My Healthy Food

I don’t spend much money on junk food, and I don’t buy canned or bottled drinks from bending machine, either, because I know that these junk food is not only harmful to our health, but also it can stick to our teeth and harm them.
Many soft drinks are just a solution of sugar and water. I rarely drink carbonated soft drinks, either, but I sometimes drink sports drinks when I sweat a lot.
A sports drink is designed specifically to replace the body salts lost during prolonged periods of intense athletic exercise.

　　　　　　　　　

The most widely used kind of all food additives is food coloring. Food manufacturers use colorings to make them more colorful and appealing.
Food manufacturers use preservatives to keep them from spoiling. I can’t believe that they are not concerned whether those additives are healthy or not.
Today food additives are presently the center of a storm of controversy in many developed countries including Japan.

I know some substances which have been proved unsafe or potentially unsafe have been taken off the market. Cyclamate (cyclo) is one of them.
In Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare regulates food additives. I didn’t know that additives are subjected to extensive testing before they can be placed on the market.
There is a pessimistic view that young generation who has been fed lots of junk food polluted with many kind of additives will not live long. I don’t know if that is right or not, but the possibility can’t be completely denied.
Healthy snacks and drinks have little salt and sugar and other additives.
Now I know many things about harmful foods, I should be cautious not to eat much junk food and drinks.

As a housewife, I’m very concerned about the health of my family.
I’m also concerned about my own health.
My blood pressure is 120 over 80. This is normal level for a middle aged woman. The normal range of blood pressure is under [140 over 90]. The blood pressure over this line is called hypertension.
Since I am a nurse, I know that most people affected by high blood pressure have no symptoms. But high blood pressure has been termed “the silent killer”. It has been well proven that the risk lies in the long term damage the ailment can cause to their heart, blood vessels, and kidneys, causing problems that can lead them to early death.
I didn’t ask for the health record and the family history of my husband when I was going to marry him. It was a bit awkward to ask for such kind of things to one’s future spouse that time. But I recommend young people to exchange their own health records before they get married. It’s a good and important first step for your marriage life.

　　　　　　　　　　　　

My parents’ marriage was an arranged match by a go-between. Arranged match was quite common in my parents’ time.
Both of my paternal and maternal grandfather died of strokes. My husband has a slight high blood pressure. He had taken medicine before. But now his blood pressure is almost okay.
People whose parents have high blood pressure are more likely to develop it than those whose parents don’t.
High blood pressure is not a fatal disease but a manageable risk with a good diet, life habits, especially eating habit.
The main cause of high blood pressure is high-sodium and high-fat diet.
If you take a good care of your diet, you can lower your blood pressure to a normal level.

                

 Although my eating habit is not always good, and I sometimes buy processed foods and eat out when I don’t feel like cooking, I usually try to be careful about the food I prepare for my family.

As for me, I don’t much care for fatty food and canned drinks. My husband doesn’t like such foods, either. I’m taking care to eat low-fat foods for my husband.
Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, soybeans, pumpkins, salmon, and mackerel are high in potassium. Potassium helps to excrete more sodium from kidneys, in effect reducing the sodium in the blood vessels.
I always try to eat raw vegetables for our health. Raw vegetables keep most of their nutrients. Fruits, such as apples, peaches, and bananas are high in potassium, too.
I like foods strongly flavored with soy sauce and sugar. So I have to be more careful not to add too much sodium to my cookings.

I sometimes find the food served at the restaurants is strongly flavored.
My mother used to cook strongly flavored foods. I think that’s why I’m accustomed to strongly flavored foods.
Another factor that affects the blood pressure is weight. Excess weight is not only one of the causes of high blood pressure, but it also causes many other diseases.
I think my weight is within the normal range. I have a bathroom scale and weigh myself after a bath once a week.

 　　　　　　　　　　　

My parents have already passed away. Both of them died of cancer and my husband’s father has died of cancer, too. My husband’s mother is doing well, but she has high blood pressure.
I wish her healthy longevity. She lives with my husband’s brother’s family. She is lucky because my husband’s sister in law is good at cooking and has good health management consciousness. She is taking a good care of their diet. So my husband and I can rely on her.