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Blood pressure: helpful tips for the summer
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| The summer heat can play havoc with our health. Increased perspiration causes us to lose precious body fluids and mineral salts at a much higher rate than the rest of the year, a situation that can lead to a drop in blood pressure, the symptoms of which are a general sense of fatigue and even a slight dizziness. In order to restore the body's natural physiological balance, it's necessary to drink a lot of liquids and increase your consumption of seasonal vegetables and fruit, both rich sources of mineral salts and vitamins. It's best, however, to eat these foods raw in order avoid losing most of the nutritional substances during the cooking process. |
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A COMPLETELY NATURAL DEFENSE |
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Carrots are one of the most effective vegetables for protecting the health of our skin and eyes from the harmful effects of solar radiation, thanks to their high levels of vitamin A. All vegetables with dark green leaves, like spinach and chicory, promote the development of red blood cells, thanks to the folic acid they contain in such abundance.
Salads are a perfect food for summer. Although very low in calories, they give you a sense of being full. They also provide lots of mineral salts, like calcium, phosphorous and potassium. Plus, they are rich in vitamins, especially, vitamin E, which helps protect our bodies from the harmful effects of atmospheric pollution. Tomatoes are also wonderfully low in calories (just 17 calories in 100 grams) and they are full of vitamins and mineral salts, in particular, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.
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When it comes to fruit, during the summer you can fill up on vitamin C by eating plenty of strawberries and kiwi fruit. Strawberries are particularly rich in vitamin C: just 7 or 8 of them will provide your average daily requirement. Vitamin C reinforces the body's natural defense system and, by reducing the production of free radicals, it helps slow the aging process.
Apricots are another excellent source of vitamin C, plus they are rich in important mineral salts like potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, sodium, sulfur and manganese, ideal for toning and strengthening muscles.
Essential for healthy bones, calcium is also found in fish and cantaloupe, which like all the yellow- and orange-colored fruits, is also rich in vitamin C. Cantaloupe, fore example, contains almost as much vitamin C as citrus fruit. Watermelon is a great way to combat thirst and the heat. Even though it is almost 90% water, it is also an excellent source of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and other minerals.
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Nutritionists wholeheartedly recommend that we get into the habit of drinking lots of water, at least one and a half to two liters a day, and, of course, this practice takes on a whole new importance during the summer, when our bodies loses so much fluid content due to sweating.
Given the fact that we are actually less thirsty when we are tired or have just exerted ourselves strenuously, it is necessary to prepare for this by regularly sipping on small amounts of liquids (100-150 cl, corresponding to a glassful), over the course of the day.
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