What is the best diet for high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is one of the most common chronic diseases. It is diagnosed by having elevations in the diastolic reading above 90 mm/Hg or systolic reading above 140 mmHg. Systolic pressure is the force of blood on the artery walls when the heart is contracting, while diastolic pressure is the force when the heart is relaxed and filling before contraction. It is often known as the “silent killer” because it’s a factor in coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and Diabetes.

Conventional therapy is to reduce blood pressure through diuretics and anti-hypertensives such as beta blockers. Diet modifications can include limiting salt, sugar intake, limiting cholesterol and weight loss recommendations. While it is important to reduce salt, there are other nutritional modifications that may be have larger reductions in high blood pressure:  Plant-based diets, with whole grains seem to offer the highest protection and reduction of blood pressure1,2.

If you want to learn more about natural interventions and foods that can reduce for blood pressure, register for our upcoming class on August 1: “Natural and Integrative Approaches to Hypertension, Diabetes and Common Chronic Diseases for Nurses.”

References:

1. Le LT, Sabate, J. Beyond meatless, the health effects of vegan diets: findings from the Adventist cohorts. Nutrients. 2014; 6(6): 2131-47.

2. Fontana, L, Meyer TE, Klein S, Holloszy, JO. Long-term low-calorie low-protein vegan diets and endurance exercise are associated with low cardiometabolic risk. Rejuvenation Res. 2007 Jun; 10(2): 225-34.