lead author.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2476628/Always-hungry-Eating-30-almonds-day-reduces-hunger-pangs-doesnt-cause-weight-gain.html#ixzz2ikfiK8wW

Vegetables ward off Alzheimer's

Eating a diet rich in vegetables may be one way to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, research suggests.

US scientists found that a diet high in unsaturated, unhydrogenated fats - found in vegetables and some oils - may help lower risk.

However, a separate study found antioxidant vitamins - widely touted as good for general health - offer no such protective effect against Alzheimer's.

In the first study, scientists from Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, examined 815 people aged 65 and older over a four year period.

"There are studies to suggest that a diet high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat may raise levels of good cholesterol and lower levels of bad cholesterol in the blood."
Dr Martha Clare Morris

At the start of the study none of the volunteers had Alzheimer's, but by its end 131 had developed symptoms.

The researchers found that the risk of developing the disease was highest among those who consumed the highest levels of saturated fat - found in meat and dairy products.

Read more: http://www.naturalhealthproviderpages.com/articles/articles/articles/Vegetables1.html

Rosalie Hurd: Original Genesis Diet

Every minute in the United States someone dies of heart disease and another of cancer. Heart disease, America’s top killer, is the cause of 40 percent of American deaths. People want good health, but are confused about where to find it. Self-destructive lifestyles habits, many diet-related, have led to over-crowded hospitals and increased health-care costs. So what is the answer?  

Read article: http://www.naturalhealthproviderpages.com/articles/articles/articles/heatlh-living.html

Original Genesis Diet

Every minute in the United States someone dies of heart disease and another of cancer. Heart disease, America’s top killer, is the cause of 40 percent of American deaths. People want good health, but are confused about where to find it. Self-destructive lifestyles habits, many diet-related, have led to over-crowded hospitals and increased health-care costs. So what is the answer?

The famous China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell reveals the best diet for optimal health is a plant-based diet. The foundation for this diet goes back to the beginning, when after Creation, Adam and Eve were instructed to eat grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. In Genesis 1:29 we read “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food”.

The basic components of food and good nutrition are: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, fiber, and water.

The “Original Genesis Diet” provided all of these things:

Carbohydrates: Starches and sugars in food converted into glucose, which is the body’s main fuel. These along with fiber (which help keep the intestines clean) are found primarily in whole grains, and other plant foods.

Proteins: The building blocks for body muscle, hormones, growth and repair…proteins are broken down by the body and converted into amino acids. Excellent sources of essential proteins are found in plant foods: legumes and seeds… lentils, peas and beans, such as chickpeas, black beans, soybeans and tofu.

Fats: The most concentrated form of energy which can be efficiently stored for later use. Healthy unsaturated fats are found in plant sources such as avocado, olives, nuts, and seeds. Saturated fats, those found in animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy (milk, cheese, butter ) have been linked with numerous diseases.

Vitamins and Minerals: Essential components of our diet needed for interaction of various functions of our body. These along with phytochemicals and antioxidants are found chiefly in a variety of whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, including dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, and broccoli.

Water: Of all dietary essentials Pure Water is the most important. It is the principal chemical constituent of the body (75%). Every function, tissue, organ, and system operates in a liquid medium. Water cleanses, filters, lubricates, assists circulation,
respiration, digestion and absorption of nutrients, controls body temperature, weight, reduces stress, improves brain function. etc. etc. Drunk freely it helps to supply the necessities of the body and assists nature to resist disease.

In the TEN TALENTS Cookbook/ Health Manual you will find the foundational building stones for the optimal diet and recipes that not only taste good, but will make you feel good too!

Ten Talents Cookbook
Rosalie Hurd
P.O.B. 5209
Grants Pass, OR 97527
Ph: 541-472-1113

www.TenTalents.net 

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