If you've recently been diagnosed with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, the prescription for what ails you may lie in the grocery store rather than the pharmacy. "From a clinical perspective, we do recommend diets based on somebody's condition," Donald Hensrud, M.D., tells The Washington Post. Dr. Hensrud, an internal medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic who wrote the book on healthy eating, says it's more important to focus on eating the right things rather than simply avoiding the wrong ones. "We're not telling people what not to eat," he tells the publication.
So what should you eat to manage those common chronic conditions or avoid developing them in the first place? We checked with our friends at mayoclinic.org to find out.
High cholesterol
To lower your cholesterol and keep your heart healthy, think fiber, fish and Little Miss Muffet. Specifically:
High blood pressure
"Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg if you have high blood pressure," the Mayo Clinic site reports.
Diabetes
If you have or are at risk of developing diabetes, it's not just what you eat but when that matters. "A diabetes diet is based on eating three meals a day at regular times," say our friends at mayoclinic.org. Those meals should include:
If all of this food talk has you hungry, check out some healthy recipes here. (We're partial to this Avocado Dip ourselves.) Then take a snack break and leave a comment below before using the handy social media tools atop this page to share this story with others.
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Tags: Dr Donald Hensrud, Health and Wellness, Healthy eating