We might want to consider a diet initially designed to deal with high blood pressure to reduce the risk of a stroke or a heart attack. A huge study that involved 88,000 women for a period of 25 years found those who ate meals that included fruits, vegetables and whole grains had a 24 percent lower incidence of heart attacks and an 18 percent lower incidence of strokes. There's nothing wrong with including grass-fed cattle if you're dealing with high blood pressure or free-range poultry and all the fish you want while selecting more plant-based proteins over meat.
I want to also alert you to a common problem I encounter when people start to eat healthy. Over and over again I see people working hard on cutting out the processed junk and getting enough fruits and vegetables. The problem they run into are cravings and this usually goes along with the belief that healthy eating should somehow be a deprivation diet. Nothing could be further from the truth, and any diet or food plan that causes hunger and cravings will ultimately fail. Cravings usually result in bingeing on "low fat" processed carbs and we can avoid this harmful practice and satisfy our body's need by making sure we get enough healthy fat. Those cravings are a message to our brain from our body that it's not getting what it needs to run itself, and that usually means a lack of adequate healthy natural fat found in fish, nuts, nut butters and olive oil.
Moderate amounts of organic dairy in the form of yogurt, cheese and butter are also okay for folks with high blood pressure. When we get cravings on our "healthy" diet is when we should consider experimenting with a little more of these healthy fats. And stay away from hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fat found in margarines, packaged baked goods, and a wide variety of processed frozen-food products. We can start eating better today even if we are not currently dealing with high blood pressure. It's also interesting to note that brisk walkers may outpace joggers in lowering triglycerides, a blood fat linked with increased heart disease risk. Adults in a Duke University study who walked for 50 minutes 4 times a week decreased triglyceride levels by 22 percent, nearly twice as much as those who ran for the same time. Lower intensity workouts may control triglycerides better because they use fats as their primary fuel, while high-intensity efforts draw on the quick energy of glucose.
Now on the other hand, if we have hit a plateau and we would like to start losing again without working out longer. Then we can get better results in the same amount of time simply by increasing our intensity. A plateau can mean our body is fighting to hang on to those last 10 or 15 pounds as a buffer against future starvation, especially if you're cut calories. Vigorous workouts can signal our body to release those extra fat stores for energy. Try a 50-50 workout to rev up a healthy way. Do your usual activity, such as walking, but for only half the time, and then finish with a new activity like bicycling, jogging, or jumping rope. Try two cardio machines (maybe a treadmill and an elliptical) if you work out at a gym. By switching exercises mid workout is how you can stay fresh, challenge new muscles, and burn more calories because you can give 100 percent all over again.
It might be a good idea in addition to bumping up intensity to check your food intake because you may be on a diet that has more calories than you realize. Unconscious nibbling throughout the day or snacking just a little bit more can add up if you think it's justified because you did your workout so well that day. And you might want to check out the link below if you are really fighting
with high blood pressure.
This starts to make a little bit of sense when we start to realize why Jesus Christ referred to himself as "the bread of life." Food must be eaten, digested, and assimilated to become part of our life that will give strength to our physical bodies. It is written that man shall not live by bread alone. Part of the reason this was written is because the Word of God is food for our spiritual life, and it operates along the same principle as our physical body that needs bread to sustain growth. The nourishment from food is a substance that does not come from within ourselves, but from without, because like the natural realm, the spiritual realm also needs a point of contact outside of the individual. We cannot live on our own feelings, experiences, or upon the sweetest words that come from within, which may excite, warm, or interest us, but cannot support, feed, or sustain our true spiritual growth.
In the new covenant, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, who entered into heaven itself to appear in the holy of holies, the sacred chamber of the heart of God's glorious presence for us. Jesus Christ is the promised seed and faithful High Priest, who fulfilled all the law, and is set between God and us because he is connected to both sides, and thereby he is able to work with God and with us. My mind boggles over God's heart of love, His compassion, and the tenderness to have Jesus Christ, who is the greatest food of all time, the bread of life, to establish a true and vital spiritual relationship between God and us.
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