Cynthia Evans - Healthy Recipes: Top Health with DASH Diet and Juicing Recipes

Healthy Recipes

Top Health with DASH Diet and Juicing Recipes

Beverly Powell and Cynthia Evans

Copyright 2013 Beverly Powell and Cynthia Evans

All rights reserved.

This book is about healthy recipes. Is it really important to eat healthy? The answer is an emphatic yes. The recipes within this book help to control blood pressure with the DASH Diet and help to cleanse the body with the juicing diet.

Both of the diets within this book put a heavy emphasis on eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The DASH Diet also puts an emphasis on eating whole grains, lean meats, and low fat foods. A healthy diet will consist of these foods while avoiding junk foods. Junk food is anything processed and convenient. Those foods are full of unnecessary fats and sugars. These foods cause issues in the body such as weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and heart disease.

The heart is the organ that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. It is important that he heart be healthy so it can do its job without disruption. The diet plays a key role in keeping the heart healthy. A diet low in saturated fats but moderate in "unsaturated" fats and fiber helps to lower the cholesterol, blood pressure, and improves heart function. The DASH diet contains unsaturated fats and fiber to help with this. The juicing diet contains fiber and some recipes may contain unsaturated fats in the ingredients.

One of the biggest concerns to most people are weight issues. If you are overweight then you are not fully healthy. In order to be at optimum health you need to work to lose the weight. The diet plans with in this book can help you do to just that. All the ingredients in the recipes are fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, which will help the body to lose the weight.

A better reason for eating a healthy diet is to help strengthen the immune system. If you have a strong immune system you are able to lose the weight more efficiently. You are able to fight off bad infections and even cancer. By eating healthy whole foods such as those called for in the recipes in this book your body can derive all the nutrients it needs to help build a strong and healthy immune system. Fruits and vegetables are naturally high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients that help to fight off free radicals. Free radicals attack the body and especially one with a weakened immune system and causes horrible health conditions. By taking in enough antioxidants, you are taking in the nutrients needed to be strong and healthy and fight the free radicals.

You may think it would just be easier to take a vitamin supplement than to try to eat better. It is true that you can get good nutrients from a pill, however it is not always the best. The body is made to pull nutrients from the foods we eat, so it just makes sense that if we eat the right foods the body will get the nutrients it needs. Does this then mean that if we eat a healthy diet, we do not need to take supplements? Ideally, the answer is yes. There may be cases of people who will still have a deficiency in some nutrients and may need to take a supplement. But for the majority of people, if they simply eat a well-balanced healthy diet then they will have no need for taking any nutritional supplement.

Following the diet plans as outlined in this book will give your body the best chance it needs to gain the nutrients necessary to function at optimum levels. The DASH diet contains foods that help to keep the blood pressure normal. Blood pressure is vital to the body's systems. If it is too high it puts you at risk for heart conditions, strokes, kidney issues, and other things. Blood pressure can be controlled by medications, but it also may be controlled by diet too. If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, ask if you can change your diet to see if you can bring it down through the foods you eat.

You can try a combination of the two diets found within this book. The juicing diet helps to cleanse the body of impurities. Juicing gives you the best of the fruits and vegetables and helps you to consume them through a simple drink. Juicing is a good diet for those with busy lifestyles. Make the juice ahead of time, then grab, and go when ready for a meal. The juicing diet can be a meal replacement for any of the three meals each day. You can also drink the juice as a snack in between meals. The ingredients in the juice recipes are as good and nutritious as the ingredients in the DASH diet recipes. Both diets are very beneficial for people with hypertension.

If you can add exercise with the diet you will help with your health conditions if you are physically able. Exercise helps to boost the metabolism and helps the body to lose weight. It also helps to strengthen the heart, which can help to lower the blood pressure. Exercise needs to only be done in moderation in order to be effective. Do a workout every other day for just a half an hour. Do something as simple as walking, or join a gym and workout on the equipment or join a low impact aerobics class. Make sure you take the time, about 10 minutes before and after to do a "warm up" and a "cool down" to help the muscles prepare for the workout with stretching. By doing the cool down, you will help to prevent muscle soreness.

If you have high blood pressure or any health issues discuss the diet plans within this book before you try them. It is important that you monitor your health with your health care provider and do all that is necessary to make you a healthier person. They will agree that diet and exercise play a major role in your health.

The DASH Diet is an important strategy for anyone who wants to lower their blood pressure and improve their overall health without dealing with risky medications and their side effects. This simple diet focuses on low fat, low cholesterol foods and natural ingredients, making it inexpensive and easy to follow. Plus, you'll be surprised by how delicious heart healthy foods can be. If you've been warned about the possible dangers of high blood pressure and a normal North American diet, it's time to make some changes.

The recipes contained in this book don't encompass the entire range of DASH diet options, but they will give you an idea of how you can change your favorite foods to fit the diet plan. In general, they focus on reducing the fat, cholesterol and refined carbohydrates in a dish without losing out on flavor. If you've experienced too many flavorless health foods, these recipes could be the solution that you've been hoping for.

DASH is a term that stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is designed to be a lifestyle change for people who want to treat or prevent hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. The diet is based on studies originally performed by the US National Institutes of Health that examined three different dietary plans and their effects on blood pressure. The result is a plan that focuses on increased consumption of plant foods such as nuts, beans, low fat dairy products, vegetables and fruit.

This diet plan is recommended by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for anyone who wants to decrease their blood pressure and improve heart health. In studies performed on the diet, people who followed it showed a systolic blood pressure reduction of 6mm Hg, as well as a diastolic blood pressure reduction of 3 mm Hg in patients who had tested in the high-normal range, also called pre-hypertension. In patients who had existing hypertension, the diet caused reductions of 11 mm Hg and 6 mm Hg respectively, with no change in body weight. While it was not designed for weight loss, the DASH diet's focus on lower calorie, healthier foods does make it a viable choice for people who want to reduce their body fat levels.