Take a 💊💊or Try an Alternative?
There are many options for healthy treatments that are not a pharmaceutical. What does it take to change?
Hello dear readers! How is everyone feeling today? In my world of friends, and because of my age (hate to say it that way) we often have conversations of what “ails” we are going through. Most all of our friends are taking some form of pharmaceutical pill(s) daily. Being a Functional Medicine trained health coach, my approach is one of curiosity: what natural form would be a helpful alternative?
The question that nags at me is, “What would it take for you to switch?”
In that vein, doing some research I came across the vegetable beet and was enthused to see how many benefits are in this little disregarded veggie. Did you know that beets can help control blood pressure?
There are many benefits to this little vegetable that most people run away from! Do you think of beets coming out of a can and pickled? That’s my memory of them, however beets were never a usual thing to be on our dinner table! 😂Beets are the veggies I think most people don’t really care or want - how about you?
Health Benefits of Beets:
Improves stamina: This study from 2017 sites:
Athletes use nutritional supplementation to enhance the effects of training and achieve improvements in their athletic performance. Beetroot juice increases levels of nitric oxide (NO), which serves multiple functions related to increased blood flow, gas exchange, mitochondrial biogenesis and efficiency, and strengthening of muscle contraction. These biomarker improvements indicate that supplementation with beetroot juice could have ergogenic {enhanced physical performance} effects on cardiorespiratory endurance that would benefit athletic performance.
Lowering Blood Pressure:
In this study, Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in systolic BP. These findings need to be tested in long-term trials and in individuals at greater cardiovascular risk. Beetroot is considered a complementary treatment for hypertension because of its high content of inorganic NO3
Beets have long been celebrated for their cardiovascular benefits, and science backs up their heart-healthy reputation. A 2022 systematic review published in Frontiers in Nutrition found that beet root juice may lower systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) by 2.73 to 4.81 mmHg (millimeters of mercury, the standard metric for blood pressure in the United States) in individuals with hypertension. Some experts note that this reduction is comparable to the effects of certain blood pressure medications and dietary interventions.
Please give this overlooked veggie a try - if you have high blood pressure, are a work-out enthusiast or are interested in overall health. You can get it in liquid form, capsules, powder and of course the actual thing at the supermarket. If you want to purchase the beets, you can salt bake them: cut a square piece of foil and load it with kosher salt. Place a washed beet on top of the salt and bring the foil up so that the beet is covered with salt. Seal the foil, set on a cookie sheet and bake in 350 degree oven for 60 minutes. Let cool. The beets will easily peel and should be soft. They can then be pureed with filtered water to make beet juice.
🕝🕒There are also many benefits to fasting. Fasting as not as hard as you make think! When you add your sleep hours to your fasting time you immediately feel successful. For example: Your dinner is at 6:00 PM, and you don’t eat again til, say 8:00 AM. You have locked in 14 fasting hours. If you push it out another hour → 15 hours fasting.
In this article:
A fasting-mimicking diet may improve blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes. The treatment for type 2 diabetes typically involves a combination of lifestyle modifications and medications. Lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes and increased physical activity, help lower blood glucose levels and facilitate weight loss.
While medications can facilitate the management of diabetes symptoms, only lifestyle changes, such as dietary modifications, can lead to disease remission.
Studies have shown that restricting daily calorie intake is effective in managing blood sugar levels and reducing weight in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, adhering to such a diet over the long term can be challenging.
The fasting-mimicking diet is a form of periodic fasting that involves restricted calorie intake for 4 to 7 consecutive days per month.
Researchers have developed the fasting mimicking diet to simulate the beneficial health effects of water-only fasting, which involves only water intake during a 24 to 72-hour period. In contrast to water-only fasting, a fasting-mimicking diet allows for limited calorie intake during the fasting period, making adherence less challenging.
At the end of 3 and 6 months, the fasting-mimicking diet was effective in facilitating weight loss and reducing glycated hemoglobin levels, a marker of blood glucose levels. The fasting-mimicking diet also helped a greater percentage of participants achieve blood glucose control at these time points than at the time of enrolment.
The fasting-mimicking diet also reduced reliance on medications for blood glucose control, while still resulting in high levels of engagement in the program.
There has been many articles written about the health benefits of fasting. Consider adding fasting to your routine. Some people do a “weekend” fast of bone broth only for sustenance - although if you chose to do water that is fine. Bone broth has many health benefits and can get your gut back in shape. Make sure to research what fast you think you can achieve. Success is key.
Remember that when our bodies out “out of sync” it is always due to inflammation. Inflammation can be from toxic foods, our environment, over eating, stress, lack of sleep → many factors! Reduce inflammation by ☝️reducing all of the above, and add some beets into your life for another health benefit!
All My Love,
Janet
Daniel 1:16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
Study: The Nitrate-Independent Blood Pressure-Lowering Effect of Beetroot Juice: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
theemtspot.org 11 Health Benefits Of Beet Juice From Blood Pressure