High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most important risk factor for premature death, accounting for half of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and 13.5 percent of all deaths each year. 

Thus,  keeping your blood pressure under control is one of the most important things you can do to extend your lifespan.

Recent research suggests that even “high normal” blood pressure (120–129 / 80–84 mmHg) increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 46% on average.

Making the problem worse, studies have shown that drug therapy for “high normal” blood pressure and even mild hypertension is not effective. A large review of randomized, clinical trials performed by the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration found that anti-hypertensive drugs used to treat mild hypertension (140–159 / 90–99 mm/Hg) did not reduce disease complications or the risk of death.

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. Like most other chronic diseases, high blood pressure is caused by a mismatch between our genes and the modern diet and lifestyle, characterized by processed and refined foods, sedentary behavior, chronic sleep deprivation, a lack of sun exposure and excess use of caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
If you have “high-normal” blood pressure or mild hypertension, here are three recommendations for decreasing your blood pressure naturally.
Diet

• Sugar. Increased consumption of sugar is associated with high blood pressure, and reducing sugar intake has been shown to lower blood pressure.
• Potassium. High dietary intake of potassium is associated with lower blood pressure.
• Cold-water fish. DHA, in particular, is very effective at reducing blood pressure.
• Magnesium. A high dietary intake of magnesium has been shown to reduce blood pressure, though its effect is not as strong as what is observed with potassium. Nuts, seeds, spinach, beet greens, and chocolate are the highest food sources of magnesium. Magnesium’s effect on blood pressure is magnified when combined with increased potassium intake. In fact, increasing potassium and magnesium intake together while moderately reducing sodium intake can lower blood pressure as much as a single medication.
What about salt? We’ve been told for years that a high salt intake is one of the primary risk factors for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, but it’s time to shake up the salt myth. Though some studies do suggest that restricting salt can lower blood pressure, the evidence supporting a connection between salt intake and cardiovascular disease is weak at best. What’s more, some evidence suggests that restricting salt too much may be harmful to our health. There’s no strong evidence that reducing salt intake below one and one-half teaspoons is beneficial.
Lifestyle
There are a number of steps you can take in terms of behavioral and lifestyle change to lower your blood pressure. These include:
• Weight loss. Excess body fat can raise blood pressure, and reducing it can lower blood pressure.
• Exercise. Endurance exercise, strength training, high-intensity interval training and simply moving around more during the day have all been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure.
• Sleep. Both short sleep duration and poor sleep quality increase the risk that you’ll develop high blood pressure. (
• Sunlight. Exposure to ultraviolet light increases the production of a chemical in our bodies called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a powerful vasodilator; it helps our blood vessels to relax, which in turn lowers blood pressure.
• Meditation. Several studies have shown that meditation can be effective for lowering blood pressure, possibly via its relaxing effects on the nervous system.
• Deep breathing. Deep breathing is part of many traditional practices such as yoga, qi gong and certain forms of meditation. Even short periods of deep breathing have been shown to modestly lower blood pressure, and using deep-breathing techniques over weeks to months may lead to long-term reductions in blood pressure. Research suggests that three to four fifteen-minute sessions per week of deep breathing are sufficient to have this effect.
• Biofeedback. Biofeedback, the process of becoming aware of the body’s physiological functions, has been shown to effectively reduce blood pressure, with no side effects or risks.
First get your weight loss, exercise, sleep and sun exposure started. Then choose either meditation, deep breathing, or biofeedback and stick with it for a month. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Supplements
Several supplements have been shown to be quite effective for lowering blood pressure. In fact, research suggests that when combined together, diet and lifestyle changes and supplements can be even more effective than drug treatment.
Here’s a list of the supplements you should consider:
• CoQ10. Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant that plays an important role in protecting the heart. Levels of CoQ10 decrease with age and are lower in patients with diseases that are characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. At doses of 100–225 mg per day, CoQ10 reduces systolic blood pressure by 15 mgHg and diastolic blood pressure by 10 mgHg.
• Garlic. Clinical trials have shown that garlic supplements have a modest but significant impact on blood pressure in people with high blood pressure, with an average reduction of 8.4 mmHg (systolic) and 7.3 mmHg (diastolic).
• Magnesium. Magnesium taken in supplemental form at doses of 500–1,000 mg/d over an eight-week period has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure.
• Vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to modestly reduce blood pressure and improve arterial health in clinical studies.The recommended dose is 1,000 mg a day.
• Potassium. Potassium may help reduce blood pressure. The main dietary sources of potassium are starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato and plantain, fruits like banana, and some species of fish, like halibut, rockfish, and salmon.

You’ll find that your doctor can soon reduce and even stop the antihypertensives they are giving you. What’s more, you’re saving yourself from developing the complications of high blood pressure. In a safe, easy and natural way!

Be Healthy.

There’s so many opinions out there!

Eat protein.

Eat low carbs.

Eat no carbs.

This diet. That diet.

What can I do?? What should I eat? And what should I avoid?

A good diet should provide plenty of choices, relatively few restrictions, and no long grocery lists of (sometimes expensive) special foods. It should be as good for your heart, bones, brain, and colon as it is for your waistline. And it should be something you can sustain for years. It should be easy to prepare, include flavorful food choices and should be acceptable to and useful for the whole family. Such a diet won’t give you a quick fix. But it can offer you something better — a lifetime of savory, healthy choices that will be good for all of you, not just parts of you.

Here’s one such. Let me give you a few simple principles for eating a healthy, balanced diet, incorporating best practices from DASH, Mediterranean diet and hormone balancing diets.

1. AVOID ADDED CARBOHYDRATES

Especially refined and processed carbs. This means – no wheat, rice, potatoes, certainly no packaged or bakery goods. Most certainly no sugar, no sugar equivalents, no sugar substitutes. Remember, sugar is POISON. Eat the occasional piece of fruit for your sweet craving.

2. Eat 9 to 13 servings of vegetables and fruit daily. This will give plenty of carbs for efficient metabolism. Aim for a ‘rainbow’ of 7 colors in food daily.

What is one serving? One cup uncooked, half cup cooked fruit or veg, quarter cup dried. One cup is the size of a closed fist.

Do not juice your fruit and veggies. The fiber, and the fullness it provides, is invaluable. Fruit juice is a source of concentrated calories and causes a sugar spike. Fiber, in addition to contributing to fullness, helps control diabetes, high cholesterol, maintains bowel health, helps maintain healthy weight and eliminate toxins. Recommended intake is:

Institute of Medicine, 2012.

So make smoothies instead. That is, blend a combination of green leafy vegetables and veg you like, such as cucumber, tomatoes, capsicum, beans, with no sugar added. It is good if you add a tablespoon of coconut oil to this. It will be creamy and filling, and the medium chain triglycerides in the coconut oil are great for your brain and your hormones. vegetarians can add a scoop of good quality protein powder to boost their protein intake.

3. Protein with every meal.

Here I am writing as an almost-vegetarian Indian. Our breakfast, especially, is usually upma, poha, paratha – all carbs! There’s no protein there!

It’s important to get protein with every meal. Protein is more satisfying than carbohydrates or fats, and thus may be the new secret weapon in weight control. Getting enough protein helps preserve muscle mass and encourages fat burning while keeping you feeling full. Eating carbs makes you hungry soon after a meal. Eating protein keeps you feeling full. So be sure to include healthy protein sources, like yogurt, cheese, nuts, or beans, at meals and snacks.

How much protein? About 1g/kg body weight for an adult, more, around 1.5g/kg for the pregnant or lactating ladies, growing children and those exercising vigorously. How do we know how much we’re getting? Measure! Maintain a food diary. This will give total calories consumed, plus breakdown of major food groups, ie, carbs, protein and fats.

Avoid chargrilled meat as we have seen in a previous post.

Good quality protein – avoid processed, canned, deep fried stuff full of antibiotics and pesticides. Obviously. So no cold cuts. Grass fed, organically raised animals and poultry. If you can, organ meats are good.

4.  Avoid snacks between meals. This helps balance hormones and increase insulin sensitivity. If really required, opt for a small serving of seeds and nuts. They contain healthy fats. And protein.

Sunflower seeds are good. Since they have to be cracked open, it takes time, so portion control is easier. In general, portion size is 1 oz, the amount inside a closed fist. Seeds such as sesame can be sprinkled on salads.

So a good way to incorporate all the above, is a large salad, with some fish, chicken, cheese or beans for protein, and some seeds for good fats.

5. Eat your last meal at least 2 hours before you go to bed. So that your body can concentrate on building and repair like it is meant to, not on digestion.

Home cooked meals prepared with fresh ingredients, avoiding convenience foods, no need to keep track of portion size – that’s it! What could be simpler!!!!

And don’t forget the exercise!

These diet principles, if followed with discipline, will help us live longer, healthier, free of disease and maintain healthy body weight. The principles work well if

• we are healthy, trying to remain healthy.
• we want to lose weight in a safe, healthy manner.
• we are diabetic. Just limit fruit servings to the occasional piece and avoid high glycemic fruits.
• those who have high blood pressure. Limiting salt intake is not necessary.
• most other health conditions.

As well as lose the football belly!

So a sample menu for the day would be:

Breakfast: Eggs cooked with plenty of butter / ghee/ coconut oil, with a side of spinach / Mushroom omelet.

For the vegetarians among us : sprouts. Dosa or idli made wholly with dal, no rice, and served with sambar and coconut chutney.

Lunch: Grilled meat or paneer with large salad as described above.  Dal and sabzi for the vegetarians.

Dinner : Soup with plenty of veg, such as minestrone, and added beans or meat. / Thai curry with coconut.

Vegetarians: Paneer, tofu, lentils, dairy, nuts, for the protein. It is difficult to get protein in the proportions required on a strict vegetarian diet, and supplementation is recommended.

For mid- meal snacks when required, choose options like hummus with vegetable sticks, nuts and seeds,  etc. Eating just twice a day allows the body to recover from the glucose overload, and so decreases insulin resistance and also increases growth hormone. Which are all good.

Notice that I have not included quantities. Its not crucial, because the fiber will keep you satiated.

This diet will keep you full, and will keep you healthy. Best, your waist size will drop! I lost 3 kg in 2 weeks on this diet. And I didn’t feel deprived ever!

Simple changes, with great results!