The foods you eat may lower blood pressure as much as medication, reports Harvard Health Publications. Start your day with a breakfast filled with key nutrients known to help with blood pressure. Getting enough potassium is essential, as it lowers blood pressure and counteracts sodium.

Cholesterol concerns are no reason to put down that bag of cashews. On the contrary, you should keep on snacking because cashews and other nuts have been shown to improve cholesterol levels. That's good news because high levels of low-density lipoprotein, the "bad"

Walnuts contain more natural antioxidants and heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats than other types of nuts. In spite of their nutritional benefits, walnuts can upset your digestive tract.

Raw foodism is an eating system that concentrates on eating only foods that are unprocessed and uncooked. Most raw foodists are vegetarians but some also consume animal products. Some raw foodists also eat meat. This is a controversial choice, as raw meat is a potential carrier of E. coli and other harmful bacteria.

Whether from a lack of sleep, a hectic schedule or stress, everyone feels exhausted on occasion. In addition to aiming for sufficient rest, eating at regular time intervals and addressing any underlying medical condition, a healthy diet can help ensure positive, lasting energy levels.

Whether it's a simple dish of sliced apple or an exotic tropical fruit salad, the vibrant colors of fresh fruit can be a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Walking before or after meals promotes healthy metabolic activity, but walking before the body has ingested food enacts different chemical reactions than walking after the body has begun digesting the food.

Whiting can refer to a number of different species of fish, including Pacific, Japanese and English whiting, as well as King George, sand and red spot whiting. Fish has much to recommend it as a source of protein and nutrients, but some fish are tastier than others.

When you want to lose weight and keep it from coming back, you need to lose it the healthy way. While you may be tempted to try one of those crash diets like the shake diet your friend is on, in the long run it's not the best way to go.

Like the rest of your body, your brain depends on food to run at peak performance. That's why you may feel sharp as a tack after a healthy lunch and mentally sluggish on a junk-food diet. For peak mental function, include a wide variety of foods in your diet, as no one nutrient can provide everything your brain needs.

Secreted by the pituitary gland at the base of your brain, human growth hormone, or HGH, fuels growth during your childhood years and helps to maintain optimal function of tissues and organs throughout your life.

Edamame is a name for green soybeans and they can be found frozen, fresh or dried at most grocery stores. Edamame come in fibrous green shells you must remove before eating the tender beans inside. Eating edamame adds a number of healthy nutrients to your diet, one of which is protein.