QUINOA. THE GOLDEN GRAIN.

Originated in South America, particularly in countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador, it is a grain that is similar to cereal that possesses numerous nutritional properties.

NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES.

FIBRE.

Its high content of fibre decreases cholesterol levels thereby contributing to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

PROTEINS.

Its richness in proteins of high biological value along with all of the essential amino acids, including Lysine and Isoleucine, make it the most complete option for anybody that follows a vegetarian diet.

FATTY ACIDS: OMEGA 3 AND 6.

Both of these elements are powerful anti-inflammatories that prevent the emergence of heart and arterial diseases.

ANTIOXIDANTS AND VITAMINS.

Quinoa is rich in antioxidants (flavonoids) and vitamins, primarily types B, C, D y E, which decrease the oxidation process of cells thereby activating our immune system and aiding the proper function of our nervous system.

MINERALS.

The minerals present: Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese, etc. aid in the prevention of anaemia, the proper functioning of nerves and muscles as well as ensuring the well rounded development of teeth and bones.

NO GLUTEN.

Due to its lack of gluten and the fact that it is minimally allergic, it is perfect for celiacs or for those that possess an allergy to cereals.

Quinoa is easy to cook and to combine with vegetables, fish, fruits, etc.

Thereby making it perfect for every diet.

QUÍNOA. EL GRANO DE ORO.

La quínoa es un grano parecido al de los cereales, con múltiples propiedades nutritivas y originaria de Sudamérica, concretamente de países como Perú, Bolivia, Chile y Ecuador.

PROPIEDADES NUTRICIONALES.

FIBRA.

Por su alto contenido en fibra disminuye el colesterol contribuyendo así a la prevención de enfermedades cardiovasculares.

PROTEÍNAS.  

Su riqueza en proteínas de alto valor biológico y con todos los aminoácidos esenciales, incluidos la Lisina e Isoleucina, la hacen ser la opción más completa para los que siguen una dieta vegetariana.

ÁCIDOS GRASOS OMEGA 3 Y 6.

Estos constituyentes de la quínoa tienen un gran poder antiinflamatorio previniendo así la aparición de enfermedades del corazón y de las arterias.

ANTIOXIDANTES Y VITAMINAS.

La quínoa es rica en antioxidantes (flavonoides) y vitaminas, principalmente de los tipos B, C, D y E que disminuyen el proceso de oxidación de las células activando así mismo nuestro sistema inmunológico y colaborando en el mantenimiento de la buena función del sistema nervioso.

MINERALES.

Los minerales presentes, Hierro, Zinc, Fósforo, Potasio, Magnesio, Manganeso etc. ayudan a prevenir la anemia, al buen desarrollo de dientes y huesos y al buen funcionamiento de nervios y músculos.

SIN GLUTEN.

Al no contener gluten y ser mínimamente alergénico es perfecto para los celiacos o para los que poseen algún tipo alergia a los cereales.

La quínoa es fácil de cocinar y de combinar con verduras, pescado, frutas, etc. Por eso la hace ser perfecta para cualquier dieta. 

PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO AVOID HYPERTENSION.

Hypertension is defined as the increase of blood pressure within the arteries; it is a silent disease that affects a billion people around the world, most of them being unaware that they suffer from it all according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is considered to one of the triggering risk factors for heart attacks and cerebrovascular accidents.

What makes it such a deadly disease is the lack of symptoms that it exhibits or the fact that symptoms are only exhibited in severe cases or in those with complications. The normal levels are 140/90 even though it would be ideal if they were 120/80.

PREVENTION MEASURES

These prevention measures are directed to modify risk factors that we have control over such as:

WEIGHT

According to the Waist/Height ratio, which consists in dividing the perimeter of the waist by height in centimetres, it is recommended to lose weight if the result is higher than 0.50.

DIET

A healthy diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish (rich in Omega 3), olive oil, etc.

Industrial goods containing high levels of sodium, sugars and trans fats should be avoided as much as possible. The intake of trans fats such as lard, cold meats, etc. should also be reduced.

EXERCISE

It is recommended that we should walk for a minimum of half an hour to an hour, five days a week in order to maintain normal blood pressure levels.

REDUCTION OF SALT INTAKE

The recommended salt intake is between 4 to 5 grams of salt per day.

Let us keep in mind that ready meals, cold meats, snacks, a number of drinks, etc. are saturated in salt, therefore we should keep an eye on the nutritional information that can be found in certain products.

TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL

Tobacco and alcohol are two important risk factors in order to monitor blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AND DIABETES

Both of these two risk factors are usually linked with hypertension so elevated levels of LDL Cholesterol or Bad Cholesterol and hyperglycaemia or Diabetes should always be monitored.

Lastly, it is important to state that we should monitor blood pressure from infancy onwards to ensure that we have a future without hypertension.

Dr J. Hurtado Martínez
Medical Director of HealthSalus

MEDIDAS DE PREVENCIÓN DE LA HIPERTENSIÓN ARTERIAL.

La hipertensión arterial definida como el aumento de la presión en el interior de las arterias, es una enfermedad silenciosa que afecta según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) a mil millones de personas en el mundo, muchas de ellas sin saberlo. Es además considerada uno de los principales factores de riesgo desencadenantes de infartos de miocardio y accidentes cerebrovasculares.

La no presentación de síntomas o solo en los casos graves o con complicaciones, es lo que la hace ser tan peligrosa. Sus cifras normales son 140/90, aunque lo ideal es tener 120/80.

MEDIDAS DE PREVENCIÓN

Las medidas de prevención van encaminadas a modificar los factores de riesgo sobre los que podemos actuar, siendo estos:

CONTROL DEL PESO

Según el índice Cintura/Talla, que consiste en dividir el perímetro de la cintura por la estatura en centímetros, si éste es superior a 0.50 se recomienda perder peso.

DIETA

La dieta saludable debe ser rica en frutas y verduras, legumbres, cereales integrales, pescado (rico en Omega 3), aceite de oliva, etc.

Se deben evitar al máximo los productos industriales generalmente con gran cantidad de sodio, azúcares y grasas trans. También se debe reducir la ingesta de grasas saturadas como mantecas, embutidos, etc.

EJERCICIO

Básico para controlar la presión arterial, se consigue caminando un mínimo de media a una hora diaria, cinco días a la semana.

DISMINUCIÓN DE LA INGESTA DE SAL

La recomendación de ingesta de sal está entre los 4 a 5 gramos diarios. Recordemos además que las comidas preparadas, fiambres, tentempiés, algunas bebidas, etc. están saturadas de sal, por lo que deberíamos estar atentos a las etiquetas de información nutricional en los productos que las lleven.

TABACO Y ALCOHOL

El tabaco y el alcohol son dos importantes factores de riesgo para el control de la hipertensión arterial y de las enfermedades cardiovasculares en general.

HIPERCOLESTEROLEMIA Y DIABETES

Se controlará también el aumento del Colesterol LDL o Colesterol Malo así como de la hiperglucemia o diabetes, factores de riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular que casi siempre van unidos a la hipertensión arterial.

Por último decir que se debe monitorizar la tensión arterial desde la infancia para tener un futuro sin hipertensión arterial.

Dra J. Hurtado Martínez
Directora Médica de HealthSalus

VIRAL HEPATITIS. THE EPIDEMIC THAT CAN NOW BE ERRADICATED.

Viral hepatitis or liver inflammation, are caused by viruses that are generally type A, B, C, D and E. Types B and C are the main causers of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer out of all the different branches of Hepatitis.

According to the World Health Organisation (OMS) there are four hundred million people infected in the world with half of those people not even aware of its presence.

HEPATITIS A and E.

It is commonly suffered by children and adolescents and presents itself in the form of epidemics as it is transmitted through contaminated food and water. It presents itself with vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, yellow discoloration of the mucus membranes or jaundice, dark urine and discoloured faeces in the majority of cases; although it sometimes does not show any symptoms and solves itself without any scars creating permanent immunity.

HEPATITIS B.

It is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, blood (through transfusion or substance abuse) and from mothers to children during the pregnancy or birth. No symptoms are present in the majority of cases.

90% of cases solve themselves, however the remaining 10% turn into chronic cases that can lead to liver cancer without a previous stage of cirrhosis.

Its treatment is through antivirals. There is a vaccine available for this type of Hepatitis and it is present in the vaccination calendar of the majority of countries.

HEPATITIS C.

It is a type of Hepatitis that it is silent in the majority of cases. A quick diagnosis and effective administration of the treatment that are at our current disposal will prevent this type of Hepatitis from reaching the last stages of Cirrhosis and Liver cancer.

The Hepatitis C virus was discovered towards the end of the 1980s, therefore every person that received a blood transfusion prior to this date has to have a blood test to detect the presence of this virus. The latency of this pathology, which can last up to twenty years, and its lack of symptoms make it one of the diseases that we should be keeping a close eye on, especially if we have or have had any risk factors in the past.

Even though blood transfusions were the primary method of contagion prior to 1992, the placement of piercings and tattoos in unsterilized places is now the major source of transmission. The use of shared needles in drug abuse is also one of the most frequent ways of transmitting this disease.

DIAGNOSIS.

The elevation of the hepatic transaminases and consequently the detection of antibodies and viral load counts will lead us to a diagnosis.

If only everybody could have access to an accurate diagnosis, the vaccine for Hepatitis B and to the treatment for Hepatitis C.

Dr J. Hurtado Martínez
Medical Director of HealthSalus

HEPATITIS VÍRICAS. EPIDEMIA MUNDIAL QUE PODRÍA ERRADICARSE.

Las hepatitis víricas o inflamación del hígado son ocasionadas por virus, generalmente de los tipos A, B, C, D y E. De estos virus los B y C son los principales causantes de cirrosis hepática y de cáncer de hígado.

Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) hay cuatrocientos millones de personas infectadas a nivel mundial y de ellas la mitad no lo saben.

HEPATITIS A y E.

Se da fundamentalmente en niños y adolescentes, se presenta en forma de epidemias, trasmitiéndose a través de alimentos y agua contaminada. En la mayoría de las ocasiones se presenta con vómitos, dolor abdominal, fiebre, coloración amarilla de las mucosas o ictericia, orina oscura y heces sin color; a veces se presenta sin síntomas y se resuelve sin secuelas originando una inmunidad permanente.

HEPATITIS B.

Se contagia a través de las relaciones sexuales sin protección, sangre (transfusión o drogadicción) y de madre al hijo durante el embarazo o el parto. En la mayoría de las ocasiones no aparecen síntomas.

El 90% de los casos de Hepatitis B se resuelven solos y el 10% pasan a la cronicidad, pudiendo llegar a cáncer de hígado sin fase previa de Cirrosis.

Su tratamiento es con antivirales.

Actualmente hay vacuna para este tipo de hepatitis y en muchos países está en el calendario vacunal.

HEPATITIS C.

Es una Hepatitis, la mayoría de las veces silenciosa. El pronto diagnóstico y la administración del tratamiento adecuado del que se dispone actualmente, evitaría llegar a las fases últimas de Cirrosis y de Cáncer de hígado.

El virus de la Hepatitis C fue descubierto a finales de los ochenta, por lo que todas la personas que recibieron una transfusión de sangre antes de esta fecha deberían de hacerse un análisis de detección de este virus. La latencia de estos, a veces de hasta veinte años y su falta de síntomas, la hace ser una de las enfermedades de las que deberíamos estar pendientes, sobre todo si tenemos o hemos tenido factores de riesgo.

Aunque antes de 1992 las transfusiones sanguíneas eran el mayor medio de contagio, son ahora la colocación de piercings y tatuajes en lugares no controlados sanitariamente los que ocupan el primer lugar. El uso de jeringuillas compartidas en la drogadicción está también entre las formas más frecuentes de transmisión.

DIAGNÓSTICO.

La elevación de las transaminasas hepáticas y consecuentemente la detección de anticuerpos y conteos de la carga viral nos llevarán al diagnóstico.

Ojalá todo el mundo pueda acceder a un diagnóstico adecuado, a la vacuna de la Hepatitis B y al tratamiento de la Hepatitis C.

Dra J. Hurtado Martínez

Directora Médica de HealthSalus

MEDITERRANEAN DIET. YOGURT WITH FRUITS AND NUTS.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of natural yogurt.

1 banana.

3 strawberries.

1 kiwi.

One handful of blackberries.

4 walnuts.

PREPARATION

Cut all the fruit into pieces and mix it with the yogurt.

Add half of the blackberries whole and squeeze the remaining ones into the yogurt in order to give the yogurt some colour to make it more attractive to children.

Lastly, add the whole nuts. 

PROPERTIES.

YOGURT

Yogurt is a product that is derived from milk and has type A and D vitamins, calcium and proteins of a high biological value.

It is important for children, adolescents, pregnant women and women that are going through menopause to have, as it is one of the foods that contribute to the stabilisation of the intestinal flora or ‘Microbiota’.

STRAWBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES

The properties of these fruits, which are commonly categorised as part of the fruits of the forest, are abundant. The qualities they possess include, their richness in antioxidants, mainly flavonoids, which contribute to the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. They also help to delay cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and Dementia. They are rich in fibre and minerals such as Potassium and Magnesium as well as type C vitamins, which contribute to the increment of our defences.

KIWI

It is very important for its high levels of Vitamin C, which as we have previously stated, contributes to a strong immune system.

Kiwi is very rich in fibre and it is a great ally in the prevention of constipation.

BANANA

It contains an abundant quantity of Potassium and Magnesium, which are both needed in order to have good muscular contraction and healthy blood pressure. It is rich in Vitamin C, Folic Acid and contains high levels of Fibre, which is very good for our Microbionta, especially inulin, which helps to prevent cancer.

WALNUTS

They are essential to the functioning of our nervous system as they contain high levels of Vitamins B6, B3 and tryptophan. They also help to prevent cardiovascular disease as they contain Omega 3s, Potassium and Magnesium.

Yogurt with fruits and nuts can be an alternative as a desert as it contains foods that should always be present within our diets.