(Observer Dispatch – UTICAOD.com) Several factors can play a role in high blood pressure or hypertension. These can include those extra pounds you’ve put on, an inactive lifestyle, too much salt in your diet, too much alcohol, genetics, smoking or family history. While we can’t do anything about some of these conditions, we can do something about diet and salt.
Limiting salt in the diet and adding potassium, magnesium, Vitamin D and Calcium play an important part in a healthier diet. These foods are among the best to help you get where you need to be.
1. Bananas. A medium size banana provides 422 mg of potassium and may reduce your blood pressure by as much as 10 percent. Eat it as a snack or add it to your morning cereal.
2. Skim milk. 1% or skim milk provides Vitamin D and calcium which can lower high blood pressure by 3 to 10%.
3. Spinach. Packed full of key nutrients like potassium, folate and magnesium, spinach is a great addition to your new healthy diet. Not only is it high in fiber but it also is low in calories. Try having a spinach salad or add it to a sandwich.
(14 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)
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milk contains D2 and we need D3. The calcium in milk is not absorbed by the human body.
Anneh, how can it be that the calcium in milk is not absorbed by the human body? Milk nurtured us all as children. Our bones grew using that calcium.
Our bones would have grown without the calcium from milk. Cows grow strong bones and we don’t keep feeding calves milk until they are fully grown. The human is the only mammal who drinks milk from other mammals. My guess is that milk was used as food because it was convenient and so farmers could make a living selling something to city folks who were unable to keep cows in an apartment. Looking at the increasing number of modified milks to make them ‘healthy’ one wonders whether cows milk is such a good addition to food.
Also, I grew up on a dairy farm and, although not tested, I don’t think any of our cows had osteoporosis, but both parents did! Dad drank a lot of milk, mum less so, but she ate a lot of cheese. Not only did both of them end up with severe osteoporosis, they both had high cholesterol as well. if you have to drink white stuff, rice milk, or any other non-dairy milk, are better choices.
Furthermore, in order for cows to keep producing milk they have to bear a calves. These calves (bobby calves) never grow up. They are being slaughtered within about five days from birth, often, or usually not fed and kept properly because they are of no use to anybody on a dairy farm. We needed to sell milk. There was no room for bobby calves, as simple as that. I leave it as that now. Stop drinking milk!
Absolutely agree marmotte. No dairy of any kind, meat or oils. Nothing that contributes to atherosclerosis. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Take the elephant for example. How did they develop such strong bones? It wasn’t from drinking milk. They are plant eaters and one of the strongest creatures on the planet.
All five foods are on my stop list because of the high potassium I have CKD as well as high blood pressure. Any other suggestions?
Cheryl,
The reason all five foods are on the list is BECAUSE they have high potassium. If you don’t have CKD the best way to lower your blood pressure is to significantly increase your potassium in your diet, by as much as 2-3 grams per day. I have found one of the best ways to do this is to drink coconut water which has 700-800mg of potassium in about 12 oz for only about 60-70 calories. I drink two 11 oz cartons of coconut water per day and it has significantly reduced my blood pressure. Romaine lettuce is another good low calorie source of potassium.
Coconut water is a great source of Potassium but also a good source of sugar. Be very careful with sugar with hypertension.
After reading the full article I agree with all but one of these. Skip the dairy. I tried the DASH diet and it did not get me off BP meds. It wasn’t until I eliminated all animal protein, dairy and oils that the magic started happening. Don’t fall for the whole genetic claim either. We’ve been misinformed. These conditions are not primarily genetic, but are rather the result of the toxic western diet.
I also agree with you, Jason, in regard to the genetic claim. Without fail, the genetic claim comes from assumptions, i.e. no proof whatsoever when doctors deal with individual patients. In most cases it is a convenient claim, an excuse. Since starting a plant based diet my BP has come down by itself, without medication, to mid 130s/mid70s. I would prefer it were lower, but my cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides are low, which should protect me to some extent. One of our daughters, also on a plant based diet and living away from home, has low blood pressure, her father, refusing to adopt a plant based diet, is on medication and keeps adding dairy, meat, oils and solid fats to the meals I cook. It is a bit inconvenient in the kitchen because we have to cater for the whole family. And that may be where the problem of ‘genetics’ comes in; we eat what we are taught by our parents, and for some the thought of change is just too hard and they try to sabotage those who think otherwise. I do hope that my husband eventually will come around before it is too late.
You are absolutely correct marmotte. The “genetic” excuse is largely based on the tradition of our diet that our parents set an example with. Int case, my parents did not understand what a healthy diet was. I had to learn this on my own. The medical profession is no better in that they blame everyone’s problems on genetics just to keep patients coming back for follow up treatment and to help bring in revenue for the pharmaceutical industry so that they can poison their patients with side effect ridden drugs that have nothing to do with curing underlying cause. Last year I was one of those poor innocent victims that was bribed by my doctor to take BP meds. When I read about plant based diets, I figured if would be an experiment at the very minimum. Today I’m very happy with the result, a BP of 112/62 and a cholesterol of 100. I take a small dose of CoQ10 along with Fish oill and Magnesium also. You may want to consider these if you want to get your BP a little lower. It should be easily done given your current 130/70.
Why are we bringing cows and elephants into the discussion which concerns humans? What do we know about the biochemistry of bones of these animals? Are their bones not made of calcium? If they are then they have to get this element either from the environment somehow or synthesize it in their bodies from other elements that they ingest. In either case they bear no resemblance to us. So why discuss them? It’s alarming the finality with which your commentators give their opinions in matters of health. If something works for you, excellent, keep at it. Please don’t generalize especially if your experience runs counter to the conventional wisdom of ages or medical science. You would then be assuming great responsibility if it’s harmful and doesn’t work for others. I say this from experience and can cite examples, if required.
how bout calcium tablets? does it helps us to hav stronger bones?