Do you know someone with high blood pressure? I do. Several close family and friends have it.
In fact, nearly half of U.S. adults are classified as having high blood pressure under national guidelines. Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure lays waste to nine million people worldwide every year. It kills so many people because it contributes to deaths from a variety of causes, including aneurysms, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney failure, and stroke.
Today, we know that high blood pressure makes people more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the new coronavirus. Although the spread of the virus seems to have slowed down in parts of our country and cities are starting to reopen their economies, there is concern that a second wave will appear with the start of the next flu season.
So what can you do?
The cause of high blood pressure isn’t medication deficiency, it’s really what you eat and how you live. A healthy diet based whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legume is the first line of defense for preventing and controlling high blood pressure.
What about salt?
Too much salt in the diet causes water retention resulting in higher blood pressure to push the excess fluid and salt out of your system. Dietary guidelines recommend no more than 2300 mg of sodium in your daily diet but the American Heart Association recommends less than 1500 mg of sodium. The actual average sodium in the standard American diet is 3500 mg.
Reducing salt intake in your diet is more powerful than filling a prescription at the pharmacy.
Taking the salt shaker off the table may not be the most effective way of getting salt out of your daily diet. It turns out that most of the salt we eat comes from all the processed foods we eat. Read your labels and check your serving size.
The number one source of sodium for American kids and teens is pizza. For adults between the ages of 20 and 50, it’s chicken. For adults over 50 it’s bread.
Shocking isn’t it? Foods like cheese, poultry, and bread are all processed with added salt. Salt helps to preserve food, adds flavor to food, and in the case of meat, inflates the weight so more profits can be made.
If you are eating whole foods as found in nature you don’t have to worry about the sodium. The fact that nothing in nature is high in salt reinforces the fact that we are meant to eat whole foods.
So what should you eat to lower blood pressure?
Whole, intact grains: studies show that a diet rich in whole grains yields the same benefits as blood pressure medications but without the adverse side effects. Be sure to eat whole, intact grains (like oats, brown rice, and wheat berries) since refined gains (like flour, white rice, and most processed foods) actually increase your risk of chronic conditions.
Ground flaxseed: two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily has a potent blood-pressure-lowering effect. Be sure to grind seeds before eating as this allows your body to absorb them. You can sprinkle ground flaxseed on just about anything - oatmeal, soups, stews, salads, smoothies, etc.
Hibiscus Tea: three cups of this tart, bright red tea daily significantly lowered blood pressure in studies. Enjoy Hibiscus tea hot or cold but limit consumption to less than a quart (four 8-oz cups) per day (due to extraordinary manganese content).
Nitrate rich vegetables: these are anti-oxidant rich vegetables like beets, chard, basil, cilantro, mesclun greens, and arugula. Your body converts nitrate into nitric oxide which signals the muscle fibers within the walls of your arteries to relax which allows more blood to flow. The healthiest way to get your nitrate fix is to eat a big salad every day.
If you are at risk for high blood pressure or already have it I encourage you to up your nutritional game. Avoid those high salt, highly processed foods and embrace a whole, plant-based diet.
Need help with meal planning, shopping, batch cooking, and learning which simple, yet tasty recipes fit best with your lifestyle? Want to develop habits to reduce stress, increase movement, and improve sleep? Let’s talk about it. Schedule a Health Consultation on my calendar or send me an email.
