Not to worry, these hemp seeds won’t get you high-but they will provide a lot of health promoting nutrients. While hemp is a variety of the cannabis (marijuana) plant, hemp seeds have little to none of the psychoactive compound THC that’s found in marijuana. Technically, the seeds are a nut and are super-nutritious in healthy fats, protein, fiber, and various minerals. They can be eaten raw, or used to make milk, oil, cheese substitutes, or protein powder.
1. May Help You Sleep Better
Hemp is very.high in magnesium, which is a mineral that naturally helps your muscles to relax and promotes restorative sleep. Its nutrient profile helps to support high quality sleep because the combination of the amino acid tryptophan and vitamin B6 which serves as a precursor for melatonin. To promote good quality sleep, I recommend consuming a serving a few hours before bed.
2. May Reduce PMS & Menopause Symptoms
Tired of the cramping, mood swings, and cravings? Hemp Seeds have essential fatty acids (EFA) which may help alleviate the vast majority of your PMS symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the psychiatric symptoms of PMS including depression, anxiety, and lack of concentration and may also reduce the somatic symptoms of PMS including bloating, headache, and breast tenderness. Because hemp seeds are high in GLA several studies have indicated that they may reduce menopausal symptoms too.
3. May Protect Your Heart
Hemp seeds contain high amounts of arginine, which turns into nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide makes your blood vessels dilate and relax which can lower blood pressure and reduce risk of heart disease. The gamma-linolenic acid found in hemp seeds has been linked to reduced inflammation which may decrease your risk of heart disease.
4. Can Improve Skin Disorders
Anti-inflammatory compounds in hemp seeds may help conditions such as atopic dermatitis and acne which can result from chronic inflammation. Acne may be linked to dietary causes and a deficiency in omega-3s. The high omega-3 content in hemp seeds may help to manage and reduce acne symptoms.
A 2018 review investigated the effects of dietary changes on skin diseases. While they found evidence that eating more omega-3s may improve symptoms of acne, determining the extent of the effect will need more research.
5. Provides A Great Source of Protein
A 30 gram serving (3 Tablespoons) of raw hemp seeds contains almost 10 grams of plant-based protein. They contain all nine essential amino acids and is well-absorbed by our bodies, according to research. Considering swapping the protein powders and add some protein-rich hemp to your smoothies or oats to switch it up.
Overall, hemp seeds are considered safe when eaten in moderation. However, if you are pregnant, taking anticoagulants, suffering from digestive issues, or recovering from cannabis dependence- discuss with your healthcare professional before adding them to your diet.
High blood pressure is the most prevalent underlying condition in COVID-19 deaths in Mississippians, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. In the United States, nearly half of adults have hypertension and only about 1 in 4 adults with hypertension have their condition under control. Having hypertension puts you at higher risk for heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of deaths in the United States.
WHAT IS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE?
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg. The guidelines used to diagnose high blood pressure may differ with each health care professional.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION
Unfortunately, high blood pressure usually has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people do not know they have it. Hence, high blood pressure is also known as “the silent killer.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT OR MANAGE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Get a least 150 minutes of physical activity each week ( 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)
Eat a plant-rich diet, limit salt and alcohol
Obtain and maintain a healthy weight
Manage stress
Implement the DASH diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension)
HEART HEALTHY BENEFITS OF POTASSIUM
The recommended potassium intake for an average adult is 4,700 milligrams per day. Foods that are rich in potassium are important in managing high blood pressure because of the effect potassium has on sodium. Potassium also helps to ease the tension in your blood vessel walls, which helps to lower blood pressure.
Foods that are rich in potassium includes:
Lentils
Black beans
Cantaloupe
Avocados
Bananas
White Beans
Edamame
Beets
Dried Apricots
Sweet Potato
Butternut Squash
Greens (All green leafy vegetables are high in nitrates as well which may improve the flexibility and function of your arteries)
Quinoa
Broccoli
Zucchini
Treatment for high blood pressure most often starts with lifestyle changes, including losing weight, if needed, stopping smoking, decreasing salt in your diet, cutting down on alcohol consumption and getting regular exercise.
Controlling your blood pressure should be a priority in your healthy living and lifestyle. Unfortunately, the damage that high blood pressure causes does not cause any symptoms until serious damage has been done. Taking control of your health is one of the most important acts of self-care that you can do. There are so many things in life that are out of your control, why not control the things that you can?
More than 34 million Americans have diabetes and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes. Sadly, almost three times as many people have pre-diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is most often diagnosed in people over the age of 45, but it is becoming more prevalent in children, teens, and young adults. The financial burden is huge for Americans with diabetes as they have two to three times greater healthcare cost than those who don’t have diabetes. Fortunately, with healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices, type 2 diabetes can be prevented and may even be reversed.
Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include:
excess weight
increased age
family history
certain ethnic backgrounds
physical inactivity
poor diet
The Standard American Diet
Current nutrition composition of the Standard American Diet intake revealed 57% intake was from refined carbohydrates, 32% intake from animal products, and only 11% from plant-based foods according to USDA findings.
The standard American diet is high in refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, and trans fats and is a major contributing factor to the development of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease and some types of cancer.
What is a plant-based diet?
Eating plant-based does not mean you can’t eat meat. It means you eat mostly plants such as vegetables, whole grains, fruits, beans, seeds, and nuts. Generally, a plant -based eating pattern includes:
Emphasizing whole, minimally processed foods
Limiting or avoiding animal products
Focusing on plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, which should make up the majority of what you eat
Excluding refined foods, like added sugars, white flour and processed oils
Eating locally sourced, organic foods whenever possible
Limiting overall fats may be a focus for some eating patterns
Transitioning to a plant-based has a multitude of health benefits. Research suggest that eating more plant-based foods has positive health benefits for people with diabetes.
Improved Blood Lipids (total and LDL- Cholesterol)
Better Management of Body weight and BMI
Decreased Inflammation
Prevent Premature Death
More Potential Benefits
Improved Sleep
Reduce oxidative stress
Improve immunity
Increase Satiety
Better digestion
Reduced risk of coronary artery disease
Reduced neuropathy
Reduced risk of developing chronic kidney disease
The more plants, the more fiber
Natural fiber which is only found in plants, slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, and blunts a spike in blood sugar helping you to keep blood sugar under control. A diet high in fiber also helps to maintain bowel health, lower cholesterol, and may help you achieve a healthy weight. Plants have unique nutrients that you can not get from other foods which is why it’s important to get a variety of them in your daily meals. The phytochemicals and antioxidants found in plants helps keep your cells healthy so that your immune system can function optimally which is extremely important.
Whether you choose to go vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian, adding more plants on your plate will provide you with multiple health benefits. If you would like more nutrition information on how to prevent or manage diabetes or transition to plant-based eating, schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with Julie at http://www.corenutritionhw.com/services
You may remember having a cut, sprain, or a sore throat. The injured area feels painful and hot and looks red and swollen. These are physical signs of inflammation. Inflammation is a natural and essential process that your body uses to defend itself from infections and heal injured cells and tissues.
The inflammatory response produces specific biochemicals that can destroy invaders like bacteria and viruses, increases blood flow to areas that need it, and cleans up debris. It can be a good thing. But, sometimes it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
You may be thinking what does nutrition and lifestyle habits have to do with inflammation? We’ll get to that but, first let’s look at the two types of inflammation.
Types of Inflammation (Acute vs. Chronic)
There are two kinds of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is short-lived. It’s like a flaming fire that produces the painful, red, hot, swollen symptoms described above. When inflammation is acute it’s usually at high levels in a small localized area in response to an infection or some kind of injury to the body. It’s necessary for proper healing and injury repair.
When your cells detect an infection or damage, they send out warning signals to call over your immune system to help out. Your immune system sends over many types of white blood cells to help fight off invading germs [bacteria/viruses/pathogens] and cleans up the damage so you can heal.
Acute Inflammation
Symptoms of acute inflammation may need short-term treatment such as pain relievers or cold compresses. More serious symptoms like fever, severe pain, or shortness of breath may need medical attention.
In general, acute inflammation goes away after the injury is healed, often within days or even hours. Acute inflammation is the “good” kind of inflammation because it does an essential job and then quiets itself down.
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is different. It’s more of the slow-burning and smoldering type of fire. This type of inflammation can exist throughout your whole body at lower levels. This means that the symptoms aren’t localized to one particular area that needs it. Instead, they can appear gradually, and can last much longer—months or even years. This is the “bad” kind of inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is often invisible without immediate or serious symptoms, but over the long-term it’s been linked to many chronic diseases such as:
Acne, eczema, and psoriasis
Allergies and asthma
Autoimmune diseases (arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus)
How does chronic inflammation begin? It may start acutely—from an infection or injury—and then instead of shutting off, it becomes persistent. Chronic low-grade inflammation can also occur with exposure to chemicals (e.g., tobacco) or radiation, consuming an unhealthy diet or too much alcohol, not being very physically active, feeling stressed or socially isolated, and having excess weight. Now that we see that inflammation underlies so many of our medical conditions, here’s what to do to put out those slow-burning, smoldering fires.
Nutrition and Lifestyle Tips for Reducing Chronic Inflammation
Studies suggest that reducing inflammation can reduce the risk of several of these conditions including heart disease and cancer. There are medications used such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologics to help lower inflammation and to treat some of these diseases.
Fortunately, there are also several simple lifestyle changes—including a healthy whole food, plant-based diet—which by the way doesn’t have any negative side effects, and can be very helpful to prevent or reverse inflammation therefore, reducing its damaging effects on the body.
“For chronic low-grade inflammation not caused by a defined illness, lifestyle changes are the mainstay of both prevention and treatment,” says Harvard Health. The good news is that anti-inflammatory foods help you stay healthy and reduce your risk of many diseases. In fact, it’s estimated that 60 percent of chronic diseases could be prevented with a healthy diet. Here’s how.
Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains (brown rice, oats, bran), nuts (almonds), seeds, fish, legumes (beans, lentils), and healthy oils (olive oil)
Pay particular attention to foods high in antioxidant polyphenols, including colorful plants such as berries, cherries, plums, red grapes, avocados, onions, carrots, beets, turmeric, green tea, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale
Omega-3 fats can help to reduce pain and clear up inflammation and are found in salmon, soy, walnuts, and flax
High fiber foods (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes) encourage friendly gut microbes to help reduce inflammation
Avoid charring foods when cooking at high temperatures
Avoid inflammatory foods such as red and processed meats (lunch meats, hot dogs, hamburgers), fried foods (fries), unhealthy fats (shortening, lard), sugary foods and drinks (sodas, candy, sports drinks), refined carbohydrates (white bread, cookies, pie), and ultra-processed foods (microwaveable dinners, dehydrated soups)
Be Physically Active
Regular exercise reduces inflammation over the long-term, so try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (brisk walking) per week; about 20-30 minutes per day
To this add two or more strength training sessions (using weights or resistance bands) each week
Get Quality Sleep
Disrupted sleep has recently been linked to increased inflammation and atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaque in the vessels that’s linked with heart disease), so aim for 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night to help the body heal and repair
Tips for better sleep: try to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule every day, get exposure to natural daylight earlier in the day, avoid caffeine later in the day, cut out screens an hour before bedtime, and create a relaxing nighttime routine
Quit Smoking and Limit Alcohol
Quitting smoking can help reduce inflammation and several other health concerns by reducing exposure to toxins that are directly linked to inflammation. Avoid places where you may be exposed to second and/or third hand smoke.
Limit your alcohol intake to no more than one or two drinks per day
Stress Management
Engage in relaxing stress-reducing activities such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or tai chi
Be Sociable
New research suggests that feeling socially isolated is linked with higher levels of inflammation, so reach out to family and friends (or make new ones)
See your Healthcare Provider Regularly and Dentist
Get your cholesterol and blood lipids tested because high amounts of “bad” LDL cholesterol is linked to inflammation and negatively affects your blood vessels
You can request a blood test to measure levels of CRP (C-reactive protein) which is a marker of inflammation (this test is also used to check your risk of developing heart disease)
If your gums bleed when you brush or floss, this may be a sign of gum inflammation (gingivitis), so ramp up your oral hygiene and see your dentist
Key Points to Remember
Chronic, long-term, low-level inflammation is linked with many health issues. The first approach to preventing and improving this is through food and lifestyle changes. Start by focusing on adding colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Implementing a healthy lifestyle such as physical activity, restful sleep, and stress management is beneficial for the management of inflammation and will promote optimal health.
These changes can be integrated into your day-to-day practices. First try adding one additional fruit or vegetable to your day. Then, several times a day at each snack or meal. For inspiration, try recipes from my Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan.
If you’d like a plan designed to help you enjoy more of these anti-inflammatory foods, consult a registered dietitian nutritionist who can provide personalized research-based nutrition advice for your health, lifestyle, and goals. If you’d like to learn more about how simple, delicious whole food plant-based nutrition can help to prevent or reverse inflammation along with many other chronic diseases, book a free phone consultation https://www.corenutritionhw.com/services.
References
Harvard Health. (2018, November 7). Foods that fight inflammation. Retrieved from
The term “plant-based” can be overwhelming to anyone trying to make healthy diet changes. While some choose to completely eliminate non plant-based foods altogether, others may choose to gradually eliminate non plant-based foods from their diet. As always, making healthy changes to your diet is not a “one size fits all” approach. The best way to begin and sustain healthy diet changes is to set your nutrition goals based on what is realistic and sustainable for you.
Benefits of Plant-Based
Brain Health
Many plant foods are beneficial for brain health including: avocados, beets, chocolate, olive oil and coffee. Whole plant foods also contain thousands of compounds with antioxidant properties, some which can cross the blood-brain barrier and may provide neuroprotective effects by defending against free radicals that protects against the “deteriorating” of the brain. Also, the nutrition choices you make today may directly impact your health much later in life, including the health of your brain.
Fiber
Fiber is the backbone of plants. Eating a high- fiber diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, manage cholesterol levels, and aid in the digestion process. The more whole food plant-based foods you eat, the better it is for your health.
Gut Health
Prebiotics are a type of non-digestible fiber compound found in plants. Prebiotics allow probiotics to flourish. When you eat fresh produce, such as fruits and vegetables, you can get both prebiotics and probiotics into your gut. Some prebiotics foods include: onions, garlic, seaweed, flaxseeds, apples, oats, and bananas to name a few. Prebiotics are important to your digestive health because they feed your probiotics. The two work together to help with digestion and to boost your overall health.
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds in plants that can stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, and prevent DNA damage. Foods rich in phytochemicals include: red peppers, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, legumes, apples, soybeans, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale and tomatoes among some of the most beneficial. Some research suggest that you could potentially reduce your cancer risk by as much as 40% by eating more fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods that contain certain phytochemicals.
Heart Health
Consuming mostly plant foods keeps saturated fat intake low, which may help to improve blood cholesterol. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. Plant-based diets have been shown to lower cholesterol just as effectively as first-line statin drugs, but without the risks.(1) The side effects of eating healthy all tend to be good with less cancer and diabetes risk and the protection of your liver, heart and brain.
Balancing Nutrients
Protein
It is possible to meet the required daily protein needs through a plant-based diet with planning and nutrition knowledge. Sources of plant-based protein include: beans, lentils, legumes, soy, tofu, tempeh, edamame, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is not needed in large amounts, but it is critical to many processes in the body. It is naturally found in adequate amounts in animal products but many foods are fortified. Plant sources of B12 are fortified cereals, nutritional yeast, plant-based milks and yogurts.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays a role in absorbing calcium, building strong and healthy bones, maintaining immunity and controlling inflammation. Sources include: fortified foods such as plant-based milk and sunlight.
Calcium
Calcium plays a role in skeletal structure and formation, cell signaling, blood clotting, muscle contraction, and nerve function. It is not just found in dairy. Sources include: collard greens, kale, broccoli, tofu, tahini and almonds.
Iron
Iron is an essential element for blood production. Acid, like lemon juice, helps increase absorption, so for optimal health benefits, consume iron with some type of acid such as citrus. Sources include: spinach and leafy greens, black-eyed peas, lentils, chickpeas and oatmeal.
Strategies for Success
Treat animal proteins as the side dish.
Instead of building your meal around a meat, try going heavier on the plants and enjoy a small portion of animal protein.
Stock your kitchen with plant foods.
If you don’t have it, you won’t eat it. What can you keep stocked in your refrigerator, pantry, or freezer that will make plant-based cooking faster and easier?
Vegan-ize your favorite dishes.
Start with your favorite dish and make some simple swaps to make it more plant-heavy. Swap tofu or edamame for a meat in stir-fry. Try nutritional yeast in place of parmesan cheese.
Meal plan and prep your plants.
It is much easier to eat more plants when you have them prepped. Try roasting a pan of vegetables over the weekend, making a batch of chia pudding, washing/prepping your greens, or making a homemade hummus.
Start with one meal per day.
If you feel overwhelmed at the idea of switching things up, start with one meal per day and make it plant-based. Try a smoothie at breakfast, vegetable wraps at lunch or bean chili for dinner.
Layer on more plants to existing dishes.
Make a dish that you already eat often and add in plants. Wilt greens into soups or sauces, add them to smoothies, or layer extra vegetables on your sandwiches.
