Tuesday, 2 March, 2010
Salt is harvested every everyday in Senegal. Are you getting enough salt in your diet? As someone who is sensitive to it, I make a special effort to eat as little as possible. However, the majority of Americans eat too much salt. The FDA says salt is GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). Hmmm… Yet, I blog about the effect salt has on the body in terms of heart disease, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure (hypertension). Salt is a very interesting condiment and can have a profound effect on the health of the elderly and African Americans.
Table salt adds zest to food, making it more palatable. It’s found in the majority of processed foods, in restaurant foods and also used to preserve foods. In addition, it’s used as a spa item for the body–bath salts, foot soaks, body scrubs.
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Tuesday, 2 February, 2010
February 5, 2010, is National Wear Red Day. One of the risk factors for heart disease is obesity. Therefore, on two levels, your benefits of a healthy heart are maximized. If you have a healthy heart—take care of your heart- you are less likely to be in the obese category.
National Wear Red Day is the day for you to wear your red shirt, tie, high heel sneakers, scarf, socks, lipstick, etc., in support of women and the fight against heart disease. Protect your health and support others. You’ll see me wearing my ‘tee’, shown on the left.
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Monday, 21 December, 2009
Graphic Source: Purdue Horticulture Edu.
”Hibiscus sabdariffa, or sour tea, is used in many parts of the world to make both cold and hot drinks. We might know it in English by the name Hibiscus or red sorrel. In Arabic it is called karkade, and in Iran, it is mainly known as sour tea. Sour tea, or Hibiscus, contains many constituents including , L-ascorbic acid, anthocyanin, beta-carotene, citric acid, pectin, quercetin, stearic acid and wax. The medicinal parts of the plant include the flower, sepal, leaves, stems and seeds. The extracts of the sepal contain significant amounts of vitamin C, anthocyanins and polyphenols and the highest concentration of water-soluble antioxidants. Traditionally, it has been used in folk medicine for several health issues including high blood pressure, liver diseases, loss of appetite, circulation, and as a gentle laxative and diuretic.
Lin et al showed that drinking Hibiscus tea for 4 weeks reduced total cholesterol by 8.3% to 14.4% ( Nutrition Res 2007;27:140-145). Animal studies have shown that rats with diabetes had a positive effect with Hibiscus on glucose and lipids. (Fundam Clin Pharmacol 2007;21:601-609). I {Dr. Tori Hudson} reported on the effectiveness of Hibiscus tea in reducing systolic blood pressure in a recent column. (J Human Hypertension 2009;23:48-54.)”
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