DASH  diet which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension offers the best overall nutrition, focuses on lowering blood pressure by reducing sodium intake and encouraging a healthy mix of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables rich in vitamins like potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

In DASH diet the number of servings of grains, vegetables, dairy and other food types that a person should eat daily, based on their calorie needs are prescribed. It suggests high amounts of fiber, potassium and magnesium, and keeps sweets to a minimum.

If you need to lower your high blood pressure, then incorporate the DASH diet into your lifestyle. Doctors recommend:

• Eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods
• Cutting back on foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat
• Eating more whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts
• Eating less red meat and sweets
• Eating foods that are rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium

The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is an example of such an eating plan. In studies, patients who were on the DASH diet reduced their blood pressure within two weeks. Another diet — DASH-Sodium — calls for reducing sodium (salt) to 1,500 mg a day (about 2/3 teaspoon). Studies of patients on the DASH-Sodium plan significantly lowered their blood pressure.

Here are some tips to get you started on the DASH diet:

• Add a serving of vegetables at lunch and at dinner.
• Add a serving of fruit to your meals or as a snack. Canned and dried fruits are easy to use.
• Use only half the butter, margarine, or salad dressing, and use low-fat or fat-free condiments.
• Drink low-fat or skim dairy products three times a day.
• Limit meat to six ounces a day. Try eating some vegetarian meals.
• Add more vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans to your diet.
• Instead of typical snacks (chips, etc.), eat unsalted pretzels or nuts, raisins, graham crackers, low-fat and fat-free yogurt and frozen yogurt; unsalted plain popcorn with no butter, and raw vegetables.
• Read food labels carefully to choose products that are lower in sodium.

It doesn’t take hours of exercise per day to achieve a stronger immune system. A daily 30 minutes workout is already adequate for most people to strengthen their immune system.

What is Umbilical Cord Banking or Stem Cell Banking?

Umbilical Cord Banking is simply the preservation of the cord blood. Cord Blood is the blood which is found in Umbilical Cord of the baby. The umbilical cord is commonly known as the birth cord or the funiculus umbilicalis. It connects the developing embryo to the placenta. After a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, some blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and the portion of the umbilical cord that remains attached to it. The blood in the umbilical cord is rich in stem cells. The stem cell is vital in the regeneration of white blood cells.

Benefits of Umbilical Cord Banking

The stem cells have the potential to fight and cure many life-threatening diseases. While bone marrow can supply stem cells, the quality and quantity is much better in the umbilical cord. What’s best with cord blood is that it does not have to match the child’s tissue type as closely as bone marrow does. And so the chance of being a match and saving someone’s life is even greater. A person does not have to depend on others for donation if he has his own stem cells preserved. In cases of emergency, the cord blood you had preserved for him will be able to save him at this hour of need.

Some diseases which can be cured by cord blood stem cells are Leukemia, Plasma Cell Disorders, Stem Cell Disorders, Congenital (Inherited) Immune System Disorder, Inherited Erythrocyte Abnormalities, Inherited Platelet Abnormalities, Ovarian Cancer etc.

If there has been history of some particular disease or genetic disease in the family, then it becomes necessary for the expected parents to plan for Umbilical Cord Banking of their child. In case any kind of disease appears in your child, at any point of life your child will always have a health insurance in the form of his cord blood cells.

Vegetarian versus vegan versus raw

As some Americans are making strides in eating healthier, a growing number of individuals are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of a plant-based diet and are changing the way they think about food and how they eat. In another era, they may have been called vegetarians, but today’s plant-based diets come with a number of options. There’s the vegetarian diet – which can be broken down into a variation of sub-categories depending upon the specific foods consumed – the vegan diet and the raw food diet. They all offer different food options, but all are rooted in plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.

The vegetarian diet omits the consumption of meat and sometimes dairy products, eggs, fish and seafood, depending upon the individual’s own preference and personal beliefs. The vegan diet takes the vegetarian diet a few steps further, cutting out all forms of meat, fish, seafood, eggs and dairy.

Becoming increasingly popular in recent years, especially with the endorsement of Hollywood celebrities, is the raw foods diet, which concentrates on the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed and often organic foods. Foods are either unheated or cooked to a temperature below 104 degrees, with the belief that foods cooked at higher temperature lose much of their nutritional value. Although some raw foodies include raw meat products in their diets, the raw vegan diet is most common.

Health benefits of plant-based diets

All plant-based diets are believed to share a number of health benefits, including a healthier heart, reduced risk of certain cancers and chronic disease, glowing skin, a leaner body mass and increased energy.

Since individuals consuming plant-based diets generally eat more nuts, heart health is often increased. The “good” fats found in nuts – monosaturated and polyunsaturated – help lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, keeping arteries clear. Nuts also are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and vitamin E, all found to be beneficial to a healthy heart.

Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which is not only good for your heart but also helps to flush toxins from the body, contributing to healthy skin. Plus, fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins A and E, also considered to be good for glowing skin.

Antioxidants – which destroy free radicals and help prevent certain diseases – are another health benefit to the plant-based diet. Consuming fruits and vegetables provides added vitamin C and vitamin E, two strong antioxidants.

“There are so many health benefits achieved by incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet,” says Anne Thacker, a registered dietician and recipe development manager at Vita-Mix Corporation, the nutritionally focused manufacturer of high-performance blenders. “Whether you plan to focus on a plant-based diet or simply aim to make a few healthy changes, adding more fruits and vegetables to your list will reap many healthy rewards in the long term.”

Preparing healthy meals

Many vegetarian, vegan and raw foods can be easy to prepare – such as salads and smoothies – while others take considerable preparation. But quality kitchen tools, like the Vitamix TurboBlend VS, can help lessen the chore of preparing delicious and healthy meals. The high performance blender quickly whips up nutritious recipes, including vitamin-rich smoothies, zesty soups and fresh sauces. All the rage today is the green smoothie – a nutritionally rich blended beverage made with leafy greens, fruit, water (sometimes soy, rice or almond milk) and ice – which is easily made in the Vitamix. The following recipe for the Going Green Smoothie is a great way to start a healthy day.

Going Green Smoothie
1 cup green grapes
1/2 cup pineapple
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 ripe banana, peeled
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients into a Vitamix blender container in the order listed and secure lid.
Blend, beginning at low speed and increasing to high, for 60 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.

Yields 3 1/2 cups.

(ARA Content)

The diet of the ulcer patient should be formulated in a manner fit to provide sufficient nutrition, persistently neutralize stomach acid and reduce acid production and is restful both for the body and the mind. Try food rich with:

a) Vitamin A-

This fat-soluble vitamin is all-important to aid in proper growth and repair of the damaged tissues in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.

Dietary sources:

Fruits: apricots, mangoes and cantaloupes.

Vegetables: carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes.

Others: eggs, milk, cheese and liver.

Although vitamin A is necessary for ulcer patients, too much intake can be toxic and is not recommended.

b) Vitamin C-

This water-soluble vitamin is responsible for forming the protein, collagen, which maintains the structure of the muscles. It is invaluable to accelerate the process of healing of the damaged tissues in the stomach lining and to resist further infection.

Dietary sources:

Fruits: citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon and lime, mango, cantaloupe, strawberry, peach, fortified fruit juices, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, pineapple, melon and kiwi.

Vegetables: chard, okra, tomato, asparagus, artichoke, papaya, onion, red or green pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, Brussels sprouts, sweet and white potatoes, cabbage, beans (green or yellow), peas and pumpkin.

Others: liver, pork, chicken, beef, clams and mussels.

c) Vitamin E-

This vitamin is fat-soluble and is a powerful anti-oxidant that destroys free radicals in the blood. It also boosts the immune system.

Dietary sources:

Fruits: kiwi and mango.

Vegetables: fresh, green, leafy vegetables, broccoli and spinach.

Others: sardines, corn oil, wheat germ oil, soybean oil, peanuts, peanut butter, hazelnut, egg yolk, almond and fortified cereals.

d) Zinc-

This vitamin boosts the immune system, plays a crucial role in the healing of the wounds in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and resists future infections. It is a prerequisite for various enzymatic activities triggering various biochemical reactions inside the body.

Dietary sources:

Fruits: orange, fig and raisin.

Vegetables: potatoes, beans, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and peas.

Others: peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, almonds, whole grains, fortified cereals, oysters, beef, chicken, pork, cashew, cheese, walnut, milk and oatmeal.

Some helpful tips

Self help is the best help to treat ulcer. Chalk out a routine for yourself and evenly distribute snack or mealtime. Stick to three small meals and two or three small snacks.

Avoid hot food like red and black peppers, chilly powder, chocolate, coffee, tea, alcohol, rich fatty food, fried food, cold drinks, cigarette and medicines like aspirin. Try food enriched with starch and fiber and include milk protein in your diet.

Avoid overeating and long periods without food.

Eat a variety of foods. Avoid rich fatty foods, sugar, sodium and food that cause stomach problems.

Relax with food. Chew slowly and thoroughly.

Avoid eating at or near bedtime. Finish taking your meal 2-3 hours before going to bed. Walk 15-20 minutes after your last meal and before bedtime so that the food gets time to digest which otherwise can cause acid secretion.

Stick to fresh meat, vegetables and fruits. Avoid stale or expired foods.

Consult your health care provider about taking antacids. Use antacids if it is absolutely necessary.

Exercise regularly and manage weight.

Change your lifestyle. Stay happy and joyful.