NUTRITIONAL TIPS FOR MANAGING HYPERTENSION
Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 9:33 am
Supplement recommendations
* L-Arginine
* A daily multivitamin
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin E (magnifies vitamin C’s blood pressure-lowering effect)
* Omega-3s
* Co-enzyme Q10
Helpful herbs: Cats Claw, chamomile flowers, motherwort, saffron, black cohosh, parsley, golden seal and ginger (together) fennel seed, rosemary. Hawthorn blocks an enzyme that can cause arteries to constrict. Linden blossom is often combined with hawthorn for blood pressure. Consult a herbalist before taking any herbs.
Further tips
• Evidence shows that garlic lowers hypertension 2%-7%. Onions help too.
• If you are overweight, a 10% reduction in total body weight might normalize blood pressure.
• Reduce or eliminate: salt and sodium-rich foods, alcohol, refined foods, caffeine, saturated fat, soft drinks.
• Increase: wholemeal and granary bread, jacket potatoes, new potatoes, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal pasta and brown rice, beans, lentils and peas, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, low-fat meats, whole oats, low fat milk, bilberry, carrot juice (cleans arteries). Studies suggest that the isoflavones in soy, tofu, tempeh and miso make arterial walls more elastic. Cook with cayenne (contains capsicum which slows arteriosclerosis causing hypertension).
• Taking 55 mg of concentrated reishi mushroom extract three times a day was found to reduce moderately high blood pressure after 1 month.
IMPORTANT: Do not come off or alter your blood pressure medication before consulting your GP.
* L-Arginine
* A daily multivitamin
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin E (magnifies vitamin C’s blood pressure-lowering effect)
* Omega-3s
* Co-enzyme Q10
Helpful herbs: Cats Claw, chamomile flowers, motherwort, saffron, black cohosh, parsley, golden seal and ginger (together) fennel seed, rosemary. Hawthorn blocks an enzyme that can cause arteries to constrict. Linden blossom is often combined with hawthorn for blood pressure. Consult a herbalist before taking any herbs.
Further tips
• Evidence shows that garlic lowers hypertension 2%-7%. Onions help too.
• If you are overweight, a 10% reduction in total body weight might normalize blood pressure.
• Reduce or eliminate: salt and sodium-rich foods, alcohol, refined foods, caffeine, saturated fat, soft drinks.
• Increase: wholemeal and granary bread, jacket potatoes, new potatoes, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal pasta and brown rice, beans, lentils and peas, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, low-fat meats, whole oats, low fat milk, bilberry, carrot juice (cleans arteries). Studies suggest that the isoflavones in soy, tofu, tempeh and miso make arterial walls more elastic. Cook with cayenne (contains capsicum which slows arteriosclerosis causing hypertension).
• Taking 55 mg of concentrated reishi mushroom extract three times a day was found to reduce moderately high blood pressure after 1 month.
IMPORTANT: Do not come off or alter your blood pressure medication before consulting your GP.