What fruits are best for lower blood pressure?

Doc William Ong and Wife Doc Riza

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a Cardiologist, Internist, Writer & Vlogger 14h

What fruits are best for lower blood pressure?

"What if a trip to the fruit aisle could be your secret weapon against high blood pressure? It turns out, some fruits are like nature’s medicine for your heart."

Fruits rich in potassium, fiber, and antioxidants play a big role in keeping blood pressure in check. Potassium works to counteract sodium, which helps relax blood vessels, while fiber and antioxidants keep them flexible and clear of plaque.

A patient of mine once struggled with slightly elevated blood pressure. Instead of immediately turning to medication, we focused on dietary changes. She started eating two bananas and a large baked potato daily for just one week. Her follow-up readings showed noticeable improvement, and she told me she felt lighter and more energetic. This simple tweak made all the difference.

Fruits That Lower Blood Pressure

1. Bananas: A potassium powerhouse that helps flush out excess sodium, keeping your arteries relaxed. Eating two a day can significantly improve arterial function in just a week.
2. Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries): Loaded with antioxidants that improve heart health and reduce blood pressure naturally.
3. Citrus Fruits (Oranges, Grapefruits, Lemons): High in vitamin C and potassium, these fruits enhance blood vessel flexibility. Grapefruit, however, can interfere with some medications, so check with your doctor first.
4. Pomegranates: Their juice is not just delicious but proven to lower systolic blood pressure over time.
5. Watermelon: Contains L-citrulline, an amino acid that relaxes blood vessels, improving circulation and reducing pressure.

The Sodium-Potassium Balance

Reducing sodium while boosting potassium-rich foods is one of the most effective strategies for preventing strokes and heart disease. Baked potatoes (yes, the humble spud!) are a great example. They are high in potassium and fiber and, when paired with low-sodium seasoning, can be a heart-healthy addition to your diet.

Tips for Including These Foods

• Add banana slices and berries to oatmeal for a heart-healthy breakfast.
• Snack on orange wedges or a pomegranate.
• Pair baked potatoes with grilled veggies for a potassium-rich dinner.
• Sip on a refreshing watermelon juice during the day.

"A simple shift in your diet, like eating more of these fruits, can work wonders for your blood pressure—and your overall health. Your heart deserves the love!"

Who is Paris Jackson's real biological father?

Night Time Movie

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Likhon

 

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Who is Paris Jackson's real biological father?

Mark Lester, a former British star now aged 51, claims to have donated his sperm to Michael Jackson, who died on June 25. He therefore believes he is the biological father of the "King of Pop's" daughter, Paris.

"I donated my sperm to Michael so he could have children, and I think Paris is my daughter," Lester, who played Oliver Twist in the 1968 musical "Oliver" and is now retired, told the British Sunday weekly News of The World.

He said he wanted to request a paternity test to find out whether or not he was the father of Paris, who is now 11 years old.

A longtime friend of Jackson, Mark Lester is godfather to Paris and the American singer's two other children, Prince Michael and Prince Michael II, aged 12 and 7 respectively.

"Pale with blue eyes"

"In 1996, Michael asked me if I could donate sperm to him and I said yes. I was giving him a gift, no money was paid, it was something I was honoured to do. He wanted children so badly," he said.

He claimed that all his phone calls and emails had gone unanswered since the US courts awarded custody of the three children to the singer's mother, Katherine.

Mr Lester, who already has four children, pointed out the strong resemblance between his 15-year-old daughter Harriet and Paris, both "pale with blue eyes".

According to him, Jackson told him in early 1996 that he was ready to do anything to be a father.

"He had realized (...) that he simply couldn't" have children, he explained. "I told him about alternative methods. I think he had already tried using his own sperm, but it hadn't worked. At the drop of a hat, I said to him: 'try mine'."

According to him, the donation was made through a London clinic in February 1996. Paris was born in April 1998. In late 1996, Jackson announced his marriage to his nurse Debbie Rowe and their first son was born in early 1997.

What's your favorite regional specialty in Italian cuisine and what makes it stand out to you?

Volker Eichener

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Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf Apr 16

What's your favorite regional specialty in Italian cuisine and what makes it stand out to you?

Extremely difficult to narrow it down to just one. But if I have to select one, I would probably go for Osso Buco from Milano. The combination of flavours is incredible - the rich double-cooked vegetable sauce, the gremolata with anchovies and, to top it all, the marrow.

Here is my personal recipe:

4 veal shanks

1 onion

1 to 2 carrots

piece of celery

stem of leek

40g tomato paste

red wine

For the gremolata:

parsley

garlic

grated lemon peel

small can of anchovies

Sprinkle the veal shanks with salt, pepper and a bit of flour. Sear in a large pan or skillet (preferably oven-proof) in olive oil for a couple of minutes until lightly brown. Remove and set aside. Add a bit more oil, if necessary, an sear the vegetables (everything diced in cubes) until lightly brown. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, a little garlic, thyme and a healthy amount of red wine until you get a thick sauce.

Put the shanks on top of the sauce and let cook in the oven for 2 hours.

For the gremolata, cut everything into fine pieces and mix well. When the veal is done, put the gremolata on top of the shanks and bake for another 10 minutes until it is lightly browned and roasted.

Serve together with saffron risotto.

What is the significance of air fryers in Mediterranean cuisine?

Volker Eichener

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Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf Apr 24

What is the significance of air fryers in Mediterranean cuisine?

In Europe, an air fryer is something like this:

It is in fact called “air fryer” by the manufacturer, Philips. People use it to emulate a deep fat fryer without using fat. It is hardly used in Mediterranean cuisine. Why?

In Mediterranean cuisine, very few things are fried. Think of hot summers - who wants a deep fryer in her or his kitchen? Because there is no tradition to use deep fat fryers there is no use for air fryers.

Comments reminded me of a few food items which are fried indeed in Mediterranean cuisine, like small fish, cuttlefish rings, vegetable balls or falafel. Also, french fries have become popular, especially among tourists.

However, deep-fried dishes may exist in Mediterrenean cuisine, but I would not consider them neither as typical nor as traditional. The bulk of Mediterranean cooking uses other cooking methods.

Maybe the original question aims at healthy cooking, Mediterranean-style, but without using fat or oil. Therefore, the question about air fryers. I have an air fryer, but I hardly use it because the results are generally disappointing. When it comes to fried fish or falafel, it is the fat that contributes to the taste.

And the healthy effects of Mediterranean cuisine come mainly from using olive oil, eating a lot of fish and lots of vegetables and salads. Fatless cooking would not help.

Typical Mediterranean cooking methods include:

Grilling - meats and fish are typically grilled. The grill works open-air and perfectly meets Mediterranean lifestyle.

Baking - think of oven-baked lamb or moussaka in Greece or Italian pizza. Probably the most traditional form of cooking.

Sautéeing in a pan - think of paella.

Simmering - think of soups and stews, e.g. a bouillabaisse.

EDIT:

I forgot to mention the Spanish plancha - strangely, because I used it myself for cooking. Actually, it is a kind of large pan and it can certainly not substitute by an air fryer.

Why is pig meat so popular and widely consumed in central European countries?

Volker Eichener

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Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf May 7

Why is pig meat so popular and widely consumed in central European countries?

In most parts of the world, pork is very popular. The only exceptions are the Jews and Muslims who do not eat pork.

For the sophisticated Romans, pork was the crown of an extended menu which contained oysters, lobster, fish, beef, birds, even mice. But pork was reserved for the main course. To be honest, the Romans had excellent pork, from free-ranging pigs who were eating acorns and chestnuts. Comparable to the black pigs of Corsica or Mangalica pigs.

Roman bronze sculpture

The first pigs that were eaten were wild boar.

Eventually, humans domesticated pigs. Pigs are excellent livestock. They eat everything, even waste, leftovers and rotten food. They do not require much space. They do not need extensive meadows like cattle. They behave well. They are even kind of nice and friendly. They grow fast. Their meat has a lot of fat, so it is tasty and has lots of energy. Pork can easily be preserved, just by salting, drying or smoking - think of ham and sausages.

In short, pork is the ideal meat - tasty, cheap, easy.

The question is rather, why do certain religious groups avoid pork?

Muslims are an easy case. They just took it from the Jews. And in the Quran, the ban of pork is rather weak.

But why do Jews avoid pork? Also very easy. The Jews came from the mountains where they raised sheep and goats. And sheeps and goats do not go well along with pigs, especially in arid conditions.

Pigs tend to make a mess of water sources, like springs, wells, pools or ponds. So, the old Jews banned pork.

EDIT:

Thank you all for your knowledgable comments.

However, be careful with saying “it is not true”.

First, the theory that Jews or Israelites banned pork because goats do not go well along with pigs is advocated by some of the most prominent archeologists: Finkelstein, Israel, Silberman, Neil A., Magall, Miriam. I find it much more convincing than any other explanation. Arguing with hygienics is a typical example of applying modern-day thinking to ancient cultures.

Second, I love Herodotos. But he was not always right, think of his story of gold-digging giant ants. Willem’s interpretation is very convincing: swineherds had a low social status in ancient Egypt because swines were smelly, but the fact that swineherds existed is proof enough that the Egyptians consumed pork. The goddess Nut was sometimes depicted as a sow suckling her piglets.

Third, the Muslim ban of pork is really weak. Surah 6:145 says: “Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to eat except carrion, running blood, swine—which is impure—or a sinful offering in the name of any other than Allah. But if someone is compelled by necessity—neither driven by desire nor exceeding immediate need—then surely your Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” The second sentence clearly allows to eat pork if nothing else is available. And think how such an exemption was interpreted in Mohammed’s times! In central Turkey and in many Arabian countries Muslims happily hunt and eat wild boar, saying “well, today, we have a wild boar and nothing else to eat - isn’t the Lord All-Forgiving, Most Merciful?”. As far as I have observed, the radical ban of pork came into existence just with the Iranian revolution in 1979. Only since then, Muslims have become obsessed with avoiding pork. Before then, most of the Muslims were pretty liberal about it.

The Eyes of Our Lord

Saturday, November 30, 2024 Saint Andrew the Apostle—Feast Readings for Today

Artus Wolffort, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Video As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:18–19 Today, we honor one of the Apostles: Saint Andrew. Andrew and his brother Peter were fishermen who would soon take on a new form of fishing.  They would soon become “fishers of men,” as Jesus said. But prior to being sent on this mission by our Lord, they had to become His followers. And this happened as our Lord was first the fisher of these men. Notice that in this Gospel, Jesus was simply walking by and “saw” these two brothers working hard at their occupation. First, Jesus “saw” them, and then He called them. This gaze of our Lord is worth pondering. Imagine the profound truth that our Lord is continually gazing at you with divine love, looking for the moment that you turn your attention to Him. His gaze is perpetual and deep. His gaze is one that yearns for you to follow Him, to abandon all else so as to hear His gentle invitation not only to follow Him, but to then go forth and invite others on the journey of faith. As we begin this Advent season, we must allow the call of Andrew and Peter to also become our own calling. We must allow ourselves to notice Jesus as He looks at us, sees who we are, is aware of everything about us, and then speaks a word of invitation. He says to you, “Come after me…”  This is an invitation that must permeate every aspect of your life. To “come after” Jesus is to leave all else behind and to make the act of following our Lord the single purpose of your life. Sadly, many people pay little attention to this calling in their lives. Few people hear Him speak and fewer respond, and even fewer respond with complete abandonment of their lives. The beginning of Advent is an opportunity to evaluate your responsiveness to the call of our Lord once again. Reflect, today, upon Jesus speaking these words to you. First, ponder the question of whether you have said “Yes” to Him with all the powers of your soul. Second, reflect upon those whom our Lord wants you to invite on the journey. To whom is Jesus sending you to invite? Who, in your life, is open to His call? Who does Jesus want to draw to Himself through you? Imitate these Apostles as they said “Yes” to our Lord, even though they did not immediately understand all that this would entail. Say “Yes” today and be ready and willing to do whatever comes next on this glorious journey of faith. My dear Lord, I do say “Yes” to You this day. I hear You calling me, and I choose to respond with the utmost generosity and abandonment to Your holy and perfect will. Give me the courage and wisdom I need to hold nothing back from You and Your divine calling in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.