High blood sugar, dementia, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular disease have more in common than most people are aware. In our country nearly 30 million people have diabetes, and a vast majority of our population unknowingly has what’s known as prediabetes, which quickly escalates into the disease within a short amount of time.
Jorge Plaza Marquez explained, “Disease states and disorders and the issue of high blood glucose are very closely associated because of many risk factors contributing to what’s known as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which the high insulin and leptin levels are resistant causing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and visceral fat to become significant risk factors for heart disease and coronary disorders. When the vessels are circulating high-glucose blood, atherosclerosis occurs at a higher intensity. Atherosclerosis is a build-up of plaque and causes a hardening of the arteries.”
“When we ingest excessive salt, inflammation takes effect in our entire bodies and water is pushed and retained into the arteries, which causes high blood pressure and makes the heart work extra hard. Too much salt increases your risks of strokes and heart failure, along with other disorders and diseases.”
Jorge Plaza Marquez continued, “Potassium can help to flush some excess salt out of your body. That is why most salt alternatives have a higher ratio of potassium in the mix. Many foods that contain potassium are bananas, plums, coconut, avocado, potato, and many more. But eating potassium to flush out salt is not a good idea, as it will take an excessive amount and potassium in excess causes other bodily harm like arrhythmias and muscle weakness.
“Keeping your sodium low is one of the primary ways of keeping your blood pressure and heart-healthy. Eating whole foods is imperative to keeping your sodium levels in check and also to make you healthier, by lowering cholesterol and upping the number of antioxidants and nutrients you get from your meals.
“Shopping the periphery of the grocery store is a great way to avoid all of the processed foods, excessive sugar, and salt in the center isles. There are exceptions of course, like frozen no salt added vegetables and fruit and dried spices to take the place of your salt shaker. For the most part, you should focus your shopping efforts on fresh produce, lean protein like poultry, seafood and eggs, and some dairy.”
Jorge Plaza Marquez is not a health professional, but he does extensive research on diet, nutrition, and living a healthy lifestyle regularly.
