My top tips for improving your blood pressure

10 Tips for Lowering Your Blood Pressure Naturally

With cardiovascular disease being a significant risk factor for COVID and one of the leading causes of death in the UK, we should all we thinking about keeping ourselves healthy.

When someone presents to me with high blood pressure, I see it as a downstream event. There is a whole host of things upstream that we need to correct. And as we do, the whole system beings to heal.

Blood pressure medication is also a common cause for morbidity, complaints of low mood, sexual dysfunction and lethargy among a few. So what can we be doing to improve blood pressure? And do we have to stay on medication life long?

Here are my top lifestyle tips and NO, this is often a reversible condition and medication does not have to be lifelong ( come and see me in clinic if you need help!)

1. Reduce excessive refined carbohydrate and/or sugar intake

High blood sugar and insulin resistance contribute to the development of hypertension

Stick to whole-food carbohydrates like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fruit instead of refined grains and sugars. Match your carb intake to your activity levels.

2. Increase your intake of minerals

Potassium, magnesium, and calcium are more important for reducing blood pressure than salt restriction Increase intake of potassium-rich plant foods like white potatoes, bananas, and tomatoes

Increase calcium intake through full fat dairy products ( low fat dairy can increase heart disease risk as it lacks vitamin k2 and the saturated fats actually improve heart health outcomes), bone-in fish, nuts and seeds, and leafy greens.

Increase magnesium intake through pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark, leafy greens, molasses, dark chocolate, and bananas.

3. Consume grass-fed dairy (if tolerated)

Grass-fed dairy fat contains vitamin K2, which may be the most important nutrient for preventing cardiovascular disease.

Foods high in K2 include butter and ghee, hard cheeses, poultry liver, and fermented soy (natto).

4. Eat one pound of fatty fish per week

Omega-3 fats in fish are found to reduce risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It’s safer to get omega-3 fats from fish rather than from fish oil. Fatty fish options include salmon, sardines, halibut, mackerel, trout, tuna, anchovies, herring, and whitefish

5. Drink tea

Certain types of tea are effective at lowering blood pressure. These teas include hibiscus, hawthorn, gotu kola, oolong, and green tea. Drink two to three cups per day.

6. Eat beets

Beets are high in nitrate, which turns into nitric oxide and can promote vasodilation and lower blood pressure Other foods high in nitrates include celeriac, chinese cabbage, endive, fennel, kohlrabi, leek, parsley, celery, lettuce, spinach, and rocket. Beet juice has been shown to lower blood pressure in studies

7. Get some sunshine

UV radiation also helps produce nitric oxide in our blood, which lowers blood pressure. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of unprotected, bare skin exposure on a daily basis

8. Reduce stress

Chronic stress is a well-known cause of high blood pressure. Meditation and deep breathing are two incredibly effective strategies that can be used daily to lower blood pressure

9. Focus on sleep

Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality increase the risk of high blood pressure

Aim for seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep nightly

10. Exercise regularly

All types of exercise have been shown to reduce blood pressure. This includes endurance exercise like walking and cycling, as well as strength training exercises like weight lifting or bodyweight exercises

Sitting less is also important; aim for standing for at least half of your day (e.g., working at a standing desk) and walking 10,000 steps a day