One quick way to lower your blood pressure could be as simple as drinking a glass of beetroot juice, researchers say. Researchers from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found that within hours of drinking beetroot juice, a group of healthy men saw their blood pressure drop by an average of four to five points. While that number may seem small, WebMD writes that “on a public health level a reduction like that would equate to a 10 percent reduction in deaths due to heart disease.”

“It’s promising that we can see an effect from a single dose,” the New York Daily News quoted Dr. Leah Coles as saying. “That effect might be even greater over the long term if they are drinking it day upon day,” Coles said. The study involved 15 men and 15 women who drank 17.6 ounces of a drink containing about three-fourths beetroot juice and one-fourth apple juice or a placebo drink. Among both men and women, blood pressure levels dropped six hours after drinking the beet juice.

But it was the men who saw the most significant difference, an average of about 4.7 points among the beetroot juice drinkers. While beetroots contain hearthealthy compounds like vitamins C and K, fiber and polyphenols, scientists claim it’s the high nitrate content that’s likely responsible for the ability to reduce blood pressure. LOSE WEIGHT WITH NATURAL WEIGHT LOSS FOODS Weight loss foods are the first options that come to mind when we think of losing weight.

And rightly so; food is crucial to daily living, and intricately tied to how much we do or do not enjoy our lives. But don’t look at newly concocted weight loss foods if you’re in the market to shop for weight loss. Natural weight loss foods are what you need, and luckily these are available in abundance. So what are these natural weight loss foods? We give you a variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian natural weight loss foods and solve all dilemmas about weight loss through diet. Let’s make a shopping list of these natural weight loss foods. But first let’s look at how one must consume these weight loss foods…

How much harm does a skipped meal cause to the body? Skipping a meal is not the treatment for obesity. The body’s metabolism slows down in starvation due to which it goes into a conservation mode and hence it’s a natural process of the body to expend lesser energy. Besides, an empty stomach for a long period of time also causes increased acidity and discomfort. Boost metabolism by snacking piously Your love for chips and home entertainment is a combination that will either give you the apple or pear shape body. Have small snacks every two hours like nuts, fruits or low calorie diet.

Choose wisely to boost the metabolism. Eating frequently will only boost metabolism if you eat the right snacks. What are the foods one must completely avoid to lose weight? There is no food that one should completely avoid since the body requires a certain amount of all nutrients, even fats as in essential fatty acids, carbohydrates for glucose, proteins for amino acids to build tissues and wear and tear, also a whole range of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.

Whole grains Whole grains are less processed than the refined starches we find in most bread and pasta products. Not only does the refining process remove a lot of essential nutrients from the grain, it breaks down the fiber before you eat it. Eating whole grains that make you feel fuller for longer may help raise your metabolism with the effort your body takes to break it down. Opt for wheat, oats, barley and brown rice. Foods rich in Vitamin C Apparently 500mg of vitamin C can burn 30-39 percent calories while you exercise. Bet you did not know this tiny fact about vitamin C.

Load up on oranges and guavas on your next trip to the market. Foods rich in Omega 3 Omega 3 is responsible for controlling inflammation and rebooting metabolism. Mind you, these food products help you shed the kilos only if you combine their consumption with exercise. Besides fish, you can source Omega 3 from flaxseeds, walnuts and eggs. Drink plenty of water Water plays an important role for the body’s healthy functioning. Water aids digestion, lubricates the body’s joints and even makes calorie burning more efficient.

Is that why we habitually sip on water after we eat anything? It is a good thing after all. But does that mean that simply drinking water is enough for weight management? Certainly not. Simply drinking water is not enough. Also, does this mean that you should drink at least eight glasses of water every day? The urine colour is the best test. If it’s translucent or has a tinge of yellow, your body is hydrated, if it is bright yellow, drink up. But excess water can lead to water intoxication and hyponatermia, so ensure that you sip one cup at a time at a regular intervals instead of guzzling bottles at a time.

Have a good healthy breakfast No time for breakfast? You don’t have an appetite? Excuses, excuses! Here is a good excuse why you should have a healthy breakfast everyday. If you skip breakfast, your body thinks you are fasting, which slows down the metabolic process. Besides increasing your metabolism, breakfast stabilizes your hormones and blood sugar levels. Green tea Cardiologist, Dr. KK Agarwal reads between the lines, “While green tea may boost metabolism; this is not enough to make one lose weight fast, unless people complement it with physical workouts and other alternatives.”