High blood pressure or hypertension is a serious lifestyle disease that is becoming an epidemic nowadays. A holistic nutrition approach to high blood pressure or hypertension is a natural and no drug solution that can effectively help you in preventing or reversing this condition.

In part 1 about high blood pressure or hypertension, I discussed the warning signs, causes and types of high blood pressure as well as some important numbers. I also shed the light on how shifting to a wholefoods natural diet is essential in controlling this condition. Here are other important diet and lifestyle factors that you want to address  in your holistic approach to high blood pressure or hypertension. These include sodium intake, obesity, stress and exercise.

Sodium and high blood pressure

Avoiding high sodium in commercial table slat, canned foods and processed foods as deli meats, chips and burgers is important, however, all salt is not the same. We still need salt because it also provides other trace minerals.In my holistic nutrition practice in Oakville, I recommend Himalayan and Celtic sea salts.

Unlike table salt which is 97.5 percent sodium chloride and has preservatives, aluminum and anticaking agents, natural salt is 84 percent sodium chloride and 16 percent naturally occurring trace minerals.

Trace minerals are very important as co-factors for many metabolic processes in the body. These include minerals that help regulate diastolic and systolic blood pressure.

A holistic nutrition approach to high blood pressure sees that the balance between sodium and potassium is very important for a healthy blood pressure. It is when we eat too much sodium with little potassium that we get sick. Most vegetables and fruits are low in sodium and rich in potassium. Potassium lowers blood pressure by reducing blood vessel constriction caused by adrenalin.

As an Oakville nutritionist, some potassium rich foods which I recommend to my clients include bananas, avocados, citrus fruits, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli and asparagus.

Obesity and high blood pressure

Obesity is a primary risk factors for hypertension as well as other complications as arteriosclerosis and heart disease. If you are overweight and have high blood pressure it is important to start taking steps to lose the excess pounds. Losing 10 percent of your body weight will reduce blood pressure and may even allow you to reduce your medications if you are taking any or avoid them altogether if you are not.

Doctors used to think that the high blood pressure associated with weight gain occurred because the blood has to be pushed through more mass. Now we know that fat cells can manufacture a potent constrictor of blood vessels called angiotensinogen which is a major contributor to high blood pressure in overweight people, whose fat cells are killing them. Furthermore fat cells in overweight individuals produce inflammatory factors and free radicals that cause artery wall damage and plaque build-up which blocks blood flow and increases risk of heart attack and stroke.

A personalized natural approach to weight loss can help you safely achieve your weight loss goals while improving your overall health and wellness. Check out Healthy U Turn’s Weight Loss Program.

Stress and high blood pressure

From a holistic nutrition approach as well as a medical view hidden emotions and repressed feelings can be a cause of hypertension in many cases. This is usually the case with very young individuals who develop uncontrollable hypertension with no obvious risk factors. According to Dr Samuel J. Mann, MD, repressed unacknowledged feelings may eat away at the body causing hypertension. When the emotions are acknowledged and experienced, the hypertension may be cured.

Exercise and high blood pressure

Eating the right foods is a crucial part of a holistic nutrition program for lowering and preventing high blood pressure, but so is regular exercise. It is recommended to practice a form of aerobic exercise such as walking, for 30 minutes four times a week. Regular exercise relaxes artery walls and decreases stress. It can also help with weight loss and being overweight is a major risk factor for high blood pressure.

Bottom line if you have been diagnosed with hypertension, there is a very good chance of controlling your blood pressure using a holistic nutrition approach. In my practice as a holistic nutritionist in Oakville, I have encountered huge success with so many clients being able to control their high blood pressure and in many cases lower or even stop their medications, after consulting with their doctors.

The dozens of drugs for lowering your blood pressure only treat the symptoms of the disease and will not cure the root cause of the problem. Furthermore they come with many dangerous side effects.

As an Oakville nutritionist I find that a personalized holistic nutrition plan including diet, supplements and lifestyle changes can bring your blood pressure to healthier levels in a safe and natural way. It is worth trying this effective and natural approach because high blood pressure is a serious condition that can lead to a host of other problems including heart disease.

If you know a family member or friend who is struggling with hypertension, please share this link with them so that they can benefit from this information and get the help they need.

We offer tele-health coaching via Zoom, so we can help you if you are out of area. If you need help with your health and nutrition, sign up for a 15 Min Discovery Call where we discuss your current goals and concerns and how we can help you.

If you find this information useful, please feel free to share with your family or friends.

References

The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, sherry Torkos, BSc Phn

Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, Zoltan Rona, MD, MSc