#3 Circulation System: Heart and Arteries (Cholesterol, Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar)

(This is #4 of 7 posts on Targeted Solutions. Here is the link to the 
Improve Your Health-Targeted Solutions. It is important first to get on a foundation program of a protein and multi-vitamin... and then focus on "Targeted Solutions" - Targeted Solutions refers to systems within our body that may need special attention.)
 
The circulatory system is the third system to focus on. The circulatory system consists of your heart, your arteries and how well your blood flows. Here is a brief overview of the problems that occur, and some suggestions on how to maintain a healthy heart and circulatory system.

Some indicators of circulations problems are high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels.

Cholesterol

The first thing to take a look at is your cholesterol level.
How do arteries get clogged? Plaque and cholesterol build up inside your arteries, much like a clogged pipe in your home.

Some cholesterol is good and is produced by the body, but most of the “bad” cholesterol comes from unbalanced eating habits. And just as we need to cleanse the digestive system, we need to cleanse our arteries and protect our heart.

Saturated fats from animal meat or whole fat dairy products can raise your LDL “bad” cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. While you don’t have to eliminate these from your diet, you may want to cut back on how much of these foods you eat and to make sure you are getting the “good” cholesterol that actually lowers your “bad” cholesterol.

Do you eat foods like salmon, herring, soy-based foods, nuts, high fiber foods, and olive-oil on a daily basis? 
Even when we do, supplements can help contribute to regulating your cholesterol. Here are the supplements that help:

OMEGAGUARD
 Shaklee provides two options of getting more the Omega 3 which has been shown to help with many functions of the body in addition to regulating cholesterol - one is from fish oil or the other one is a plant -based vegan option from algae.
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CHOLESTEROL REDUCTION COMPLEX – has plant sterols and stanols that help reduce your “bad” cholesterol.

BLOOD PRESSURE

Blood pressure is another area of concern. A blood pressure of 180/120 or higher results in an 80% chance of death within one year!  

Stress, lack of exercise, and poor eating habits off too much salt and fats can all contribute to high blood pressure. 
Here are some food choices that lower blood pressure: spinach, pistachios, olive oil, dark chocolate, celery, tomatoes.
Some foods to avoid are processed foods and high salt foods, especially canned soups.

Shaklee provides a tablet called Blood Pressure that contains beet powder, spinach powder, and other natural ingredients to help reduce blood pressure.

Studies have shown the key ingredients in Shaklee Blood Pressure 
promotes blood circulation and healthy blood vessels.  

BLOOD SUGAR
It is important to know about the quantity of sugar in your blood stream. This is also referred to a “glucose.” Glucose is a key source of energy.  

High blood sugar levels over a period of time can result in heart disease or stroke. A higher level of blood sugar raises the blood pressure and heart rate. This leads to heart diseases.

If you have high blood sugar, become aware of glycemic level of the foods you eat. The glycemic index indicates the affect that foods have on blood sugar level. A low glycemic type of food will not spike blood sugar level.

We need some healthy sugars in our body as this is the source of energy for our bodies. So, while some people criticize eating fruit because it has sugar in them, I disagree. Fruit contains naturally occurring sugars that our bodies need, but we also need to consume raw whole fruits. Most people do not eat enough raw fruit. 

Glucose Regulation Complex 
This product has some important micronutrients such as chromium that will help contribute to balancing blood sugar levels. 

I personally have not had any difficulty with my circulatory system, my cholesterol level and blood sugar level are healthy, so I have not tried either the Blood Pressure of Glucose Regulator products. Members who have tried it have found them very effective.  However, I do take the Omega 3 every day.

So far, we have reviewed 3 of the 7 body systems. By now I hope you have identified a couple of changes you may want to make to help your body to have better health and energy. 

​What are some things you have read that was "new" to you and/or that you found helpful?

Go to #4. Skeletal System: Bones, Joints and Muscle