Anyone Who Had A Heart (Should Know Their Blood Pressure)

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is one of the keys to optimum health. But how many of us really know what it is or what the numbers actually mean?

Let Luther Vandross’s beautiful rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s iconic song, “Anyone Who Had A Heart” with a little help from his friend Dionne Warwick inspire you to become more aware of your blood pressure.

https://youtu.be/AJwlCUTe9xg

What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your bod

Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

A blood pressure reading is given in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It has two numbers:

Top number (systolic pressure): The upper number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.

Bottom number (diastolic pressure):  The lower number measures the pressure in your arteries between beats.

You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. Unmanaged high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.

“Checking your blood pressure can help you and your doctor figure out if you need medications or that your medications are working.”  according to Joyce M. Oen-Hsiao, MD, director of the cardiac rehabilitation program and medical director of the cardiac telemetry unit at the Yale New Haven Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center, in an article on Verywell Health. 

Did you know that you can monitor your blood pressure in the comfort of your home instead of waiting until your next doctor’s visit?

Verywell Health rated the Omron Platinum Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor the Best Overall in its Blood Pressure Monitors annual review.

This easy-to-read and well-lit blood pressure monitor is validated by the American Heart Association for clinical accuracy and can accommodate multiple usersmeaning you and your significant other can both use it. Its also totally wireless and has Bluetooth capabilities.

Omron Platinum Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitorr lists for $78.97 on Amazon

https://youtu.be/36Y22FHde34

Fun Fact: Dionne Warwick’s original recording of “Anyone Who Had A Heart” hit the Top Ten in the United States, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium and Australia in 1964. According to published reports, Dionne Warwick nailed the tune in only one take!

 

Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE shares her favorite blood pressure monitors for home use on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Janis Roszler, PhD, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND, Mila Clarke Buckley aka The Hangry Woman, and Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Belle Kruegger. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Celine Dion’s Falling Into You album courtesy of SONY Music.  We are proud to participate in Diabetes Podcast Week and support the Spare a Rose campaign to raise funds for Life For a Child.

 

 

Crispy – Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe with SPLENDA®

I don’t know about you but I’ve been I baking more during this unprecedented upheaval in our lives. I have found that baking and seeing everyone else’s baked goods on social media is uniquely comforting.

Lately, I’ve spent time researching dessert recipes with less sugar or sugar substitutes like SPLENDA® in them to post on the blog. 

SPLENDA® is made from the FDA-approved artificial sweetener sucralose – a zero calorie artificial sweetener. According to Verywell Health, sucralose is made from sugar in a multi-step chemical process where 3 hydrogen-oxygen groups are replaced with chlorine atoms.

Crispy – Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe with SPLENDA® 

Partial List of Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend

FULL RECIPE

Not sure how much Splenda to substitute in your favorite recipe? There’s handy Conversion Chart on the SPLENDA® website. CLICK HERE

Keep in mind, when it comes to managing diabetes, all carbohydrates count. Just because a recipe contains SPLENDA®, doesn’t mean its carbohydrate-free.

Divabetic’s Carb Kitty Video Game