by Al Valente
Elevated blood pressure can be a precursor to heart disease – not to be taken lightly
Table of Contents:
Hypertension can Lead to Heart Attacks and Strokes
The Tried-and-True Remedy – the DASH Diet
Reduce the Saturated Fat Intake
Electrolyte Management to Control Hypertension
Nitric Oxide — the Natural Vasodilators to Reduce Blood Pressure
Nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension defined as having blood pressure greater than 130/8 (> 130 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure > 80 mm Hg). And, it gets worse as we age when our arteries become stiffer and coated with LDL cholesterol.
It is estimated that 66% to 75% of people over the age of 75 have high blood pressure.
Every point you can of blood pressure lowering will translate to a longer and healthier life.
Hypertension can Lead to Heart Attacks and Strokes
Hypertension is labeled the “silent killer” because you may not experience any symptoms, the only way to know is to measure it on a regular basis with a cuff.
But if left unchecked for too long, excessive hypertension can lead to:
- Heart Attack
- Renal failure
- Stroke
- Blindness
- Potential Dementia
Effect on the Boomer Generation
So, you’re in your sixties, maybe even seventies, and every time you have your annual physical you get “the lecture” from your doctor:
“Your cholesterol has creeped up to over 200, but worse, your LDL is over 100, not good”
How about: “Your systolic blood pressure is over 130, we’d like to actually see it below 120”.
Of course, this wonderfully trained western doctor immediately grabs the prescription pad ready to write a script for Lipitor and/or Lisinopril.
“Hey, wait, Doc”, you say, “Before I’m ingesting a daily chemical for the rest of my life, I’d like to try to get them both in the normal range with dietary and lifestyle changes”.
You book a follow-up visit for 6 months to see if you’ve achieved goal.
So, you leave the office and begin wondering where to begin. You go down the list of dials to turn. “Hmm, I don’t have any weight to lose, my BMI is 21.5; that would be the easiest way to improve my numbers, that’s a non-starter.”
“Let’s see, I get plenty of exercise, I mean I lift weights and play tennis. Check.
“I manage my stress by meditating daily, and get between 7-8 hours of sleep each night”. Check.
“I think I eat fairly healthily, lots of fruits and veggies, limit the red meats”. Check.
Many health conscience boomers are in this same predicament, they’re doing everything right but just can’t seem to get that darn blood pressure level down. But they abhor having to take prescription drugs for the rest of their lives.
The Tried-and-True Remedy – the DASH Diet
The easiest and simplest action to take is to revisit your diet. It’s proven that the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet will lower blood pressure. How much depends on adherence and individual factors. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute developed the DASH plan specifically to reduce blood pressure.
The DASH eating plan is rich in grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. It also includes fish, poultry and legumes.
Red meat, sweets and fats are included in smaller amounts. But, the less meat the better.
This variety means the DASH plan is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat, while rich in protein, fiber, nutrients, and minerals, particularly magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Previous research has shown that people who follow the DASH diet may be able to reduce their blood pressure by a few points in just two weeks. Over time, their systolic blood pressure could drop by eight to 14 points, which significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Additionally, a May 2021 press release by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that in their study participants combining the DASH diet with reduced-sodium impact experienced the greatest reductions in the biomarkers for cardio injury and stress—20% and 23%, respectively – Sign me up!
Reduce the Saturated Fat Intake
Excess saturated fat is converted by the body into cholesterol, it also raises blood pressure. According to renowned Dr. Dean Ornish. Remove the fat and you remove a major cause of heart disease.
Don’t get lulled that by taking olive oil and avocados, that you’re not harming yourself. It is true, they are high in monounsaturated fat, but they also contain some saturated fat.
The good news is that olive oil contains oleic acid. Studies suggest that oleic acid reduces inflammation and may even have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, saturated fats are generally solid or waxy at room temperature and come mostly from animal products. Healthy adults should limit their saturated fat intake to no more than 10% of total calories. For a person eating a 2,000-calorie diet, this would be 22 grams of saturated fat or less per day.
You’re going to have to give up some really tasty but really bad foods. Foods that are high in saturated fat include:
- beef, pork, lamb, veal, and skin of poultry
- Hot dogs, bologna, salami
- Dairy products, such as, cream, ice cream, whole milk, 2% milk, cheese, 4% cottage cheese
- Butter, lard, bacon fat
- Tropical oils, such as palm, palm kernel, coconut oil
- Baked goods, such as cookies, pastries, croissants
Ornish does recommend omega-3 fatty acids in moderation that’s found in cold water fish. He would rather have you eat purslane, a natural source of omega-3 from plants.
Electrolyte Management to Control Hypertension
You hear a lot about the importance of electrolytes from sports drink commercials
Electrolytes are salts that dissolve into positive and negative charges and conduct electricity in water which allows fluid to travel inside and outside of cell membranes. Also known as ions their charges also control the nerve impulses in our body.
It’s believed we get enough electrolytes from our diet without the need for sports drinks. Plus, the sports drinks have way too much sugar and calories
Reduce Sodium
Sodium is also an electrolyte. If you currently have high blood pressure, reducing sodium is perhaps the biggest single thing you can do to lower it.
Get rid of the salt shaker in your house, you don’t need it. There are a multitude of herbs to add flavor if needed. Better yet, add lots of garlic to your cooking for flavoring, it’ll also help reduce your blood pressure.
Salt is salt, it’s NaCl, doesn’t matter if it’s sea salt, or any other form, it’s still salt, for a person with hypertension, there is no such thing as “healthy” salt.
Increase Potassium
Potassium is a favorable electrolyte that will help lower blood pressure. So be sure to add foods that are high in potassium to your diet. No, it’s not eating bananas. They’re a featherweight, here’s a better list with their respective potassium levels:
- Swiss Chard — Just one cup of chard provides 961 mg.
- White Beans — One cup of cooked white beans gives you 829 mg.
- Edamame — one cup provides 676 mg.
- Pomegranate – one yields 666 mg.
- Watermelon – 2 wedges will give you 640 mg.
- Avocado – One half of an avocado contains 487 mg.
- Sweet Potatoes – one medium-sized sweet potato contains 541 mg.
- Spinach — One cup contains 540 mg.
- Black Beans — black beans gives you 611 mg.
- Tomato Paste — Just three tablespoons contain 486 mg.
- Apricots — Six dried apricots provide 488 mg.
- Beets – one cup 518 mg.
Increase Magnesium
Magnesium is a very healthy mineral that lowers blood pressure. It is involved in over 600 reactions in your body. Unfortunately, about 45% of the population have low magnesium levels.
It’s been shown to reduce inflammation and insulin resistance that lead to many chronic diseases.
Magnesium plays a critical role in brain function and mood, and low levels are linked to an increased risk of depression. It’s also the relaxation mineral for better sleep and reduced muscle cramps.
Try to add these magnesium rich foods to your diet:
- Almonds
- Black Beans
- Bok Choy
- Brazil Nuts
- Cabbage
- Dark Chocolate
- Edamame
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Spinach
Nitric Oxide — the Natural Vasodilators to Reduce Blood Pressure
Maintaining the liquid volume in the bloodstream via electrolyte balance is the first approach to lowering blood pressure.
The second is to provide elasticity to the arteries and assure that are not constricted. This process is called vasodilation.
What is Nitric Oxide
Mother nature already provides us with the most effective vasodilator in its natural production of nitric oxide.
Over millions of years of evolution our epithelial cells lining our arteries have an amazing ability to sense high blood pressure and to generate nitric oxide gas which, through multiple pathways, decreases blood pressure. Conversely, reduced nitric oxide availability is a hallmark of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Unfortunately, as we age our abilities to generate nitric oxide abates considerably.
The 1998 the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to praise that nitric oxide plays a significant role in the cardiovascular system, helping to reduce blood pressure and increase oxygen in the blood.
Nitric oxide is produced by the lining of the blood vessel called the endothelium where it acts as a messenger molecule telling blood vessels to widen or dilate.
Unfortunately, as we age, we produce less and less nitric oxide causing the cardiovascular system to become less elastic which can reduce blood flow to vital organs and raise blood pressure.
From documented studies by the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, nitric oxide is one of the most important signaling molecules in our body, and loss of its function is one of the earliest indicators or markers of disease.
The Arginine Pathway to Nitric Oxide
Endogenous production (within the body) of nitric oxide involves a multi-step process whereby an amino acid, arginine, forms a group of enzymes call “nitric oxide synthase” which go on to produce nitric oxide.
As we age, we lose our ability to synthesize endothelial derived nitric oxide. Studies have shown a loss of 75% of endothelium-derived nitric oxide in 70–80-year-old patients compared to young, healthy 20-year-olds.
A compromised nitric oxide synthase system can also affect downstream nitrite production and metabolism, which can perhaps exacerbate any condition associated with decreased nitric oxide bioavailability
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid, you get part of it through your diet, it would help to make sure you’re not deficient in this vital compound so not to compromise your body’s ability to produce beneficial nitric oxide, therefore strive to include the following arginine-rich foods in your diet:
- Almonds
- Brazil Nuts
- Chickpeas
- Edamame
- Lentils
- Pumpkin Seeds
Common Vegetables with Nitrate Pathways
Plant-based nitrates can also be converted into nitric oxide naturally by our body. Not to be confused with the harmful nitrates found in processed meats, plant-based nitrates are totally safe and extremely beneficial.
Plant-based foods that are high in beneficial nitrates:
- Arugula
- Beets
- Celery
- Cilantro
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
Nitric Oxide Biohacks
There are biohacks you can incorporate that take little effort and are believed to increase nitric oxide to your body.
Breath in Through Your Nose
Dr. Louis Ignarro, one of the recipients of the aforementioned Nobel prize in medicine advocates for breathing inhalation be done through the nose and not the mouth. That’s because the nasal airways ore lined with epithelial cells that produce nitric oxide.
When you breath in through your nose that nitric oxide will make it into your lungs and into your blood stream. This does not happen if you breath in through your mouth.
Additionally, the dilation effect of nitric oxide can help people with asthma by opening up those airways.
Dr. Ignarro advises breathing out through your mouth – pretty simple, yes?
Humming
You can take nasal breathing to a whole new level simply through humming
There is anecdotal evidence that simply humming may hypercharge the availability of nitric oxide in your nasal cavity. Try it, so what if people think you’re weird.
Conclusion
Hypertension should be addressed sooner rather than later. Before going on prescription for the rest of your life try the holistic basics:
- Exercise
- Sufficient Sleep
- Control Alcohol
- Weight Loss to a favorable BMI
- Meditation or other stress control techniques
As far diet goes, eliminate saturated fats and reduce meat intake, switch to more plant-based foods. Go all in with the DASH diet.
The Big 8 foods you should add regularly to your diet:
- Swiss Chard
- Spinach
- Edamame
- Beans
- Beets
- Almonds
- Bok Choy
- Pumpkin Seeds
Related Posts:
Live and Eat Like a Hunter-Gatherer for Optimal Health
Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally with the Simple DASH Diet
Does Strength Training Affect Blood Pressure?