Protect yourself from the UK's biggest health risk - high blood pressure

Protect yourself for the UK’s biggest health risk, high blood pressure. With so many of my clients coming to me with high blood pressure, I’m realising just what an epidemic we have on our hands.

With the most common cause of death in the UK being heart disease and stroke, there is no time like the present to start protecting your heart and improving your health and vitality Blood pressure is the strength of blood against the walls of arteries. When BP remains elevated, this becomes what is commonly known as high blood pressure or hypertension. Left unaddressed and high blood pressure can become hazardous as it makes the heart work overtime and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It can also increase the risk of other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness.

Those at risk:

• Over the age of 55
• A poor diet, consisting of high sodium, high fat, high processed foods and little fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and seed.
• High cholesterol levels again due to poor diet.
• Overweight and obese physically inactive diabetic smokers

Adopting a healthier more active lifestyle is the first step to preventing and lowering BP and protecting your heart. Your weight impacts - your BP rises as your weight increases. By losing weight, you will reduce your BP and reduce the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol, caused by being overweight or obesity.

I love coaching people to make feasible goals for weight loss, such as working towards an initial loss of 10% current body mass; this often achieves good results that are easily maintained.

Studies have shown a high-sodium diet increases blood pressure in some people. Whereas the less sodium consumed has shown a significant blood pressure control. This is due to sodium causing the body to retain fluid which reduces your body’s ability to regulate your blood pressure. Processed foods can contain high amounts of sodium and although you are not physically adding salt to your food, it is ever present. Check food labels. Your daily consumption of sodium should be no more than 2.4 g sodium (6g of salt) a day - about one full teaspoon.

Every day foods that can be high in salt are:

• All white breads
• Pasta sauces/cooking jars
• Crisps
• Pizza
• Ready meals
• Processed soups
• Packet Sandwiches
• Sausages
• Tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and other condiment sauces
• Breakfast cereals

Reduce your daily intake of processed foods and have a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds where possible. Foods high in sugar increases adrenalin, which can constrict your blood vessels, with smaller space to work, your heart will be under a lot of pressure which will raise your blood pressure. Foods such as white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and biscuits, all increase your glucose levels and adrenalin levels and should be either removed from your diet completely or eaten only as a treat and not an everyday occurrence.

Here’s a superfood snack that contains foods to help lower blood pressure. The mix offers a perfect combination of nutritional benefits from immune support, inflammation reduction, alkaline, balanced sugar levels, rehydration, stress reduction, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, increased neurotransmission - let’s just say it’s a SUPER SUPER grazing mix.

• 1 cup of goji berries
• 1 cup of cacao nibs
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1 cup of pumpkin seeds

Mix everything together in a bowl, then bag up and carry around with you in times of grazing (by the way you can also buy this snack from us, made up for your convenience).

Finally here are some other foods that are good for looking after your blood pressure.

• Cacao (raw chocolate) - helps to regulate heartbeat as well as helps control BP. It contains essential fats, the heart benefits greatly from eating cacao. It contains theobromine that dilates the cardiovascular system making the heart's job easier.
• Goji berries - contain betaine and master molecule polysaccharides, these can restore and repair damaged DNA, they are high immune system builders.
• Pumpkin seeds - protect against heart disease, lower cholesterol, contain mood enhancing typtophan.
• Sunflower seeds - help lower blood pressure, because the seeds are high in potassium and low in sodium, they act as a diuretic. They help improve cardiovascular health.

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