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Regular blood pressure screenings should be a part of your health care routine. Image Credit: Justin Paget/DigitalVision/GettyImages According to 2018 figures compiled by the American Heart Association (AHA), about 103 million Americans struggle with high blood pressure, a figure that accounts for almost half of the nation’s adult population. Globally, high blood pressure is thought to affect nearly a third of all adults. Advertisement Given that high blood pressure significantly increases the risk for both heart attack and stroke, there's no question that it's a serious and often deadly concern....

A small dish of hoisin sauce on a table. Image Credit: Paul_Brighton/iStock/Getty Images Hoisin sauce is a staple in Asian cooking. It is commonly used as a dipping sauce or in recipes such as Peking duck and mu shu pork. Hoisin sauce has a sweet and sour flavor from the sugar, vinegar and fermented soy beans it contains. While you may not consider the nutritional content of condiments like hoisin sauce, they can add calories and dramatically increase the sodium content of your meal....

Himalayan sea salt may contain less sodium than regular table salt. Image Credit: Zolga_F/iStock/GettyImages With its thick pink crystals, Himalayan sea salt is attractive and fun to grind over the foods you prepare. You may have heard it touted as a healthier alternative to regular table salt, especially for those with high blood pressure. But are there any blood pressure benefits to these pink crystals? Advertisement ​Read more:​ What Are the 84 Minerals in Himalayan Salt?...

There are many additional factors other than your height that changes how many calories you should be eating. Image Credit: OksanaKiian/iStock/GettyImages The number of calories you need to eat per day depends on a variety of factors, including your height, current weight, age, gender and activity level. Therefore, there’s not one magic number — use a calories calculator or do the math to figure out what you need on a daily basis....

There are specific amounts of calories needed to support metabolic activity in a day. There are also suggested amounts of calories needed per pound for the body to function at optimum level. Finding the Minimum Amount of Calories There is a formula to find the necessary amount of calories needed for your body weight to support metabolic activity for the day, according to the University of Arizona. Take your body weight in pounds and multiply by 10....

If you don't have whole almonds, you can grind whole almonds in your kitchen. Image Credit: Everyday better to do everything you love/iStock/GettyImages You’re not going nuts if you’ve noticed that buying whole almonds and processing them yourself is cheaper than springing for ground almonds. The problem is knowing how much to purchase. Once they’re processed into finer-sized pieces, almonds have more volume than they did in their whole form....

references American Heart Association: "Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids" National Institutes of Health: "Omega-3 Fatty Acids" MyFoodData: "Nutrition Facts Comparison Tool" U.S. Food & Drug Administration: "Advice about Eating Fish" Frontier Co-op: "Baked Cod With Lemon and Olive Oil" Delaware Sea Grant: "Parasites" U.S. Food & Drug Administration: "Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely" Purdue University: "Cooking Fish and Shellfish" Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health: "Fish: Friend or Foe?...

Activate your glutes and work your shoulders with a new plank variation. Image Credit: AzmanJaka/E+/GettyImages There’s no shortage of strength-building plank variations. But there’s one that just might take the cake: the toe-tap, shoulder-tap plank. As the name implies, the move involves alternating shoulder taps ​and​ toe taps while holding a plank, and it boasts a heap of full-body benefits. Advertisement That's because the exercise requires you to recruit a variety of different muscle groups as you shift your weight from side to side, says certified personal trainer CJ Koegel, NASM-CPT....

Vegetables might not have a lot of protein, but they're still a staple of low-carbohydrate diets. Image Credit: Silvia Elena Castañeda Puchetta / EyeEm/EyeEm/GettyImages Weight loss stems from decreasing your calories and increasing your exercise, but some people like to jump-start the burn by cutting back on carbohydrates too. A 1,200-calorie low-carb meal plan may help you with weight loss, but be sure not to cut back too much on your calorie consumption....

Find exercise that makes you feel good and think of it as a form of self-care. Image Credit: Antonio_Diaz/iStock/GettyImages In a world that constantly tells you what’s attractive and what’s not, it takes a great deal of self-confidence not to obsess over your body’s perceived “flaws.” And while many of us strive to achieve self-love, some days just feeling neutral about our bodies can seem unattainable. Advertisement But everyone deserves to feel good about themselves....

Stop worrying about the future and focus on the present with some slow and gentle tai chi. Image Credit: Simon Marcus Taplin/The Image Bank/GettyImages As anyone who’s ever sweat out their stress on a long run or in a kickboxing class will tell you, exercise is an effective way to nix nervous energy and create a sense of calmness. But workouts don’t need to be intense (or long) to soothe a busy mind....

Consuming olive oil regularly is linked to many benefits. Image Credit: Halfpoint/iStock/Getty Images In This Article The Benefits of Consuming Olive Oil Is Olive Oil Easy to Digest? Is Oil and Vinegar Healthy? Ozonated Olive Oil Benefits Olive oil is a wonderful ingredient for cooking because it adds flavor as well as health benefits. While it's high in fat, the majority of it is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, according to the American Heart Association....

The presence of antibiotics in food is considered a major public health threat. Image Credit: Wojciech Kozielczyk/iStock/GettyImages By now, you’ve probably seen news reports highlighting incurable — and usually fatal — “superbug” infections that are resistant to antibiotics. But did you know that the antibiotics in food, including your favorite fast-food burger or pepperoni pizza, may be upping your risk of developing one of these infections? Advertisement It's true. Video of the Day The overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in the U....

Placing a B12 tablet under your tongue produces results similar to muscular injections with fewer complications. Image Credit: OksanaKiian/iStock/GettyImages Vitamin B12, cobalamin, plays an important role in human health and disease, and a deficiency in B12 can result in physical and mental health problems. Most people get the amount they need through supplements, but animal products like eggs and milk — and even some plants — also serve as good sources....

Bench press and flyes focus on different things. Image Credit: Cavan Images/Cavan/GettyImages When you want to get in and out of the gym quickly, it helps to know which exercises give you the most bang for your muscle growth. Squats are key for your butt, curls build your guns and for adding thickness, power and definition to your chest, the absolute king is the bench press, according to ACE Fitness. But don’t dismiss the fly completely — it too adds a lot of value in your workouts....

The leg press machine works your hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes at once. Image Credit: Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images Weight machines tend to be safer and easier to use than free weights, and many help you get the most out of your workout by ensuring you follow a proper motion path without relying on other muscles. Despite the benefits, walking into a gym full of equipment can be baffling and can often lead to confusion and discouragement....

Transform the fall veggie into scrumptious desserts you'll want to make time and time again. Image Credit: nata_vkusidey/iStock/GettyImages Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins: This go-to gourd gets all the love when it comes to fall-inspired baked goods. But pumpkin isn’t the only seasonal squash that can spice up your sweets. Advertisement While primarily known for savory fare like soups and side dishes, butternut squash — with its mild flavor and creamy texture — pairs just as well with desserts....

Dark chocolate is only a small part of a health diet plan. Image Credit: YelenaYemchuk/iStock/GettyImages Many people believe that there’s a relationship between dark chocolate and weight loss. Eating dark chocolate can help you lose weight, but only as a small part of a healthy diet and exercise plan. Learning more about the many benefits of dark chocolate will help improve your health. Advertisement Read more: Health Benefits of Dark Vs....

Increase the weight if you want to grow your biceps. Image Credit: Mireya Acierto/DigitalVision/GettyImages Muscle growth occurs as a result of microscopic trauma to muscle fibers, which heal themselves back bigger and stronger than they were before the trauma. Through weightlifting exercises, you may be able to put an inch of muscle on your biceps in a week. Advertisement You may be able to gain another inch in two weeks, but soon your body will plateau and you won't see that kind of growth every week....

Cayenne pepper vs chili powder may look similar, but they taste very different. Image Credit: NelliSyr/iStock/GettyImages Powdered cayenne pepper vs chili powder may look similar, but they taste very different. While both of these spices contain capsaicin, the substance in hot peppers that makes your mouth burn, cayenne pepper usually packs a bigger punch. Advertisement It also lacks the extra ingredients that you'll find in most blended chili powder preparations. You can substitute one for the other in some recipes, but you might need to adjust your other ingredients to account for the change in flavor....