Well I hope so, because if you don’t have any blood pressure you have come to me too late and I can’t help you with that!
So let’s just talk about high blood pressure (hypertension) today, which is generally what is being checked for when you have your blood pressure taken. What is hypertension? It is a measure of how hard your heart is working to push the blood around your body. Why is it a problem if it is too high? Because it increases your risk of heart damage, vessel damage and heart issues, plus can lead to a whole other host of problems with other organs. How do I know if I have hypertension? Well, often unfortunately you don’t until problems start to manifest.
So, what can we do to help ensure we don’t have issues with high blood pressure? Here are some things to think about.
Move!
Depositing your butt in a chair for hours and not moving is not helping your blood pressure – you don’t need to run marathons, just get moving! Exercise not only helps your body release good happy hormones, but stimulates the body to produce a substance that helps open up blood vessels which helps reduce resistance to blood flow, just as one benefit.
Cut the excess sugar!
It is inflammatory and puts you at greater risk of higher sustained blood pressure, diabetes, negatively impacts cholesterol and leads to weight gain (another risk factor for hypertension).
Get enough sleep – lack of good quality sleep often leads to the body producing chemicals which are designed to keep you alert. These are fine as you use them to get through your day, but they can also push your blood pressure up if released at inappropriate times (like during the night).
Control excess stress – this messes with your sleep, pushes up your blood pressure and can lead to a whole host of problems you don’t want.
Ok, so now the food hints ….
- Cut sugar and processed/refined foods
- Increase water and fibre intake
- Increase fruit and veg – celery, beetroot, onions, garlic, watermelon, blueberries, pomegranate and carrots all have nutrients that assist in lowering blood pressure. Throw in some sprouts for added benefit (alfalfa, bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts).
- Protein – fish, eggs, chicken, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, etc), full-fat yoghurt or aged hard cheese (if you can have dairy)