High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure accounts for about 14 percent of all deaths each year. It is the single greatest risk factor for heart disease. And heart disease is the number one cause of death.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is about too much tension or tightness, inflexibility in your blood vessels. This makes your blood pressure reading increase.
A third of American adults have high blood pressure. And seven out of 10 Americans develop high blood pressure by the age of 65.
Interesting that only 3 percent of contemporary hunter-gatherer populations have hypertension. So we have to gather that high blood pressure is a disease of our diet and lifestyle choices.
- Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80.
- Pre-hypertension is between 120 over 80 to 139 over 89.
- Stage one hypertension is 140 over 90 to 159 over 99.
- Stage two hypertension is anything over 160 systolic or 100 diastolic.
The good news is that major diet and lifestyle changes can significantly improve blood pressure.
Note the word “major”. Little half-hearted tweaks to diet and lifestyle are better than nothing but not likely to impact blood pressure that is already showing elevations.
But, remember we are talking about positive major changes. Feeding yourself plenty of good-tasting, nourishing foods, and knowing what to cut out will actually make a difference.
So many women who come to me say the same thing… “I just don’t know what to eat and what not to eat, the information out there is so confusing.”
It’s true. That is what I am here for, to help you navigate and personalize what the volumes of evidence tell us.
Back to major change. I have a saying that goes like this:
“If you don’t change anything, don’t expect anything to change.”
Most of us WANT to live a healthy, rewarding life. But, most of us need some guidance and support to really get that on track AND keep it there.
So, first comes the decision to get your diet and lifestyle on track. This means putting some focus on YOU.
I know you are busy. You are there for your family. All that estrogen women have during the childbearing years is there for a reason. It makes you take care of everyone else, which is important.
But I have another saying:
“If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
I used to say this in jest. But it is really true. The research is clear that when women are highly stressed or unhealthy during pregnancy that baby is impacted. And children who grow up with an ill or depressed Mother are impacted as well.
It is imperative that we attend to our own health and wellbeing. We do this so we can be present for those who depend on us, so we can keep up with the demands of a busy life, AND so we can enjoy this life we have.
We also attend to our own health and wellbeing in order to be good role models to those who are watching and learning from us. Women who allow themselves to become haggard and unhealthy in the name of taking care of everyone else are unconsciously teaching a lesson to their children they would not consciously choose.
I maintain that one of the most important lessons we teach our children is respect. If you respect yourself and demand that your children respect you, they learn to respect themselves and others as well.
Okay, now that we have embraced “major” change, we can move forward.
Reducing refined carbohydrates and sugar is the number one place to start. That is because high blood sugar and insulin resistance contribute to the development of hypertension.
We know this, but we often need to HEAR this. Simple carbs include sweets, fruit juice, soda, and ANYTHING made of flour. Note that liquid sweets are considered even more readily available simple carb, and certainly, anything with any variation of corn syrup should be considered deadly. Literally.
Please, if you are having even just the occasional elevated blood pressure seek help. That is how it starts. If you are gaining a bit of weight around your middle, in your belly, or under your chin, this is an indication of insulin resistance and warrants attention.
So, what you can do, starting right now:
Clean up your diet. Focus on nutrient-dense, bio-available foods. That is pasture-raised meat and eggs, cold-water fatty fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Note there is no bread, pasta or bagels, or even beans or dairy on that list. Bread, pasta, and bagels are all flour products and simple carbs. They are very low in nutrient density. Beans and organic full-fat dairy are considered of moderate nutrient density and bioavailability when they are well tolerated.
What to leave OUT of your diet? Sugar, flour, and industrial seed oils such as corn, soybean, cotton, sunflower, and safflower.
Add foods that specifically help lower blood pressure. These include white potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, bananas due to their high potassium content. Instead of focusing on low salt, better to focus on higher potassium foods since the 2 work in tandem.
It is best to get calcium from foods, not from supplements. High calcium foods include dark leafy greens and bone-in fish. For instance, when you buy salmon in a can, crush the bones and include them in your dish. They crush easily and you will not be picking bones out of your teeth, I promise.
An easy, nutritious, and delicious family dinner is salmon patties made with canned salmon. Look for wild-caught or Norwegian farmed salmon. US farmed fish is fed inflammatory grains and are not particularly healthy.
Hibiscus tea, hawthorn berry tea, and green tea are known to reduce blood pressure.
Foods high in nitric oxide dilate blood vessels, which reduces blood pressure. These include beets, celery, endive, leeks, parsley, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, and spinach.
And last but not least, foods that are high in K2 are critical for blood vessel health and integrity. These include liver, dark meat chicken, pastured dairy, beef, and eggs.
UV radiation from the sun produces nitric oxide, which, as mentioned, is a vasodilator. It relaxes and opens blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure.
Sun exposure to as much skin as possible, halfway to pink, is recommended daily when available.
Stress is probably the elephant in the room when it comes to blood pressure.
This reflects back to self-care and modeling that. REALLY taking those moments to attend to yourself is critical. Even a few minutes of deep breathing, meditation, tai chi, stretching, reflection, quiet for the introvert, or visiting with a friend or partner for the extrovert can calm our adrenal/cortisol system.
Also, objectively look at your life. Reduce commitments, and increase self-care, leisure, fun, and play. Just do it!
Regular exercise is especially important for lowering blood pressure.
Varying type and intensity of exercise is particularly helpful. For instance, some weight lifting, some walking, some higher intensity aerobics or calisthenics. Sweating is good, but slower, restorative movement is good too. Varying your movement regimen also keeps it interesting, an important component in sustainability.
Remember, just sitting less is important. Stand to do computer work, or to watch a movie. Heck, do a few squats while you are there!
There are some supplements that can significantly impact blood pressure.
Magnesium is certainly number one here, and very safe. Most of us are deficient in magnesium. Start with 200mg of magnesium glycinate, taurate or malate twice a day.
CoQ10 and garlic can be helpful also. Berberine can be helpful in blood pressure and blood sugar.
If you have occasional elevated blood pressure or have a family history of hypertension, let me personalize the mountains of evidence to help you live joyfully.
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