High Blood Pressure Be Gone

Posts Tagged ‘foods good for high blood pressure’

Last week was a milestone for me. After five months of giving up medications and embarking on alternative natural cures to reduce blood pressure I started to get blood pressure reading below the 120/80 ideal. Made it!

Mind you, I usually only take readings at night before bed when I’m at the most relaxed. Blood pressure readings during a busy day are usually higher.

For example, yesterday I came in from working on the roof of my house and decided just for interest to take a reading. I clocked in at 160/101 with a heart rate of 84. Had I lost all the ground I had been struggling to attain? Not at all. That night before bed I took a reading again and was back down to a respectable 128/87 with a heart rate of 68.

You see, blood pressure changes – up, down, round-about, and back again – in the course a day depending on what your doing, thinking, or have eaten. This is why it can be a big mistake to conclude you a chronic sufferer of high blood pressure / hypertension from one reading or an occasional visit to the doctor’s office.

Add to this the fact that many people’s blood pressure increases just stepping into a doctor’s office. It’s called white coat syndrome. I think I have it even though inwardly I feel reasonably calm at the doctor’s. But how else can I account that my highest blood pressure readings ever have been at the doctor’s?

Which makes you wonder … how many people have been falsely diagnosed with one or two high blood pressure readings and put on medications for life when there was no need?

What this means is that if your worried about your blood pressure levels:

1. Get your own monitor and take readings at different times.
2. Judge your blood pressure level according to ranges.

Remember, blood pressure readings are not as accurate tire pressure gauges. If you take two readings one after the other they will very rarely be the same (though they should be close). Don’t get too obsessed by exact numbers when it comes to blood pressure. Look for ranges.

Which is why the current blood pressure industry mantra of 120/80, 120/80, 120/80 … is just plain silly.

It has been speculated that it is largely driven by international pharmaceutical industries  who have a large stake in the hypertension medications field. This is not just another conspiracy theory. Rather it is the outcome of a “confluence of interests”.

Look for a healthy range of blood pressure readings. Where you draw the line between ‘OK’ and ‘not OK’ readings is really up to you.

A reasonable approach that works for me is this: When relaxed, blood pressure readings below 130/90 is good; readings below 140/105 is OK; readings over 140/105 is not OK – time for action.

Mind you I have discovered that high blood pressure ‘runs in the family’ for me which means I have to take extra diligence to keep me in a healthy range. Others, not genetically prone to higher blood pressure, may wish to lower their ‘OK’ ranges.

Blood pressure ranges are a bit like shoe sizes. It not natural that everyone has identical blood pressure readings – or should be medicated in an attempt achieve an ideal reading at all times.

Given the fact that undesirable side effects with many of these medications have been well documented, there’s every reason to look for alternatives if you suffer from high blood pressure.

That’s exactly the situation I found myself in back in April this year (2009). After two months of being prescribed an ACE inhibitor (Rampril) I had developed a persistant nagging cough that would wake me up often in the night. Meanwhile my blood pressure reading refused to budge from  190+ / 120+ readings.

After five months of following of exploring alternatives to medication I now enjoy blood pressure reading in an OK range – sometimes even below the ideal of 120/80.

I’ve tried a number of alternative blood pressure cures offered on the internet but the ones I’ve used the most and come back to is Kevin Riley’s guidebook Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure, and David O’Hara’s BreathEasy program.

I have a 15 minute BreathEasy session most every night before bed and my blood pressure regularly drops to the 120/80 range and my heart rate below 70. Even though I have completed Kevin Riley’s 12 week program to lower blood pressure I often re-read parts. It’s a wealth of information and an enjoyable read (which is more than you can say for most ‘health guides’ on the Internet).

So if you need to get handle on your blood pressure first off check out the new DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). I uploaded a copy to the server so you should be able to get a copy by right-clicking HERE and selecting ‘save link as’ or save target as’, depending on your operating system/browser. It’s a good overview of food to help lower blood pressure.

Mind you, it’s produced by a government department (U.S. Department of Health and Social Services) so don’t expect it to be a great read. Worth checking out though.

If you’re really serious about lowering your blood pressure without medication then you might want to consider what has worked for me so far:

• Get your own blood pressure monitor
• Download the BreathEasy audio program and take 15 minutes off a day to reduce your hypertension
• download Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure and start the 12 week program

After 12 weeks of Get Natural! and BreathEasy you should be feeling a lot better and your blood pressure readings should be down quite a lot.

The last time I checked the BreathEasy program was offering Kevin Riley’s Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure as a free bonus. Grab yourself a bargain while it lasts.

That’s what’s worked for me.

You can check out all my reviews of alternative approaches to lowering blood pressure without drugs here: Alternative Cures Review

Best wishes and let us know how you’re getting along with these or any other natural cures for high blood pressure.

Life, we’re all in it together.

Carrying on the theme of eating yourself to lower blood pressure, I should mention that I like to eat salad regularly – sometimes as a meal in its own right.

What’s different about the salads I make and how do they help keep my blood pressure down?

First of all I like to add a small tin of tuna to my salad. Not only does this ‘bulk it out’ and make it more of a meal but fish contains essential oils good for your  circulatory system. (Fish is one of the leanest source of protein and also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have a positive effect on the blood system. In short, fish fights hypertension (and tastes great).

I buy the tuna in brine but drain it before drowning heaps of extra virgin olive oil, a decent wallop of apple cider vinegar, crushed garlics, and liberal sprinkles of cayenne pepper. This then forms a fantastic tasting salad dressing and every ingredient helps keep the blood pressure get down and stay down.

How so?

Garlic both prevents and cures atherosclerosis (hardening of your arteries). It not only slows the build up of dangerous plaque on the walls of your arteries it can even reverse the process.

Olive oil has a beneficial mix of polyphenols, tocopherols, and oleic acid … all good
allies in the fight against hypertension. Eating garlic can make your arteries young again. (Get the cold-pressed extra virgin stuff as it contains the most benefits – and tastes better).

Both cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar have been long noted for their beneficial properties to cure all sorts of ailments – including hypertension. As a strong tonic for for high blood pressure some people will drink a glass of water everyday with a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper added. (I’m not quite ready for that one!)

Make sure you have some celery, tomatoes and onions in your salad. Both these vegetables  provide a boost to your blood system and help lower your blood pressure.

There’s a flavonoid in celery called apigenin that dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Celery also contains a unique chemical called 3-n-butyl phthalide which has been singled out as the main compound that lowers blood pressure.

Tomatoes contain an antioxidant is called lycopene which helps in the prevention of heart disease and some types of cancer – as well as lower blood pressure.

Onions contain a flavonoid called quercetin – a strong antioxidant. Quercetin lowers blood pressure, slow heart rate, and improves the inner lining of arteries.

So there you have it. Here’s a run down of all the blood pressure lowering foods I ad to every salad I eat:

fish, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, onions, tomatoes, and celery.

Of course I add other things like lettuce, peppers, olives, cucumber, etc., and they all taste great and are good for you … but its the upper list that will actively work to lower your blood pressure and keep it low.

Got any great blood pressure lowering recipes? Send them this way!

Good eating folks.

While scouring  weblogs world for interesting articles on high blood pressure I came across this  article written by Christian Goodman.

If you don’t know who Christian Goodman is, he’s the promoter of the popular “3 easy exercises to lower your blood to below 120/80 in as little as a week.” (You can read my in depth review of his program. Link in the column to the right.)

What interesting about this article is that he focuses on bad foods and unhealthy environments causing high blood pressure. However, the 3 exercises he promotes are all based on the assumption that stress the main, if not the only, cause of high blood pressure.

Does this article suggest a change in direction for Christian?

Here’s in article as posted on: totalhorrormovies.com/how-toxins-and-pollution-affects-high-blood-pressure

How Toxins and Pollution Affects High Blood Pressure

So much is said about high blood pressure and the potentially disastrous health consequences if left untreated (heart attack, stroke, blindness, and all sorts of other scary health concerns) that almost everyone over the age of thirty knows at least something about it.

This is why I write so in a large extent about this condition and the fact that it is so very treatable.

We are all informed of things to avoid such as high sodium foods, processed foods, fast food, red meat, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and tobacco.

Not everyone knows why we shouldn’t do this. The fact is that these types of foods all contain some sort of toxin which can affect ones health – high blood pressure being the topic of today’s article.

Sodium and caffeine can elevate blood pressure thou they are not inherently poisonous. This is especially true of people who have a family history or other issues such as being over weight that already increases their risk for hypertension.

Many processed foods and fast foods are comprised of a high amount of trans fats, sodium and cholesterol. Be wary of some diet foods as they sometimes replace sugar with chemicals high in sodium and are oftentimes not lower in fat.

Red meats, even those not processed or cured can be cause for alarm because you are basically eating whatever toxin the animal ate before it became your meal.

Alcohol and nicotine/tobacco, while not foods are things people inclined to ingest or breathe in in overabundance. While I don’t see a problem with limited alcohol consumption, research has suggested there is no safe cigarette. Keep in mind that these are by definition poisons to our bodies.

Also in the toxins category are medications, both over the counter and prescription. If you have any history of hypertension it is very important to let your doctor know because they can raise blood pressure.

Now, new research on animals has shown that when exposed to daily air pollutants (much lower levels than seen in many developing countries and parts of the U.S.), even short term, blood pressure was raised as much as 25%.

While we can carpool and recycle (yes, I’m a big believer!), we can’t control what goes on globally. Likewise, a hyperbaric chamber isn’t something we can budget for either.

Anyone who suffers from hypertension, I would highly recommend my High Blood Pressure program. It’s all natural breathing and relaxation exercises have shown amazing results and its something you can do no matter what the environment to help bring down your blood pressure.

Christian Goodman is a well known health researcher and the author of several revolutionary natural health alternative methods. One of his most popular breakthroughs is his natural high blood pressure cure. You can learn more about Christian on his Natural Health Blog.

My response:

Simon Foster

I would have to agree that the food we eat can both be a problem and a solution to high blood pressure problems.

Moderation is the key. For example salt. Everyone needs some in their diet to remain healthy – but eating lots of processed foods or eating out at restaurants gives us way too much – even if we never touch a salt shaker.

I still like a cup of real coffee (not decaffeinated) in the morning but don’t drink so much anymore. I know it might raise my blood pressure a bit but only temporarily.

Good morning. And a very good morning it is.

Mornings play  an important part of my diet that has helped me to lower my blood pressure and keep it low.

Here’s how it goes:

I start with a glass of water as soon as I rise from bed. I prefer the carbonated water available in bottles from the store. But that’s just the kid in me. As far as I am aware carbonated water has no greater health benefits than still water.

After my first glass is consumed I pour myself another but with this one I add a squirt (25 – 30 drops) of Hawthorn tincture. It adds a subtle and refreshing taste to the water but it’s not the taste I’m after. Hawthorn flowers and berries act as a vacillator. They relax and widen blood vessels in the most pleasant manner.  One shot in the morning for me is plenty although for bad cases of high blood pressure some three shots a day is recommended.  (I make my own Hawthorn tincture as Hawthorn grows strong and potent up here on the Welsh mountainsides – but I’ll leave the details for another post if anyone is interested.)

So after my two glasses of water I’ll sometimes move to a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Not the decaffeinated variety but coffee straight from the bean – as nature intended. I say ‘sometimes’ because I used to drink coffee every morning as a rule – and lots of it. Now it’s a matter of choice – not habit or compulsion.

Later in the morning as hunger begins to rise its head I prepare a bowl of oatmeal.  As far as I am concerned, oats are the best health food anywhere – not just for high blood pressure but for all around good health. This traditional staple of the Scots.

A study in Chicago found that – in a group of people on hypertension drugs – eating
oat cereal daily for 12 weeks reduced … or eliminated their need for blood-pressure
medication. Dr Joseph Keenan noted that a diet containing soluble fiber-rich oat
cereals … greatly improved control of the patients’ hypertension.

Why is oatmeal so effective in reducing hypertension?

In a nutshell, oatmeal (or even better, oat bran) contains beta-glucan which helps to moderate our blood sugar  and insulin levels. It keeps your body in balance avoiding blood sugar spikes and avoids insulin insensitivity enabling your body to better store magnesium, which aids in the relaxing and expansion of you blood vessels. The results is lower blood pressure. I’m not a trained biologist but that’s how it was explained to me.

With my bowl of oatmeal I take some vitamin supplements currently composing of one multi-vitamin pill (containing magnesium among other things), one vitamin C pill, and one Calcium pill.  I also take some cod liver oil (rich in Omege-3) in gelatin capsules,  some Ginkgo and Ginseng for general well-being as well as lowering blood pressure.

The outcome of this morning diet is another enjoyable day with improved blood pressure and general well-being – better prepared to deal with all the muck that life sometimes throws at you.

This works for me. what Works for you?

There is no single answer for the question – what causes high blood pressure and high pulse rate. In the majority of cases it remain unknown and is put down to genetics. It certainly seems to run in families.

Regardless of causes you can reduce your blood pressure permanently through diet and exercise. (I speak from direct experience – not something I read somewhere.)

You may have heard of the DASH diet standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s a simple overview but worth a look. I uploaded a copy and you should be able to download a pdf copy (Adobe Reader) by clicking here. (It’s written  and published by a government department so don’t expect it to be too racy or entertaining.)

So here are some of my favorite foods good for high blood pressure:

• bananas (full of potassium)
• apples
• extra virgin olive oil
• apple cider vinegar
• oatmeal and oat bran
• red wine (a glass a day)
• dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa)
• whole grain cereals
• nuts
• chamomile tea
• salads

The list could of course go on but the list above include things I eat regularly if not daily. Chamomile tea works on relaxing your nervous system (like slow breathing exercises) while other foods listed above have substances that directly affect your circulatory system in a positive way – repairing and expanding your artery walls and strengthening your heart.

To get the full picture foods, including their history, interesting facts, and how and why they work, I’d recommend Keven Riley’s Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure. Of everything I have read so far on foods good for high blood pressure this guide has been the most informative and enjoyable to read.